The Four-fold Division of the Heavenly River in the Puranas

The Four-fold Division of the Heavenly River in the Puranas [puranesu devanadyascaturdha vibhagah] / By Dr. B. H. Kapadia; Prof. Sardar Vallabhai Vidyapeeth, Vallabhanagar (Gujarat) / 146/153

[ devanadya gangaya udgamasthanam puranesu somakhyah kascid srakasambhonidhih kathyate | gangavataranam ramayane mahabharate puranesu ca vayate | ratrau divi drsyamanaschayapatha eva divya tripathaga iti vayupurane proktam | srakasadavatiryam sivasirasi dhrtaya gangaya bindubhisca ksitau bindusaro nirmitamityapi puranesu kathitam | ramayane gangayah saptadha srotassu vibhago varimgatah, puranesu tu prayena gangaya- scatvari srotamsi - sita-alakananda - vaksu-bhadrasoma - iti proktani | mahabharate ca trin lokan pavayanti tripathaga - ityadi gangaya varnanam prapyate - ityadayo visaya lekha ke natra nivandhe vicaritah| ] namabhih The investigation of the relation of Soma with the waters has given out that even the Vedic Indians had thought of the Heavenly river or the rivers as the exodus of the Heavenly Soma-ocean existing in the highest heaven. The Puranas¹ also know the Heavenly river as the defluxion of the Soma ocean. In the 47th Adhyaya of the Vayu Purana is described the descent of the Ganga. The opening ( vv. 22-27) exactly agrees with the M. Bh. 66.42-47. The line tatra divya saptadha pratipadyata of M. Bh. 6.6. 47 occurs here again with the variant somapadaprasuta sa "coming out from the rays of the moon." Here it is the 3rd pada of v. 26. It is followed by a pair of verses which gives us interest: The path of light (the milky way) in the heaven which one sees illuminated at night along the belt of the circle of constellations is the godly purifying river flowing in three paths. Purifying mid-air and the heaven coming down on the earth when she fell on the head of Siva, she was held back through the magic of yoga. The lake Bindusaras arose on the earth from the few drops that fell off from the enraged

147 Jan. 1962] FOUR-FOLD DIVISION OF HEAVENLY RIVER Therefore it is called the Bindusaras (the lake of the drops). Then it is narrated in the Ramayana I. 43 (partly verbally borrowed from the Epic), how Siva restrained the Ganga, which believed to carry forth the god in her torrential sweep to the nether world down below, and was restrained by way of punishment for her haughtiness. Siva did this till he was moved at the sight of Bhagiratha who implored him to release her. As in the Ramayana, here she does not give rise to the Bindusaras in the first instance although it is referred to in v. 26 and after it in v. 41 but here is described at once the seven fold division again somewhat resembling the Ramayana³ and at the conclusion of it countries are mentioned in detail, the countries through which the seven streams flow through. A quite different description of the descent of the heavenly river, which is absolutely incongruous with the one that is given above, occurs in many other Puranas and is already given before in the 42nd Adhyaya verses 1 ff.5:- 'These divine rivers with holy waters have flown out from excellent lakes and rivers with large mass of water. From that heavenly ocean Listen to these in due order. possessing the name of Soma, the support of all beings, the container of nectar of gods, from which started the river full of holy water, flows in the air with her clear water, flows in the seventh path of the wind. The mighty elephant of the Great Indra wandering in the path of the mid-air and sporting in the interior agitates the water. Speedily going round to the left, she the mountain Meru from the right flows to the extent of 84 Yojanas. During which her water is split asunder by the furious wind. She fell on the four highest pinnacles of the mountain Meru. Then recoiling on the highest slope of the highest peak of Meru has her water scattered up and herself is divided into four parts. She then makes to fall the 60000 yojanas of the sky devoid of support in the four directions from Meru. The auspicious, the beautiful,

