Lavaṇācala Dāna Mantra

Lavaṇācala Dāna Mantra · lavaṇa-acala dāna mantra, “the gift mantra of the mountain of salt”

The Lavaṇācala dāna mantra is the three-verse mantra with which the giver offers the Lavaṇācala, the mountain of salt. Śrī Kṛshṇa gives it to Yudhishṭhira in the Uttara Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa, as one of the ten gifts of the mountains.

The setting

The Lavaṇācala is made of sixteen droṇas of salt at best, eight in the middle measure and four at least; one without means may make it of one droṇa or half a droṇa. Four helper mountains are made from a fourth of its measure. Brahmā and the devatās, the golden trees, the lokapālas, Kāmadeva and the lakes are set up as for the mountain of grain, and jāgaraṇa is kept at night. Then the giver offers the mountain with these verses.

The mantra

The meaning of the three verses, from the Hindi: “Best of mountains, since this rasa of salt arose from the Saubhāgya lake, protect me through this gift. Since all kinds of food and rasas are not excellent without salt, that is, have no taste, and you are ever most dear to Śiva and Pārvatī, give me peace. Since you arose from the body of Bhagavān Vishṇu and increase health, in the form of a mountain lift me out of the ocean of saṃsāra.”

The third verse, as printed:

विष्णुदेहसमुद्भूतं यस्मादारोग्यवर्धनम्।
तस्मात् पर्वतरूपेण पाहि संसारसागरात्॥

vishṇudehasamudbhūtaṃ yasmādārogyavardhanam|
tasmāt parvatarūpeṇa pāhi saṃsārasāgarāt||

Since you arose from the body of Bhagavān Vishṇu and increase health, in the form of a mountain protect me from the ocean of saṃsāra.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 196

The phala

Śrī Kṛshṇa opens by saying that by this gift a person reaches Śivaloka, and closes with its phala: one who gives the salt mountain by this rule dwells for one kalpa in Pārvatīloka, and at the end reaches paramagati, moksha.

Sources

• Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapters 196–197