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History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c74.t5: Narmadā

History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c74.t5

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Narmadā

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Next to the Ganges the most sacred rivers of India are the Narmadā and the Godāvarī. A few words about each of these may be said here.

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An express reference to the Narmadā has not so far been traced in the Vedic Literature. The Śatapatha Br. (XII 9 3. 1) refers to one Revottaras who was a Pātava Cākra and sthapati (a chief) and whom the Sṛñjayas expelled (SBE vol. 44 p. 269)¹⁵⁹³. Revā is another name for Narmadā¹⁵⁹⁴ and it is possible to say that Revottaras was named after Revā A vārtika on Pāṇ. IV. 2. 87 derives the word Mabiṣmat (as the name of a country) from 'Mahiṣa'. This is generally identified with Māhiṣmatī (on the Narmadā). So the name Narmadā was probably known to the author of the Vārtikas (about the middle of the 4th century B. C) The Raghuvaṁśa VI. 43 speaks of Māhiṣmatī as the capital of Anūpa on the bank of the Revā (i e. Narmadā).

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¹⁵⁹³ रेवोत्तरसश्च ह पाटवं चाक्र स्थपतिं सृञ्जया अपसुरुधुः । शतपथब्रा XII. 9. 3 1.

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¹⁵⁹⁴ रेवा तु नर्मदा सोमोद्भवा मेकलकन्यका । अमरकोश.

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The Narmadā is frequently mentioned in the Mahābhārata and some of the Purāṇas. The Matsya (chapters 186-194, 554 verses), Kūrma (Uttarārdha, chapters 40-42 verses 189), Padma Ādikhaṇḍa (chap 13-23, 739 verses, most of which are the same as in the Matsya) deal with greatness of Narmadā and the tīrthas thereon1594a. The Matsya (194. 45) and Padma (Ādi-khaṇḍa 21. 44) state that from the place where the Narmadā falls into the sea up to the Amara-kaṇṭaka mountain (where it rises) there are ten crores of sacred places, while the Agni-purāṇa (113. 2) and Kūrma II. 40. 13 raise the number to 60 crores and 60 thousand The Nāradīya (uttarārdha chap 77)

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1594a It may be noted that the earliest extant digest, viz Kalpataru on tīrthas (pp. 198-205) quotes verses only from the Matsyapurāṇa, chapter 186-189 (in all about 70 verses on Narmadā) and from no other source.

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says (verse 1) that there are 400 principal tīrthas on both banks of the Narmadā, but from Amara-kaṇṭaka three crores and a half (verses 4 and 27–28).¹⁵⁹⁵ The Vanaparva (in chap 188 103 and chap. 222.24) mentions the Narmadā along with the Godāvarī and other rivers of the south. In the same parva (chap. 89. 1–3) it is stated that the holy Narmadā is in the Ānarta country¹⁵⁹⁶, that it is endowed with *priyaṅgu* creepers and mango groves, that it has strings of Vānīra fruit, that it flows to the west and that all the holy places in the three worlds come for a bath to the Narmadā. The Matsya and Padma declare¹⁵⁹⁷ that the Ganges is holy in Kanakhala, the Sarasvatī in Kurukṣetra, but the Narmadā is holy everywhere whether in a village or in a forest and that the Narmadā purifies the sinner by its very sight while the waters of the Sarasvatī do so by three baths (on three days), of the Yamunā (by baths) in seven days and of the Ganges by a single bath. The Viṣṇudharmasūtra (85.8) in enumerating a list of tīrthas that are eminently fit for śrāddha includes the banks of the Narmadā throughout the whole length among them. The Narmadā is said¹⁵⁹⁸ to have started from the body of Rudra which is a poetic way of saying that it rises from Amarakaṇṭaka that is said to be the abode of God Maheśvara and his spouse (Matsya 188 91). The Vāyupurāṇa declares that the holy Narmadā, the best of rivers, is the daughter of the pitṛs and the śrāddhas offered on it become inexhaustible¹⁵⁹⁹. The Matsya and Kūrma both say that the river Narmadā has a course of complete 100 yojanas and its breadth is two yojanas¹⁶⁰⁰. Prof. K. V. Rangaswami Aiyangar seizes upon the length of 100 yojanas and says (on p. 199 note 4 of his edition of Kalpataru on Tīrtha in G. O. S.) that the Matsya is very accurate, since the length of the Narmadā is now found to be about 800 miles. But he forgets that the breadth is said to be two yojanas (i. e. 16 miles on the scale for a yojana adopted by him). It is not shown how and where (except at the mouth if at all) the Narmadā is 16 miles in breadth in its long course. Both Matsya and Kūrma state that the Narmadā is (rises) from Amarakaṇṭaka which is to the western side of the country of Kaliṅga.¹⁶⁰¹

