# भगीरथ (bhagīratha)

Canonical page: https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/bhagiratha

भगीरथ (bhagīratha) is a Sanskrit word meaning the name of several authors, of an architect of recent date, of a mountain, name of a commentator, an architect, and a mountain, name of a king, name of an ancient king. Its 15 recorded definitions are grouped into 3 contexts, among them King Bhagīratha: Mythology and Epic Narratives, Other Individuals Named Bhagīratha, Bhagīratha as a Mountain Name.

- **SLP1:** `BagIraTa`  **IAST:** bhagīratha  **Devanagari:** भगीरथ
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagiratha
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/bhagiratha/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** भागीरथ (bhāgīratha)

## Meanings by context

### King Bhagīratha: Mythology and Epic Narratives (12 definitions)
- An ancient king who brought down the river Ganga from heaven to earth  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 744,1] भगीरथ (ratha) (bhagīratha) m. ( prob. fr. भगिन् (bhagin) + रथ (ratha), ‘having a glorious chariot’), N. of an ancient king (son of Dilīpa and great-grandfather of Sagara, king of Ayodhyā; he brought down the sacred Gaṅgā from heaven to earth and then conducted this river to the ocean in order to purify the ashes of his ancestors, the 60,000 sons of Sagara; cf. Indian Wisdom, by Sir M. Monier-Williams (Title) 322 ), Mahābhārata (Title); Rāmāyaṇa (Title); Purāṇas (Literary category) &c. [ ID=147896 ]
- The name of an ancient king who brought the Ganges down to earth  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > भगीरथ (bhagīratha) [Printed book page 200-a3 ] भगीरथ (bhagīratha) bhagī-ratha [bhagi-ratha, having a glorious car], m. N. of an ancient king, son of Dilīpa and great-grandson of Sagara, who having with the help of Śiva brought the celestial Ganges down to earth to purify the ashes of the sons of Sagara, conducted, that river to the sea (Sāgara): -kanyā, f. pat. of the Ganges, -sutā, f. id., -yaśas, f. N. of a daughter of Prasenajit. [ ID=13004 ]
- A king whose austerities brought the river Ganga from heaven.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > भगीरथ (bhagīratha) [Printed book page 610 ] भगीरथ (bhagīratha) m. ( - थः (-thaḥ) ) A king whose austerities brought GAṄGĀ, the river, from heaven. [ ID=28139 ]
- Name of a king  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > भगीरथ (bhagīratha) [Printed book page 548-a ] भगीरथ (bhagīratha) ( थः ) ((thaḥ)) 1. m. Name of a king. [ ID=27651 ]
- Name of an ancient king of the solar dynasty who brought the Ganges down from heaven to earth.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > भगीरथ (bhagīratha) [Printed book page 517-16 ] भगीरथ (bhagīratha) m. Name of an ancient king of the solar dynasty who is said to have brought down the Ganges from heaven to the earth. [ ID=27031 ]
- A king of the solar dynasty whose austerities brought the river Ganga down from heaven to earth.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > भगीरथ (bhagīratha) [Printed book page 523-a ] भगीरथ (bhagīratha) m. ( - थः (-thaḥ) ) A king of the solar dynasty, whose austerities brought down GANGĀ, the river, from heaven to the earth. [ ID=29013 ]
- A king whose austerities brought the river Ganga from heaven  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > भगीरथ (bhagīratha) [Printed book page 0639-b ] भगीरथ (bhagīratha) bhagīratha, m. A king whose austerities brought Gaṅgā, the river, from heaven; called her father, Rām. 1, 44, 8 sqq. Gorr.; Utt. Rāmac. 167, 10; Chr. 24, 47. [ ID=10401 ]
