Shantanu Discovers His Son Devavrata on the Ganga
While hunting, King Shantanu sees the mighty river Ganga's flow checked by arrows and discovers a divine youth performing the feat. The goddess Ganga appears, reveals the youth is their eighth son, Devavrata, and lists his supreme education before giving him to his father.
One day, while hunting a deer along the banks of the Ganga, King Shantanu saw that the great river’s waters had become shallow. Concerned, he wondered why the river did not flow as before. Searching for the cause, he saw a large, handsome youth, beautiful as the god Indra himself. The youth had divine weapons and a bow, and with his sharp arrows, he had stemmed the entire flow of the Ganga.
Witnessing this superhuman feat, Shantanu was astounded. He had seen this son only once, at the moment of his birth years before when his wife Ganga had taken the infant away. The memory was not enough for him to recognize the boy now. As soon as the youth saw his father, he used his powers to create delusion and instantly vanished.
Suspecting the truth, Shantanu addressed the river: “Show him to me.” The goddess Ganga then appeared in a supremely beautiful form, holding the ornamented youth by his right hand.
Ganga said, “O king, this is the eighth son you fathered on me. Take him home. He has studied the Vedas and the Vedangas from the sage Vashishtha himself. He is skilled in all weapons and is a supreme archer, the equal of the king of the gods in battle. The gods and asuras (demons) revere him. He possesses all the knowledge of the sacred texts held by the great sages Ushanas and Brihaspati. He also has the knowledge of weapons possessed by the invincible Parashurama, son of Jamadagni. Your son is a great archer and knows the dharma and artha of kings. I give him to you. Take him home.”
Shantanu accepted his radiant son and returned to his capital, Hastinapura. His happiness was complete; he felt all his desires were fulfilled. He instated his great-souled son as the heir apparent. Devavrata, through his conduct, won the affection of the entire Puru lineage, his father, and the kingdom. The lord of the earth then enjoyed himself with his son for four years.