148 puranam - PURANA [Vol. IV, No. 1 the great river, fell round the four great slopes of the mountain Mandara (i.e. Meru) etc.' In the following verses is described exactly the path of each of the four rivers from the spur of the mountain Meru, to the four lakes and the thickets encircling Meru and through a phantastic series of mountains till the junction of Sita in the Eastern, Alakananda in the Southern, Vaksu' in the Western and Bhadrasoma in the Northern ocean. In the place of the sevenfold division, thus here is described the fourfold division of the heavenly river. However, the common origin of the four great heavenly rivers in which Ganga divides is the heavenly ocean, which has the name Soma, i.e. not other than that ocean in the highest heaven which we know as the home of Soma. Indeed, it was only so very near that time, which had become foreign to the description of the heavenly Soma-ocean and thus understood Soma here as the Moon. Thus, e. g. Markandeya Purana 56. I. ff makes Ganga to originate from the foot of Narayana, and then first enters the Moon and from there fell on the mountain Meru. Thereby the Moon is designated as Soma and is provided with adjectives sudhayoni and adhara ambhasam thus the ancient description once more glimmers through Visnupurana (II, 2. 31) and Kurma P. (46. 28) but it is simply said: After coming out from the foot of Visnu she flooded over the orb of the Moon." The fourfold division of the heavenly river is likewise unknown to the epics as the sevenfold division to the numerous Puranas. A combination of both however occurs in the Markandeya Purana (56.7-12), 10 Visnu Purana (II-2.34)" and Agni Purana (108.20). 12 Like the usual Puranas they describe the fourfold division and add to this the account about the course of the southerly stream with the sevenfold division. That the Ganga came out from the feet of the Lord is known even to Kalidasa. In Kumarasambhava 6.70 he writes :- yathaiva slaghyate ganga padena paramesthinah | 1117

149 In one of the inscriptions of Samudragupta of about 350 A. D., there is reference to Ganga being entangled in the matted hair of Siva Jan. 1962] FOUR FOLD DIVISION OF HEAVENLY RIVER To take a review of the above discussion, we find that, the story of the Gangavatarana of the Ramayana agrees somewhat with Vayu P. In Harivamsa (3. 17. 22-25) the words of Vayu ( somapadaprasuta sa ) is differently worded. The story of Ganga coming from the foot of Vamana must have been set rolling by the Vaisnavas. Harivamsa, the oldest literary record of the Vaisnavas, has not got this. But the Sabha Parvan of the M. Bh. 47. 22 and Visnu P. has got this account. In Visnu P. (4. 4. 15) Ganga is described as coming from the lotus like feet of Visnu. Bana and Kalidasa make use of this, Ramayana has this legend in detail. Vayu has not the legend in such a great detail (Ad. 47). Vayu P. 32-33 and Ramayana Bala-Kanda Adh. 43 8-9 are almost identical. On comparison, we find, that the description about the descent of the Ganga was in vogue from antiquity. Vayu and Ramayana may have made use of the third source. The storyof Hariv. as compared to Vayu and Ramayana appears to be modern. It may be as old as 4th cent. A. D. as it is used by Kalidasa. Jambudvipaprajnaptti, a work on Jaina Cosmology, divided into seven sections makes a reference to the Ganga. The sacred river Ganga is very well known as tripathaga In accordance with the account of the M. Bh. 109, the heavenly Ganga as she was made to fall down on the earth, divided not in seven but in three paths. In V. 10 it is stated: "Spreading about in different directions she became of three paths as she was going to the ocean." According to this threefold division the Ganga is generally called as one going in three paths.14 She possesses this name even there where she is specially called the Heavenly river. 15 For the explanation of this expression, it is said in the Ramayana I. 44. 6. "She is called tripathaga because she purifies the three paths. 16 Other passages give scope for no doubt that the three paths go through the three worlds. M. Bh. I. 96. 19 mentions Ganga as Trilokaga. In the Gangavatara of

