The Descent of Ganga - II

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May 14, 2005

Sagara had two wives. The first was Keshini, the princess of Vidarbh, and the second was Sumati. Sage Ourva came to bless the king and his wives. He said that one queen will give birth to one son and the other will give birth to sixty thousand sons. Keshini chose the single son, so Sumati became the mother of sixty thousand. (This is the version narrated in the Narada Purana, the text we are following. In the Mahabharata the tale has been told differently. For a long time Sagara was childless so he worshipped Lord Shiva. Thus he was blessed with sixty thousand and one sons. In this version it was Keshini who bore sixty thousand and Sumati who bore the single son.)

Keshini's son was slightly unbalanced mentally from birth. Hence he was named Asamanjasa, which means 'undecided'. He turned out to be a very evil person. His sixty thousand stepbrothers followed in his footsteps. The soon became the scourge of the nation. Looting, raping and drinking were second nature to the. They would even attack temples and sacrifices and take possession of the offerings made to the Gods. When the maidens on earth no longer attracted them they started abducting the apsaras from heaven. Sagara pretended that his son' behavior was nothing but juvenile bravado and they would soon get over it. In his mind he knew that their evil ways had come to stay. Like Sagara on earth, Indra in heaven was also getting worried. He knew that his kingdom would soon be targeted if remedial action were not taken soon. When Asamanjasa and his stepbrothers waged war on their father it was time for Indra to act. He consulted Sage Kapila in this matter. Kapila was not only very pious and righteous, but very powerful and fiery as well. He told Indra that the princes were heading towards their doom and that Indra should be on the lookout for an opportune moment to guide them towards the fate.

Some time later Sagara decided to perform the Ashwamedha, or Horse, sacrifice in order to establish his supremacy over neighboring kingdoms. In this sacrifice a horse is allowed to wander at will and the king claims any terrain it covers. The king's army led by his sons follows the horse. If anyone disputes the claim the issue is settled with a battle. The king who performs this sacrifice is so powerful that normally no one dares challenge him.

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