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¹⁵⁹⁵ Though रेवा and नर्मदा are generally used as synonyms it is found that the भागवतपुराण in V 19 18 enumerates them separately (तापी रेवा सुरसा नर्मदा) and the वामनपुराण (13. 25 and 29–30) states that the Revā springs from विन्ध्य and नर्मदा from ऋक्षपाद सार्धत्रिकोटितीर्थानि गदितानीह वायुना। दिवि भुव्यन्तरिक्षे च रेवाया तानि सन्ति च। नारदीय (उ ) 77. 27–28, *vide* note 1268 above for similar eulogy of the Ganges.

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¹⁵⁹⁶ Ānarta appears to be the ancient name of Gujarat and Kathiawar together. In the Udyogaparva Dvārakā is called Ānarta-nagarī (7. 6) As Narmadā is said to flow through Ānarta it must be supposed that in the times of the Great Epic Ānarta included both southern Gujarat and Kathiawar.

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¹⁵⁹⁷ पुण्या कनखले गङ्गा कुरुक्षेत्रे सरस्वती। ग्रामे वा यदि वारण्ये पुण्या सर्वत्र नर्मदा॥ त्रिभिः सारस्वतं तोयं सप्ताहेन तु यामुनम्। ग्रामे वा यदि वारण्ये पुण्या सर्वत्र नर्मदा॥ मत्स्य 186 10–11 = पद्म, आदिखण्ड 13.6–7 = कूर्म II. 40 7–8 *Vide* note 1271 above and compare नारदीय (उत्तरार्ध 77. 30–31) for the 2nd verse.

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¹⁵⁹⁸ नर्मदा सरितां श्रेष्ठा रुद्रदेहाद्विनिःसृता। तारयेत्सर्वभूतानि स्थावराणि चराणि च॥ मत्स्य 190. 17 = कूर्म II. 40. 5 = पद्म (आदि. 17. 13).

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¹⁵⁹⁹ पितॄणा दुहिता पुण्या नर्मदा सरितां वरा। तत्र श्राद्धानि दत्तानि अक्षयाणि भवन्त्युत॥ वायु 77 32.

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¹⁶⁰⁰ योजनानां शतं साग्रं श्रूयते सरिदुत्तमा । विस्तारेण तु राजेन्द्र योजनद्वयमायता ॥ कूर्म II. 40. 12 = मत्स्य 186. 24-25 The अग्नि also (113. 2) gives the same measurements.

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¹⁶⁰¹ कालिङ्गदेशपश्चार्धे पर्वतेऽमरकण्टके । पुण्या च त्रिषु लोकेषु रमणीया मनोरमा ॥ कूर्म II. 40. 9, मत्स्य. 186 12.

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The Viṣṇupurāṇa provides that if a man repeats day and night and whenever he has to go inside a dark place the mantra 'Salutation to Narmadā in the morning! salutation to Narmadā at night! O Narmadā! salutation to you; save me from poisonous serpents'¹⁶⁰² he has no danger from serpents.

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¹⁶⁰² नर्मदायै नमः प्रातर्नर्मदायै नमो निशि । नमोस्तु नर्मदे तुभ्यं त्राहि मां विषसर्पतः ॥ विष्णुपुराण IV. 3 12-13.

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It is stated in the Kūrma and the Matsya that a man who commits suicide by entering fire or water or by fasting (on some of the tīrthas on the Narmadā or on Amarakaṇṭaka) does not return (to this saṁsāra).¹⁶⁰³

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¹⁶⁰³ अनाशकं तु यः कुर्यात्तस्मिंस्तीर्थे नराधिप । गर्भवासे तु राजेन्द्र न पुनर्ज्ञायते पुमान् । मत्स्य. 194. 29-30, परित्यजति य. प्राणान् पर्वतेऽमरकण्टके । वर्षकोटिशतं साग्रं रुद्रलोके महीयते ॥ मत्स्य. 186. 53-54.

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The Narmadā is mentioned as Namados by Ptolemy (p. 102). One of the earliest inscriptional references to it occurs in the Eran stone pillar Inscription of Budhagupta in 165 of Gupta era i. e. 484-85 A. D. Vide C. I. I. vol. III. at p. 89.

