Badarikāśrama (also written Badarī, Bādarikāśrama and Badrikāśrama) is the sacred āśrama of the twin ṛshis Nara and Nārāyaṇa. It lies in the high Himālaya, on the slopes of Gandhamādana, where the Alakanandā river flows. The Alakanandā is one of the main streams that form the Gaṅgā. Today the region is known as Badrinath. It is one of the four dhāmas of the Char Dham pilgrimage and one of the most revered tīrthas in Bhārata.

Nara and Nārāyaṇa perform their tapas (austerity) here without a break. The Purāṇas and the Mahābhārata each tell part of what happened at this place.

The name and the place

The place takes its name from the badarī tree (jujube, Ziziphus mauritiana), which grows in great numbers in the region. The tradition holds that the ṛshis Nara and Nārāyaṇa have been at their tapas here since before the beginning of the present cycle of creation. So the tīrtha is not only a place where holy events happened. It is a place where the highest tapas goes on all the time, which makes it very good for deep meditation. (Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 11th Skandha, Chapter 29)

The Skanda Mahā Purāṇa says the kshetra has a different name in each of the four yugas:

Mukti-Prada in Kṛta Yuga
Yogasiddhi-da in Tretā Yuga
Viśāla in Dvāpara Yuga
Badarī in Kali Yuga

(Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Badarī Kshetra Māhātmya, Chapter 1)

Nara and Nārāyaṇa

Badarikāśrama is the eternal home of Nara and Nārāyaṇa, the twin divine ṛshis who perform tapas here through the age for the good of the three worlds. The Mahābhārata tradition names Nara and Nārāyaṇa as the divine selves of Arjuna and Kṛshṇa in the Dvāpara Yuga. This makes Badarikāśrama the home of the divine originals of the Pāṇḍavas’ own Arjuna and Kṛshṇa. (Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 143)

The Kūrma Mahā Purāṇa calls Nara and Nārāyaṇa the two ṛshi forms of Vishṇu, who keep up their tapas in the Himālaya for the lasting good of all beings. It says their tapas has no fixed beginning or end. (Kūrma Mahā Purāṇa, Uttarārdha, Chapter 1)

The Nārada Mahā Purāṇa says that Nara and Nārāyaṇa were born from the mūrti (form) of Dharma. They came from Gandhamādana to this forest, where the badarī tree grows thick with fruit and fragrance. Here they have been at their tapas without a break since the start of the kalpa. Nārada, the Siddhas and other munis sit around them. By their tapas they hold up the order of the world. (Nārada Mahā Purāṇa, Uttarārdha, Chapter 67)

The Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa describes the āśrama as a place of the highest tapas, where even fierce animals live in perfect peace. The tapas-śakti (power of austerity) of Nārāyaṇa Muni fills the whole forest. Lions, tigers and all creatures that would normally hunt or be hunted live together in complete ahiṃsā (non-harm), with no wish to hurt one another. In the middle of the āśrama stands a jewelled assembly hall (ratna-sabhā). In it, on a crystal throne (sphaṭika-siṃhāsana), Nārāyaṇa Muni sits and never stops chanting the names of Kṛshṇa (Kṛshṇa-nāmajapa). (Brahma Vaivarta Mahā Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Chapter 29)

The Pāṇḍavas at Badarikāśrama

During their forest exile the Pāṇḍavas and their companions came north to Badarikāśrama. They had passed the dangers of the lower slopes of Gandhamādana and a storm. They were guided by Lomaśa. The ṛshis of the āśrama received them with deep respect. Their stay was a time of rest and spiritual nourishment while they waited for Arjuna to return from Indra’s svarga. The āśrama of Nara and Nārāyaṇa themselves, the Nara-Nārāyaṇa āśrama, lies nearby and belongs to the wider Badarī region. (Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapters 143–145)

Uddhava’s moksha at Badarikāśrama

At Dvārakā, Bhagavān Kṛshṇa gave Uddhava his full final teaching, the Uddhava Gītā. Then Bhagavān Kṛshṇa sent him to Badarikāśrama with these words:

Go to my Badarikāśrama. There, bathe in the sacred Gaṅgā waters born from my feet. Purify yourself. Wear bark garments. Eat only what the forest gives. Have no craving for the enjoyment of the senses. Bear the dvandvas (pairs of opposites), cold and heat and all the rest, with a steady mind. Fix your mind on the tattva (truth) I have taught you. Slowly you will rise beyond all three guṇas and reach me.