- Name of an ancient king.  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > भगीरथ (bhagīratha) [Printed book page 371 ] भगीरथ (bhagīratha) m. N. of an ancient king. [ ID=22517 ]
- an ancient king who brought the Ganges down from heaven  
  *Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary*
  > भगीरथ (bhagīratha) [Printed book page 203-b ] bhagīratha, m. Bhagīratha, name of an ancient king, who brought the Ganges down from heaven. [perhaps fr. bhagin + ratha, ‘having a splendid chariot.’] [ ID=2945 ]
- 1. Name of an ancient king who brought the Ganga from heaven to earth. 2. Name of a commentator, an architect, and a mountain.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > भगीरथ (bhagīratha) [Printed book page 0696-b ] Bhagīratha, as, m. (perhaps fr. bhagin + ratha ), N. of an ancient king (son of Dilīpa and great-grand- son of Sagara, king of Ayodhyā; he brought down the sacred Gaṅgā from heaven to earth by the aid of Śiva, who is fabled to have received the stream on his head; he then conducted this river to the ocean, in order to purify the ashes of his ancestors, the 60,000 sons of Sagara, who were reduced to ashes by Viṣṇu in the form of Kapila when they dug through the earth, then under his protection, in seeking to recover the sacrificial horse which had Page0696-c+ 79 been stolen from their father, see Rāmāyaṇa I. 36- 44); N. of a commentator on the Amara-kośa and author of the metrical commentary Nyāya-līlāvatī- bhāva-prakāśa; N. of an architect of recent date; of a mountain. —Bhagīratha-prayatna, as, m. ‘Bha- gīratha's labour,’ a term for any Herculean effort or exertion. —Bhagīratha-sutā, f. ‘daughter of Bhagī- ratha,’ an epithet of Gaṅgā or the Ganges. —Bha- gīrathopākhyāna (°tha-up°), am, n., N. of the thirty-fifth chapter of the Vāsiṣṭha-rāmāyaṇa. [ ID=35016 ]
- A legendary king who brought the Ganga river down to earth through severe austerities.  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > भगीरथ (bhagīratha) [Printed book page 118-1 ] Bhagīratha (descendant of Sagara). § 5 (Anukram.): I, 1, 221.—§ 61 (Sarpasattra): I, 55 β, †2112.—§ 232 (Svayaṃ- Page118-b+ 63 varap.): I, 186, 7001 (α).—§ 263 (Sabhākriyāp.): II, 3, 67.—§ 267 (Yamasabhāv.): II, 8, 322 (in the palace of Yama).—§ 274 (Rājasūyārambhap.): II, 15, 649.—§ 296 (Dyūtap.): II, 53, 1929.—§ 323 (Dvaitavanapr.): III, 25, 956.—§ 376 (Tīrthay.): III, 85, 8269 (Nārada exhorts Yudhiṣṭhira to seek renown by visiting the tīrthas, as Bh., etc.).—§ 377 (Dhaumyatīrth.): III, 87, 8310 (on the bank of Gaṅgā Bh. brought many sacrifices).—§ 378 (Tīrthay.): III, 92, 8444 (Lomaśa exhorts Yudhiṣṭhira to visit the tīrthas in order to be “liberated,” as Bh., Gaya, Yayāti, etc.); 94, 8504.—§ 386 (Agastyop.): III, 106, 8826.— § 387 (Sagara): III, 106, 8828 ( °pratiśrayāt ).—§ 389 (Gaṅgāvataraṇa): III, 107, 9918 (son of Dilīpa); 108, 9940 (Gaṅgā promises him to descend in order to purify his forefathers), 9944 (practises austerities on Kailāsa); 109, 9947 ( °vacas; Śiva promises him to sustain the Gaṅgā), 9950, 9959 (Gaṅgā descends), 9961 (fills up the Ocean with the Gaṅgā, whom he made his daughter).—§ 573 (Ambop.): V, 178, 7096 ( °sutā nadī, i.e. Gaṅgā).—§ 574 (Jambūkh.): VI, 6, 238 ( Bh. dwelled for many years at Bindusaras after having seen Gaṅgā).