Mount Meru in Hinduism

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

In this article we will find out what Mount Meru is. In the cosmology of Buddhism and Hinduism, it is called Sumeru, which means "good Measure", and is considered as the center of all spiritual and material megagalaxies. This peak is considered the home of Brahma and other devas.

It is written in the Puranas that its height is 80,000 yojanas (1.106 million km) - approximately the size of the Sun in diameter (1.392 million km), which is three times the distance from the Earth to the Moon. Where is Mount Meru located? The same works say that it is located on Jambudvipa, one of the continents of our planet. Hindu temples, including Angkor Wat in Cambodia, are symbolic representations of Kailash, Mount Meru or Mandara.

Hindu cosmology

In the heritage of Hinduism, the Universe is presented in the form of a lotus, from the center of which Mount Meru is ex alted. At its top is the paradise of the most important deva Indra. In Hindu cosmology, this height is at the center of the universe. Sometimes it is attached to the center of the north earth pole. According to the Puranas, Vedic devas live on top of Meru.

In some Indian sources Mount Meruis mentioned as one of the 16 Himalayan rocks that rose above the water during the flood. Among the modern names of the Himalayan peaks there is also the peak of Meru, but the Hindus consider Mount Kailash, which they call "the eternal dwelling of Shiva", to be the most sacred. In fact, in every primary source it is written that Meru is located in the far north.

In ancient legends, it was indicated that the land to the north was on the rise. The Scythians, Iranians and ancient Indians assumed that all the famous rivers flowed from the northern sacred mountains. The opinion about the existence of high cliffs stretching along the coast of the Northern Ocean from west to east is also displayed on the map of Ptolemy, made for his book "Geography", which was published in 1490 in Rome. This judgment was exaggerated in society until the 16th century.

In his collection "Studies in India", the famous Persian medieval encyclopedist Al-Biruni reports that Mount Meru is the center of the dvipa and the seas, as well as Jambudvipa.

Great story

In the "Mahabharata" Meru is presented as a mountainous country with hills up to the sky, where the main peak is the Mandara rock. This work describes the territories beyond the Himalayas: the ranges of the Pamirs and Tibet, the impenetrable forests and deserts of Central Asia, the polar regions and arctic curiosities - the immovable Polar Star; the sun rising only once a year; stars rotating in a horizontal plane, completing each of their circles in 24 hours (they do not rise or set); high constellation Ursa Major; night and day, lasting six months each; longdarkness; polar lights and so on. The book tells that at the edge of this land rises the sacred Mount Meru, the northern slope of which washes the Sea of Milk.

What is written in the Puranas?

According to Puranic cosmology, the almighty devas Brahma and Indra reside at the top of Meru, and all the luminaries revolve around it. Indraloka is the abode of Indra, the main Vedic deva, and is located at the very top of the mountain. The brilliant palace of Indra is also located there, in the garden of which the soma plant grows - it is from it that the sacred drink of immortality is made.

The egg of Brahma consists of the Universe and several worlds (lok). All lokas are combined into three basic groups: diabolical lokas, upper and middle ones (this includes the Earth). The upper worlds are composed of heavenly and higher spheres, where various devas live. The center of all layers is Mount Meru, which rises above the heavenly upper lokas. Beneath them are seven concentric island continents. The central one is the flat and round earth of Jambudvipa. The second mainland is called Gomedaka (or Plaksha): it is surrounded by a sea of molasses.

The third continent - Shalmala - is located in the Sura wine reservoir, and the fourth, called Kusha, washes the sea of rectified Sarpis oil. The fifth land is named Kraunchha and is located in the Dadhi curdled milk lake. The sixth continent - Svetadvipa - is located in the milky ocean of Kshira. The seventh land - Pushkara - is surrounded by a large round lake of pure water Jala, adjacent to the territory of the highest mountains of Lokaloka, separatingthe visible universe from the gloomy world. Behind the mountains of Lokaloka lies the region of endless night, and beyond - the shell of the universal egg.

A similar order of the structure of this egg is common both for the Upanishads and for the epic and Puranic tales. However, the names and numbers of different worlds vary.

Vayu, Lanka and Meru

Mount Meru is mentioned countless times in Hindu traditions. They indicate that the wind god Vayu and the rock Meru were bosom friends. One day, the Vedic thinker Narada persuaded Vayu to demonstrate his power by blowing on a sacred rock. Vayu blew with terrible force for a whole year, but Garuda flew to the aid of Meru and covered her with his wings. One year passed, and Garuda decided to rest. As a result, the top of Mount Meru collapsed into the ocean, reincarnated as the island of Sri Lanka.

Mounts Vindhya, Meru and Agastya

Another well-known legend says that one day the Vindhya range, which separates South and North India, began to rise. It grew so much that it began to interfere with the movement of the Sun. At the same time, the Vindhya mountains became bold and began to insist that the sun god Surya walk around them every day as he goes around Mount Meru (which, according to many, is located at the north pole). As a result, there was a need for Vindhya punishment, and therefore the thinker Agastya was chosen to carry out such a task.

Meru is a mountain whose height attracts the attention of many. So, Agastya began to travel from north to south, and met on his way the impassable ridge of Vindhya. Hebegan to beg the mountain range to allow him to cross into South India. The Vindhya mountains revered the famous rishu Agastya, so they bowed before him and allowed the philosopher and his family to go south. They also promised not to rise until he returned to North India.

Nevertheless, Agastya remained in the south, and the Vindhya Range, true to its word, never increased in size again. Thus, Agastya achieved by cunning what could not be achieved by force.

Mount Meru. Location

Where in the modern world is Mount Meru? The Himalayas are the highest mountain system on Earth, located between the Tibetan Uplands (in the north) and the Indo-Gangetic Plateau (in the south). They are spread over the territory of Nepal, India, Pakistan, the Tibet Autonomous Region of China and Bhutan. The foothills of these heights are also located in the extreme northern part of Bangladesh.

Mera Peak is located in the Sagarmatha region (Himalaya, Khinku Valley) and is classified as the highest peak for trekking in Nepal. It includes three main ridges: North Meru (6476 m), South (6065 m) and Central (6461 m). Why is Mount Meru famous? Climbing it is popular, because with a significant height of the peak, the route is technically simple. That is why trekking competitions are constantly held on it.