ithin me, O sinless one. O foremost of all persons endued with penances,
I am incapable of bearing thy seed any longer. I shall cast it off,
compelled by the distress that has overtaken me, and not by caprice.
There has been no actual contact of my person with thy seed, O
illustrious deity of blazing flames! Our union, having for its cause the
distress that has overtaken the deities, has been suitable and not of the
flesh, O thou of great splendour. Whatever merit or otherwise there may
be in this act (intended to be done by me), O eater of sacrificial
libations, must belong to thee. Verily, I think, the righteousness or
unrighteousness of this deed must be thine." Unto her the deity of fire
said, "Do thou bear the seed. Do, indeed, bear the foetus endued with my
energy. It will lead to great results. Thou art, verily, capable of
bearing the entire earth. Thou wilt gain nothing by not holding this
energy." That foremost of streams, though thus passed by the deity of
fire as also by all the other deities, cast off the seed on the breast of
Meru, that foremost of all mountains. Capable (somehow) of bearing that
seed, yet oppressed by the energy of Rudra (for Agni is identical with
Rudra), she failed to hold that seed longer in consequence of its burning
energy. After she had cast it off, through sheer distress, that blazing
seed having the splendour of fire, O perpetuator of Bhrigu's race, Agni
saw her, and asked that foremost of streams, "Is it all right with the
foetus thou hast cast off? Of what complexion has it been, O goddess? Of
what form does it look? With what energy does it seem to be endued? Do
thou tell me all about it."

"'"'Ganga said, "The foetus is endued with the complexion of gold. In
energy it is even like thee, O sinless one! Of an excellent complexion,
perfectly stainless, and blazing with splendour, it has illuminated the
entire mountain. O foremost of all persons endued with penances, the
fragrance emitted by it resembles the cool perfume that is scattered by
lakes adorned with lotuses and Nyphoea stellata, mixed with that of the
Nauclea Cadamba. With the splendour of that foetus everything around it
seemed to be transformed into gold even as all things on mountain and low
land seem to be transformed into gold by the rays of the Sun. Indeed, the
splendour of that foetus, spreading far, falls upon mountains and rivers
and springs. Indeed, it seems that the three worlds, with all their
mobile and immob