"Explained - Know Your History" is an interesting web-series where we take you through the millions of stories which are in our culture and tradition. Today We Talk About Mythological Story of King Sagara and His 60,000 Sons who were reduced to Ashes by Kapiladeva. King Sagara was from the famous Isvaku lineage of Ayodhya. King Bahuka was the father of King Sagara. King Bahuk was vicious, but at the same time very ambitious. With the help of Taljandhas and Shakas, Bahuk had snatched away the kingdom of Haihaya family. On getting an opportunity, the Haihayas attacked Bahuk and took back their kingdom. Bahuk got very depressed with this attack and went away into the jungle with his wife Yadavi. Bahuk’s other wives were jealous of Yadavi and so they poisoned her. This poison confined the child in the womb for seven years, and in the interim Bahuk died. The pregnant wife wished to ascend his pyre, but just then Bhriguvanshi (of Bhrigu lineage) Sage Aurva came there. He sympathized with Yadavi and took her away to his Ashram. Sage Aurva forbade her to end her life predicting that she would give birth to a valiant universal monarch. “When the child was born, Aurva gave him the name of Sagar (SA, ‘with,’ and gar, ‘poison’).
King Sagar had two wives, Sumati, the daughter of Kashyap, and Keshini, the daughter of Raja Vidarbha. Keshini gave birth to a son named Asamanjas. Asamanjas had a son named Anshuman, grandson named Dilip and great grandson named Bhagiratha who brought Ganga down to the earth. Sumati gave birth to 60000 sons who were reduced to ashes due to the curse of Kapil Muni. According to the story of King Sagara and his 60000 sons as said in Mahabharata, Queen Sumati observed penance in Aurva Muni’s ashram to get a son.
With a desire to win over the world, King Sagara performed an Ashvamedh Yagya and let the horse of the yagya loose for world conquest. Lord Indra got nervous over this and he thought that King Sagar wanted to take away Indra’s stature by performing this Ashvamedh yagya. So he stole the horse of the yagya and left him outside Kapil Muni’s ashram. When King Sagar’s 60000 sons reached Kapil Muni’s ashram while searching for the horse, and seeing the horse standing outside the ashram they thought Kapil to be guilty of stealing their horse.
They gravely insulted Kapil Muni, and at this, Kapil Muni got very angry and reduced them to ashes with a fire mantra. Anshuman, the grandson of King Sagar (Son of Asamanjas the wicked son of King Sagar) brought the horse back from the Sage after begging him to redeem the souls of the 60,000 sons of King Sagara. Kapil replied that only if the Ganges descended from heaven and touched the ashes of the 60,000 sons of King Sagara would they be redeemed. Neither Anshuman nor his son Dilip was successful in this task. But Dilip’s son, Bhagirath was determined to get this task done.
He started meditating intensely for several years and finally Ganga got pleased and descended to the earth. To prevent the earth from flooding, Lord Shiva received Ganga in his matted locks. King Bhagirath then worshipped Lord Shiva, and finally Shiva blessed him and released Ganga from his locks in seven streams. The water of Ganga touched the ashes of those sons of Sagar, whose souls were liberated.
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