After the curse, Ganga took a form of a beautiful maiden and approached Pratipa, the Kuru King of Hastinapur, who was meditating in the banks of the river Ganga. She sat on his right lap, and asked him become her husband. As there was a custom that the daughter or daughter-in-law sits on the right thigh of a man, Pratipa proposed that, Ganga should wait until he had a son and marry him.
Pratipa was childless so at his old age along with his wife, Sunanda, he worshipped the gods and 3 children were born to him, Devapi, Bahlika, and Shantanu.
Devapi, suffering from leprosy, declared that he would become a hermit, and Shantanu would become the next king of hastinapur.
With Devapi and Bahlika’s Blessings Shantanu succeeded his father and became the next Kuru king of Hastinapur.