Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India

encyclopedia

PERCEPTIONS

MAHAAPARVATHA

(SACRED MOUNTAIN)

Poet Kalidasa believed that the Hima-

layas stretched from coast to coast. His

famous

shloka

in the

Kumarasambhawa

describes the Himalaya in the following

lines:

"There is a mountain in the north, en-

souled by Divinity, named Himalaya, the

king of all mountains. Stretching from east

to west coasts, it is located on the earth as

a measuring rod." Poet Kalidasa's descrip-

tion of the Himalaya at one place in the

Kumaarasambhawa

is significant:

"After enjoying the cool shade under the

cloud around whose girdle, the saints, being

troubled by rain, take refuge in the sun-

drenched high peaks above."

Further, the Himalayas themselves are

considered to be

Devathaathma,

divine in

nature. As Kalidasa says in his

Kumaaras-

ambhawa:

The Vindhya mountain range in central

India is very old and is reputed to have out-

shined in glory the heavenly golden moun-

tain the

Meru

(or

Sumeru).

The great blue mountain of Orissa Ma-

handragiri changes its colours from day to

day and season to

season. Its forests

are the home of ele-

phants.

In the south-west,

the Malaya hills have

cardamom

groves

and sandalwood for-

ests.

The

breeze

called

Malaya-

maarutha

originates

there.

According to the

great poet Bhasa the

earth is a damsel

having the two great

mountains Himalaya

and Vindhya as ear ornaments.

The mountains are very frequently com-

pared to a cow yielding endless wealth. The

most precious treasures are herbs and

gems.

The legends extol Himavan as the most

sacred mountain. Himavan is the father of

Gauri (Devi), the consort of Shiva. The

great mountain god is characterised as

being very noble, a refuge for all who are

terror-stricken.

There is a panel at Elephanta which

depicts Himavan, along with his queen,

Mena, giving his daughter Uma (another

name for the consort of Shiva) in marriage to

Shiva, who is shown bowing to Himavan.

NADI

(RIVER - STREAM OF LIFE)

Rivers have been highly revered in India.

The river has always been considered as a

loving mother bestowing prosperity on the

people by providing them with a plentiful

supply of water assuring the fertility of the

land.

The holy rivers Ganga, Yamuna, Nar-

mada, Saraswati, Godavari, Kaveri, Kanya

(Kumari), Payoshni and Sarayu in the guise

of beautiful virgins, wearing fine ornaments,

clad in good clothes and bearing all the sins

of people — rivers which are the destroyers

of the loads of sins of those who see, adore,

drink or meditate upon their waters — met

and after having consulted each other,

reached Kailasa and bowed again and again

to Lord Shiva.

Then they prayed to the Lord thus :

"O Lord Mahesa! All kinds of sinners

wash off their sins in our waters. Please let

us know how we can get wiped of these

sins. Thou art our only resort."

In addition to the Ganges, there are many

other rivers regarded as sacred by the Hin-

dus. Some of these are considered as male

and some as female.

Male rivers : The Son and the Brahmaputra.

Female rivers : The Godavari, the Kaveri,

the Atreyi, the Karaloya, the Bahuda, the

Gomati, the Sarayu, the Gandaki, the

Varahi, the Charmanwater, the Shatadru,

the Vipasha, the Karmanasha, the Airavati,

the Chandrabhaga, the Vitasta, the Sindhu,

the Krishna, the Netravati and the Bhairava.

The sanctity of the third river Saraswati

(personified as the goddess of learning)

which joins the Ganges and Yamuna at

Prayag is also great. Near the holy

Kurukshetra, she has a special sanctity.

There is a sculpture at Ellora personifying

the rivers — Ganga standing in the centre

with Yamuna and Saraswati flanking her.

The west-flowing Narmada is another

sacred river of India. Sita is often depicted

praying to the Sarayu, Godavari and other

rivers.

The Godavari is also called Gautami, be-

cause she is associated with the great saint

Gautama Buddha. The other two rivers of

the south, famous in legends are the Krishna

and Kaveri.

There is a sculpture at Ellora showing

the ocean personified as

Ratnaakara

-the

repository of precious gems. A bath in the

sea is considered most auspicious as all the

holy rivers flow to the sea and mingle there.

The river Sharavati or the

"Arrow Born because it

flows from the Ambu

Tirtha formed (according

to Hindu mythology), by a

stroke of Sri Rama's

arrow.