Word

Jahnu

Sanskrit

जह्नु

IAST

jahnu

In General

Jahnu was a sage descended from Pururavas. The river Ganga was not happy with her decent from heaven to earth on account of the penance by King Bhageeratha. So the adamant Ganga flowed with too much force. The sage Janu, who was always in meditation, was thus disturbed by the passage of the river Ganga. So he drank up all its waters. The sage afterwards relented, and allowed the stream to issue from his ear; hence Ganga is called Jahnavi, issued from Jahnu.