Vetravatī River
The Vetravatī is a sacred river praised in the Uttara Khaṇḍa of the Padma Mahā Purāṇa. It is one of the seven streams that together make up the sacred basin of the Śābhramatī, and it is named as one of the seven branches of the Śābhramatī at Vikīrṇatīrtha.
The Vetravatī is best known as the river that cured King Vidāruṇa of Campaka of leprosy, when he drank its water without meaning to.
Origin
The Padma Mahā Purāṇa traces the Vetravatī to the sacred tank of the asura Vṛtra. Vṛtra was defeated by Indra, and the water of his tank became the source of the river.
King Vidāruṇa is healed
King Vidāruṇa of Campaka was a bitter enemy of Bhagavān Vishṇu. He was a vaishṇava-dveshin (hater of Vishṇu’s devotees and of Vishṇu), and because of his karma he suffered from leprosy.
He was travelling through the region with no holy purpose in mind. He drank water from the Vetravatī, and his leprosy was cured at once. The river’s power worked whatever his intention, faith or worthiness was. The cure also changed the king. He had hated Bhagavān Vishṇu, and he became a devotee.
One of the seven streams
The Vetravatī is one of the seven streams of the Śābhramatī at Vikīrṇatīrtha. The seven are:
- Śābhramatī
- Śetikā
- Valkinī
- Hiraṇmayī
- Hastimatī
- Vetravatī
- Bhadramukhī
The Vetravatī is part of the holy geography of the Śābhramatī, and so it shares in the greatness (māhātmya) of the whole river.
Sources
- Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapters 134–137