SAPTACARU A holy place. The reason for giving this place the name Saptacaru is given in
[Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 82] as follows: The word ‘Caru’ means sacrifice. Once devas (gods) and men together put the fat parts of sacrificial animals, as burnt offerings in the sacrificial fire, each singing seven verses from the
[Ṛgveda] . By this sacrifice they obtained more prosperity than the fruits of giving one lakh of cows as alms or performing hundred Rājasūya sacrifices or thousand horse-sacrifices. “The wise said that it was an endless gift to the manes. The gods, the manes, the Gandharvas, the celestial maids, the gaṇas, the yakṣas, Kinnaras, the siddhas, the Vidyādharas, the people of the earth, the Rākṣasas, the daityas, the Rudras, Brahmā, all these joined together with vow and fast taken for a thousand years and performed a sacrifice each exalting Viṣṇu by singing seven verses from Ṛgveda. Keśava was much pleased at the caru and gave them Āṣtaiśvaryasiddhi (the eight miraculous attainments) and everything they wished. Thus giving them all kinds of prosperities, the god Mukunda disappeared in this place as lightning in the clouds. Therefore this place became famous everywhere by the name Saptacaru.”