Few Facts - Part Three

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What is the significance of mountains in Hinduism?Mountains, which occupy an important place in Hindu mythology, are a symbol of strength when certain gods in their fury grow to resemble mountains, and of oppressive weight when they are torn up and used as missiles by gods or demons. The most important of these are of course the Himalayas, on the summits of which are the heavens. Mountains, especially the Himalayas were also important as it was amongst them that the holy

men, the yogis and the sadhus lived doing meditation. It was here that the important ashramas of the gurus were located and many are still functioning. A person going on a trek in the Himalayas can easily find yogis doing meditation in caves amongst the high snow-capped peaks. Some of the important mountains are:MERU, which bears on its summit Brahma's heaven, and acts as a pivot for the three worlds around which the heavenly bodies revolve. HIMAVAN, which took the form of a man when the gods wished Sati to be reborn, and became the father of first the Ganga, and then of Parvati. MANDARA, which is a revered mountain in the Himalayas and was thought to be the only one mighty enough to serve as a pole in the churning of the milk ocean. It became the home of Durga.MOUNT KAILASA, the home of Shiva, which became involved in a dispute between Indra and Kartikeya as to their relative powers and to settle the dispute they agreed

to race around it. Kartikeya won but became angry when Kailasa gave the verdict in favor of Indra and hurled his lance at the mountain splitting it open, thus creating the Krauncha pass. Some other holy mountains are ParijatMalyagiriMahendrachalChitrakootGovardhan (Mathura)Kamagiri (Assam)Shaktiman (Madhya Pradesh) Raiwatgiri (Gujarat). Why are the rivers considered divine?In India Rivers are given a divine status. The civilization of India

was nurtured in the river basin of the Ganga and the Jamuna, which has been the heart of ancient India. The two rivers have been worshipped since ancient times. The Ganga has been known for its purity and divinity and the Hindus believe that a bath in her waters cleanses one of all sins. The river Jamuna is known for her devotion. The river Saraswati was worshipped in ancient times when the Aryans lived in Punjab. The Saraswati changed its course in later ages and gradually disappeared in the deserts of Rajasthan. Apart from these three, the other rivers considered sacred are the Godavari, Narmada, Sindhu (Indus) and Kaveri (Cauvery). Some other sacred rivers are Sarayu, Gomati, Gandaki, Sabarmati, Tamsa, Chandarbhaga, Shipra and Kratmala.