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『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

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 Aruṇoda, Mānasa, Sitoda and Mahābhadra. ¹

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

Mount Himavant is situated south of Kailāsa, and described in the Vāyu Pu-
rāṇa 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 mount-
ain (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 Ku-
māra.»

»In the south, the river falling upon the Gandhamādana mountain, and flowing
round it, penetrates in various directions the Gandhamādana wood of the Devas in
its course, it is then called Alakananda. It then falls into the Mānasa lake belong-
ing to the Devas; hence it runs . . .» over 14 mountains. »The river there flowing
along the side of the Kailāsa mountain, which has several caves and peaks upon it,
falls upon Himavant, and in its course breaking down thousands of superior moun-
tains, 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 Kailāsa 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 Mahāpada 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 Kailāsa,
on which the glorious Kuvera resides. »From the foot of Kailāsa proceeds the lake
Manda, which is holy, of cool water, propitious, covered with lilies, and is like the
ocean. It gives rise to the Mandākinī river, . . .» The river Achehhoda, which
rises somewhere N.E. of Kailāsa, joins the ocean as the Mandākinī.

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

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

The Ganges does not at all belong to the region of my exploration and dis-
coveries 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,