Harivarsha
Harivarsha · hari-varsha, “the land of Hari”
Harivarsha is one of the nine varshas (regions) of Jambū Dvīpa. The Vāmana Purāṇa names it Hari-varsha and places it in the south-west (nairṛti) of Jambū Dvīpa. It is one of the eight varshas outside Bhārata, pure and lovely lands where there is no division into yugas, no fear of old age and death, and where the people attain siddhi naturally, without effort. In the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Harivarsha lies south of Ilāvṛta with the Nishadha mountain as its boundary, and there Prahlāda worships Śrī Hari in the form of Narasiṃha.
The Agni Purāṇa tells how the varsha got its name. Āgnīdhra, the son of Priyavrata, received Jambū Dvīpa from his father and divided it among his sons; to his son Harivarsha he gave the Naishadha-varsha, which became Harivarsha. The Agni Purāṇa counts it as the third of the southern varshas, after Bhārata and Kiṃpurusha. Its people live for twenty-four thousand years, with no hunger, fear, disease or grief, and the varsha is invoked in the abhisheka (consecration) of a king to protect him and give him the kingdom.
Its place in Jambū Dvīpa
The account is given in Pulastya Maharshi‘s telling to Nārada Maharshi. The rākshasa king Sukeśī went to the maharshis of a forest in Magadha and asked them about the worlds. When they had described Pushkara Dvīpa, he asked them: “Now tell me the state of Jambū Dvīpa.” The ṛshis answered that Jambū Dvīpa is in nine divisions, very vast, and able to grant svarga (heaven) and moksha.
Its nine varshas, with their directions, are:
- in the middle, Ilāvṛta-varsha
- in the east, the wonderful Bhadrāśva-varsha
- in the north-east, Hiraṇya-varsha
- in the south-east, Kiṃnara-varsha
- in the south, Bhārata-varsha
- in the south-west, Hari-varsha
- in the west, Ketumāla-varsha
- in the north-west, Ramyaka-varsha
- in the north, Kuru-varsha, full of kalpavṛkshas (wish-fulfilling trees)
All these nine regions are pure and lovely.
Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 13
Per Agni Purāṇa, Agni Deva, telling Vasishṭha Maharshi of the bhuvanakośa (the treasury of the worlds), places Harivarsha south of Meru. To the south of Meru stand the varsha mountains Himavān, Hemakūṭa and Nishadha; to the north, Nīla, Śveta and Śṛṅgī. Of the southern varshas the first is Bhāratavarsha, the second Kiṃpurusha and the third Harivarsha. On the north are Ramyaka, Hiraṇmaya and Uttarakuru. These are equal to Bhāratavarsha, and each is nine thousand yojanas in extent. In the middle of them all is Ilāvṛta-varsha, where Meru stands.
Source: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 108
Harivarsha, son of Āgnīdhra
The Agni Purāṇa gives the varsha’s first lord. Priyavrata gave the seven dvīpas to his sons, and to Āgnīdhra he gave Jambū Dvīpa, many lakhs of yojanas in extent. Āgnīdhra divided it among his own sons:
- Nābhi received Himavarsha, which is Bhāratavarsha
- Kiṃpurusha received Hemakūṭa-varsha
- Harivarsha received Naishadha-varsha
- Ilāvṛta received Ilāvṛta-varsha in the middle, with Mount Meru
- Ramyaka received Ramyaka-varsha, near Mount Nīla
- Hiraṇvān received Śveta-varsha
- Kuru received Uttarakuru-varsha
- Bhadrāśva received Bhadrāśva-varsha
- Ketumāla received Ketumāla-varsha, west of Meru
Having made his sons lords of these varshas, Priyavrata became a vānaprastha (a forest-dweller), performed tapas at the Śālagrāma kshetra and attained Vishṇuloka.
Source: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 107
The life of its people
In Harivarsha and the other seven varshas beginning with Ilāvṛta, all except Bhārata, there is no division of time into yugas and no fear of old age and death. The people there attain siddhi (spiritual perfection) easily, without effort: it is natural to them (sahaja-siddha). Among them there is no distinction of high and low, and no reversal of fortune of any kind.
