Bhagirath

The sacrifice and devotion of Bhagirath, because of whose efforts the River Ganges came to earth. One of Bhagirath's ancestors was cursed by a sage. He begged forgiveness, so the sage said, "All right. Do penance and I will forgive you. But until the Ganges descends to earth you will not be purified and liberated." So Bhagirath's relatives were in great consternation and wished that someone would be born in their life who would, by his austerities and penance, bring the Ganges down to earth and free them from the curse. That was accomplished by Bhagirath.
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