Uddhava left in grief. He placed Kṛshṇa’s pādukās (sandals) on his head and went away in tears. At Badarikāśrama he followed the practice he had been given. He bathed in the Alakanandā, lived alone, and meditated with a one-pointed mind on Kṛshṇa as the ātmā of all beings. The Bhāgavata says that he reached jīvanmukti, full moksha while still in the body. (Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 11th Skandha, Chapter 29)

The Īśvara Gītā at Badarikāśrama

The Kūrma Mahā Purāṇa names Badarikāśrama as the place where the Īśvara Gītā was given. A great gathering of brahmarshis met there: Sanatkumāra, Sanaka, Sanātana, Sanandana, Bhṛgu, Āṅgirasa, Vāmadeva, Śukra, Atri, Kapila and Marīci. Śrī Nārāyaṇa was with them. The ṛshis wanted the highest jñāna (knowledge) and turned to Nārāyaṇa. Nārāyaṇa knew that this jñāna belonged to Parameśvara alone, so he asked Bhagavān Śiva himself to teach them.

A divine āsana (seat) appeared from the paramākāśa. Parameśvara came down and sat on it in blazing radiance, with Śrī Nārāyaṇa on his left. The ṛshis sat before them, and the teaching of the Īśvara Gītā, in eleven chapters, began. (Kūrma Mahā Purāṇa, Uttarārdha, Chapters 1–11)

Nārada and Nārāyaṇa Muni

Nārada came to Badarikāśrama after he had received the Āhnika teachings from Bhagavān Śiva at Kailāsa (Chapter 26). Nārāyaṇa Muni received him with great honour. Nārada saw the great muni chanting the names of Kṛshṇa, bowed to the ground, and asked about the glory of Kṛshṇa. His question led to the teachings of Chapters 29–30. This is the place of the last and deepest teachings of the Brahma Khaṇḍa:

Kṛshṇa-pada-dhyāna: meditation on the lotus feet of Kṛshṇa.
The cosmic nature of Kṛshṇa: every hair-pore of Kṛshṇa holds whole universes, and Ādikūrma is only a tiny part (aṃśa) of Kṛshṇa.
Prakṛti-Purusha teaching: Rādhā is the beloved Prakṛti, and the other consorts are the Prakṛtis of their lords.
Advice to obey Brahmā: Nārāyaṇa Muni tells Nārada to honour the command of Brahmā and marry Ratnamālā.

(Brahma Vaivarta Mahā Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Chapters 26, 29–30)

Chapter 1 of the Brahma Khaṇḍa tells that Sūta Mahārshi was travelling from a siddha-kshetra to Badarikāśrama (the Nārāyaṇa kshetra) when he reached Naimishāraṇya. There he was asked to tell the Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa. (Brahma Vaivarta Mahā Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Chapter 1)

Badarikāśrama in the Nārada Mahā Purāṇa

The Nārada Mahā Purāṇa calls Badarikāśrama the highest kshetra of Śrī Hari. It destroys all pāpa (sin), removes the fear of saṃsāra (the cycle of birth and death), cures the troubles of the Kali Yuga, and gives moksha. (Nārada Mahā Purāṇa, Uttarārdha, Chapter 67)

The Nārada Mahā Purāṇa also describes three of the five śilās (sacred rocks) of Badarikāśrama: the Nāradī-śilā with the Nārada-kuṇḍa, the Vainateyaśilā and the Vārāhī-śilā. Its account of each is given under “The five śilās” below.

