Saptavanas

The Saptavanas are seven ancient forests inside the sacred land of Kurukshetra. Chapter 13 of the Saro Māhātmya (the Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa’s praise of the lakes and tīrthas of Kurukshetra) names them. They are among the chief landmarks of the Kurukshetra pilgrimage. Each forest is sarvakalmasha-hara, a destroyer of all impurities, by living in it or touching it.

The seven forests

  1. Kāmyakavana, the forest of desires. In other Purāṇic accounts the forest called Kāmyaka is where the Pāṇḍavas spent time in exile. In Chapter 20 of the Saro Māhātmya, Bhagavān Sūrya is himself present in Kāmyakavana in the form of Purusha. To worship him there gives the fruit of all desires.
  2. Āditīvana, the forest of Aditi. It is named for Aditi, the mother of the devas. Here Aditi did ten thousand years of tapas to gain Bhagavān Vāmana as her son. The pilgrim’s route in Chapter 13 sends pilgrims (yātrīs) to Āditīvana. Whoever bathes there and has darśana of Aditi gains a shining son with the brightness of a hundred suns.
  3. Vyāsavana, the forest of Vyāsa. It is tied to Bhagavān Vyāsa, the great compiler of the Vedas and Purāṇas. Chapter 15 names the Manojava Tīrtha inside Vyāsavana. Bathing there and having darśana of Bhagavān Śiva fulfils every wish of the mind. Nearby is the Miśraka Tīrtha, where Vyāsa himself mixed the waters of all tīrthas for Dadhīci.
  4. Phalakīvana, the forest of fruits of puṇya (merit). Chapter 15 says that devas, gandharvas, sādhyas and ṛshis have done tapas here for a thousand divine years. Bathing here in the river Dṛshadvatī gives the fruit of the agnishṭoma and atirātra yajñas. Śrāddha done at Phalakīvana on a Monday in the dark half of the month gives the same fruit as śrāddha at Gayā. Even to remember Phalakīvana in the mind pleases one’s ancestors.
  5. Sūryavana, the forest of the Sun. Bhagavān Sūrya is specially tied to this forest. Bathing at the Sūrya Tīrtha in this forest, fasting (upavāsa) and making offerings to the devas and ancestors gives the fruit of the agnishṭoma and leads to Sūrya-loka.
  6. Madhuvana, the forest of sweetness or honey. It is tied to the sweet, nourishing nature of the sacred land.
  7. Śītavana, the cool and shady forest. Chapter 14 tells of a rare tīrtha in Śītavana, the Daṇḍaka Tīrtha. There the shaving of one’s head (śiromuṇḍana) alone purifies the pilgrim. Here too is the Svānulomāyana Tīrtha. A skilled pilgrim who fasts at tīrthas (tīrthopavāsī) can take the hair from his body through prāṇāyāma. He gains a pure body that leads to the paramapada.

(Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapters 13 to 15)

What the seven forests share

The Saro Māhātmya says that all seven forests are sarvakalmasha-hara, destroyers of all impurities. Their names, remembered with respect, bring spiritual gain.

The nine rivers

Chapter 13 also lists the nine rivers (nava nadīs) that flow through Kurukshetra, along with the seven forests:

  1. Sarasvatī. The chief sacred river. It flows all year, unlike the others. It rose from the Plaksha tree (Chapter 11).
  2. Vaitaraṇī. The river of the world after death. It is met on the pilgrim’s round (Chapter 15).
  3. Āpagā. It flows east of the Mānusha Tīrtha. Its bank is an especially good place for śrāddha.
  4. Gaṅgā. She is present at certain tīrthas inside Kurukshetra.
  5. Madhusrava. The sweet-flowing river.
  6. Vāsu. A sacred stream.
  7. Kauśikī. She is tied to Viśvāmitra. Her meeting (saṃgama) with other rivers at Kurukshetra gives the paramapada.
  8. Dṛshadvatī. One of the boundary rivers of the Brahmāvarta region. Bathing at her meeting of waters in Phalakīvana gives great puṇya.
  9. Hiraṇyavatī. The golden-flowing river.

The Purāṇa says that the Sarasvatī flows all year, while the other eight flow mainly in the rainy season. Even in the rains, their waters are free of the stain of rajoguṇa, the quality that would make flood water unfit for rites. This is because of the puṇya stored up in the tīrthas they pass. (Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 13)

Sources

  • Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapters 11, 13, 14, 15 and 20