How does Vedas describe Himalayas?

For many Indian school students, marking the Himalayas on a plain physical map of India is quite the challenge presented in geography classes. Almost in the shape of a curve, the Himalayas stretches across the northern and eastern frontiers of India, and exist in four parallel ranges: the Sivalik, Lower Himalayan Range, Great Himalayas and Tibetan Himalayas. The same students troubled by the complicated geography of the region, might be fascinated by the religious and mythological presence of Himalayas in Hindu texts and popular myths.

Legends have proposed many a thing about the Himalayas, but none question its vastness and might: one that remained unchallenged throughout history of the Indian subcontinent. Himalayas stand apart as a diverse range, with rich flaura and fauna, and a cultural heritage that boasts of its traditions, history, festivals and food. Yet it is noteworthy, that the geographical and cultural significance of the Himalayas can be traced back to early texts and mythologies, providing insights into the region.

 

Vedas: Religion and Geography

 

The Vedas are ancient collection of hymns dating back to 1500-1200 BCE. The Rigveda is the most renowned collection. Yajurveda, or “Knowledge of the Sacrifice,” is a Samhita that contains mantras and poems. The udgatri, or “chanter,” led a third set of priests who conducted melodic recitations connected to lyrics that were almost exclusively taken from the Rigveda. These verses were organized into a different Samhita called the Samaveda, or “Knowledge of the Chants.” These three Vedas, called the trayi-vidya (or “threefold knowledge”), were the Rig, Yajur, and Sama Vedas. The Atharvaveda, or “Knowledge of the Fire Priest,” is a fourth collection of songs that incorporates a number of regional customs and is partially beyond the Vedic sacrifice.

 

 

Snippet of Vedic Language, Source: Scroll.in 

 

 

While the Himalayas itself don’t find their occurrence in the Vedas directly, references are made. The etymology of Himalayas can be traced through the Sanskrit words: ‘Hima’ meaning snow and ‘alaya’ meaning home or abode. Referring to Himavat, the god of the mountains, the Rig Veda states,

“His, through his might, are these snow-covered mountains, and men call sea and Rasa his possession His arms are these , his are these heavenly regions. What God shall we adore with our oblation.”RV, 10-121-4

Another reference to the Himalayas were made in the Atharvaveda, wherein the priest Bhumi Sukta, calls upon the snowy Himalayas, using the word “Himavanto,”

“Pleasant be thy hills, O Earth,Thy snow-clad mountains and thy woodsEarth – – brown, black, ruddy and multi colouredthe firm earth protected by Indra,on this earth I stand, unvanquished, unslain, unhurt.” AV, 12-1-11  

 

While the word Himalayas never really appears in the Vedas, the mention of Himalayas in Vedas are important because of its relevance to religion and geography. While geography and religion might appear as insulated areas of study, they are more interlinked than we realise. Lily Kong, a geographer made an important note, “concerns linking geography and cosmology in the mind of the religious person lay at the heart of early geography, and in that sense a geography that incorporated religious ideas was evident from the earliest times.” Therefore, what the Vedas have to say about Himalayas, is not simply a matter of factual fascination but predicts the importance that Himalayas gained over time in Hindu religion and how Hinduism in turn affected Himalayas as a geographical entity. Religious tourism, for example, is directly related to climate change in Himalayas in contemporary times. Thus, tracing geographical existence of Himalayas in early scriptures help us realise the interlinking of religion and geography.

 

Mythology and Himalayas

Indian subcontinent is incomplete without its rich treasure of mythology. Himalayan legends are a fascinating, and Hindu mythologies have a lot to say about the same. In Hindu mythologies, have often been personified as Gods. Himavat, the god of Snow, was married to Mena. He had three daughters, namely Ragini, Kutila, and Kali. Kutila, who was taken to Brahma to bear a child for Shiva, angered Brahma by insisting that she could bear a child despite his objections. Brahma cursed Kutila to become a river. She thus, became the river Ganga. Her origin, in Gangotri, nestled in Himalaya, links her mythological parentage to her geographical one. The second daughter, Ragini, was cursed by Brahma too. Mena, in the fear of loosing her third daughter, Kali, screamed “Uma” to stop her from going to Brahma. Uma is another word for Parvati, who eventually became the wife of Shiva.