Agni-tīrtha

In the middle of five great śilās lies the Agni-tīrtha, the most purifying tīrtha of Badarikāśrama. Even mahāpātakīs (those who have done the gravest pāpa) who bathe here are freed from their pāpa, as impure gold becomes pure when it is passed through fire. One bath in the Agni-tīrtha gives the fruit of thousands of cāndrāyaṇa vratas and crores of kṛcchra vratas. Even seeing this tīrtha, without bathing, destroys all the pāpa a person has gathered.

Gaṅgā-tīrtha and Pañca-Gaṅgā

A Gaṅgā-tīrtha rose here at Badarikāśrama by the will of Śrī Hari, for his own delight. A bath in the Pañca-Gaṅgā here, with tarpaṇa offered to the pitṛs and devatās, leads to Brahma-loka, from which there is no return.

Other sacred tīrthas

The Nārada Mahā Purāṇa lists many more tīrthas within Badarikāśrama.

Indra-pada-tīrtha (southeast): a bath gives Indra-loka.
Mānasodbhedaka-tīrtha: it pierces the knot of the heart (hṛdaya-granthi), clears all doubts and removes all pāpa. This is why its name means “the piercer of the mind”.
Kāmakāma-tīrtha: it fulfils the wishes of those who have wishes, and gives moksha to those who have none.
Vasudhārā-tīrtha (west): a bath here with bhakti gives the fruit one wishes for (vāñchita-phala). Only the puṇyātmans (people of puṇya) can see the light within the water. This sight frees a person from all future time in the womb (garbha-vāsa).
Five streams (southwest): named Prabhāsa, Pushkara, Gayā and Naimishāraṇya. A bath in each gives the special fruit of the tīrtha of the same name.
Soma-kuṇḍa (Vimala-tīrtha): Candra did tapas here and became the lord of the nakshatras. A bath here removes all doshas (faults).
Dvādaśāditya-tīrtha: a bath gives the tejas (radiance) of Sūrya.
Catuḥśīla-tīrtha: a person may gain whichever of the four purushārthas (aims of life), dharma, artha, kāma or moksha, he or she desires.
Saptapada-tīrtha: even seeing it destroys the gravest pāpa. The fruit of a bath cannot be told.
Brahma-Vishṇu-Maheśvara-kuṇḍa: known in the three worlds. Those who die here reach the satya-pada.
Urvaśī-kuṇḍa (at the Nara-Nārāyaṇa kshetra): a bath gives radiant beauty, makes the bather dear to Nārāyaṇa and charming to the world.
Astra-tīrtha (south): here Nara and Nārāyaṇa laid down their weapons before their tapas. The divine śaṅkha, cakra and gadā appear in form to the puṇyātmans. Those who bathe here have no fear of enemies.
Meru-tīrtha and Lokapāla-tīrtha: all the lokapālas did tapas here. A bath gives the combined fruit of all tīrthas.

Daṇḍapushkariṇī, the foremost tīrtha

The highest tīrtha of Badarikāśrama is the Daṇḍapushkariṇī. Śrī Hari himself made it by striking the ground with his daṇḍa (staff), to the joy of the lokapālas. This kuṇḍa (sacred pool) lies at the saṃgama (meeting) of the rivers Alakanandā and Bhāgīrathī. This meeting of rivers is itself declared the foremost of all tīrthas in Badarikāśrama. A person who bathes here and offers tarpaṇa with devotion to the pitṛs, devatās and ṛshis reaches Vishṇu-loka.

South of this saṃgama lies the Dharma-kshetra, very pure, where a bath brings the bather near the sādhya-devas. In the same group are the Urvaśī-saṃgama-tīrtha, the Karma-uddhāraṇa-tīrtha (which gives deep devotion to Śrī Hari) and the Brahmāvarta-tīrtha (which gives Brahma-loka).

