Pulatsya
Pulatsya is one of the ten mind-born sons of Brahma. He is the father of the Rakshasas and Kinnaras too. Brahma first narrates the Vishnu Puran to Pulatsya who then passes it on to Parashara who spreads these stories amidst mankind.
Pulatsya has two sons: Vishrava and rishi Agastya. Vishrava has two wives – Kaikesi and Ilavida. Kaikesi’s children are Ravana, Shurpanakha, Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana and Ilavida’s son is Kubera.
Mount Dronagiri
When Rama wages a war with Ravana, Lakshman gets almost fatally injured by one of Meghnad’s arrows. Rama immediately sends for his physician, Sushena and asks him to revive Lakshman. Sushena orders Hanuman to fly to the mountain range of Dronagiri, a lone high peak of the Himalayas and fetch the Mrit Sanjivani, a medicinal herb that infuses life into comatose patients. Sushena gives Hanuman explicit instructions. He says, “The Mrit Sanjivani radiates a strange soft light so you can spot this medicinal plant even in the dark.”
When Hanuman reaches Dronagiri, he asks the villagers to help him find the plant. But the Mount of Dronagiri is a form of God for the villagers. And they don’t trust this foreigner who looks like a monkey and flies like a huge bird. They intuitively guess that he would damage their mountain God. So they ignore Hanuman’s pleas.
Hanuman senses their fears but does some quick thinking to save Lakshman’s life. He disguises himself as a sick sadhu and asks an elderly woman to help him find the magical herb. The village woman is filled with pity after looking at the frail frame of the old sadhu. She takes him to the area where the Mrit Sanjeevani plant grows.
Despite Sushena’s explicit instructions, Hanuman is unable to identify the Mrit Sanjivani plant. So he uproots the entire right flank of the Dronagiri mountain and starts flying back to Lanka.
The villagers are shocked to see this large scale destruction of their mountain God. They banish the old woman from their village. After this incident women were banned from worshipping Mount Dronagiri. Since Hanuman defaced Mount Dronagiri, the villagers of Dronagiri do not enshrine an idol of Hanuman in their temples even today.
Mount Goverdhan
According to PushtiMarg, the Mount of Goverdhan is the son of Mount Dronagiri. There is an interesting tale about why the Mount of Goverdhan is located in Vraj.
One day, Rishi Pulatsya decides to go on a pilgrimage. When he comes to the mountain range of Dronagiri he says, “O mount Dronagiri, everyone worships you. Today, I have come to you with a request. Lord Shiva, in the form of Vishwanath, resides in Kashi. The river Ganges too flows through Kashi. People who die in Kashi attain Moksha. Yet there is no mountain range in Kashi. I would like to take your son Mount Goverdhan with me to Kashi. I can perform my penance perfectly in the quiet mountain ranges of Mount Goverdhan in the holy city of Kashi and I hope to attain Moksha after that. So please grant me whatever I am asking for.”
Mount Dronagiri listens with utmost shock at Rishi Pulatsya’s words. He says, “O great Maharishi, you leave me with very little choice. My son Mount Goverdhan is very dear to me. I would never want to part with him. But I do not wish to incur your wrath. You are free to do as you please. But do take the consent of my son, mount Goverdhan before you take him with you to Kashi.”
Rishi Pulatsya then approaches Mount Goverdhan and says, “O divine Mount Goverdhan, a blessed mountain ought to grace a city as divine as Kashi. Several devotees of lord Krishna reside in Kashi too. I have the permission of your father, Mount Dronagiri. Will you please accompany me to Kashi?”
Mount Goverdhan looks at Pulatsya with amusement and says, “Rishi Pulatsya, how do you propose to uproot a mighty mountain like me and transport me to Kashi?”
Rishi Pulatsya obviously knew what he was asking for. He says, “I will carry you in the palm of my right hand Mount Goverdhan. The ardour of my tapasya will give me enough strength to carry your mighty weight. I can easily fly with you in my palms and we will surely reach Kashi within a short span of time.”
Mount Goverdhan gives Rishi Pulatsya an enigmatic smile and says, “Well then Rishi Pulatsya. Since you have already figured out everything, I will accompany you on one condition. If you set me down on the earth, I will not move from that spot.”
Pulatsya agrees to this condition immediately and says, “I will not put you down on the earth till I reach Kashi, Mount Goverdhan. I will keep that in mind till we reach our destination.”
So off they go. It is a strange sight indeed – a renowned tapasvi carrying a mighty mountain in the palm of his hand and flying past cities, towns et al. Mount Goverdhan enjoys the journey for a while but quickly recognizes the region of Vraj as they approach it.
He meditates upon Krishna who resides in Goloka. He knows that Krishna will soon be born in Vraj and indulge in all his Leelas there. And he does not want to miss out on any of these divine experiences. So he decides that Vraj is the most suitable permanent place of residence for him. And he thinks of a way to get what he truly wants.
He increases his weight gradually. Rishi Pulatsya does not notice the gradual increase in Mount Goverdhan’s weight. His arm starts aching and he feels very tired after a while. He looks ahead and realizes that Kashi is still a long way off. He forgets all about Mount Goverdhan’s condition due to his fatigue and sets the mighty frame of mount Goverdhan down onto the plains of Vraj and decides to rest for a while.
Mount Goverdhan knows that this is the perfect place for him to be in – forever. When Rishi Pulatsya tries to lift Mount Goverdhan again, he is unable to budge it. He questions Mount Goverdhan about it.
That is when mount Goverdhan reminds him of the condition that he had laid down earlier. Rishi Pulatsya knows Mount Goverdhan has tricked him. He flies into a rage and curses Mount Goverdhan saying, “You did not fulfil my wish O Mount Goverdhan. I, therefore, curse you. You increased your weight gradually till you reached the place of your choice at Vraj. So you will dwindle gradually in height by the size of a sesame (til) seed every day!”
Rishi Pulatsya then flies off in a huff to Kashi. But Mount Goverdhan is extremely happy despite being cursed because he knows that only a fortunate few are able to witness and experience Krishna’s Leelas. He wanted nothing more than that anyway.
The best thing that we can learn from this story is this: No matter how hard we try, like Mount Goverdhan, we can never fulfil the expectations of others all the time. We know we have to be true to ourselves first. We too may incur the wrath and invite the curses of others in our lives. But if our faith in Krishna is firm, He will give us the strength to cope with their wrath and negate the impact of their curses. Let’s learn from Mount Goverdhan and do our best to remain as close to Krishna as possible all through our lives.
Click here to read more stories on Shrinathji.
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