Dharma Katha · Season 1: Pitru Paksha · Episode 8

At the end of a thousand years, a voice spoke from the sky. The man standing in the fire had no idea how long he had been there. His skin was dark from the sun. His arms had stopped hurting long ago. He had stopped thinking about himself. He was, by now, only a wish, standing on two feet: let the river come.

Missed the previous story? Listen to Episode 7 first.

Source note. Label: scripture. This story is from the Valmiki Ramayana, Bala Kanda, sarga forty-two and the start of sarga forty-three. The boon-granting by Brahma, the two boons Bhagiratha asks for, and Brahma's words about the earth being unable to bear the fall are in the text. The Sanskrit lines are from Ramayana one, forty-two, twenty-four, the first half; one, forty-three, one; and one, forty-thr ...