. Indian myth and legend. could they escape this fate, so great was the Rishis powerover celestial beings. So they hastened to Ganga, andshe consented to become their human mother, promisingthat she would cast them one by one into the Gangessoon after birth, so that they might return speedily totheir celestial state. For this service Ganga made eachof the Vasus promise to confer an eighth part of his poweron her son, who, according to her desire, should remainamong men for many years, but would never marry orhave offspring. who lived in the fifth century He makes the king give the heroine
. Indian myth and legend. could they escape this fate, so great was the Rishis powerover celestial beings. So they hastened to Ganga, andshe consented to become their human mother, promisingthat she would cast them one by one into the Gangessoon after birth, so that they might return speedily totheir celestial state. For this service Ganga made eachof the Vasus promise to confer an eighth part of his poweron her son, who, according to her desire, should remainamong men for many years, but would never marry orhave offspring. who lived in the fifth century He makes the king give the heroine a ring, whichshe loses while bathing. A fish swallows the ring, and it is found by a fisherman, whodelivers it to the king. Then suddenly His Majesty remembers his bride, whom he hadforgotten and already denied. The misfortunes of the monarch and maid resulted fromthe curse of the sage Durvasas. Pron. Sha-koon-ta-lah. Pron. chundra ( ch as in change). Also Soma, the moon god. * Subsequently the name for India as a SHANTANU MEETS THE GODDESS GANGA From the painting hy Warivick Goble PRELUDE TO THE BHARATA WAR 165 A day came thereafter when King Shantanu walkedbeside the Ganges. Suddenly there appeared before hima maiden of surpassing beauty. She was Ganga in humanform. Her celestial garments had the splendour of lotusblooms; she was adorned with rare ornaments, and herteeth were radiant as pearls. The king was silenced byher charms, and gazed upon her steadfastly ... In timehe perceived that the maiden regarded him with love-lorneyes, as if she sought to look upon him for ever, and hespoke to her, saying: O slender-waisted and fair one, artthou one of the Danavas, or art thou of the race of Gand-harvas, or art thou of the Apsaras; art thou one of theYakshas or Nagas,^ or art thou of human kind, O peer-less and faultless one: Be thou my bride. The goddess made answer that she would wed theking, but said she must needs at once depart from himif he spoke harshly to her at
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