← 1.42.23 · Bāla Kāṇḍa 42: Story of Sagara: Gaṅgā’s descent through Śiva’s hair

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.42.24

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.

1.42.24

yato bhagīratho rājā tato gaṅgā yaśasvinī
jagāma saritāṃ śreṣṭhā sarvapāpavināśinī

Wherever King Bhagīratha went, there went the glorious Gaṅgā, best of rivers, destroyer of all sins.

Words: yato — wherever, whither; bhagīratho — Bhagīratha; rājā — the king; tato — there, thither; gaṅgā — Gaṅgā; yaśasvinī — the glorious, illustrious; jagāma — went; saritāṃ — of rivers; śreṣṭhā — the best; sarvapāpavināśinī — the destroyer of all sins

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.