Gandhamadana

Created by Jijith Nadumuri at 23 Jul 2011 13:00 and updated at 23 Jul 2011 13:00

VISHNU PURANA NOUN

vp.2.1	[paragraph continues] Nishadha. The region in the centre of which mount Meru is situated he conferred on Ilavrita; and to Ramya, the countries lying between it and the Nila mountain. To Hiranvat his father gave the country lying to the north of it, called sweta; and, on the north of the sweta mountains, the country bounded by the sringavan range he gave to Kuru. The countries on the east of Meru he assigned to Bhadraswa; and Gandhamadana, which lay west of it, he gave to Ketumala 5. Having installed his sons sovereigns in these several regions, the pious king Agnidhra retired to a life of penance at the holy place of pilgrimage, salagrama 6.
vp.2.2	next Kimpurusha, between Himavan and Hemakuta; north of the latter, and south of Nishadha, is Harivarsha; north of Meru is Ramyaka, extending from the Nila or blue mountains to the sweta (or white) mountains; Hiranmaya lies between the sweta and sringi ranges; and Uttarakuru is beyond the latter, following the same direction as Bharata 4. Each of these is nine thousand Yojanas in extent. Ilavrita is of similar dimensions, but in the centre of it is the golden mountain Meru, and the country extends nine thousand Yojanas in each direction from the four sides of the mountain 5. There are four mountains in this Varsha, formed as buttresses to Meru, each ten thousand Yojanas in elevation: that on the east is called Mandara; that on the south, Gandhamadana; that on the west, Vipula; and that on the north, Suparswa 6: on each of these stands severally a Kadamba tree, a Jambu tree, a Pipal, and a Vata 7; each spreading over eleven hundred Yojanas, and towering aloft like banners on the mountains. From the Jambu tree the insular continent Jambu dwipa derives its appellations. The apples of that tree are as large as elephants: when they are rotten, they fall upon the crest of the mountain, and from their expressed juice is formed the Jambu river, the waters of which are drunk by the inhabitants; and in consequence of drinking of that stream, they pass their days in content and health, being subject neither to perspiration, to foul odours, to decrepitude, nor organic decay. The soil
vp.2.2	The country of Bhadraswa lies on the east of Meru, and Ketumala on the west; and between these two is the region of Ilavrita. On the east of the same is the forest Chaitraratha; the Gandhamadana wood is on the south; the forest of Vaibhraja is on the west; and the grove of Indra, or Nandana, is on the north. There are also four great lakes, the waters of which are partaken of by the gods, called Arunoda, Mahabhadra, sitoda, and Manasa 8.
vp.2.2	The principal mountain ridges which project from the base of Meru, like filaments from the root of the lotus, are, on the east, sitanta, Mukunda, Kurari, Malyavan, and Vaikanka; on the south, Trikuta, sisira, Patanga, Ruchaka, and Nishadha; on the west, sikhivasas, Vaidurya, Kapila, Gandhamadana, and Jarudhi; and on the north, sankhakuta, Rishabha, Naga, Hansa, and Kalanjara. These and others extend from between the intervals in the body, or from the heart, of Meru 9.
vp.2.2	Meru, then, is confined between the mountains Nila and Nishadha (on the north and south), and between Malyavan and Gandhamadana (on the west and east 13): it lies between them like the pericarp of a lotus. The countries of Bharata, Ketumala, Bhadraswa, and Uttarakuru lie, like leaves of the lotus of the world, exterior to the boundary mountains. Jathara and Devakuta are two mountain ranges, running north and south, and connecting the two chains of Nishadha and Nila. Gandhamadana
vp.2.3	[paragraph continues] Mahendra, Malaya, Sahya, suktimat 2, Gandhamadana, Vindhya, and Paripatra are the seven mountain ranges: as subordinate portions of them are thousands of mountains; some unheard of, though lofty, extensive, and abrupt; and others better known, though of lesser elevation, and inhabited by people of low stature 3: there pure and degraded tribes, mixed together, drink 4 of the following streams: the stately Ganga, the Sindhu, and the Saraswati 5; the Godavari, Narmada, and the great river
vp.5.24	THUS praised by the wise Muchukunda, the sovereign of all things, the eternal lord, Hari, said to him, "Go to whatever celestial regions you wish, lord of men, possessed of might irresistible, honoured by my favour. When you have fully enjoyed all heavenly pleasures, you shall be born in a distinguished family, retaining the recollection of your former births; and you shall finally obtain emancipation." Having heard this promise, and prostrated himself before Achyuta, the lord of the world, Muchukunda, went forth from the cave, and beholding men of diminutive stature, now first knew that the Kali age had arrived. The king therefore departed to Gandhamadana, the shrine of Naranarayana, to perform penance.
vp.5.37	[paragraph continues] Shewing these to the Yadavas, he said, "See; behold these fearful phenomena: let us hasten to Prabhasa, to avert these omens." When he had thus spoken to the eminent Yadava, the illustrious Uddhava saluted and said to him, "Tell me, O lord, what it is proper that I should do, for it seems to me that thou wilt destroy all this race: the signs that are manifest declare nothing less than the annihilation of the tribe." Then Krishna replied to him, "Do you go by a celestial route, which my favour shall provide you, to the holy place Badarikasrama, in the Gandhamadana mountain, the shrine of Naranarayana; and on that spot, sanctified by them, thou, by meditating on me, shalt obtain perfection through my favour. When the race of Yadu shall have perished, I shall proceed to heaven; and the ocean shall inundate Dwaraka, when I have quitted it." Accordingly Uddhava, thus instructed by Kesava, saluted him with veneration, and departed to the shrine of Naranarayana 8.

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