Naimisharanya Teerth

 Naimisharanya Teerth 

A couple of years back, while travelling from Ayodhya to Lucknow, our driver asked whether we knew of Naimisharanya.

Yes, we did. It is one of the 108 Divya Desham (holy places) of the Tamil Vaishnavite tradition.

And at that time, I could also recollect two facts. 

That sage Veda Vyasa sat here to collate and organise the four Vedas.

That sage Suta Muni  (Suta Goswami) cane here and visited Maharishi Shaunuka Acharya’s ashram. Here he narrated the Puranas and the Srimad Bhagavatham. All the rishis in this entire forest and all the living beings including birds, animals, insects, plants and trees had listened to him in rapt attention!

 And though we were totally unprepared for the visit, we did a one day tour from Lucknow.  We took an auto rikshaw tour guide at Naimisharanya and saw many places. However, we felt very unsatisfied as the auto driver had scant knowledge and we had not done our Google research.

We first had chai at this place and then took the auto tour !

The caption at the bottom , in blue Hindi script  reads 

“Naimish mein jo bhi aayee,” – Whoever comes to Naimish.

“Koyee bhi bhookha na jaye’ – No one goes hungry !

 

A few days back I received a Tamil audio recording – a commentary on Naimisharanya by one of our senior residents in our society.

The 9.44 minutes audio comprehensively covered all the details and was filled with facts and insights. A motherlode of information!!

I have transcribed this audio, did a bit of edits and added a few annotations. And plugged in a few photos as well.  The original audio is also attached at the end of this post. You can go straight to the audio and hear the Tamil narration before coming back to read this post.

So here we go..  The transcription is in Italics .

 “"The Divya Desam I am going to talk about today is Naimisaranyam. This is located in the north, near Lucknow, in a town called Sitapur, at a distance of 15 km. This is a Divya Desam where Thirumangai Azhwar (one of the 12 revered saints of the Vaishnava tradition) performed Mangalasasana (sung hymns of praise). It is said that a temple existed during his time, but that temple disappeared in the tides of time.

At the very same place, an ascetic from the north named Hari Prapanna Ramanuja Swami built a new temple and conducted all the festivals according to the southern tradition. In Puranic times, this entire area was surrounded by forests. To ensure that Dharma flourished in Bharat Bhumi, many Maharishis and sages performed penance in this forest. It was from here that we received the Mahabharata, the Bhagavatam, all the 18 Puranas, and everything else.  They were all composed by the Maharishis residing here.

The Name :

In another Yuga, all the sages living in Bharat Bhumi wanted to perform a Yagam (sacred ritual) for the welfare of the world. It was named the Chandra Velvi (Lunar Ritual), which had to be performed continuously for 12 years. When they were thinking about where to conduct it, they went straight to Lord Brahma and asked him, 'We are going to perform a Yagam, the Chandra Yagam, so what is the right place to do it?'

Then Lord Brahma took a piece of Darbha grass, bent it into the shape of a wheel (Chakra), and let it roll on the earth. The name of that wheel is Nemi. Brahma told the sages, 'Wherever it falls on the earth, that place is the best place'. The wheel rolled by Lord Brahma went and fell at a place situated near the Gomukhi river bank.

Which place was it? It was a forest. The forest (Aranyam) where the wheel named Nemi fell came to be known as Naimisaranyam. First, it was called Nemiaranyam, and over time, it became Naimisaranyam.

According to Lord Brahma's wish, the sages started the ritual in Naimisaranyam and performed it there for 12 years. They did it with the intention of offering the rewards to Lord Sri Maha Vishnu. Then the Lord Himself appeared before them and granted salvation (Moksha) to everyone.

At that time, the sages prayed, 'Anyone who comes to this place should attain salvation'. The Lord also promised them, 'So be it'. Sri Man Narayanan remained there in the form of the forest (Aranya Swaroopam), which is why this Divya Desam is so special.

Sage Veda Vyasa:

There is a little-known episode that many folks may not have heard.

The birth of Sage Vyasa and his journey to composing the Vedas is one of the most pivotal chapters in Hindu sacred history, blending divine destiny with the creation of the world's most profound spiritual texts, The Vedas and the Puranas.

Once the wandering Sage Parashara boarded a boat filled with pilgrims in order to cross river Yamuna. The boatman and his daughter Satyavati were steering the boat across the river.  Stunned by the beauty of Satyavati the sage became infatuated with her.

With his divine powers he also realised that a highly auspicious astrological alignment was occurring at that exact moment. He foresaw that a child conceived during this conjunction would become the greatest sage of the era—a master who would preserve the eternal knowledge of the cosmos.

So, Parashara went up to Satvati and expressed his desire to unite with her at that very time and place.  Satyavati recognised the great sage and asked how, when there were so many pilgrims in the boat.

