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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.42.21

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 42: Story of Sagara: Gaṅgā’s descent through Śiva’s hair. Śiva catches the falling river in his matted hair, Bhagīratha wins her release and leads the purifying waters across the earth

In the sequence: Bhagīratha drives ahead in a divya syandana (divine chariot) → Gaṅgā follows wherever he leads, accompanied by rejoicing heavenly beings and creatures of the water.

1.42.21

bhagīratho 'pi rājarṣir divyaṃ syandanam āsthitaḥ
prāyād agre mahātejās taṃ gaṅgā pṛṣṭhato 'nvagāt

And the royal seer Bhagīratha, mounted on a celestial chariot, that mighty one, went ahead, and Gaṅgā followed behind him.

Words: bhagīratho — Bhagīratha; 'pi — also, and; rājarṣir — the royal seer; divyaṃ — celestial, divine; syandanam — chariot; āsthitaḥ — mounted, seated on; prāyād — went forth, set out; agre — ahead, in front; mahātejās — the mighty one; taṃ — him; gaṅgā — Gaṅgā; pṛṣṭhato — behind; 'nvagāt — followed

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki, the ādikavi of the ādikāvya: the first poet of the first poem. 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.