Phalaśruti

A person who takes a vrata and lives at Badarikāśrama for a full month will see Nara-Nārāyaṇa, the form of Śrī Hari, with his or her own eyes. A person who writes down this Badarikāśrama Māhātmya will be kept safe from untimely death (akāla-mṛtyu), from all ādhis (afflictions of the mind) and vyādhis (diseases of the body), and from the fear of snakes. By the grace of Śrī Hari, all that is good and all prosperity will grow in that home. (Nārada Mahā Purāṇa, Uttarārdha, Chapter 67)

Badarikāśrama in the Skanda Mahā Purāṇa

The Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa of the Skanda Mahā Purāṇa (Chapters 1–8) gives the fullest account of the māhātmya of Badarikāśrama. Bhagavān Śiva tells the glory of the kshetra to Kārttikeya. He declares it the first of all tīrthas, above Ayodhyā, Dvārakā, Kāśī, Mathurā, Avantikā, Kurukshetra, Kāñcī, Purushottama and Pushkara. Even a pilgrimage made only in the mind to Badarī gives the fruit of actual visits to the lesser tīrthas. (Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Badarī Kshetra Māhātmya, Chapter 1)

Chapter 2 gives two narratives that explain why Badarī is so holy. In the first, Bhagavān Śiva was freed from his brahmahatyā dosha (the fault of killing a brāhmaṇa) here, which made the Kapālamocana Tīrtha. In the second, Agni was freed from his sarva-bhakshakatva-dosha here, which made the Agni Tīrtha. Both are told in full with the tīrthas below.

Chapters 3 to 8 then describe seventeen major tīrthas spread across the different parts of the kshetra, and the five sacred śilās, the Pañca Śilās. Taken together, these tīrthas make Badarikāśrama the sacred place with the most tīrthas described anywhere in the Purāṇas. (Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Badarī Kshetra Māhātmya, Chapters 1–8)

Tīrthas of Badarikāśrama

A tīrtha is a sacred place, often a pool, stream or river, where people bathe and pray to become pure. Each tīrtha of Badarikāśrama has its own account of how it came to be, and its own phalaśruti, a statement of the phala (spiritual fruit or reward) gained by visiting it. The Skanda Mahā Purāṇa gives the account and the phala of each one, as follows. (Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Badarī Kshetra Māhātmya, Chapters 3–8)

Agni Tīrtha

The Agni Tīrtha is the most powerful of all the tīrthas of Badarī. It is the main place of purification in the kshetra. It came into being when Agni, the deva of fire, came to Badarī to be freed from a fault called sarva-bhakshakatva-dosha (the fault of having to consume everything). Vyāsa had sent him there. He was set free by the direct grace of Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa, and Agni has lived here ever since. (Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Badarī Kshetra Māhātmya, Chapter 2)

The five great Pañca Śilās, called Nāradī, Mārkaṇḍeya, Gāruḍī, Vārāhī and Nārasiṃhī, lie near the Agni Tīrtha. This makes the area the most sacred part of Badarī.

Phala: It is greater than all other tīrthas. Bathing (snāna) here for ten days equals performing every yajña (sacred fire offering). A single darśana (sacred sight) of it destroys all pāpa. Bathing here brings mukti.

Kapālamocana Tīrtha

This tīrtha marks the spot where Bhagavān Śiva’s kapāla (skull) fell from his hand. Bhagavān Śiva had cut off Brahmā’s fifth head and so carried the pāpa of brahmahatyā (killing a brāhmaṇa), and the skull of Brahmā stuck to his hand. He wandered to every tīrtha in the three worlds without relief. Only at Badarī did the skull fall away and the brahmahatyā dosha dissolve. Bhagavān Śiva then chose to live here for ever. Five ghāṭas (bathing steps) mark this place. (Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Badarī Kshetra Māhātmya, Chapter 2)

Phala: Tarpaṇa (offering water to the ancestors) done here leads to svarga.

Brahmakuṇḍa (Brahma Tīrtha)

The Brahmakuṇḍa is the kuṇḍa from which Hayagrīva, the horse-headed avatāra of Vishṇu, rose up. He came to kill the asuras Madhu and Kaiṭabha, who had stolen the Vedas from Brahmā. After the asuras were killed and the Vedas won back, Brahmā named this tīrtha in memory of the event.