The sage cast a dense fog on the river. It completely enveloped the boat and was so thick that one could not even see their own hands, and hiding them from the world. And convinced by the sage’s purity and divine purpose, Satyavati consented.

Soon after, on an island in the Yamuna River, she gave birth to a boy. Because of his dark complexion and his birth on an island (dweepa), he was named Krishna Dwaipayana.

Krishna Dwaipayana observed that as humanity was entering the Dvapara Yuga he witnessed the spiritual decay of humankind, noting that people's memory, lifespan, and capacity to comprehend the vast, unified divine knowledge were rapidly declining.

To save humanity from spiritual ignorance, he resolved to organize the cosmic knowledge into accessible parts. Seeking a place of absolute peace, high cosmic energy, and spiritual focus, he journeyed to Naimisharanya, a sacred forest known as the hub of spiritual discourse and penance where the wheel of time stood still.

Because he divided the single, vast body of knowledge into four distinct books, he earned the eternal title Maharishi Ved Vyasa (the compiler/divider of the Vedas).

He structured the texts into four specific libraries and assigned them to his top four disciples to preserve and propagate:

• Rig Veda: Assigned to Paila, consisting of hymns of praise.
• Yajur Veda: Assigned to Vaishampayana, detailing sacrificial rituals.
• Sama Veda: Assigned to Jaimini, focusing on melodies and chants.
• Atharva Veda: Assigned to Sumantu, containing everyday procedures, sciences, and spells.

Sage Vedavyasa divided the Vedas into four parts, and within those four parts, he further structured them into 1,180 Shakhas (branches) . In each Shakha, he divided them again into Samhita) , Brahmana, Aranyaka, and Upanishad for us.

It is also said that Suta Maharishi, the disciple of Vedavyasa Maharishi and the son of Sage Romasa, attained all his wisdom after bathing in the Gomukhi river located at this holy place.

There is a belief that all the Maharishis like Vyasa, Suka, Attri, and Suta are still performing penance in this Naimisaranyam.

There are two sacred water bodies at this place: Chakra Teertham and Gomukhi Teertham. It is said that if one bathes in them and meditates upon the Lord in His forest form (Aranya Rupa) within their mind, they will receive the full benefits of having visited the place.

 
Another unique feature of this holy place is that it does not have a single specific sthala vriksham (sacred temple tree). It is called a Tapovanam (Forest of Penance), meaning all the trees in the Naimisaranyam forest are considered sacred and exalted, so the entire forest itself is called a Tapovanam. Even today, it is believed that all the sages reside there in penance.

Sthala Vriksha:

The trees themselves are believed to be the living forms of Lord Vishnu and the 88,000 ancient Vedic sages who chose to stay back to protect the earth.

The 5,000-Year-Old Akshay Vat (Banyan Tree): The most famous tree in the Tapovan area is the immortal Banyan tree at Vyasa Gaddi. It has survived for millennia and is considered a living witness to the composition of India's core spiritual texts.

The "Neem" Shield against Kali Yuga:  The outer circumference of this holy forest was traditionally densely packed with Neem trees (giving the modern area the name Neemsar). Metaphysically, these trees are said to form a spiritual filter that blocks the corruptive energies of the current age, Kali Yuga, from entering the central core of the Tapovan

Suta Maharishi, the son of Sage Romasa and the principal disciple of Vyasa Maharishi, was an expert in all scriptures. During the Chandra Velvi, following his father's instructions, he answered all the doubts regarding the Puranas raised by the Maharishis here. At that time, Suta Maharishi narrated the Padma Purana, which extols the glories of Narayanan, to all the sages.

The Padma Purana is one of the eighteen major Mahapuranas and is primarily focused on the glorification of Lord Vishnu, though it also covers Lord Shiva, Devi Shakti, and diverse spiritual traditions

This Padma Purana is divided into five sections: Srishti Khandam, Bhumi Khandam, Swarga Khandam, Patala Khandam, and Uttara Khandam. In this Purana, everything is discussed: how Brahma created all living beings, how the Devas, Maharishis, and Pitrus came into existence, how the mountains and oceans were formed, as well as the descriptions of the science of salvation (Moksha Shastra) and varnas. Not only that, it also describes all the ten incarnations (Dasa Avataram) of the Lord and praises the glory of Maha Vishnu. The Padma Purana is a very important scripture.

Ugrasravas Sauti :

While Suta Maharishi was preaching about this glorious Padma Purana to all the sages in Naimisaranyam, another Rishi arrived there. Suta Maharishi did not notice his arrival, which enraged the visiting Rishi, who cursed him, causing Suta Maharishi to lose his life. When the other Rishis wondered how he could be brought back to life, they used the power of their penance to give life back to Suta Maharishi and revived him.