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Several rivers are mentioned as falling into the Narmadā such as Kapilā (on the south bank, Matsya 186. 40, Padma I. 13. 35), Viśalyā (Matsya 186. 46 = Padma II. 13. 35-39), Eraṇḍī (Matsya 191. 42-43, Padma I. 18. 44), Ikṣu-nadī (Matsya 191. 49, Padma I. 18. 47), Kāverī (Matsya 189. 12-13,¹⁶⁰⁴ Padma I. 16. 6).

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¹⁶⁰⁴ The northern branch of the Narmadā where the island Oṁkāra is situated is called Kāverī (Bom G vol. 9 p. 295).' Vide in the list under Oṁkāra

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Many sub-tīrthas are enumerated, out of which two or three may be mentioned here. One is Maheśvara-tīrtha (i. e. Oṁkāra) from where Rudra is said to have burnt down with an arrow the three cities of Bāṇāsura (Matsya 188. 2 ff, Padma I. 15 2 ff), Śukla-tīrtha (highly praised in Matsya 192. 3 ff about which it is said that the *rājarṣi* Cāṇakya ¹⁶⁰⁵ attained perfection there), Bhṛgutīrtha (at the very ¹⁶⁰⁶ sight of which a man becomes free from sin, a bath in which leads to heaven and death at which ensures non-return to *saṁsāra*), the Jāmadagnya-tīrtha (where the Narmadā ¹⁶⁰⁷ falls into the sea and where Lord Janārdana secured perfection). The mountain Amarakaṇṭaka is a tīrtha that dispels all sins including brāhmaṇa-murder and it is one yojana all round in extent (Matsya 189. 89, 98). The most important place on the Narmadā is, however, Māhiṣmatī, about the exact location of which scholars have differed. The general consensus of opinion is that Māhiṣmatī is to be identified with Oṁkāra Māndhātā, an island in the Narmadā about 40 miles south of Indore. It has a long history. Moggaliputta Tissa is said in Buddhist works to have sent missionaries to several countries in the reign of Aśoka (about 247 B C.), one of which was sent to Mahiṣamaṇḍala. Dr. Fleet in his paper 'Mahiṣa-maṇḍala and Māhiṣmatī' (in J. R. A. S. for 1910 pp. 425-447) assigns cogent reasons for identifying Mahiṣamaṇḍala and Māhiṣmatī. Māhiṣmatī was well-known to the Mahābhāṣya, ¹⁶⁰⁸ from a passage in which it follows that by a forced march a person starting from Ujjayinī could reach Māhiṣmatī the next morning. Kālidāsa describes it as surrounded by Revā (Raghuvaṁśa VI 43). Māhiṣmatī is mentioned as being on the Narmadā or Revā in Udyogaparva 19. 23-24, 166. 4, Anuśāsana 166. 4, Bhāgavata X. 79. 21, Padma II. 92. 32.

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¹⁶⁰⁵ शुक्लतीर्थे महापुण्यं नर्मदायां व्यवस्थितम्। चाणक्यो नाम राजर्षि सिद्धिं तत्र समागत.॥ मत्स्य 192. 14 = पद्म. I 19. 13-14 (reads चाणिक्यो). शुक्लतीर्थ is about 10 miles to the east of Broach. राजर्षि* probably means here राज्ञ ऋषि and not राजा चासौ ऋषिश्च.

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¹⁶⁰⁶ उपास्ते भृगोस्तीर्थं तुष्टो यत्र महेश्वरः। दर्शनात्तस्य तीर्थस्य सद्यः पापात्प्र- मुच्यते।.. तत्र स्नात्वा दिवं यान्ति ये मृतास्तेऽपुनर्भवाः॥ मत्स्य 193 49-50, 52.

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¹⁶⁰⁷ ततो गच्छेच्च राजेन्द्र नर्मदोदधिसङ्गमम्॥ जामदग्न्यमिति ख्यातं सिद्धो यत्र जनार्दनः॥ मत्स्य 194. 34-35.

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¹⁶⁰⁸ चित्रीकरणे माप्यर्थे कृदन्ताणिज्वक्तव्यः।... उज्जयिन्या प्रस्थितो माहिष्मत्यां सूर्योद्गमनं सम्भावयते सूर्यमुद्गमयतीति। महाभाष्य on वार्तिक 10 (चित्रीकरणे प्रापि) on पा. III. 1 26. चित्रीकरणे means when surprise or wonder is to be conveyed. It is surprising if a man were to say that starting from Ujjayinī on foot he would reach Māhiṣmatī the next day at sunrise. The distance between the two would be more than 60 miles

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Another ancient city is Bharukaccha or Bhṛgukaccha (modern Broach) for which the entry in the list may be consulted.

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