Meru Peaks at Badarī
The devas, ṛshis (seers), siddhas and vidyādharas once lived on the golden peaks of Mount Meru. When they heard that Bhagavān Vishṇu had taken up his home at Badarīkāśrama, they left Meru and came to Badarī to be near him. Out of compassion, Bhagavān Vishṇu lifted the golden peaks of Meru and set them up at Badarī, so that they could live near him and still have their homes.
This account is told in the Badarī Kshetra Māhātmya of the Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa of the Skanda Mahā Purāṇa.
The leaving of Meru
Bhagavān Vishṇu took up his everlasting home at Badarīkāśrama. He did tapas (austerity) there as Nara-Nārāyaṇa and made the kshetra (sacred ground) the foremost of all holy places. The news of his presence drew beings from all three worlds. Among those who came were the devas, the mahāṛshis, the siddhas, the vidyādharas and the cāraṇas. They had made their homes on the grand peaks of Meru, the great mountain at the centre of the universe.
These shining beings were pulled by the nearness of Bhagavān Vishṇu. They simply left their dear homes on Meru and came to Badarī. They left behind not only their dwellings but also their place in the order of the three worlds, for the peaks of Meru had been the homes of the devas.
(Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Badarī Kshetra Māhātmya, Chapter 8)
Bhagavān Vishṇu’s kindness
Bhagavān Vishṇu saw the devas and the other great beings who had left their homes to be near him. He was moved by compassion for their devotion. He found a way: he would not make them go back to Meru, nor leave them without homes. He would bring Meru to them. He had the golden peaks (śṛṅgas) of Meru pulled up and set at Badarīkāśrama itself. The peaks appeared at Badarī in all their golden glory. So the devas could live near Bhagavān Vishṇu and also have their proper homes again.
(Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Badarī Kshetra Māhātmya, Chapter 8)
The stotras of the devas and siddhas
When they saw the golden peaks of Meru shining at Badarī, the gathered beings offered stotras (hymns of praise) to Bhagavān Vishṇu in thanks.
The devas said: “You take different forms to give us joy and to cool the heat of saṃsāra. You brought the peaks of Meru here. You put down the dānavas and help the devas. You do fierce tapas. To you we bow. You are like a fire that burns up the haystack of the ārti (grief) of the helpless. You are pleased only by your own karma. You teach us, who have the highest buddhi (understanding), yet you care for us as a father cares. With your kind eyes, which are like an ocean of amṛta (the drink of immortality), protect us from all danger.”
The ṛshis said: “To you who are śāśvata (eternal), before whom this whole jagat (world) appears as adhyasta (a thing laid over the truth), who appear as a plaything for Brahmā, we bow.”
The siddhas said: “By even a trace of your kṛpā (grace), those who wander in saṃsāra gain the powers of great siddhas. Those who take refuge in you can cross the dreadful bhavāmbodhi (ocean of existence) in no time.”
The vidyādharas said: “O Kalyāṇamūrti, Parameśa, most honoured one, those who have drunk the honey of your lotus feet (pāda-padma) and are drunk with it, is it any wonder that they are blessed?”
(Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Badarī Kshetra Māhātmya, Chapter 8)
The vara for the devas
The devas asked for a vara (boon): “O Svāmī, if you are pleased, never leave this Badarī or the peaks of Meru. And grant that those people of puṇya (merit) who see these peaks of Meru here will gain a place on those peaks, enjoy every bhoga (pleasure) for a long time, and in the end merge into you.”
Bhagavān Vishṇu granted this vara and disappeared. The devas then lived joyfully on the Meru peaks at Badarī, guarded by Nara-Nārāyaṇa.
(Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Badarī Kshetra Māhātmya, Chapter 8)
Bhagavān Vishṇu takes the form of Nara
At Badarī, Bhagavān Vishṇu also took the form of Nara. He stood holding a bow and arrows, glowing like fire with the brilliance of tapas, and he brought joy to all the ṛshis gathered there.
(Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Badarī Kshetra Māhātmya, Chapter 8)
The Meru Tīrtha and the Lokapāla Tīrtha
The Meru peaks that were moved became the place of the Meru Tīrtha and the Lokapāla Tīrtha beside it. Bhagavān Vishṇu himself set up all the lokapālas (guardians of the directions) at these tīrthas.
The phalaśruti (the promise of the fruit) is that snāna (sacred bathing) at these tīrthas gives the fruit of all tīrthas together. Bhagavān Vishṇu himself comes to bathe here on Dvādaśī and Paurṇamī, the twelfth lunar day and the full moon. Ṛshis and munis rich in tapas who bathe here at midday see the paraṃjyoti (the supreme light) in the water itself.
(Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Badarī Kshetra Māhātmya, Chapter 8)
Sources
- Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Badarī Kshetra Māhātmya, Chapter 8