Nārāyaṇa Saras
Nārāyaṇa Saras · nārāyaṇa saras, “the lake of Nārāyaṇa”
Nārāyaṇa Saras is the holy lake where the sons of Daksha Prajāpati bathed and performed tapas when their father sent them to beget progeny. Śuka Maharshi tells of it to Parīkshit Mahārāja in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa. On merely bathing in its waters, the impurity of the heart was wholly removed: first for the ten thousand Haryaśvas, and then for the thousand Śabalāśvas, who went there because it was the very place where their elder brothers had attained siddhi. The text does not say where the lake lies.
The Haryaśvas at the lake
Daksha, whose power had been made to grow by the māyā-śakti of Bhagavān Vishṇu, begot in Asiknī, daughter of Pañcajana, ten thousand sons, the Haryaśvas. On merely bathing in the lake, the impurity in their hearts was wholly removed, and they gained a firm understanding of the ātma-dharma of the paramahaṃsas. Even so, held by their father’s command, they went on with severe tapas for the increase of progeny. There Devarshi Nārada saw them and spoke to them in riddles, and they followed the path he showed and did not return.
Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 6, Chapter 5
The Śabalāśvas at the lake
Then Daksha begot in Asiknī a thousand sons, the Śabalāśvas, and commanded them too to beget progeny. Taking a vrata to do just that, they went for tapas to Nārāyaṇa Saras, the very place where their elder brothers had attained siddhi. On merely bathing in that lake, the impurity of their hearts was removed. There they performed great tapas, chanting the supreme Oṃkāra, which is Parabrahman in form. For some months they drank only water, for some months they lived only on air, and they worshipped Śrī Hari, the master of speech, with this mantra: “Om. Nārāyaṇa is whole, the ātmā of all, the one who appears in the pure heart, who dwells in the form of the paramahaṃsas. Bowing to him, we meditate on him.” There Nārada came to them as well.
Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 6, Chapter 5
The phala of the lake
The Bhāgavata gives the lake’s power as the account shows it: bathing in Nārāyaṇa Saras removes the impurity of the heart and gives a firm understanding of the dharma of the ātmā, and it is the place where the Haryaśvas attained siddhi.
Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 6, Chapter 5
Sources
- Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 6, Chapter 5