150 puranam - PURANA [Vol. IV. No. 1 the M. Bh. 13.26 73 it is said that the three worlds are embellished through the pure three paths 17 M. Bh. 13.26. 89 states that the Ganga lends purity to the three worlds. 18 V. 28 therefore calls her trilokagoptri. 19 It is quite possible that the composer of the Mahabharata considered the three worlds as the heaven, the mid-region and the earth. It is said in v. 79 : "the great and the small beings, who are found in the heaven, in the mid-region and on the earth should always take bath in it."20 In v. 87 it is stated that once her fame was filled in the air, in the heaven, on the earth, the main directions and in the intermediary directions. 21 M. Bh. I. 170. 21ff notes : "Of one shore, pure, flowing in heaven, with the gods this Ganga appears as Alakananda, Ogandharva. Likewise, this Ganiga when she is desired by the Pitrs is known as Vaitarani, difficult to be crossed by the sinful ones. Thus is said by Krsna Dvaipayana. """ Thus, according to M. Bh. 3. 109. 10 there is a reference to the threefold division of her. The ashes of the Sagarides, for the purification of which she is called, is in the netherworld. Therefore her three courses are: "one is in the heaven, one is on the earth and one is in the netherworld" Incidentally it may be mentioned that the legend about the descent of the Ganga is referred to in the concluding Mangala of Brh. Varttika (VI. 5.22. ) but in a sense quite different from Naiskarmya siddhi, IV. 76. Footnotes 1. A similar abridged account with variants occurs in Brahmanda Purana 18.25ff, Matsya purana 120. 23 ff 2. Vayu Puraga 47. 28-30 :- divi chayapatho yastu drsyate bhasvaro ratrau antariksam divam caiva anunaksatramandalam | devi tripathaga tu sa || 28 || bhavayanti bhuvam gata | bhavottamange patita sammudha yogamayaya || 26 || tasya ye bindavah kecit kruddhayah patita ksitau | krtam tu taibindusarastato bindusarah smrtam || 30 || 3. Ramayapa vv. 37-41 :- tato visarjyamanayah srotastat saptatam gatam | tisrah pracimabhimukham praticim tisra eva tu || 37 ||

Jan. 1962] FOUR-FOLD DIVISION OF HEAVENLY RIVER nadyah srotastu gamgayah pratyapadyata saptadha | nalini hladini caiva pavani caiva prag gatah || 38 || sota caksusca sindhusca praticim disamasritah | saptami tvanvagat tasam daksinena bhagiratham || 36 || tasmat bhagirathi ya sa pravista lavanodadhim | saptaita bhavayantiha himahvam varsameva tu || 40 || prasutah sapta nadyastah subha vindusarodbhavah | nanadesan bhavayanti mlecchaprayamsca sarvasah || 41 || 4. Linga-purana 52, 1-10, Kurma-purana 46, 28.33 :- 5. cf. sarovarebhyah punyoda devanadyo mahaughatoya nadyasca tah srnudhvam vinirgatah | yathakramam || 1 || akasambhonidhiryo'sau soma ityabhidhiyate | adharah sarvabhutanam devanamamrtakarah || 2 || tasmatpravrtta punyoda nadi hyakasagamini | saptamenanilapatha prayata vimalodaka || 3 || [ sa jyotimsyanuvartanti jyotirgananisevita | tarakotisahasranam naksatraisca samayuta || ] || 4 || mahendrena gajendrena akasapathayayina | kridata hyantaratale ya sa viksobhitodaka || 5 || [ naikai vimanasamghataih prakasayadbhirnabhastalam | siddhairupasprstajala mahapunyajala siva || 6 || vayuna preryamana hi canekabhogagamini | parivartayatyaharaho yatha suryastathaiva sa ] || 7 || catvaryasiti pratata yojananam samantatah | vegena kurvati merum sa prayata 151 pradaksinam || 8 || vibhidyamanasalila taijasenanilena ca | merorantarakutesu patitatha catursvapi || 6 || merukutatatantebhya utkrstebhyo nirvartita | vikiryamanasalila caturdha samsrtodaka || 10 || sastiyojana sahasram niralambanamambaram | nipapata mahabhaga merostasya caturdisam || 11 || sa catursvabhitascaiva mahapadesu punya mandarapurvesu patita hi mahanadi || 12 || sobhana |

