Week 6 Story: Ganga's Deception

Devavrata being presented to Shantanu by Ganga. Source: Wikimedia

King Shantanu and Ganga, from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie.

The eight Vasus arrived hurriedly to Ganga's home for help with a horrible predicament they had found themselves in.  They were great celestial beings with tremendous power, but had been sentenced to live in the mortal world for a transgression against Vashishtha during his holy meditations.  They had come to Ganga to plead for her help in making their punishment less severe.  They asked if she would mother their human forms and immediately cast them into the Ganges on birth so they could become celestial again.  Ganga, contemplating the request, decides that she needs something in return if she is to do this service for the Vasus.  She requests that if she does this for them, that her earthly son should be given one eighth of each of their power as payment for her service.  The Vasus agree to the arrangement and Ganga sets forth with her plan.

Ganga takes human form and waits by the Ganges for her suitor to come to her.  The person who would father the Vasus was none other than King Shantanu.  He saw her from afar when walking the river banks and was immediately drawn to her.  The closer he got, the more beautiful she became  and the more sure he was that she must be his wife.  He approached her and showered her with praise exclaiming that she must be his wife, just as Ganga had expected.  She agreed to marry him, but made him promise that he would not speak harshly to her or question her actions, lest she leave immediately.

A year later she gives birth to eight children all at once, surprising the king greatly who was overjoyed at the prospect of his expanding domain.  She did not hesitate with her previous promise to the Vasus however, and cast all eight of them into the Ganges river.  Horrified, the king for the first time lashes out at his wife for her supposed cruelty and destruction of his newly born children.  She reveals herself to him as the goddess Ganga and tells him of her agreement with the Vasus.  In an instant, after she had finished her explanation to the king, she vanished.  Both grief stricken and in awe of what he just saw, for many months the king only patrolled his palace grounds in silent contemplation of what it all means to him.  One day, many months later, Ganga appeared before the king again and delivered him a son.  The king was overjoyed and immediately taken by the boy.  The boy would be named Devavrata and would have within him the power of the Vasus, just as they had promised to Ganga years prior.

Author's Note:  I decided that this story was kind of horrific from the king's perspective, and I thought it might be a little better for the king if he is confronted with Ganga's actions once and not several times over the years.  I thought it was kind of weird that he didn't say something sooner, so instead of drawing it out over 7 pregnancies and deaths, it all happens at once.