Vayu Purana

भवस्य दयितः श्रीमान् पर्वतो मेघसन्निभः। शातकुम्भमयैः शुभ्रैः शिलाजालैः समावृतः ।। ४७ .

Beloved of Bhava, that glorious mountain resembles a cloud, covered with beautiful masses of rocks made of shining brass.

शतसङ्ख्यैस्तापनीयैः श्रृङ्गैर्दिवमिवोल्लिखन्। मुञ्जवान् स महादिव्यो दुर्गशैलो हिमार्चितः ।। ४७.

Muñjavān, that great and divine fortress mountain, honored by snow, rises with hundreds of blazing golden peaks, as if piercing the sky.

तस्मिन् गिरौ निवसति गिरिशो धूम्रलोहितः। तस्य पादात् प्रभवति शैलोदं नाम तत्सरः ।। ४७.

On that mountain dwells the lord of mountains, Dhūmralohita; from its foot arises the lake named Śailoda.

तस्मात् प्रभवते हिव्या शैलोदा नाम निम्नगा। सा चक्षुःशीतयोर्मध्ये प्रविष्टा लवणोदधिम् ।। ४७.

From there flows the sacred river called Śailodā; she enters the briny ocean between the two mountains Cakṣu and Śītaya.

तस्यास्तीरे वनं दिव्यं विश्रुतं सुरभीति वै। अस्त्युत्तरेण कैलासाच्छिवसत्त्वौषधो गिरिः ।। ४७.

On her bank is the renowned and divine forest called Surabhī; to the north of Kailāsa is the mountain Śivasattvauṣadha.

गौरो नाम गिरिस्तत्र हरितालमयः शुभः। हिरण्यश्रृङ्गः सुमहान् दिव्यो मणिमयो गिरिः ।। ४७.

There is the mountain named Gaura, beautiful and made of orpiment; and the great, divine, jewel-encrusted mountain Hiraṇyaśṛṅga.

तस्य पादे महद्दिव्यं शुभं काञ्चनवालुकम्। रम्यं बिन्दुसरो नाम यत्र यातो भगीरथः ।। ४७.

At its foot is the great and divine, auspicious lake with golden sands, called Bindusaras, where Bhagīratha once arrived.

गङ्गानिमित्तं राजर्षिरुवास बहुलाः समाः । दिवं यास्यन्ति मे पूर्वे गङ्गातोयपरिप्लुताः ।। ४७.

For the sake of the Ganga, the royal sage dwelled there for many years; my ancestors, having been bathed in the waters of the Ganga, will ascend to heaven.

तत्र त्रिपथगा देवी प्रथमन्तु प्रतिष्ठिता। सोमपादप्रसूता सा सप्तधा प्रतिपद्य ते ।। ४७.

There, at first, the divine river Tripathaga was established; born from the foot of Soma, she then divided herself into seven streams.

यूपा मणिमयास्तत्र चितयश्च हिरण्मयाः । तत्रेष्ट्वा तु गतः शर्वं शक्रः सर्वैः सुरैः सह ।। ४७.

There stood sacrificial posts made of jewels and funeral pyres made of gold; having performed sacrifices there, Indra departed along with all the gods, after worshipping Shiva.

दिविच्छायापथो यस्तु अनुनक्षत्रमण्डलम् । दृश्यते भास्वरो रात्रौ देवी त्रिपथगा तु सा ।। ४७.

The path of her radiance in the sky, beyond the circle of stars, is seen shining at night; that is the goddess Tripathaga.

अन्तरिक्षं दिवञ्चैव भावयन्ती भुवङ्गता। भवोत्तमाङ्गे पतिता संरुद्धा योगमायया ।। ४७.

Moving through the heavens and the sky, she pervades both, and, falling upon the head of Shiva, she was restrained by his yogic power.

तस्या ये बिन्दवः केचित् क्रुद्धायाः पतिताः क्षितौ। कृतं बिन्दुसरस्तत्र ततो बिन्दुसरः स्मृतम् ।। ४७.

Some drops of hers, fallen to the earth in anger, formed a lake there; therefore, it is known as Bindusaras.

ततो निरुद्धा देवी सा भवेन स्मयता किल। चिन्तयामास मनसा शङ्करक्षेपणं प्रति ।। ४७.

Then, the goddess, restrained by Shiva who smiled, began to ponder in her mind how to escape from Shankara.

भित्त्वा विशामि पातालं स्रोतसा गृह्य शङ्करम्। ज्ञात्वा तस्या अभिप्रायं क्रूरं देव्या चिकीर्षितम् ।। ४७.

She thought, 'I will break through and enter the netherworld, carrying Shankara with my current'; but knowing her cruel intention, Shiva acted accordingly.

तिरोभावयितुं बुद्धिरासीदङ्गेषु तां नदीम्। तस्यावलेपं तं बुद्ध्वा नद्याः क्रुद्धस्तु शङ्करः। निरुध्य तु शिरस्येनां वेगेन पतितां भुवि ।। ४७.