After they were recovered, the Vedas took two forms. Their form as sound went back with Brahmā for the work of creation. Their form as water stayed at Badarī as the Sarasvatī river.

The Sarasvatī river at Badarī

The Sarasvatī river that flows at Badarikāśrama is the four Vedas in the form of water. It is the part of the Vedas that stayed at Badarī after Hayagrīva recovered them. The great ṛshi Vyāsa composed the Purāṇas through the grace of this Sarasvatī.

Phala: Bathing in, touching or sipping this water makes sure one’s family line (gotra) continues. Japa (repeating a mantra) on the banks of the Sarasvatī brings mantrasiddhi (mastery of the mantra). In the Kali Yuga (the present age), people whose minds are pure can still hear the Vedas here.

Indra Tīrtha (Dravadharā)

The Indra Tīrtha lies on the southern bank of the rivers of Badarikāśrama. Here Indra himself did tapas and won his place as king of the devas. It is also called Dravadharā.

Phala: Every sacred act done here, such as yajña, dāna (giving) or tapas, gives endless fruit.

Mānasodbheda Tīrtha

The name Mānasodbheda means “the tīrtha that cuts the knots of the mind”. It is so called because it cuts through the cit-acit granthi, the knots that bind consciousness to matter, within the one who bathes here. The gathered ṛshis declared that this tīrtha cuts all the bonds of karma at their root.

Phala: A single drop of its water gives mukti at once.

Vasudhārā Tīrtha

The Vasudhārā Tīrtha came into being when the eight Vasus, guided by Nārada, came to Badarikāśrama and did tapas at this spot for thirty thousand years. When their tapas ended, Bhagavān Hari appeared before them and gave them varas (boons).

Phala: The fruit of this tīrtha comes only to those who are śānta (peaceful) and vimala (pure), who keep dharmic vows, and who practise japa, tapas, homa (fire offering) and dāna as far as they are able.

Pañcadhārā (the five streams)

Five streams flow at the south-west of Badarikāśrama. In them, five great tīrthas are present at once in the form of water: Prabhāsa, Pushkara, Gayā, Naimisha and Kurukshetra. Over time these five holy places became weighed down by the pāpa left by countless pilgrims. They went to Brahmā to be made pure, and Brahmā sent them to Badarī. As soon as they entered Badarī, their burden of dosha (fault) melted away, and they took the form of the five streams. Garuḍa had first brought them to Badarī as five streams of the Gaṅgā to wash the feet of Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa (see the Gāruḍī Śilā below).

Phala: Bathing in each stream gives the same fruit as visiting that holy place. Fasting (upavāsa) for five days with pūjā and then bathing gives Vishṇu-sālokya, a place in the world of Vishṇu.

Somakuṇḍa

The Somakuṇḍa is the tīrtha where Candra, also called Soma, the son of Maharshi Atri, did tapas for one hundred and fifty-eight thousand (158,000) years in three rounds. In the end Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa gave him the vara of rule over all the planets, stars, nakshatras (lunar mansions), herbs, brāhmaṇas and the night.

Phala: Simply seeing it frees one from pāpa. Touching it gives Somaloka, the world of Soma. Bathing here while offering tarpaṇa to the ancestors (pitṛs) goes beyond Somaloka and gives Vishṇuloka. Fasting for three days with pūjā means no rebirth even for a koṭi (ten million) kalpas (cosmic ages).

Āditya Tīrtha

At this tīrtha the son of Kaśyapa, Āditya, did tapas and gained sūryatva, the position of Sūrya. Its special days are Sunday, Saptamī (the seventh lunar day) and Saṃkrānti (the day Sūrya enters a new sign).

Phala: One bath destroys the pāpa of seven generations. Bathing and drinking its pure water quickly cures even serious illnesses (mahārogas). Bathing on a Sunday, Saptamī or Saṃkrānti leads to Sūryaloka, the world of Sūrya, and then to Vishṇuloka.