Bhārata is the ninth varsha. There, the maharshis said, people become pure by carrying out the duties of their own varṇa, and their puṇya and pāpa, their reaching svarga and moksha, are decided by what they do.
Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 13
The Agni Purāṇa tells the same of the eight varshas beginning with Kiṃpurusha, Harivarsha among them. Agni Deva said to Vasishṭha Maharshi: “O best of munis! In the eight varshas beginning with Kiṃpurusha there is great happiness. All bhogas (enjoyments) are gained without effort. There is no fear of old age and death, no dharma and adharma, no division into high, middle and low. There is no change of yugas there.”
In these varshas there is no hunger, fear, grief or the like. The people live for twenty-four thousand years, with no disease and no grief. There are no Kṛta, Tretā and the other yugas. Rain does not fall; the people have only the water that comes from the earth. In each of these varshas there are seven kula-parvatas (chief mountains), and from them flow hundreds of rivers that are tīrthas.
Source: Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 107–108
In the abhisheka of a king
Pushkara, teaching Paraśurāma the mantras for the abhisheka of a king, gives a long line of blessings spoken over the king. Among them the varshas are called upon: “May the varshas Uttarakuru, Ramya, Hiraṇyaka, Bhadrāśva, Ketumāla, Balāhaka, Hari, Nara, Kiṃpurusha, Indradvīpa, Kaśerumat, Tāmravarṇa, Gabhastimat, Nāgadvīpa, Saumyaka, Gāndharva, Vāruṇa, the ninth and the rest protect you and give you the kingdom.” Pushkara says that these abhisheka mantras remove all pāpas.
Source: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 219
In the Bhāgavata Purāṇa
South of Ilāvṛta
Śrī Śuka Maharshi, describing Jambūdvīpa to Parīkshit, says that south of Ilāvṛta lie Harivarsha, Kiṃpurushavarsha and Bhāratavarsha, and that their boundaries, in order, are the mountains Nishadha, Hemakūṭa and Himālaya, each ten thousand yojanas high and stretching east to west. The mountains Mālyavān and Gandhamādana, on the west and east of Ilāvṛta, stretch south as far as Nishadha. Nishadha, the mountain that bounds Harivarsha, is named again among the twenty base mountains of Meru.
Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 5, Chapter 16
Narasiṃha, worshipped by Prahlāda
In Hari varsha, Śuka says, Bhagavān Śrī Hari dwells in the form of Narasiṃha; he will tell later why Bhagavān Śrī Hari took that beloved form. There Prahlāda, the abode of the qualities of the great and of great bhakti, whose character and conduct have purified the lines of Diti and Danu, worships Narahari with the followers of that khaṇḍa, with a nishkāma bhakti-yoga that knows nothing else. He recites this mantra:
“Om. Many namaskāras to Bhagavān Narasiṃha, who grants radiance even to Sūrya and the others who are themselves orbs of light. O Narasiṃha, whose nails and fangs are sharp as vajras! Surely appear to me, surely burn up my karma-vāsanās, surely drive away my ajñāna. I offer myself to you. Stay in my antaḥkaraṇa as the very form of fearlessness. Oṃ kshrauṃ.”
Then Prahlāda prays for the world:
- “May the world be auspicious! May the wicked become tranquil in mind! May beings wish only good for one another! May firm nishkāma bhakti fill our minds toward Śrī Hari!”
- “May we have no attachment to house, wife, children, wealth and kinsmen; if there is any, may it be only toward the bhaktas of Bhagavān Śrī Hari.” One content with food enough to keep the prāṇas, with the senses mastered, quickly becomes a jīvanmukta.
- The glory of Mukunda, the giver of moksha, is gained in the company of his bhaktas; in the hearts of those who hear it again and again, the unborn Śrī Hari becomes manifest and removes the impurity of their minds.
- In one who has nishkāma bhakti, the devatās dwell always, with all good qualities; they cannot come to one who runs after desires in the false outer saṃsāra.
- Śrī Hari is the dear Ātmā of all beings, as water is dear to fish. Saṃsāra is the root of thirst, sorrow, pride, desire, fear and the diseases of the mind: “Therefore leave it and serve the feet of Narasiṃha. Those who do so have no fear from anything.”
Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 5, Chapter 18
Sources
- Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 13
- Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 107–108, 219
- Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 5, Chapters 16, 18