King Bharata had King Hastin who had King Kuru who had King Shantanu
King Hastin built the great city of Hastinapura.
King Shantanu was a good king. He was just.
He married the goddess Ganga. She was goddess of the Ganges River.
There were 8 celestial beings called the Vasus who were cursed to human form by the sage, Vashishtha.
They came to Ganga and asked her to be their human mother. They wanted to be cast into the Ganges river so that they could return to their celestial from.
Ganga became their human mother. Maybe could write about adoption of some sort.
There were strings attached though. Ganga would only do what the Vasus wanted if 1/8 of each of their power was given to her real son.
This would mean that her son would have the power of a full Vasus.
Her real son was to be alive for a long time but never have any offspring.
King Shantanu was walking along the Ganges when he saw Ganga. He fell in love and asked her to marry him. She said yes, as long as she can leave him if he ever becomes harsh or asks her to do something she doesn't want to do.
She gave birth to a son and immediately threw him into the Ganges River.
Shantanu was horrified but was afraid to speak because she could leave him.
This happened with 6 more babies.
The 8th baby was different though. King Shantanu finally spoke up in rage.
Ganga revealed who she was and why she cast the Vasus into the river. Then she left with the 8th child.
She returned years later with their son Devavrata. She dropped him off and never came back.
Ganga was smart in her plan of marriage. She knew King Shantanu was moral and would not stand for what she was doing. Here scheme gave her an easy way out of the marriage. I am curious though why she brought Devarata back to Shantanu. I do not know her motivation for her wanting him to have the power of the Vasus either. Maybe I will see by the end of the epic.
Bibliography
King Shantanu and Ganga from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie
Photo Information: Ganges River Sunset: Pixabay
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