Purushārtha Tīrtha (the four streams)

This tīrtha has four streams. In them the four purushārthas (the four aims of human life), dharma (right living), artha (wealth), kāma (fulfilment of desire) and moksha, are present as real streams of water. The streams flow from the east in four directions. No other tīrtha in the three worlds has the four purushārthas in the form of water. Only those who have tattvajñāna (true knowledge of reality) can see it. Those full of pāpa and the impure cannot see it.

Phala: Bathing in the four streams one after another brings complete fulfilment of all four aims of life.

Satyapada Tīrtha

This tīrtha is triangular (trikoṇa-ākāra). It is devoted to reaching satya-pada, the realm of truth, also called Brahmaloka. Bhagavān Hari himself comes here on Ekādaśī (the eleventh lunar day), and all the ṛshis and munis rich in tapas come then too. On Harivāsara (Ekādaśī), gandharvas and apsarases (singers and dancers of svarga) sing divine music here. The three corners of the triangle hold Brahmā, Vishṇu and Maheśvara (Śiva).

Phala: Seeing it scatters even the greatest pāpas (mahāpātakas) the way a lion scatters deer. Bathing here gives first Brahmaloka and then mukti. Fasting for one day with pūjā gives mukti.

Urvaśī Tīrtha

The Urvaśī Tīrtha is where Nara and Nārāyaṇa did their tapas, and where they made Urvaśī. Indra sent messengers to disturb their tapas, and Nārāyaṇa brought forth Urvaśī from his own body to welcome them as guests. Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa lives here for ever as tapomūrti, the embodiment of tapas.

Phala: Even the wind that passes over the feet of Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa here removes all the pāpa of the Kali Yuga. Staying here for even one day ends all rebirth. Even an insect here rises above pāpa and above the devas.

Meru Tīrtha and Lokapāla Tīrtha

Here Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa (Vishṇu) moved the golden peaks of Meru to Badarī for the devas, who had left their homes to be near him. All the lokapālas (guardians of the directions) are set up here with the permission of Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa himself. Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa himself bathes here on Dvādaśī (the twelfth lunar day) and on Paurṇamī (the full-moon day).

Phala: Bathing here gives the combined fruit of all tīrthas. Ṛshis who bathe here at midday see the supreme light (paraṃjyoti) inside the water.

Daṇḍapushkariṇī

This is a supremely holy and secret kuṇḍa at Badarī. Only puṇyātmans can see it. It lies near the saṃgama of the Mānasodbheda and the Gaṅgā. Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa made it by striking the ground with his daṇḍa, and it brought joy to the lokapālas.

Phala: Bathing here equals bathing in all tīrthas at once. Offering piṇḍa (rice balls for the ancestors) here gives eight times the fruit of doing so at Gayā. Only those who have offered all their actions to Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa and who practise svādhyāya (study of scripture) can see this tīrtha.

Vimala Tīrtha

The Vimala Tīrtha is at the saṃgama of the Mānasodbheda and the Gaṅgā. It is declared greater than Prayāga in its power to give moksha.

Phala: Bathing here gives the fruit of thirty thousand years of tapas lived on air alone (vāyubhakshaṇa).

Dharmakshetra

Dharmakshetra is the holy field to the south of the Vimala Saṃgama. Here Nara and Nārāyaṇa were born to Mūrti and Dharma. Dharma stands on all four legs here, which is true nowhere else in the universe. Every act of dharma done here, such as yajña, tapas or dāna, however small, gives akshaya (never-ending) fruit.

Phala: Any act of dharma done here, even the smallest, gives fruit that lasts for hundreds of crores of kalpas.

Kūrmoddhāra Tīrtha

At this tīrtha Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa is present in his Kūrma (tortoise) form. It is called “the first cause of Vishṇu-bhakti”, the tīrtha that plants the seed of bhakti (loving devotion to Vishṇu) where there was none before.

Phala: Bathing here gives satya-śuddhi (purity in truth). It is the ādikāraṇa (first cause) for Vishṇu-bhakti to arise in the jīva (the individual ātmā).

