Week 9 Storytelling: Ganga and the River

There was once a great ruler who was named King Santanu. Santanu was the ruler of the city of Hastinapura. King Santanu was a great ruler.  He was very happy with the way that he was living his life and ruling his kingdom.  He was happy with everything because it seemed as if the people of his city seemed as if they were very pleased with him as well.

However, King Santanu felt that he could have all of the success, money, and fortune in the world but if he had no one in his life to share it with then it really meant nothing to him.  It was really wearing on him lately that he had no one to share his great and blessed life with.  He knew that there had to be someone out there for him, but he was growing tired of waiting for that perfect woman to sweep him off of his feet to make him think that love did truly exist. 

Early one morning at dusk Santanu decided to go walk down by the river to hopefully get some peace and quiet to where he could hopefully get his mind off all his gloomy thoughts he had been having until suddenly he saw and heard the most beautiful voice he had ever heard. “What is your name handsome?” Santanu was a bit startled by a woman being so forward with him. “Well… hello, my name is Santanu.” The beautiful woman looked at Santanu and explained I think we are going to get along great.” Santanu replies, “I think that I am in love with you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you because I haven’t felt this way about a woman in so long. I have never been at a loss for words, but right now it just feels right with you. I know that we were meant to be together forever. You are my forever-beautiful woman! The beautiful woman looked and him and said, “ I agree but there are some things you must know before you marry me, When we are married you must never question anything I do.  You must not question a single thing, and as long as you don’t question anything we will live a long happy marriage.” Santanu quickly kisses her and they run off into the sunset.

Eventually, they have a beautiful wedding and nine months after they both bring a baby into the world.  One dark night the woman brought the baby down to the river and she drowned their baby. Santanu was horrified by this act but knew that he could not question anything that his wife was doing. They eventually ended up having more children and she drowed them as well.

Finally, their eighth baby was the last straw. Santanu couldn’t take another child being drowned by this woman. When she was on her way to the river with his eighth child he screamed, “STOP, STOP! I will not let you go another step with my child. I have watched too many of my children go into this river and it stops here!”

The woman looks at him and explains, “ But Santanu, I am Ganga and I am here in human form to give birth to these children. I only married you because you were the only one worthy of being the father of these babies.  These children that we have had are the Vasus, and they have been punished for stealing Vasistha’s cow. Please let me do as I should and don’t question me like you promised.” Before Santanu could even get a word out Ganga and his child were gone in thin air. 

Santanu stops Ganga from drowning eighth child 

Bibiography: Narayan, R.J. (1978). The Mahabharata 

Authors's Note: I chose to write about Santanu and Ganga because I was really drawn in to this story from the very beginning.  This story opens up The Mahabharata in a very unique way.  I think this is one of my favorite stories because I found myself asking myself during the story how could you kill your very own child, and do it eight different times.  It seems so evil and even though she explains herself and the reason why she was reincarnated, and the reason why she has to have the children because they would be cursed if they were to be born on earth it still seems very morbid and evil to kill your own children.