Ancient Indian Historical Tradition c16.74

c16.74

It is quite permissible therefore to suspect similar fancies in other cases. For instance, Bhīṣma is often called Gāṅgeya,⁴ Jāhnavī’s son⁵ and Bhāgīrathī’s son,⁶ and a fable is narrated that he was begotten by king Santanu of the river Ganges.⁷ It is not euhemerism to suggest that his mother had the name Gaṅgā⁸ or the patronymic Jāhnavī⁹ or Bhāgīrathī,¹⁰ that tradition forgot her, and that fancy then confused her with and finally superseded her by the river. Again, it is said that king Gādhi of Kānyakubja was an incarnation of Indra, and the story suggests that the truth was he had also the name Indra or one of its synonyms such as Purandara.¹¹