Brahmāvartana Tīrtha

This tīrtha gives just what its name says: brahmāvartana, “turning toward Brahman”. Its special fruit is reaching Brahmaloka and, in the end, moksha.

The five śilās

A śilā is a rock or stone seat. The five sacred śilās of Badarikāśrama, the Pañca Śilās, are the five holiest single tīrtha-points within the kshetra. They are the Nāradī Śilā, the Mārkaṇḍeya Śilā, the Gāruḍī Śilā, the Vārāhī Śilā and the Nārasiṃhī Śilā. Each was made holy by the tapas of a great being (Nārada, Mārkaṇḍeya, Garuḍa, Varāha and Narasiṃha), and by Bhagavān Vishṇu’s vara that he would live in it for ever. They lie close together near the Agni Tīrtha and form the sacred heart of pilgrimage at Badarī.

The Skanda Mahā Purāṇa introduces the five śilās in Chapter 3 of the Badarī Kshetra Māhātmya and describes them in full in Chapter 4. Each śilā has its own sacred origin, an account of tapas and of Bhagavān Vishṇu appearing. Each also holds a lasting divine presence, by Bhagavān Vishṇu’s own vara. Because all five are near the Agni Tīrtha, the area around the Agni Tīrtha is the holiest cluster at Badarī. (Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Badarī Kshetra Māhātmya, Chapters 3–4)

1. Nāradī Śilā

The Skanda Mahā Purāṇa says the Nāradī Śilā is the rock on which Nārada Maharshi performed sixty thousand years of vṛkshavṛtti tapas (living only on the fruits of trees) at Badarikāśrama. After this tapas, Bhagavān Vishṇu appeared, first as a brāhmaṇa and then in his full four-armed divine form. Nārada offered a stotra (hymn of praise), and Bhagavān Vishṇu granted three varas:

Unshakeable bhakti at Bhagavān Vishṇu’s lotus feet
Bhagavān Vishṇu’s lasting presence in this śilā for ever
Mukti for all who touch the śilā, bathe in the water linked with it, or sip that water

The Nārada Mahā Purāṇa calls it the Nāradī-śilā, the śilā where Nārada Mahāmuni himself did his fierce tapas. Seeing this śilā alone gives moksha. Next to it is the Nārada-kuṇḍa (sacred pool). A bath in it gives bhukti (worldly enjoyment), mukti, devotion to Śrī Hari, and all that one desires, all together and at once. Every act done here (bathing, giving, worship of the devas, homa and japa) brings results that never perish (akshaya).

2. Mārkaṇḍeya Śilā

The Mārkaṇḍeya Śilā is the rock on which Mārkaṇḍeya Maharshi performed tapas at Badarī, after Nārada sent him there. Mārkaṇḍeya had earlier received from Bhagavān Vishṇu the vara of a life lasting seven kalpas (great cycles of creation), through japa of the dvādaśāksharī (twelve-syllable mantra) at Śālagrāma tīrtha. At Badarī he sat on the śilā and chanted the ashṭāksharī (eight-syllable mantra). Bhagavān Vishṇu appeared after three nights. Mārkaṇḍeya offered a stotra, and Bhagavān Vishṇu granted:

Unshakeable bhakti at Bhagavān Vishṇu’s lotus feet
Bhagavān Vishṇu’s lasting presence in this śilā for ever

3. Gāruḍī Śilā (Vainateyaśilā)

The Gāruḍī Śilā is the rock at Badarī made holy by the tapas of Garuḍa. The Nārada Mahā Purāṇa calls it the Vainateyaśilā.