 

 

Sculpture of River Ganga, Source: Cleaveland Museum of Art

 

Lord Shiva, is also called Giri-raj, Lord of the Mountains. Shiva’s existence is deeply intertwined with the geography of the Himalayas. Devdutt Patnaik notes how Shiva is visualised as an icicle in a cave in Amarnath, Jammu or a natural rock formation rising up from the earth at Buda Kedar at Tehri Uttarakhand. Shiva has been imagined as living on a mountain, located under the Pole Star at the north, called Kaliasa or the Mount Kailash.

 

 

Shiva and Parvati on Mt Kailash, (late 18th century), Source: National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

 

In between the Nar and the Narayana Parbat, Adi Shankara established the sacred town of Badrinath. It is believed that it is here that Vyasa compiled the Mahabharata. In fact, the locals of Badrinath and Kedarnath perform the Pandava leela that retells the story of Mahabharata.

 

 

Snippet of contemporary Badrinath. Source: Uttarakhand Tourism

 

The Pandavas left society behind and headed back to the Himalayas. To locate the entrance to Indra’s heaven, they persisted in scaling mountains. While traveling, they came upon a location where Vishnu was sitting in meditation beneath a Badri tree or berry. This is where Badrinath is. Here, too, Vishnu assumed the twin forms of Narayana, the primordial instructor, and Nara, the primordial pupil, who thereafter took on the forms of Krishna and Arjuna. Based on the temple’s construction and its characteristically colorful façade, which is found in Himalayan Buddhist viharas, some historians conclude that this was a Mahayana Buddhist shrine prior to its association with Hindu Vaishnavism.

 

Dorothy B Vitaliano notes, “Myths and geology are related in several ways. Some myths are the result of man’s attempts to explain noteworthy features of his environment, such as striking landforms or unusual smaller features, whereas others try to account for conspicuous natural processes, such as earthquakes, volcanic phenomena, and floods. Local myths have sometimes proved helpful in solving geological problems, and even the geological nomenclature is indebted to mythology.” In the case of Himalayas, one can clearly see the symbiotic relationship between myths and the great mountain ranges, and how this relationship has given a holistic dynamic to the nature of the relationship that many Indians share with the mountains.

 

Conclusion

 

Himalayas have gained the reputation of a place of calm, serenity and introspection over the ages. The most excellent Hali, mentioned by Paracelsus, said: “Go, my son, to the mountains of India, and to their quarries, and take from there those precious stones!”—Let us go to the mountains of India! Himalayas have always been associated with a majestic glory, one that surpasses material superficiality of life, and transcends life to reach greater heights of spirituality, gaining a sacred reputation amongst many. What one must realise, however, is that this image of Himalayas in the minds of people is indebted to religious and mythological traditions and legends that give the mountains an image beyond a simple geographical entity.

 

 

References

Bates, K. (2018, October 5). Geo-mythology I Oxford Open Learning. Oxford Open Learning. Retrieved July 13, 2024, from https://www.ool.co.uk/blog/geo-mythology/

Doniger, W. (2024, June 21). Veda | Definition, Scriptures, Books, & Facts. Britannica. Retrieved July 13, 2024, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Veda

Douglas, E., & Norton, W. (2021, January 7). On the Mythologies of the Himalaya Mountains ‹ Literary Hub. Literary Hub. Retrieved July 13, 2024, from https://lithub.com/on-the-mythologies-of-the-himalaya-mountains/

Himavat. (n.d.). Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Retrieved July 13, 2024, from https://hinduism.en-academic.com/325/Himavat

Himavat. (2019, May 23). Glorious Hinduism. Retrieved July 13, 2024, from https://glorioushinduism.com/2019/05/23/himavat/

Pattanaik, D. (2020, May 14). Mahabharata on the Hills by Devdutt Pattanaik. Soulveda. Retrieved July 13, 2024, from https://www.soulveda.com/guest-contributors/mahabharata-on-the-hills/

Pattanaik, D. (2020, May 14). Mahabharata on the Hills by Devdutt Pattanaik. Soulveda. Retrieved July 13, 2024, from https://www.soulveda.com/guest-contributors/mahabharata-on-the-hills/

River Goddess Ganga. (n.d.). Cleveland Museum of Art. Retrieved July 13, 2024, from https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1966.119

Roerich, N. (n.d.). Himavat by Nicholas Roerich. Nicholas Roerich Museum. Retrieved July 13, 2024, from https://www.roerich.org/roerich-writings-himavat.php

Shankar, R. (2023, December 1). Hinduism’s Himalayan Dilemma. The New Indian Express. Retrieved July 13, 2024, from https://www.newindianexpress.com/opinions/columns/ravi-shankar/2023/Dec/02/hinduisms-himalayandilemma-2637603.html