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HIMAVĀN (THE HIMĀLAYAS).
1) general.
The great mountain on the northern borders of india. In the literature and the religious thought of india the Himālayas occupy a position of universal respect and adulation. The indian belief is that the mountain has got a divine soul. (e.g. it is referred to as “devatātmā” in Kālidāsa's Kumārasaṁbhava). The Himālayas are referred to very often in the Purāṇas and epics.
2) other information from Mahābhārata.
(1) The Bālakhilyas had performed tapas on the Himālayas. [Ādi Parva, Chapter 30, Verse 3] .
(2) The Nāga named Śeṣa once resided there to practise control of the mind in solitude. [Ādi Parva, Chapter 36, Verse 3] .
(3) Vyāsa performed tapas there. [Ādi Parva, Chapter 114, Verse 24] .
(4) Pāṇḍu, father of the Pāṇḍavas had to cross the Kālakūṭa mountain and the Himālayas to reach Gandhamādana. [Ādi Parva, Chapter 148, Verse 48] .
(5) Bhārgava women hid themselves in the Himālayas at the time when the Kṣatriyas were hunting out people of the Bhṛgu dynasty. [Ādi Parva, Chapter 177, Verse 20] .
(6) The whole fire of the yajña conducted by sage Parāś, ara to annihilate the Rākṣasas was deposited in the extensive forest near the Himālayas, [Ādi Parva- Chapter 180, Verse 22] .
(7) arjuna once sojourned on the Himālayas. [Ādi Parva, Chapter 214, Verse 1] .
(8) The Devatā of the mountain worships Kubera in his assembly. [Sabhā Parva, Chapter 10, Verse 31] .
(9) As suggested by Sūrya, once Nārada did penance for 1000 years on the peaks of the Himālayas so that he might see Indra's assembly. [Sabhā Parva, Chapter 11, Verse 8] .
(10) arjuna once crossed the Himālayas and encamped at Dhavalagiri. [Sabhā Parva, Chapter 27, Verse 29] .
(11) Bhīmasena once stopped for a short time near the Himālayas imagining himself to be emperor of the whole world. ---10--- .
(12) it was at the Himālayas that Merusāvarṇi imparted advice to Yudhiṣṭhira. ---11--- .
(13) Bhagīratha performed tapas on the Himālayas. ---12--- .
(14) The kingdom of Subāhu, king of Kalinda was on the plains of the Himālayas. The Pāṇḍavas stopped there for a night and left for the Himālayas the next day. ---13--- .
(15) The Pāṇḍavas, on the seventeenth day of their life in exile in the forest came to the top of the Himālayas, and visited the āśrama of Vṛṣaparvan there. (Vana Paṛva, chapter 18).
(16) it was while Bhīmasena was hunting in the Hiṁālayas and appreciating the beauties there that a python caught him by the leg. ---14--- .
(17) sage Mārkaṇḍeya once saw in the stomach of child Kṛṣṇa mountains like the Himālayas, Hemakūṭa etc. ---15--- .
(18) much anterior to sage Mārkaṇḍeya an owl called Prāvārakarṇa had lived on the Himālayas. ---16--- .
(19) Karṇa conquered all the kingdoms on the Himālayas and collected taxes from them all. ---17--- .
(20) On the northern heights of the Himālayas live Śiva and Pārvatī for ever. ---18--- .
(21) Himavān is one of the six rain-producing mountains stretching from the east to the west. ---19--- .
(22) arjuna during his tour of Kailāsa in dream with Śrī Kṛṣṇa saw all the peaks of Himavān. ---20--- .
(23) When Śiva burnt to ashes the Tripuras, Himavān and Vindhya served as the axles of Śiva's chariot. ---21--- .
(24) The river Gaṅgā deposited Śiva's semen on a high peak of Himavān and Subrahmaṇya was born from it. ---22--- .
(25) Himavān, the Devatā of the mountain, also was present at the installation of Subrahmaṇya as chief of the army. ---23--- .
(26) Himavān presented to Subrahmaṇya two attendants called Suvarcas and Ativarcas. ---24--- .
(27) Śrī Kṛṣṇa once performed tapas on Himavān, and as a result of it was born his son Pradyumna from Rukmiṇī. ---25--- .
(28) Himavān presented inexhaustible wealth to emperor Pṛthu. ---26--- .
(29) The peaks of Himavān have an area of 100 yojanas; Brahmā once conducted a yajña there. ---27--- .
(30) Dakṣaprajāpati once conducted a yajña at the place called Gaṅgādvāra on the slopes of Himavān. ---28--- .
(31) In ---29--- the following statement occurs about Himavān. according to the advice of king Janaka Śuka brahmarṣi mounted the Himālayas. Siddha-cāraṇas lived on the mountain. celestial women walked all over the place. The mountain always reverberated with the noise of different varieties of living beings. The noise produced by Kinnaras, peacocks and many other birds could always be heard there. Himavān was the permanent abode of Garuḍa. The Aṣṭadikpālakas also lived there.
(32) When Śuka moved up to the world above it appeared as though the Himavān was being cut open. he saw two divine peaks of mountains on the two sides of the path; one of them was the peak of the Mahāmeru and the other that of Himavān. both the peaks gave way to Śuka. ---30--- .
(33) Śiva desired to secure Umā, the daughter of Himavān as his wife. Meantime sage Bhṛgu demanded that Umā be wedded to him. When Himavān told the sage that it had already been decided to gave Umā in marriage to Śiva, the sage cursed that there would not be, in future, gems in the Himavān. ---31--- .
(34) Viṣṇu and Śiva once fought with each other on the Himavān, and then it seemed as though the mountain was being cleft into pieces. ---32--- .
(35) Nārada had his āśrama there, on the Himavān. ---33--- .
(36) Śrī Kṛṣṇa once visited the āśrama of Upamanyu on the Himavān. ---34--- .
(37) king Marutta performed a yajña on the Himālayas and brahmins went away leaving a lot of wealth there. ---35--- .
(38) Sañjaya left for the Himālayas after Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Gāndhārī were burnt to death in a wild fire. ---36--- .
(39) during their mahāprasthāna (great journey) the Pāṇḍavas travelled by the Himālayas and Dharmaputra ascended to heaven from the top of the Himālayan peak. ---37--- .
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