—§ 595 (Ṣoḍaś.): VII, 60, 2249, 2256, 2258; Bh. ( Aikṣvākaṃ, v. 2256) caused the shore of Gaṅgā Bhāgīrathī to be covered by flights of steps ( cayanaiḥ ) made of gold; he presented the brahmans with 1,000,000 of damsels decked with ornaments of gold, etc. (description). It is related how Gaṅgā became his daughter and then his “son” (see the note of PCR., p. 173); G. sang all this before Ṛ., D., and men. At last he ascended to Brahmaloka through the grace of the brahmans (v. 2260, v. Nīl.).—§ 599 (Jayadrathav.): VII, 94, 3450 (ε) (a rājarṣi).—§ 604 (Karṇap.): VIII, 5 ζ, 117 ( rājā Bh°o vṛddho, has been slain).—§ 632 (Ṣodaśarāj.): XII, 29, 956, 962 ( Aikṣvākuṃ ).—§ 658 b (Kṛtaghnop.): XII, 170, 6345 ( °rathākrāntadeśān ).—§ 734 (Ānuśāsan.): XIII, 26, †1854 (brought down Gaṅgā having gratified all D. by terrible austerities).—§ 746 (do.): XIII, 76 ι, 3689.— § 758 (do.): XIII, 103, 4909 ( °sya saṃvādaṃ Brahmaṇaś ca ), 4910 (transcended the world of the gods, that of kine, and that of the ṛṣis), 4911, 4912, (†4913), 4950 ( rājānaṃ ). —§ 767 (do.): XIII, 137 α, 6270 ( rājarṣiḥ; attained to the imperishable worlds by giving his daughter Haṃsī to Kautsa), 6271 (attained to the highest worlds by giving 100,000 cows with calves to Kohala).—§ 775 (do.): XIII, 166 η, 7677.—§ 795 (Svargāroh.): XVIII, 3 θ, 107. [ ID=1279 ]
- 1. The son of Dilipa who brought the Ganges down to earth by penance. 2. A royal sage.  
  *The Purana Index*
  > भगीरथ (bhagīratha) [Printed book page 2-525 ] Bhagīratha — the son of Dilīpa and father of Śruta (Suhotra Vi. P. ); by penance on the banks of the Bindusaras he succeeded in bringing the Ganges; was asked how she was to dispose of the sins of men discharged into her waters; Bhagīratha said that Sādhus and others among whom was Hari would take off the sins from her: was asked to pray to Śiva to check her course; so he prayed to Śiva and it was heard; by this he was able to shake off the sins of his ancestors; 1 a Rājaṛṣi; went to the forest of the Gaura hills in search of Gangā; 2 his lust after more territory; 3 after him Page2-526+ 23 Gangā became the Bhāgīrathī; so-called after the seventh branch of the Ganges. 4 [ Footnote: 1) Bhā. IX. 9. 2-13 and 16; Br. II. 18. 25; M. 12. 44; 15. 19; 121. 26; Vā. 88. 167; Vi. IV. 4. 35-6.] [ Footnote: 2) Vā. 47. 24.] [ Footnote: 3) Bhā. XII. 3. 10.] [ Footnote: 4) Br. III. 54. 48-51; 63. 166-8; Vā. 47. 40.] [ ID=9365 ]

### Other Individuals Named Bhagīratha (2 definitions)
- the name of several authors  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > [Printed book page 744,2] N. of sev. authors (also with ठक्कुर (ṭhakkura) and मेघ (megha); cf. भगिन् (bhagin) ), Catalogue(s) [Cologne Addition] (Title) [ ID=147897 ]
- of an architect of recent date  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > of an architect of recent date, Inscriptions [Cologne Addition] (Title) [ ID=147898 ]

### Bhagīratha as a Mountain Name (1 definition)
- of a mountain  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > of a mountain, Śatruṃjaya-māhātmya (Title) [ ID=147899 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Index to the Names in the Mahabharata; Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary; Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872); Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary; The Purana Index; Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

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