Inspirational Stories. Bhageeratha-How to Overcome Failures and Achieve Success

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8/11/13 Inspirational Stories. Bhageeratha-how to overcome failures and achieve success. - Chit-Chat - Indian Officer, Civil Service Pre

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Inspirational Stories. Bhageeratha-how to overcome failures and achieve

success.Started by Chanda S, Jan 06 2008 01:40 AM

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Chanda S

here's a story of the prince bhageeratha who overcame the overbearing obstacles and achieved success. he never

once lost hope of his success. it is this strength that sees one through the civil services exam. i hope the story

motivates all of us.

this is as sent to me by my friend in e mail.

King Sagara performs Aswamedha sacrifice.

There was a king in the dynasty of Ikswaku by name Sagara. He was a great ruler who fought and won many battles over all the

neighbouring kingdoms.

He had two wives and a number of children in them. The sons of Sagara were extremely powerful and arrogant. They went in all

nooks and corners of the earth fighting with each and everyone who came across their way.

Sagara ruled over his vast kingdom for several years and decided that it was time for him to perform the Horse Sacrifice

(Aswamedha) and become an emperor. His sons roamed about the earth leading the horse as a sign of regal supremacy over all

kingdoms. They marched also over the ocean which was turned dry by sage Agastya. There they lost track of the sacrificial horse.

The princes searched everywhere for the animal and found no trace of it. The sons of Sagara returned to the king and reported the

matter to him. Sagara said. Sons, you must somehow locate the horse and bring it back. You know that I have taken the vow to

conduct the ritual and complete it without a hitch. The presence of the horse is crucial for the ceremony. So, do not return without

the animal.

A fatal encounter

So, the princes continued their search all over the earth. Finally, they found a big hole on the dry bed of the ocean. The valiant

princes wanted to explore beneath the ocean and dug into the hole making it l arge enough for them all to enter.

Their perseverance was amply rewarded by the sight of their horse peacefully grazing near a hermitage. It was the hermitage of sage

Kapila (who was said to be one of the minor not one of the ten- incarnations of Vishnu). The sage had a halo around him

resulting from years of penance. the sons of Sagara found the sage in deep meditation. The haughty princes did not bother about the

sage or his meditation. They held their weapons high and ran to the horse like an invading army, shouting here it is!

The sage was disturbed in his meditation and opened his eyes in fury. Such was his power that his anger burned the hapless princes

into ashes in an instant.

The wandering sage Narada reported the misfortune of his sons to Sagara. The king was anguished hearing the tragic end of his

dear sons. There was nothing that he could do for them. He had taken the vow and could not even move out until the horse was,

somehow, brought back.

There was only a grandson for the king who was left behind. His name was Amsuman. He told the young prince about the tragedy of

his father and uncles. The king asked the boy to trace the path travelled by his father and know more about the tragedy. If possible,

he should get the sacrificial horse back, too.

Posted 06 January 2008 - 01:40 AM
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Amsuman did not hesitate to start i mmediately. He followed the direction of sage Narada and reached the hermitage of sage Kapila.

He f ound the sage in the same meditative posture and prostrated before him. He stood in deep reverence in front of the sage and

waited patiently for the sage to open his eyes.

Sage Kapila was very pleased with the conduct of the young prince and told him so. He asked the boy to choose any boon. Amsuman

begged the sage to release the horse. The hermit gladly did so and encouraged Amsuman to ask for another one. The prince asked

for the salvation of his dead father and uncles this time.

The sage said. I grant you this boon too, but, not immediately. You will have to bring the waters of the holy river Ganga from

heaven to this place where your ancestors lie. Only your grandson will succeed in doing that.

Amsuman returned to the palace with the horse and t old his grand father about the boon he received from the sage. King Sagara was

pleased and completed the ritual. He installed his grandson as the king in due course and retired to a f orest to meditate.

Amsuman got a son by name Dileepa who went to the Himalayas and spent years in meditation with the hope of pleasing the

heavenly Ganga. But, he died without success.

Bhageeratha

Dileepa had a son by name Bhageeratha. The prince heard about his mission early in his childhood. So, he set out to the Himalayas

while he was still very young.

He spent years in deep meditation, praying to the holy Ganga. Finally the river appeared as goddess before him and agreed to flow

down to earth. But, there was a problem. Her force would be such that nothing would withstand the fall of water from heaven. It

needed someone powerful enough to receive the stream falling down from heaven and hold it. The goddess, herself, suggested the

name of Lord Siva for the purpose.

So, Bhageeratha started meditating on Siva. The Lord appeared in due course and agreed to receive Ganga falling from heaven in

his matted hair. Bhageeratha had to pray to Ganga, again, and request her to flow down to earth.

The heavy down pour of the sacred river then started, all the way from heaven to the matted hair of Lord Siva. Ganga was proud of

her force and was not that sure how the Lord would withstand her onslaught. Lord Siva sensed what the haughty Ganga was thinking

and stood firm with the result that not even a drop of water came out of Sivas head!

Bhageeratha was the one who suffered because of the show of strength between the divinities. He had to spend years, again, praying

to Siva to release at least some water for his purpose. The Lord was, no doubt, pleased with Bhageeratha and lifted some locks of

his hair.

The water that fell from the Lords hair started flowing as the mighty Ganga. The river asked Bhageeratha to show her the way

to his ancestors. So, Bhageeratha sped fast on his horse ahead, asking the river to follow him.

He f inds another obstacle on the way. A sage by name Jahnu was in meditation along the path of the mighty Ganga. He was

infuriated when the river flooded his hermitage and drank the whole river dry. It took years of meditation for Bhageeratha to please

the sage. The sage, pacified, let the river flow out of his ears. Ganga has an epithet, Jahnavi, because of this.

The river finally reached the dry bed of the ocean and filled it up to its former level. Bhageeratha moved further down into the

underground where the ashes of his ancestors lay scattered. The contact with the holy river purified the sons of Sagara and gave

them immediate salvation.

(All oceans have inherited the epithet of Saagaram because of this story.)

anu verma

Very interesting story chandra sir.It inspired me.

Thanks a lot for sharing.

Posted 06 January 2008 - 03:07 PM
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aruntoday

good one thanks

Posted 11 February 2008 - 12:40 PM
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Inspirational Stories. Bhageeratha-How to Overcome Failures and Achieve Success