गङ्गावतरणम्
The Descent of the Gaṅgā and Bhagiratha’s Fulfilment
यतो भगीरथो राजा ततो गङ्गायशस्विनी।।।।जगाम सरितां श्रेष्ठा सर्वपापप्रणाशिनी।
yato bhagīratho rājā tato gaṅgā yaśasvinī |
jagāma saritāṃ śreṣṭhā sarva-pāpa-praṇāśinī ||
Vua Bhagiratha đi về phương nào, thì chính về phương ấy, sông Hằng lừng danh cũng theo đến—bậc tối thượng trong các dòng sông, đấng tiêu trừ mọi tội lỗi.
Ganga, famous and foremost of rivers, destroyer of all sins, flowed in the direction king Bhagiratha moved.
A leader’s dharmic resolve guides powerful forces toward purification and welfare; steadfast righteousness becomes a ‘path’ that even sacred powers follow.
Gaṅgā continues to follow Bhagīratha’s route exactly as he leads her onward.
Bhagīratha’s guiding responsibility and single-pointed purpose in fulfilling an ancestral duty.