Malaya

Malaya

Malaya is a mountain of Bhārata-varsha, one of its seven kula-parvatas (chief mountain ranges). The Vāmana Purāṇa describes it as a lovely mountain of cool sandal trees, with caves where siddhas dwell and ṛshis who worship Śiva. Rākshasas of Andhaka‘s army settled on Malaya after their defeat, and Indra went there at Śiva’s word and drove them out. Prahlāda worshipped Śaṅkara at Malaya on his tīrthayātrā (journey to the holy places), and Bhagavān Vāmana names Malaya as a place where he abides as Sugandhi, “fragrance”.

Malaya among the kula-parvatas

When the rākshasa king Sukeśī asked the ṛshis about the world, they told him that Bhārata-varsha is divided into nine dvīpas, and that the one where they lived is Kumāra-dvīpa. Its seven kula-parvatas are Mahendra, Malaya, Sahya, Śuktimān, Ṛksha, Vindhya and Pāriyātra. Besides these there are hundreds and thousands of other lovely mountains of great extent.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 13

Malaya at Himavān’s assembly

When Bhagavān Śiva sent the Saptarshis to Himavān to ask for his daughter Umā (Kālī), Himavān would not decide without his mountain kinsmen. He sent his doorkeeper Gandhamādana to call them, and Meru and the other chief mountains came and sat on golden seats in his assembly hall. Malaya is named among them, together with Udayācala, Hemakūṭa, Mandara, Vindhya, Pāriyātra, Kailāsa, Mahendra, Nishadha and many others. Meru and the chiefs told Himavān to give Kālī to Śiva at once, and Himavān, together with the great mountains, gave her to Śarva.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 26

Indra on Malaya

After Andhaka was overcome and made a gaṇādhipati as Bhṛṅgi, Gaurīvallabha (Śiva) embraced all the devas and sent them to their own abodes. Only Indra, he said, was to go to the auspicious Malaya mountain, carry out his task there, and after that go to svarga. Śatakratu finished his task on Malaya and went to divi (the realm of the devas).

Nārada Maharshi asked Pulastya Maharshi to tell him in detail what Indra did on Malaya. Pulastya said that it was both for the good of the worlds and Indra’s own task. Among Andhaka’s followers, the rākshasas headed by Maya and Tāra had been defeated in battle and were going to Pātāla. On the way they saw the Malaya mountain. It was beautiful with caves that are the dwellings of siddhas, with masses of creepers, with animals in rut, and with cool sandal trees around which great serpents lay coiled, and it was filled with the fragrance of mādhavī flowers. On that mountain ṛshis were performing Śiva-arcana (the worship of Śiva).

Tired out by the battle, Maya, Tāra and the other rākshasas sat in the shade of the trees, and the fragrant southern wind blew gently on them. Charmed by that comfort, they stayed there for good, and began to hate the devas, whom the worlds worship. Knowing this, Śiva sent Indra there. On the way Devarāja saw Kāmadhenu and went round her in pradakshiṇa. Then he saw the lovely Malaya mountain and all the dānavas on it, lost in their pleasures.

At once Indra called the rākshasas to battle, and they rushed at him raining arrows. Seated in his chariot, Śakra covered them with his arrows “as clouds cover mountains”. He slew the great asura Pāka with sharp arrows fletched with vulture feathers, and because he chastised Pāka, from that day he was called Pākaśāsana. He tore apart with a stream of arrows another rākshasa hero, Pura, the son of Bāṇāsura, and so he also won the name Purandara. The rest of the rākshasa forces were defeated and went away to Pātāla. “It was to do this,” said Pulastya, “that Trinetra sent Indra to Malayācala.”

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 44, 45

Prahlāda at Malaya

Pulastya also told Nārada of the tīrthayātrā of Prahlāda, the mahābhāgavata. After Mount Pāriyātra and the Kaśeru country, Prahlāda dipped in the river Maṅkuṇikā, worshipped Maheśvara, and went to Malayagiri, fragrant with sandalwood. There he dipped in the lake and worshipped Śaṅkara. From Malaya he went to the Vindhya to see Sadāśiva. At the close of the account Pulastya said that one who sings, hears or passes on the tīrthayātrā of Prahlāda is freed from all pāpas (sins).

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 57

Bhagavān Vāmana as Sugandhi

After his upanayana, Bhagavān Vāmana told his guru Bharadvāja Ṛshi that the daitya Bali could perform his aśvamedha yajña only by the power of his tejas-aṃśas, the portions of his divine radiance. The earth, the sky, pātāla, the oceans, divi, the directions, all the mountains and the clouds, he said, are filled with his forms. He then named his holy places one by one, and among them: on the Malaya mountain he is Sugandhi, “fragrance”. In the stotra of Agastya Maharshi that comes just before, the same form is praised as Saugandhi, “the fragrant”.

Of all these places Bhagavān Vāmana said that they are sanātana (eternal), purātana (ancient) and pavitra (holy); they give dharma, they are full of tejas, they destroy pāpa, and they are always to be praised. Devas, humans and sādhyas who practise darśana (seeing), sparśana (touching), kīrtana (praising) and smaraṇa (remembering) of these forms attain all four purushārthas: dharma, artha, kāma and moksha. “This is certain,” said Bhagavān Vāmana.

Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 61–63

Sources

• Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 13, 26, 44–45, 57, 61–63