← 1.41.21 · Bāla Kāṇḍa 41: Story of Sagara: Bhagīratha takes up the ancestral task · 1.41.23 →

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.41.22

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 41: Story of Sagara: Bhagīratha takes up the ancestral task. Aṃśumat & Dilīpa leave the ancestral task unfinished, Bhagīratha wins permission for Gaṅgā’s descent and learns that Śiva must receive her

In the sequence: Brahmā agrees but explains that the earth cannot withstand Gaṅgā's fall → only Śiva can receive her force → after speaking to the King and Gaṅgā, Brahmā departs.

1.41.22

iyaṃ haimavatī gaṅgā jyeṣṭhā himavataḥ sutā
tāṃ vai dhārayituṃ rājan haras tatra niyujyatām

This Gaṅgā, the Himālayan, the eldest daughter of Himavat — to hold her, O king, let Hara (Śiva) be appointed there.

Words: iyaṃ — this; haimavatī — the Himālayan, daughter of Himavat; gaṅgā — Gaṅgā; jyeṣṭhā — the eldest; himavataḥ — of Himavat; sutā — daughter; tāṃ — her; vai — indeed; dhārayituṃ — to hold, bear, sustain; rājan — O king; haras — Hara (Śiva); tatra — there; niyujyatām — let (him) be appointed, engaged

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki. Sanskrit: The Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa: Critical Edition, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1960–1975 (gen. eds. G. H. Bhatt, U. P. Shah); IAST from GRETIL (Göttingen). Translation and word glosses: Claude Opus 4.6–4.7; summaries and sequences: ChatGPT Astra (machine-made). Numbering follows the Critical Edition, not the vulgate (e.g. Gita Press, valmikiramayan.net), so sarga and verse numbers can differ from those editions.