लोमश उवाच भगीरथवचः श्रुत्वा प्रियार्थं च दिवौकसाम्। एवस्त्विति राजानं भगवान् प्रत्यभाषत॥
Lomasha said: Having heard the words of Bhagiratha, the exalted deity in order to do what was agreeable to the dwellers of heaven and to the king “So be it."
धारयिष्ये महाभाग गगनात् प्रच्युतां शिवाम्। दिव्यां देवनदी पुण्यां त्वत्कृते नृपसत्तम॥
"O mighty-armed hero, O foremost of kings, for your sake I shall sustain (on may head) the fall from the sky of that blessed divine and pure, celestials river.”
एवमुक्त्वा महाबाहो हिमवन्तमुपागमत्। वृतः पारिषदैर्घोरैर्नानाप्रहरणोद्यतैः॥
O mighty-armed hero, having seed this, he came to the Himalayas surrounded by his fearful followers with uplifted weapons of various sorts.
तत्र स्थित्वा नरश्रेष्ठं भगीरथमुवाच ह। प्रयाचस्व महाबाहो शैलराजसुतां नदीम्॥
Remaining there he thus spoke to that best of men, Bhagiratha, “O mighty-armed hero, pray to the river, the daughter of the king of mountains.
पतमानां सरिच्छेष्ठांधारयिष्ये त्रिविष्टपात्। एतच्छ्रुत्वा वचो राजा शर्वेण समुदाहृतम्॥ प्रयतः प्रणतो भूत्वा गङ्गां समनुचिन्तयत्। ततः पुण्यजला रम्या राज्ञा समनुचिन्तिता॥ ईशानं च स्थितं दृष्ट्वा गगनात् सहसा च्युता। तां प्रच्युतामथो दृष्ट्वा देवाः सार्धं महर्षिभिः॥ गन्धर्वोरगयक्षाश्च समाजग्मुर्दिदृक्षवः। ततः पपात गगनाद् गङ्गा हिमवतः सुता॥
I shall sustain (on my head) that foremost of rivers when falling from the heaven." Having heard these words uttered by Shiva, the king, began to meditate on Ganga with his head down the subdued soul. Thereupon the charming Ganga of holy water, being thus meditated upon by the king and seeing Ishana (Shiva) standing there, suddenly began to fall (from heaven). Having seen her thus falling, the celestials with the great Rishis. Also the Gandharvas, the Nagas and the Yakshas all came there as spectators. Then the daughter of Himalayas Ganga fell from the sky.
समुद्धृतमहावर्ता मीनग्राहसमाकुला। तां दधार हरो राजन् गङ्गां गगनमेखलाम्॥ ललाटदेशे पतितां मालां मुक्तामयीमिव।
Full of fishes and alligators and full of raging whirlpools. O king, Hara (Shiva) (instantly) held her (on his head) who was like a girdle to the sky and falling on his forehead she looked like a garland of pearls.
सा बभूव विसर्पन्ती त्रिधा राजन् समुद्रगा॥ फेनपुञ्जाकुलजला हंसानामिव पङ्क्तयः। क्वचिदाभोगकुटिला प्रस्खलन्ती क्वचित् क्वचित्।१।। सा फेनपटसंवीता मत्तेव प्रमदाब्रजत्। क्वचित् सा तोयनिनदैर्नदन्ती नादमुत्तमम्॥ एवंप्रकारान् सुबहून् कुर्वती गगनाच्च्युता। पृथिवीतलमासाद्य भगीरथमथाब्रवीत्॥
O king, that ocean-going wife of Shiva divided herself into three streams. Her water full of froth which looked like so many ducks, crooked and tortuous in her movements in some places and stumbling as it were in others, covered with the cloth of foam, she rushed onwards like a drunken woman. In some places she raised up an excellent sound by the roarings of her water; assuming thus various and numerous aspects when fallen from the sky, she reached the earth and thus spoke to Bhagiratha,
दर्शयस्व महाराज मार्ग केन व्रजाम्यहम्। त्वदर्थमवतीर्णास्मि पृथिवीं पृथिवीपते॥
"O great king, show me the way by which I am to go. O ruler of earth, for your sake I have descended on carth."
एतच्छ्रुत्वा वचो राजा प्रातिष्ठत भगीरथः। यत्र तानि शरीराणि सागराणां महात्मनाम्॥ प्लावनार्थं नरश्रेष्ठ पुण्येन सलिलेन च।
Having heard those words, the king Bhagiratha went to the place where lay the bodies of the illustrious sons of Sagara. So that (the place) might be flooded by her holy water.
गङ्गायाधारणं कृत्वा हरो लोकनमस्कृतः॥ कैलास पर्वतश्रेष्ठं जगाम त्रिदशैः सह। समासाद्य समुद्रं च गङ्गया सहितो नृपः॥ पूरयामास वेगेन समुद्रं वरुणालयम्। दुहितृत्वे च नृपतिर्गङ्गां समनुकल्पयत्॥
Having held Ganga, Hara (Shiva), the adored of all the worlds, went to that foremost of mountains Kailasa with the celestials. Coming to the ocean with Ganga, the king. Foiled in the ocean, the abode of Varuna with the greatest force. That king adopted Ganga as his daughter.
पितृणां चोदकं तत्र ददौ पूर्णमनोरथः। एतत् ते सर्वमाख्यातं गङ्गा त्रिपथगा यथा॥
And his wishes being thus fulfilled he there offered oblations of water to the Pitris. I have thus narrated how Ganga flowing in three streams.
पूरणार्थं समुद्रस्य पृथिवीमवतारिता। समुद्रश्च यथा पीतः कारणार्थं महात्मना।॥ वातापिश्च यथा नीतः क्षयं स ब्रह्महा प्रभो। अगस्त्येन महाराज यन्मां त्वं परिपृच्छसि॥
Was brought down on earth in order to fill the ocean, how for a particular object the ocean was drunk up by the high-souled one (Agastya) and now, O great king, O lord, Vatapi, the destroyer of Brahmanas, was destroyed by Agastya, all that you asked me (to narrate).