O king, that ocean-going wife of Shiva divided herself into three streams. Her water full of froth which looked like so many ducks, crooked and tortuous in her movements in some places and stumbling as it were in others, covered with the cloth of foam, she rushed onwards like a drunken woman. In some places she raised up an excellent sound by the roarings of her water; assuming thus various and numerous aspects when fallen from the sky, she reached the earth and thus spoke to Bhagiratha,
सा बभूव विसर्पन्ती त्रिधा राजन् समुद्रगा॥ फेनपुञ्जाकुलजला हंसानामिव पङ्क्तयः। क्वचिदाभोगकुटिला प्रस्खलन्ती क्वचित् क्वचित्।१।। सा फेनपटसंवीता मत्तेव प्रमदाब्रजत्। क्वचित् सा तोयनिनदैर्नदन्ती नादमुत्तमम्॥ एवंप्रकारान् सुबहून् कुर्वती गगनाच्च्युता। पृथिवीतलमासाद्य भगीरथमथाब्रवीत्॥