Ganga Drowns Seven Sons and Reveals Her Divine Mission
Ganga gives birth to eight sons and drowns each one at birth, claiming it is for their own good. When she moves to drown the eighth, a tormented Shantanu finally breaks his vow of silence, demanding to know why.
Shantanu obtained his mysterious bride and was delighted. Remembering his promise, he refrained from asking her anything. Ganga, the divine river who courses the three worlds, lived happily as his obedient wife, pleasing him with her love, intelligence, and beauty. The king’s love for her was so great that years passed without his notice.
During this time, Ganga bore him eight sons, each resembling a god. As soon as each son was born, one after another, she took the infant and flung it into the waters of the Ganga, saying, “This is for your own good.”
This did not please King Shantanu. A deep distress grew within him with each birth and each drowning. But bound by his vow never to question or stop her, and gripped by fear of losing her, the lord of the earth did not dare to utter a word. He watched seven of his sons disappear into the river.
When the eighth son was born, Ganga seemed to be smiling as she moved to drown him as well. Shantanu could bear it no longer. His desire for a son and his paternal agony overwhelmed his fear. Miserably, he cried out to her, “Do not kill him! Who are you? Who do you belong to? Why do you kill your sons? As a murderer of your sons, you are committing a great sin. O evil one! Do not commit sin. Desist.”
Ganga stopped. She replied, “Since you desire a son, I will not kill this son. You will become the supreme father of a son. But following our agreement, my stay here has come to an end.” Then she revealed everything.
“I am Ganga, the daughter of Jahnu, worshipped by large numbers of maharshis (great sages). I have lived with you to accomplish the wishes of the gods. These were the eight vasus, immensely fortunate gods. As a result of a curse imposed by the sage Vashishtha, they had to be born in human form. There was no better father than you on earth, and no human mother who could equal me. Therefore, I assumed human form to become their mother. My agreement with the divine vasus was that I should free them from their human birth as soon as each was born. I have thus freed them from the curse. Be fortunate. I must leave now. Rear this son. He will be rigid in his vows. My promise to the vasus that I would live with you is over.”
She told him to name the boy Gangadatta, “given by Ganga.” Then, because Shantanu had broken their agreement by questioning her, her stay was over. The goddess left, and the king was left with a single, extraordinary son.