152 puranam - PORANA 6. Linga-purana 52. 6 ff. has instead :- catvaryasitisca tatha sahasranam samucchritah | yojananam mahameroh srikanthakridakomalah || tamasino yatah sarvah sambah saha ganesvaraih | kridate suciram kalam tasmat punyajala siva || giri merum nadi punya prayati hi pradaksinam || [Vol. IV. No. 1 7. i. e. the Oxus. Visnu P. does not give the name, other Puranas mostly give the reading Caksus or the like. 8. f tatah pravrtta ya devi gamga tripathagamini | 9. sa pravisya sudhayonim somamadharamambhasam || tatah sambadhyamanarkarasmi samgatipavani | papata meruprsthe ca sa caturdha tato yayau || ( visnupadaviniskranta plavayitvendumandalam | ) likewise Bhag. P. V. 17. 4 : indumandalamavarya P. 148. 19 : plavayitva candram 10. Markandeya P. 66.7ff.':-- tathaivalakanandakhya daksine gandhamadane || 7 || merupadavanam gatva nandanam devanandanam | manasam ca mahavegat lavayitva sarovaram ||8|| srasadya sailarajanam ramyam hi sikharam tatha | tasmacca parvatan sarvan daksinopakramoditan ||6|| tan plavayitva samprapta himavantam mahagirim | dadhara tatra tam sambhurna mumoca vrsadhvajah ||10|| bhagirathenopavasaih stutya caradhito vibhuh | tatra mukta ca sarvena saptadha daksinodadhim ||11|| pravivesa tridha pracyam plavayanti mahanadi | Agni bhagiratharayasyanu srotasaikena daksinam ||12|| (11) Vispu P. II. 2. 34 : tathaivalakanandapi daksinenaiva bharatam | mahamune || 34|| prayati sagaram bhutva saptabheda (12) Agni P. 108. 20, where however the stanza ends : krtva saptabhedatha pascimam || abdhi ca caksu .. (13) Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum Vol III : pradanabhujavikrama prasamasastravakyodayai- ruparyuparisamcayochitamanekamargam yasah |

Jan. 1962] FOUR-FOLD DIVISION OF HEAVENLY RIVER punati bhuvanatrayam pasupaterjatantarguha- nirodhaparimoksasighramiva pandu gamgam payah || cf. svetagamgavartapanduram padamiva tribhuvanavandaniyam trivikramasya | 153 Hem (14) Tripathaga Vayu P. 42. 7., 51. 21; 46; 58 88. Am. I. 10. 31, 1881 ; M. Bh. 13. 26. 77, Ram. I. 35. II; 16, (gamgam tripathagam nadim ), I. 36. 3 ; I, 44. 6 ; 2. 50, 12 ; Amaru. 99; Rajatar. 3. 323; Kathas. 4.30 tripathagamini M. Bh. I. 98. 8 ; Ram. I. 35. 22 ; Trivartmaga M. Bh. 13. 26.84, trimargaga Raghu. 13.20 ; trisrota Am. I. 10. 31; Hem. 1081, Kum. 7. 15. (15) M. Bh. 2. 42. II; Hariv. 3. 45. 32 trikutastham gagam tripathagamiva ; M. Bh. 3. 107. 6, pautrasca te tripathagam tridivadanayisyati ; 6.6.47 tatra divya tripathaga prathama tu pratisthita | brahmalokadapakranta Sak. 7.6, trisrotasam vahati yo gaganapratistham ; Raghu. 10. 63, krtabhisekaidivyam trisrotasi ca saptabhih | brahmarsibhih Raghu, 13. 5. saptarsihastoddhrta hemapadmam trisrotasam tryambakamaulimalam | ( 16 ) trin patho bhavayantiti tasmat tripathaga smrta | (17) alamkrtastrayo lokah pathibhirvimalaistribhih | (18) gamga lokanam punyada vai trayanam | (19) M. Bh. 18. 3. 28 calls Ganga trailokyapavani | (20) bhusthaidivisthaisca bhutairucavacairapi | gamga vigahya satatam (21) khyatairyadasyah kham divam gam ca nityam pura diso vidisascavatasthe | (22) The world of the Pitrs is here naturally thought of as nether world. of. M. Bh. 12. 328. 30 : devayanacaro visno pitryanasca tamasah | dvau etau pretya panthanau divam cadhasca gacchatah || iyam bhutva caikavapra sucirakasaga punah | devesu gamga gandharvam prapnoti alakanandatam ||21|| tatha pitrn vaitarini dustara papakarmabhih | gamga bhavati vai prapya krsnadvaipayano'bravit ||22|| 20 20