Pushṭi (River)

Pushṭi, “nourishment”

Pushṭi has other meanings too: see all meanings of Pushṭi.

Pushṭi is a holy river that joins the Gautamī Gaṅgā. Brahmā tells Nārada, in the Gautamī Māhātmya of the Brahma Purāṇa, that she was one of the rivers that came to the Gautamī for the sake of Soma, when the devas performed a great yajña on the southern bank of the Gautamī to win Soma back from the gandharvas. The rivers that joined the Gautamī then each have a tīrtha in their name, and the confluence of this river is the Pushṭi-saṅgama.

The rivers that came for Soma

Soma, full of amṛta, who gives the prāṇas to the devas, had passed to the gandharvas, and the devas came to Brahmā in distress. Vāk, Sarasvatī, told them: “The gandharvas are ever fond of women. Let an excellent yajña be performed on the southern bank of the Gautamī, and give me to them in exchange for Soma. I shall come back.” The devas invited the devas, yakshas, gandharvas and nāgas to the holy mountain, which from then on was called Devagiri. While the ṛshis performed the great yajña there, Indra said to the gandharvas, “Exchange Soma for Sarasvatī,” and the gandharvas gave Soma to the devas and took Sarasvatī. But Sarasvatī came back to the devas secretly every day, so that the devas had both Soma and Sarasvatī.

For the sake of Soma, cows, devas, mountains, yakshas, rākshasas, siddhas, guhyakas, gandharvas, the Maruts, the nāgas, the oshadhis (healing herbs), the Mātṛs, the guardians of the quarters, the Rudras, the Ādityas, the Vasus, the Aśvins and the other devas who share in the yajña came to the Gautamī, and twenty-five rivers joined the Gaṅgā. The place where the pūrṇāhuti, the full offering of ghee, was given is called Pūrṇatīrtha.

The Pushṭi-saṅgama

Brahmā names the tīrthas in order: Somatīrtha, Gāndharva, Devatīrtha, Pūrṇatīrtha, Sala, the Śrīparṇā-saṅgama, the Ilā-saṅgama, the holy confluence of the Kusumā, the Pushṭi-saṅgama, the auspicious Karṇikā-saṅgama, the Vaiṇavī-saṅgama, the Kruśarā-saṅgama, the Vāsavī-saṅgama, Śivaśarya, Śikhī, Kusumbhikā, Uparathya, Śāntijā, Devajā, Ajā, Vṛddhā, Surā and Bhadrā. All these joined the Gautamī. Some of these rivers flow east, some flow west; some are lakes and some are streams; and every one of these tīrthas is known by its own name. Twenty rivers, Brahmā says, lie between the Pūrṇā and the Pravarā, and with five divine rivers, his daughters, they make twenty-five.

Rites and their phala

  • Bathing in these tīrthas, or performing japa, homa and pitṛ-tarpaṇa (water offerings to the pitṛs) there, fulfils all the cherished desires of men and gives both bhoga (enjoyment) and moksha.
  • Those who read about these tīrthas or remember them are freed from all pāpas and go to the loka of Bhagavān Vishṇu.

Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 35

Sources

  • Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 35