Pavitrā (River)
Pavitrā, “the purifying one”
Pavitrā is a river of Kuśadvīpa, one of the seven dvīpas of the earth. Lomaharshaṇa names it among the rivers of that dvīpa in Chapter 20 of the Brahma Purāṇa, in his account of the dvīpas that lie beyond Jambūdvīpa. The rivers he names are Dhūtapāpā, Śivā, Pavitrā, Sammati, Vidyudambhas and Mahī, “and some others”. Thousands of small streams flow there besides, and they remove all pāpa.
Kuśadvīpa
The varshas of Kuśadvīpa bear the names of the seven sons of King Jyotishmān: Udbhida, Veṇumān, Svairatha, Randhana, Dhṛti, Prabhākara and Kapila. Together with humans there live daityas, dānavas, devas, gandharvas, yakshas and kiṃpurushas. Its four varṇas, each devoted to its own dharma, are the Damas (brāhmaṇas), the Śushmiṇas (kshatriyas), the Snehas (vaiśyas) and the Māndahas (śūdras).
There the deity to be worshipped is Janārdana in the form of Parabrahma. The people perform yajñas to Janārdana and so use up the fruit of their former puṇya, which would otherwise bring them birth as beings holding an office in the worlds; they seek only mukti (release), which is freedom from action.
Its seven varsha mountains are Vidruma, Hemaśaila, Dyutimān, Pushṭimān, Kuśeśaya, Hari and Mandara. In the middle of the dvīpa stands a great clump of kuśa grass, and for that reason it is called Kuśadvīpa. The Purāṇa places the ocean of surā around Kuśadvīpa, and says that the ocean of ghee there is surrounded by Krauñcadvīpa.
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 20
Sources
- Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 20