Why did Goddess Ganga drown her seven children in the Mahabharata?

King Shantanu once fell in love with Goddess Ganga, who agreed to marry him on one condition: he must never question her actions. After their marriage, Ganga gave birth to seven sons, but each time, she drowned the newborn in the river. Heartbroken, Shantanu remained silent until the birth of their eighth child.

The reason lay in a curse from their previous birth. The seven children were the eight Vasus, divine beings who had been cursed by Sage Vashistha to be born as humans. Ganga had promised to free them from the curse by drowning them immediately after birth.

However, the eighth Vasu was destined to live a long human life. When Shantanu finally stopped Ganga from drowning the eighth child, she revealed the truth and left with the baby.

She named him Devavrata, who later became the legendary warrior Bhishma Pitamah, one of the greatest figures in the Mahabharata.

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