The revived Suta Maharishi gained the name Ugrasravas. Although he got his life back, he could not recall his past wisdom; he had forgotten everything. Then, he bathed in the Gomukhi river in Naimisaranyam, and the moment he thought of the Lord, all the scriptural knowledge from his past life returned to him. Therefore, even today, it is believed that anyone who goes to Naimisaranyam and bathes in the Gomukhi river, while meditating upon Lord Devaraja who is in the form of the forest, will gain knowledge about their past lives.

Vyas Gaddi (also known as Vyasa Peetha) in Naimisharanya is the sacred mound where Maharishi Ved Vyas is believed to have divided the Vedas, composed the Puranas, and taught his disciples.  The 5,000-Year-Old Banyan Tree: The real heart of Vyas Gaddi is the ancient Vat Vriksha. Pilgrims traditionally circumambulate (parikrama) this tree and tie a holy thread (kalava) around it to make a wish. 

Suta Gaddi: Right next to Vyas Gaddi is the seat where Sage Suta Muni narrated these Puranas to 88,000 gathered sages. It remains an incredibly quiet, moving space for introspection’

Near this Gomukhi river, there is the 'Vyasa Ghat' where a temple is built for Vyasa. Vyasa Maharishi performed penance in Naimisaranyam and compiled the Veda into four parts. Right next to it, there is also a shrine for his son, Sukha Brahma Rishi. There is a temple for Hanuman as well, called Hanuman Ghat. On the banks of the Chakra Teertham, another sacred water body in Naimisaranyam, stands the holy temple of Sankara Narayanan. In that temple, Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita Devi give their blessings. Lord Vinayaka also blesses devotees in one of the shrines in this temple.

It is said that when Vyasa Maharishi was composing the Mahabharata in the Naimisaranyam kshetram, Lord Vinayaka was the one who wrote down the Bharata Maha Purana with his tusk. To commemorate this event, there is a shrine for Lord Vinayaka here. Similarly, in the Uttaranchal district, near the Badrinath temple, about 4 km away, lies a village called Mana. There too, a Vyasa Gufa (Vyasa Cave) exists, along with a shrine for Lord Vinayaka, where it is said he also wrote.

Vyas Gufa / Ganesh Gufa : According to Hindu tradition and the introductory sections of the epic, Sage Vyasa did not meet Lord Ganesha in the Naimisharanya forest to write the Mahabharata. Instead, scriptural traditions place their historic collaboration in the Himalayas—specifically at the Vyas Gufa and Ganesh Gufa (caves) in Mana Village near Badrinath, Uttarakhand.

After witnessing the events of the Kurukshetra war, Sage Vyasa conceived the monumental epic entirely within his mind. Recognizing that the text was too vast for any ordinary scribe, Vyasa meditated upon Lord Brahma, who advised him to invoke Lord Ganesha. Vyasa meditated upon Ganesha, who materialized before him. They established their famous pact—Ganesha writing continuously without pause, and Vyasa providing complex kuta shlokas (knotted verses) to buy time to compose while Ganesha processed the deep meanings. This transcription physically took place in the Himalayan caves.

The Naimisharanya forest enters the narrative much later as the setting where the Mahabharata was popularized:  The masterful  storyteller Ugrashrava Sauti, narrated the entire epic to the assembled sages, during a prolonged 12-year fire sacrifice led by Sage Saunaka Kulapati, Sauti .

Thirumangai Azhwar, keeping the mediation of the Divine Mother in the forefront, surrendered at the feet of the Lord here. The verse (Pasuram) composed by Thirumangai Azhwar about this place conveys that he had bad habits and conduct during his youth, and he prays to the Lord, seeking His holy feet so that those bad qualities never return to him.

He states that the Kali Purusha has fashioned our bodies for ordinary humans out of flesh, stabilized it with bones like pillars, and covered it with skin and hair, creating a house with nine doors. The verse of the Azhwar says, 'building walls of flesh, erecting bones as pillars, and covering with hair, a structure with nine gates'. The Azhwar's Pasuram expresses, 'This Kali will prompt us to commit many sins through these senses; you must protect us from this Kali Purusha'.

The Pasuram goes:
'Evinhar Kaliyar Naligai Enthan Mel Engane Vazhumaru Aivar...
Govinar Seiyum Kodumaiyai Madithen Kurungkudi Nedunkadal Vanna...
Pavinar Insol Panmalar Kondu Un Padame Pavinan Paninthu En...
Navinal Vanthu Un Thiruvadijainthen Naimisaranyathul Enthai'

Here in Naimisaranyam, he also sings about the Lord Nambi of Thirukurungkudi. He praises Him as 'Kurungkudi Nambiyai Nedunkadal Vanna'. The final resting place (Thiruvarasu) of Thirumangai Azhwar is located in Thirukurungkudi, a Divya Desam in the Pandya region, where he left for the heavenly abode. Perhaps he knew beforehand that he would attain eternal life (Paramapada Peruvalvu) at the Thirukurungkudi holy place. That is why, while surrendering and asking for salvation here in Naimisaranyam, he composed it mentioning 'Kurungkudi Nedunkadal Vanna', indicating where he was going to attain eternity. It is a very beautiful song.

