Chapter 4 - Boons to Narmadā

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya said:

1-6. Then I alighted from the sea (the boat) along with Manu and bowed to the pair of feet of Mahādeva saluted by all Devas. He was stationed on the peak of Trikūṭa^[1] having the lustre of gold and comprising rocks of various colours. The Lord was seated on a great peak. He was accompanied by a crore of Rudras. The unborn, immutable Lord of the noble soul identical with all living beings was saluted by us both. O

king worthy of esteem, O scion of the family of Kuru, I stayed in that terrible, vast expanse of water along with Rudra for a thousand Yugas.

Yudhiṣṭhira said:

O dear Sir, on hearing this a great deal of curiosity has been aroused in my mind. Hence even as I listen along with my kinsmen, please tell in detail who was that lady of eyes resembling lotus leaves? She was wandering like a Yogin in that vast ocean-like expanse of water enveloped by darkness. She introduced herself as the daughter of Rudra.

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya said:

7-12. Formerly Manu was asked by me this same question. I shall recount the origin of that lady. The night of Brahmā Parameṣṭhin passed off and the bright day dawned. The creatures were being created. Then I bowed down my head to Manu, O Yudhiṣṭhira, and put to him this question: “Who is this lotus-eyed, dark-complexioned lady with a countenance resembling the Moon? She declares herself to have been born of Rudra and wanders in the vast expanse of waters. Is she Sāvitrī, the mother of the Vedas? Or is she Sarasvatī? Is she Mandākinī (Gaṅgā), the most excellent one of all the rivers? Is she Lakṣmī? Or is she Umā? She may be Kālarātri herself or she may be Prakṛti worthy of happiness. Do tell me this, O holy Sir. She is indeed Amṛtasaṃbhavā (origin of nectar, or originated from nectar). She wanders in the vast sea-like expanse of water of terrible appearance, where serpents and Rākṣasas have perished.”

Manu said:

13-19. Listen, O dear one, I shall duly explain her origin, how this lady of excellent complexion originated from Rudra. Formerly Śiva Śaṅkara of quiescent body performed extensive penance along with Umā for the sake of the welfare of all the worlds. The Lord of self-control, the immanent soul of all living beings, climbed the Mountain Ṛkṣaśaila^[2] and performed a severe penance. He was invisible to all living beings. As that Lord was performing penance, perspiration issued forth from his body. The (drops of) sweat originating from Rudra flooded that mountain. The highly meritorious, excellent river was born of it. It was she of long eyes resembling the petals of a lotus, whom you saw in the sea-like expanse of water. Formerly in the first Kṛtayuga, she assumed the form of a woman and propitiated Rudra for ten thousand years.

Thereupon Śaṅkara, the great Lord, was pleased. Accompanied by Umā, he spoke to her: “O highly fortunate lady, speak out whatever there is in your mind.”

The Sarit (The River) said:

20-33 By your grace, O Lord of Devas, let me be imperishable at the advent of Pralaya when all mobile and immobile beings are destroyed. When the rivers, oceans and mountains have perished, O Lord of Devas, let me be holy and imperishable, with your favour. Devout, persons who have taken bath in me should be rid of all their sins, even if they have committed major and minor sins, O Śaṅkara. Jāhnavī destroys great sins in the northern region. I should become so in the southern region. Then only I shall be worshipped by gods. Just as the celestial river coming down from Svarga became well-known on the earth as Gaṅgā, O Lord of Devas, so let me be the Dakṣiṇagaṅgā (Southern Gaṅgā). A man who devoutly takes his holy bath in me, O Maheśvara, should acquire that merit which is usually obtained by taking holy bath in all the Tīrthas of the earth. O Lord, may the sin of Brāhmaṇa-slaughter and others like that which have remained accumulated be destroyed by taking the holy plunge for the period of a month. My desire is that, due to the holy dip in me, O Śaṅkara, one shall get all those benefits that accrue from the study of all the Vedas and performance of all the Yajñas. From my water, O Śaṅkara, let there be that benefit which usually arises from all sorts of Dānas and fasts and the holy plunge in all the Tīrthas. Those who adore Maheśvara on my banks should repair unto your Loka, O Śiva. Let this happen, O Lord, O Maheśāna; O Lord of the world, this alone is the boon. I desire that you do stay always on my banks along with Umā and other deities. Let every living being that dies in my waters go to Amarāvatī, whether they have done excellent Karmas or ignoble Karmas, whether they are mentally calm with full control over the sense-organs or not. O Lord of the chiefs of Devas, if you are pleased and if you consider it proper, let me be well-known in all the three worlds as the destroyer of great sins.

O excellent king, the Bull-vehicled Lord was requested for these and other divine boons by Narmadā. On being pleased he said:

Śrī Maheśa replied:

34-43a. O uncensured (i.e. praiseworthy) lady, O illustrious one, let what has been said (requested) by you, happen thus. O lotus-eyed one, excepting you, there is none else deserving the boon in all the worlds. O lady of excellent countenance, undoubtedly you have become one liberating devotees from all sins ever since the time you issued forth from my body. At the period when Kalpas come to a close, and specially at calamitous times, those men who reside resorting to your northern bank, and even insects, worms etc., trees, hedges, creepers etc. do attain excellent goal, O fair lady, after the fall of the bodies. Those Brāhmaṇas of great regard for piety and holy rites who resort to the southern bank and reside there till death, do go to the place of the Pitṛs. At your instance, as well as for some other reason, I shall always stay with Umā on your banks. O fair lady, O great lady, undoubtedly everything will happen thus. The deities will live on your northern bank along with Viṣṇu, Brahmā, Indra, Candra and Varuṇa and also Sādhyas, at my behest. Similarly, O celestial lady of great beauty, the others will stay on the southern bank along with me and the Pitṭs. This is your boon. Do go (hurry up), O blessed one; redeem men from sins. Do go there accompanied by the groups of sages, Siddhas, Suras and Asuras.

43b-54. After saying this, Lord Mahādeva, duly bowed down to by me and Manu, vanished along with Umā. Therefore this highly meritorious river is mentioned as the destroyer of great sins. This is the lady about whom you asked. Let there be no amazement on your part. This is (on a par with) Gaṅgā of great merit, well-known in all the three worlds. With her fifteen different branches it floods all the ten quarters. They are: Śoṇa, Mahānada, Narmadā, Surasā, Mandākinī, Daśārṇā, Citrakūṭā, Tamasā, Vidaśā, Karabhā, Yamunā, Citrotpalā, Vipāśā, Rañjanā and Vāluvāhinī. All these are born of the feet of Ṛkṣa mountain. All originated from Rudra. All are meritorious, auspicious and bestowers of welfare. They destroy all sins. She is eulogized by the masters of the Vedas, by these divine names as well as by the illustrious knowers of the Purāṇas, by Ājyapas and Somapas (varieties of Pitṛs). O excellent one among men, everything has been narrated. That which is conducive to good fortune and uttered by Manu is splendid. The origin of Amṛtā is incomparably sacred, since it is spoken by Rudra, O scion of the family of Bharata. Those men who glorify these fifteen names after getting up early in the morning, will attain the entire benefit of a holy plunge into the river. After casting off their human form, they will attain the highest place by riding an aerial chariot of solar lustre, reverberating with the sound of a hundred bells.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

A lofty mountain to the north of Panjab and south of Kashmir, the Trikakud of the Atharva Veda (De 106).

[2]:

Ṛkṣa-śaila=Ṛkṣa-parvata: The eastern part of the Vindhya range extending from the Bay of Bengal to the source of Narmadā and Śoṇa. (De 168-169)