He resolved to make her disappear within his limbs; perceiving her pride, Shiva, angered at the river, restrained her on his head as she rushed down to earth.

एतस्मिन्नेव काले तु दृष्ट्वा राजानमग्रतः। धमनीसन्ततं क्षीणं क्षुधापरिगतेन्द्रियम् ।। ४७.

At that very moment, seeing the king before him, his veins prominent, his body emaciated, and his senses weakened by hunger—

अनेन तोषितश्चाहं नद्यर्थं पूर्वमेव हि। बुद्ध्वास्य वरदानं तु कोपं नियतवांस्तु सः ।। ४७.

He said, 'I am pleased with him, for he has already satisfied me for the sake of the river; knowing that I had granted him a boon before, I restrained my anger.'

ब्रह्मणो हि वचः श्रुत्वा प्रतिज्ञाधारणं प्रति। ततो विसर्जयामास संरुद्धां स्वेन तेजसा। नदीं भगीरथस्यार्थे तपसोग्रेण तोषितः ।। ४७.

Having heard the words of Brahma regarding the fulfillment of the vow, then, by his own power, he released the restrained river, pleased by Bhagiratha’s intense austerity.

ततो विसृज्यमानायाः स्रोतस्तत्सप्तताङ्गतम्। त्रयः प्राचीमभिमुखं प्रतीचीं त्रयः एव तु ।। ४७.

Then, as she was being released, her current split into seven branches: three flowed eastward, and three flowed westward.

नद्याः स्रोतस्तु गङ्गायाः प्रत्यपद्यत सप्तधा। नलिनी ह्रादिनी चैव पावनी चैव प्राग्गता ।। ४७.

The stream of the Ganga thus became sevenfold: Nalinī, Hradinī, and Pāvanī flowed to the east.

सीता चक्षुश्च सिन्धुश्च प्रतीचीं दिशमाक्षिताः। सप्तमी त्वनुगा तासां दक्षिणेन भगीरथी ।। ४७.

Sītā, Cakṣu, and Sindhu flowed to the west; the seventh, Bhagirathi, followed them to the south.

तस्माद्भागीरथी या सा प्रविष्टा लवणोदधिम्। सप्तैता भावयन्तीह हिमाह्वं वर्षमेव तु ।। ४७.

Therefore, that Bhagirathi entered the salty ocean; these seven, sustaining the region called Himāhva, became the rainfall.

प्रसूताः सप्त नद्यस्ताः शुभा बिन्दुसरोद्भवाः। नानादेशान् भावयन्त्यो म्लेच्छप्रायांश्च सर्वशः ।। ४७.

Those seven auspicious rivers, born from Bindusaras, nourish various lands, and mostly the regions inhabited by foreigners.

उपगच्छन्ति ताः सर्वा यतो वर्षति वासनः। सिरिन्ध्रान् कुन्तलांश्चीनान् बर्भरान् यवसान् द्रुहान् ।। ४७.

All those rivers reach the places where the rain falls: the Sirindhras, Kuntalas, Chinas, Barbhara, Yavasa, and Druha.

रुषाणांश्च कुणिन्दांश्च अङगलोकवराश्च ये। कृत्वा द्विधा सिन्धुमरुं सीतागात्पश्चिमोदधिम् ।। ४७.

And those of the Ruṣā, Kuṇinda, and the distinguished people of Aṅga and Lokavara, after dividing the Sindhu desert, Sītā reached the western ocean.

अथ चीनमरूंश्चैव नङ्गणान् सर्वमूलिकान् । साध्रांस्तु षारांस्तम्पाकान् पह्नवान् दरदान् शकान्। एतान् जनपदान् चक्षुः स्रावयन्ती गतोदधिम् ।। ४७.

Then, the people of China and Maru, as well as the Naṅgaṇa and all the Mūlika, together with the Sādhra, Ṣārā, Tampāka, Pahnava, Darada, and Śaka—these peoples, the river Cakṣuḥ, flowing, reached the ocean.

दरदांश्च सकांश्मीरान् गान्धारान् वरपान् ह्रदान्। शिवपौरानिन्द्रहासान् वदातींश्च विसर्जयान् ।। ४७.

The Darada, Sakā, Kashmiris, Gandhāra, Varapa, Hradā, Śivapura, Indrahāsa, and Vadātī—she passed through these and departed.

सैन्धवान् रन्ध्रकरकान् भ्रमराभीररोहकान् । शुनामुखांश्चोर्द्ध्वमनून् सिद्धचारणसोवितान् ।। ४७.

The Saindhava, Randhra, Karaka, Bhramara, Abhīra, Rohaka, and Śunāmukha, as well as the northern Anu, accompanied by Siddha, Cāraṇa, and Sovi.