Thirukurungudi  is an ancient, culturally rich village located in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, India. It is situated at the foothills of the Western Ghats (Mahendragiri hills) along the banks of the Nambi River.

Here are the key points highlighting its spiritual, historical, and geographical significance:

The Pancha Nambi Shrines

The town is famous for the Sri Azhagiya Nambirayar Temple, which is uniquely dedicated to five different manifestations (Pancha Nambi) of Lord Vishnu.

• Ninra Nambi: The Lord in a standing posture.
• Irundha Nambi: The Lord in a seated posture.
• Kidandha Nambi: The Lord in a reclining posture.
• Thiruparkadal Nambi: Located closer to the Nambi River banks.
• Thirumalai Nambi: Located 8 km away, perched atop the scenic Mahendragiri hill within a reserve forest area.

According to Vaishnava tradition, Lord Narayana took the form of a student here to receive spiritual initiation (Mantra Upadesam) from the great reformer Sri Ramanuja. Because of this unique inversion of roles, the presiding deity is called Vaishnava Nambi.

 

The main deity (Moolavar) at Naimisaranyam is named Lord Devarajan. The Goddess (Thayar) is named Sri Hari Lakshmi Pundarikavalli. The sacred water bodies here include Chakra Teertham, Gomukhi River, Nemi Teertham, Divya Teertham, and Vishranti Teertham. The temple vimanam is named Sri Hari Vimanam, and as we saw, the sacred tree is the entire Tapovanam.

Actually, there are 3 main temples which are widely recognised.

Goddess Lalita Devi (The Presiding Deity) in the  Lalita Devi Temple.

She is considered the ultimate protective feminine energy of Naimisharanya. The temple is highly revered as one of the 51 Maha Shakti Peethas, marking the sacred spot where Goddess Sati’s heart is believed to have fallen.

Lord Naimishnath / Devaraja Perumal   Presiding deity is Sri Devaraja Perumal (Lord Vishnu) in a standing posture facing east, carved from black stone and adorned with silver ornaments. His consort is Pundarika Valli Thayar (Mahalakshmi), alongside shrines for Jagadguru Ramanujacharya.

Unfortunately we missed going to this temple.

The   Sri Chakra Narayana Temple  .

At the center of the holiest water tank in the complex, the primary deity worshipped is Chakranarayana, a unique form of Lord Vishnu holding or embodying the divine Sudarshana Chakra

 Another very important feature here is the Brindavan of the 43rd Jeeyar of the Ahobila Mutt, Sri Devanarvilagam Alagiya Singar. It is a very special place, and everyone should go there to receive the blessings of the Acharyan. It is a very beautiful temple that everyone must visit and worship. Currently, a temple called 'Uttra Ahobilam' is being constructed here by the Ahobila Mutt, where the Nava Narasimhas will be consecrated. It is a very grand temple and definitely a place everyone must visit and offer prayers."

A few other holy places in Neimisharanya are..

Hanuman Garhi (Hanuman Garhi Temple)

A rare, massive self-manifested south-facing stone idol of Lord Hanuman. Dating back to the Ramayana era, it is believed that after Lord Hanuman successfully rescued Lord Rama and Lakshmana from the clutches of the demon Ahiravana in Patala Loka (the netherworld), he emerged back onto the surface of the earth right at this hillock.

Maharshi Dadhichi Kund (Misrikh Teerth)

This is the ultimate site of selfless sacrifice.

Situated in the nearby town of Misrikh, roughly 11–12 km from Naimisharanya.

To defeat the invincible demon Vritrasura, the gods required a weapon forged from the hardest bones of a pure, living sage. Maharshi Dadhichi willingly gave up his life here, allowing his bones to be used to forge Lord Indra's invincible thunderbolt weapon, the Vajra.

Before his sacrifice, Dadhichi wished to bathe in all the holy rivers; the gods brought the waters of all sacred rivers together into this single reservoir (Kund), making a dip here structurally equivalent to a mass pilgrimage.

Dashashwamedha Ghat

Located on the banks of the Gomti River, this holds profound significance as the location where Lord Sri Rama successfully performed his ten Ashwamedha Yagnas (royal horse sacrifices) to solidify righteousness after returning from Lanka.

 

And finally, after two  hours of tiring and bone rattling ride in our auto, we retuned back.

A piping hot chai in a Kullad (clay cup) with a couple of crisp locally made ‘Atta-biskut’ , rejuvenated us and for the long , dusty,  two and a half hour ride back t o Lucknow .

 

Krish//

(with help from Google & Wiki.)