The Skanda Mahā Purāṇa says Garuḍa performed thirty thousand years of tapas on the Gandhamādana mountain, south of Badarī. Then Bhagavān Vishṇu appeared in the east like a full moon. Garuḍa offered a stotra and brought the Gaṅgā in five streams to wash Bhagavān Vishṇu’s feet, creating the Pañcadhārā (“five streams”) of Badarī. Bhagavān Vishṇu sent Garuḍa to Badarī for a three-day upavāsa (fast) and darśana. Bhagavān Vishṇu granted:

That Garuḍa would be Bhagavān Vishṇu’s eternal, unbeatable vāhana (carrier)
That the Gāruḍī Śilā would remove all visha (poison) and all illness from those who come into contact with it

So the Gāruḍī Śilā has a special healing power: it works against poison of every kind.

The Nārada Mahā Purāṇa says that at the Vainateyaśilā Garuḍa did fierce tapas for thirty thousand years to see Śrī Hari. Bhagavān Vishṇu was pleased and appeared before him. He gave Garuḍa the vara of victory over all the daityas and a fearful power, and he made Garuḍa his eternal vāhana. Seeing this śilā also gives puṇya (merit) to the one who sees it.

4. Vārāhī Śilā

The Vārāhī Śilā marks the presence of Bhagavān Varāha (the boar avatāra) at Badarikāśrama. The Skanda Mahā Purāṇa says that after his great deed of slaying Hiraṇyāksha and lifting the earth up from Rasātala (the lowest world), Varāha came to Badarikāśrama and stayed there in yoga until kalpānta, the end of the kalpa. Varāha is present at Badarī for ever in the form of this śilā.

The Nārada Mahā Purāṇa says the Vārāhī-śilā marks the spot where Śrī Hari, in his Varāha avatāra, killed Hiraṇyāksha and held the rescued earth in his śilā form. Those who bathe in the Gaṅgā water that flows over this śilā and honour it with pūjā and bhakti never come to a bad gati (fate after death).

5. Nārasiṃhī Śilā

The Nārasiṃhī Śilā marks the presence of Narasiṃha (the man-lion avatāra) at Badarikāśrama. After Narasiṃha slew Hiraṇyakaśipu, his form blazed with a fierce, ugra (terrifying) splendour. The devas could not come near him, so they asked Brahmā to request Bhagavān Narasiṃha to take a peaceful four-armed form. Narasiṃha placed his various forms on many mountains and then asked the devas what they wished. Later the ṛshis praised him and asked him to stay at Badarī for ever, and Narasiṃha agreed to live permanently in the river at Badarikāśrama.

The sādhana (spiritual practice) for darśana at the Nārasiṃhī Śilā is a three-day upavāsa with pūjā.

The five śilās as a group for pilgrims

Together, the five śilās are the place where Bhagavān Vishṇu’s direct presence is most concentrated at Badarī. At each one, the tapas of a great being was met by Bhagavān Vishṇu’s vara to stay for ever. They lie around the Agni Tīrtha, and pilgrims to Badarī by tradition include darśana and parikramā (walking around in reverence) of all five in their yātrā (pilgrimage).

The śilās also show five different ways of coming to Bhagavān Vishṇu:

Nāradī Śilā: the path of pure bhakti through long devoted tapas
Mārkaṇḍeya Śilā: the path of mantra (japa of the ashṭāksharī), through the rare great ṛshi whose life spans kalpas
Gāruḍī Śilā: the path of bhakti through service, seeking to become Bhagavān Vishṇu’s instrument
Vārāhī Śilā: the quiet presence of an avatāra who came to Badarī after his great deed
Nārasiṃhī Śilā: the fierce avatāra whose ugra form found peace at Badarī

Sources

Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 11th Skandha, Chapter 29
Nārada Mahā Purāṇa, Uttarārdha, Chapter 67
Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Badarī Kshetra Māhātmya, Chapters 1–8
Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Badarī Kshetra Māhātmya, Chapter 3
Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Badarī Kshetra Māhātmya, Chapter 4
Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Badarī Kshetra Māhātmya, Chapter 6
Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Badarī Kshetra Māhātmya, Chapter 7
Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Badarī Kshetra Māhātmya, Chapter 8
Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapters 143–145
Brahma Vaivarta Mahā Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Chapters 1, 26, 29–30
Kūrma Mahā Purāṇa, Uttarārdha, Chapters 1–11