Shantanu, filled with grief from the loss of his wife and son, began to practise Brahmacharya and ruled his kingdom extremely well.
By merely adopting virtuous behaviour, Shantanu was easily able to conquer the entire world without lifting weapons.
All the kings declared Shantanu as Emperor and his reign was a peaceful one.
Shantanu gave up hunting and gained popularity from his subjects.

One day, while walking along the banks of the Ganga, Shantanu saw that the river had become shallow.
While searching for the cause of this phenomenon, he came across a handsome young boy who had checked the river's flow with his celestial weapon.
The young boy was his son, however he didn't recognize him because he could see him only for a few moments after he was born.
The boy recognized that he was his father, however he didn't reveal it to him instead he disappeared from his sight using his power of illusion.
Shantanu upon seeing this, wondered whether the boy was actually his son and called upon Ganga to show the boy to him.
Ganga having thus appeared, revealed to him that the boy was actually his son Devavrata and that he was taught the knowledge of the holy scriptures by the sage Vasishtha and the art of warfare by Parshurama.
After revealing the truth about Devavrata she told Shantanu to take him to Hastinapura.
Upon reaching the capital Shantanu crowned Devavrata as the heir-apparent to the throne.

Although Shantanu was pained from his separation from Ganga, he was overjoyed upon receiving such an accomplished son.
He performed seven Ashwamedha Yagnas on the banks of Yamuna with the help of Devavrata.
Shantanu, filled with grief from the loss of his wife and son, began to practise Brahmacharya and ruled his kingdom extremely well. By merely adopting virtuous behaviour, Shantanu was easily able to conquer the entire world without lifting weapons. All the kings declared Shantanu as Emperor and his reign was a peaceful one. Shantanu gave up hunting and gained popularity from his subjects.
One day, while walking along the banks of the Ganga, Shantanu saw that the river had become shallow. While searching for the cause of this phenomenon, he came across a handsome young boy who had checked the river's flow with his celestial weapon. The young boy was his son, however he didn't recognize him because he could see him only for a few moments after he was born. The boy recognized that he was his father, however he didn't reveal it to him instead he disappeared from his sight using his power of illusion. Shantanu upon seeing this, wondered whether the boy was actually his son and called upon Ganga to show the boy to him. Ganga having thus appeared, revealed to him that the boy was actually his son Devavrata and that he was taught the knowledge of the holy scriptures by the sage Vasishtha and the art of warfare by Parshurama. After revealing the truth about Devavrata she told Shantanu to take him to Hastinapura. Upon reaching the capital Shantanu crowned Devavrata as the heir-apparent to the throne.
Although Shantanu was pained from his separation from Ganga, he was overjoyed upon receiving such an accomplished son. He performed seven Ashwamedha Yagnas on the banks of Yamuna with the help of Devavrata.
Shantanu