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BHÅGAVATA AND VAYU PURANA.

9

with lotus flowers, and lilies, which are as large as umbrellas, are blown open, have an excellent smell, are charming, and have large leaves.» The names of the four great Sarovaras are Arunoda, Manasa, Sitoda and Mahabhadra.

The names of 17 mountains situated south of the Sarovara Manasa are given.

Mount Himavant is situated south of Kailasa, and described in the Vayu Purana as the best of all mountains, rich in groves, fountains, caves, hollows and peaks, and extends to the east and west to the ocean. »The sides of the mountain (Himavant) which has several peaks are filled with happy men and women. On Himavant dwell the superior Devas with Indra, and the houses and edifices of Kumara.»

»In the south, the river falling upon the Gandhamadana mountain, and flowing round it, penetrates in various directions the Gandhamadana wood of the Devas in its course, it is then called Alakananda. It then falls into the Manasa lake belonging to the Devas; hence it runs . . .» over 14 mountains. »The river there flowing along the side of the Kailasa mountain, which has several caves and peaks upon it, falls upon Himavant, and in its course breaking down thousands of superior mountains, and watering hundreds of countries, woods and caves unites with the southern ocean. The river is one Yojana 2 wide at the side of the Kailasa mountain, it was born by the God of gods Çankara (on his head) and purifies the most deadly sinners.»

A river, Tryambaka, comes from Meru, falls upon the Mahapada mountain »and enters into the western lake called Sitoda, the water of which is very clear. Coming out of the Sitoda lake, the river, the water of which is clear and used by the Gods and Rishis falls upon the Supaksha mountain . ..' — then it breaks down several mountains, before it reaches the ocean. »In this manner four great rivers of clear water run from the great mountain (Meru) towards the four regions.»

It is said in Chapter 45 that on the left side of Himavant lies mount Kailasa, on which the glorious Kuvera resides. »From the foot of Kailasa proceeds the lake Manda, which is holy, of cool water, propitious, covered with lilies, and is like the ocean. It gives rise to the Mandakini river, . . .» The river Achchhoda, which rises somewhere N.E. of Kailasa, joins the ocean as the Mandakini.

»At the foot of it (mount Vaidyuta) is the Manasa lake, which is holy, and visited by the Siddhas. From this (lake) the holy and purifying river Sarayu proceeds.»

Of the Munjava mountain it is said: »From the foot of it, the lake called ~ailoda is produced, whence the fine river Çailoda takes its rise», and falls into the ocean.

The Ganges does not at all belong to the region of my exploration and discoveries and could therefore have been excluded from this essay. But on the other hand the origin of the Ganges has so often been derived from the Manasarovar and,

Ibidem Chapter 34, p. 358. The following quotations are from Chapters 39, 4o and 45. 2 One Yojana = 4 Bengali Krosas, and 8 Engl. miles.

2-131387 I.