ESSENCE OF PURANAS SERIES
Chapter 5: Origin of River Vitasta and several other Sacred Rivers in Kashmira
Condensed English Translation by Sri V.D.N. Rao
Kashmira represented Devi Uma who was worshipped at Vriddha Tirtha as Vishoka; the River Vitasta named after Devi Lakshmi; the Sacred Place called Bhogavati of Vasuki the Head of Nagas; River Trikoti signifying Aditi the mother of Devas; Harshapatha River after Sachi Devi the wife of Indra as encouraged by Kashyapa; River Chandavati as Devi Diti as suggested by Kashyapa; Yamuna as part of Vitasta River, and River Karshini of Devi Sati’s Amsha who was the wife of Hara Deva.
King Gonanda asked Guru Brihadashva as to how all the Rivers viz. Sati, Sachi, Ganga, Aditi, Diti, Yamuna and Karshini agreed. Aditi, Diti, Sachi, Yamuna and Ganga readily agreed but Sati Devi kept quiet; Kashyapa prayed to Maha Deva who requested Sati to help Kashyapa. Devi Sati told the Prajapati that the entire Desha was of her own body which was Sacred but Kashyapa replied that some human beings had the tendency of Piscachas and there would be a need for absolving them of the sins. Then Devi Sati asked Hara Deva to break the mountain with his Shula to enable the emergence of a River at the Rasatala that would flow up the route of Balarama’s plough engraving it up to Sindhu River; Maha Deva himself named the new River as ‘Vitasta’ but she saw sinners like the killers of Brahmanas and others and thus disappeared earlier two three times and did not get materialised. Then Kashyapa prayed to the Holy River as follows:
Namastestu tey Parvataraja kaney,
Namastestu Tubhyamarshivaryajushtey/
Namesestu tubhyam Harasangalabdha
pavitra bhaavey varadey Vareney supunyatoye
Surayoshitaabhis -chakreeda maanaabhi rupeta theerey /
Devadwijaadyaiva rupaguuhyamaaney susheeta toye vimaley Vishokey,
Yeshaam hi bheetya prapaalayasi twam twad darshanaada Devi vimuktapaapaah/
Vrittaa naraastey gatasarva paapaah twaam bhaasayantah prabhayaa mahatyaa, Saptaarchi dagdhasya yathaa shuchitwam twaddarshanaad Devi shuchitvam/
Sarvam Pavitram bhavateeha taddhat paapam Maheshaai kuru prasaadam,
Papaanaam paavanaarthaaya praarthitaasi Mahanadi/
Tasmaat paavaya paapaani maa pranashaam vrajaashugey/
(My greetings to you Parvataraja Putri, Devi Parvati, worshipped by Maharshis, the provider of boons and the beloved of Hara Deva; you are a personification of purity and happiness; sacred and coolness sought after Brahmanas for washing contamination and dirt and burning their sins off. Do give us your appearance with free flow, Mahanadi! The Holy River Vitasta then responded to Kashypa and replied that she might not help great sinners of ‘Maha Patakaas’or the inexcusable sins and that only Lakshmi the consort of Vishnu who could destrory sins of any magnitude even far better than Aditi, Diti and Ganga.
The Prajapati who was bent on purifying the Kashmira Desha extolled Devi Lakshmi as the illustrious daughter of Samudra Deva, saying that she was not only the prime river of Kashmira but also of the Amsha of Uma; the Unparalelled River of the worst forms of crimes and indulgences ever; the inseparable better half of Keshava and that her water was likened to the sweetness of Amrit and Milk! Bhagavan Govinda asked Lakshmi to hurry up as Devi Vitasta was fast arriving at the Ashram of Dhaumya Muni as the holy combine of Sati, Trikoti, Harshapada, Chandravati and Sindhu /Ganga and Vitasta /Yamuna. Out of veneration for Kashyapa, Ganga’s daughter Tapana too joined the Union, reflecting the auspiciousness as superior as of Prayaga!
King Gonanda asked Guru Brihadashva as to how all the Rivers viz. Sati, Sachi, Ganga, Aditi, Diti, Yamuna and Karshini agreed. Aditi, Diti, Sachi, Yamuna and Ganga readily agreed but Sati Devi kept quiet; Kashyapa prayed to Maha Deva who requested Sati to help Kashyapa. Devi Sati told the Prajapati that the entire Desha was of her own body which was Sacred but Kashyapa replied that some human beings had the tendency of Piscachas and there would be a need for absolving them of the sins. Then Devi Sati asked Hara Deva to break the mountain with his Shula to enable the emergence of a River at the Rasatala that would flow up the route of Balarama’s plough engraving it up to Sindhu River; Maha Deva himself named the new River as ‘Vitasta’ but she saw sinners like the killers of Brahmanas and others and thus disappeared earlier two three times and did not get materialised. Then Kashyapa prayed to the Holy River as follows:
Namastestu tey Parvataraja kaney,
Namastestu Tubhyamarshivaryajushtey/
Namesestu tubhyam Harasangalabdha
pavitra bhaavey varadey Vareney supunyatoye
Surayoshitaabhis -chakreeda maanaabhi rupeta theerey /
Devadwijaadyaiva rupaguuhyamaaney susheeta toye vimaley Vishokey,
Yeshaam hi bheetya prapaalayasi twam twad darshanaada Devi vimuktapaapaah/
Vrittaa naraastey gatasarva paapaah twaam bhaasayantah prabhayaa mahatyaa, Saptaarchi dagdhasya yathaa shuchitwam twaddarshanaad Devi shuchitvam/
Sarvam Pavitram bhavateeha taddhat paapam Maheshaai kuru prasaadam,
Papaanaam paavanaarthaaya praarthitaasi Mahanadi/
Tasmaat paavaya paapaani maa pranashaam vrajaashugey/
(My greetings to you Parvataraja Putri, Devi Parvati, worshipped by Maharshis, the provider of boons and the beloved of Hara Deva; you are a personification of purity and happiness; sacred and coolness sought after Brahmanas for washing contamination and dirt and burning their sins off. Do give us your appearance with free flow, Mahanadi! The Holy River Vitasta then responded to Kashypa and replied that she might not help great sinners of ‘Maha Patakaas’or the inexcusable sins and that only Lakshmi the consort of Vishnu who could destrory sins of any magnitude even far better than Aditi, Diti and Ganga.
The Prajapati who was bent on purifying the Kashmira Desha extolled Devi Lakshmi as the illustrious daughter of Samudra Deva, saying that she was not only the prime river of Kashmira but also of the Amsha of Uma; the Unparalelled River of the worst forms of crimes and indulgences ever; the inseparable better half of Keshava and that her water was likened to the sweetness of Amrit and Milk! Bhagavan Govinda asked Lakshmi to hurry up as Devi Vitasta was fast arriving at the Ashram of Dhaumya Muni as the holy combine of Sati, Trikoti, Harshapada, Chandravati and Sindhu /Ganga and Vitasta /Yamuna. Out of veneration for Kashyapa, Ganga’s daughter Tapana too joined the Union, reflecting the auspiciousness as superior as of Prayaga!