Bhādraśva Varsha

Bhādraśva Varsha is one of the four great regions around Mount Meru. It lies on the eastern side. The Bhīshma Parva of the Mahābhārata praises the Bhadraśāla forest on its heights, where the sacred Kālāmra tree (a black mango tree) grows. The people drink its sap and stay young for ever. The people of Bhādraśva have moon-white skin and are skilled in dance and music.

Location

Bhādraśva Varsha lies on the eastern side of Meru, between Meru and the Gandhamādana mountain. It is one of the four dvīpas at the four directions of Meru.

  • Bhādraśva in the east
  • Ketumāla in the west
  • Uttara Kuru in the north
  • Jambū Dvīpa in the south, the vast region that includes Bhārata Varsha

The Bhadraśāla forest and the Kālāmra tree

At the top of Bhādraśva Varsha stands the Bhadraśāla forest. Its chief wonder is the Kālāmra, a black mango tree with great powers.

  • It is one yojana tall and always has flowers and fruit.
  • Siddhas and Cāraṇas honour it at all times.
  • Its sap flows like amṛta (nectar), and the people of Bhādraśva drink it.

Those who drink the sap of the Kālāmra stay young for ever. Old age never touches them, although they live for ten thousand years.

The people of Bhādraśva

Sañjaya tells how the people of Bhādraśva look and what they are like.

  • The men are fair, shining with tejas (radiance) and very strong.
  • The women are as fair as white lotuses and very beautiful, with the colour of the moon.
  • Every limb of the women is as cool as moonlight.
  • They are gifted in nṛtya (dance) and gāna (song and music).
  • Their faces are as lovely as the full moon.

They live for ten thousand years, and the Kālāmra sap keeps them young all that time.

The Sudarśana Jambū tree

Nearby, between the Nīla mountain and Nishadha, stands a great nereḍu (Jambū) tree called Sudarśana. This is the tree that gave Jambū Dvīpa its name. It touches the sky and is 1,100 yojanas tall. When its fruit ripens and falls, the juice (rasa) flows as gold. From this golden stream comes the metal Jāmbūnada (gold), which the devas use for their ornaments.

Sources

  • Mahābhārata, Bhīshma Parva, Chapter 7