At the time, King Sagara was performing an asyvamedha yajna (horse sacrifice) and his sons were the protectors of the sacrificial horse. Someone stole this horse and took it down to the underworld. The sons of Sagana looked for the horse and followed its trail down to the underworld. They found the horse wandering around in the underworld and not far from the horse, they saw the sage Kapila. They concluded that Kapila must have stolen the horse and attacked the sage with their weapons. But a terrible fire issued out of Kapila’s eyes and reduced Sagara’s sons into ashes.

Asamanjas had a son known as Amshumana. On learning that his sons had been burnt into ashes, sagara sent Amshumana to fetch the horse. Amshumana went to Kapila and began to pray to him. Pleased at this, Kapila offered to grant Amshumana a boon and Amshumana desired to grant Amshumana a boon and Amshumana desired that his uncles might go to heaven.

Kapila said, “Your grandson will bring down the river Ganga from heaven. When the water of the Ganga touches the bones of your uncles, they will ascend to heaven.”

Amshumana’s son was Dilipa and Dilipa’s son was Bhagiratha. It was Bhagiratha who brought Ganga down from heaven. That is why Ganga is also known as Bhagirathi.