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Sapta-Sagara Mahadana Dr. V. S. Agrawala 206-212

[ saptasagara-mahadana ] (Matsya Puranna, Ch. 287) BY V. S. AGRAWALA [ matsyapurane sodasamahadanaprakaranamupalabhyate, lingapurane'pi cayam visayah | tatah saptasagara mahadanamityasya itihasapara vyakhya'smin lekhe kriyate | saptasamudrebhyah pratyagatanam maharddhikalokanam ratnasuvarnamayani danani yatra kriyante sma te kupah saptasamudra ityakhyamabhajanta | idrsimabhidham bhajamanah kupah mathura-prayaga-varanasi- pataliputrojjayinisu pancasvapi madhya- desiyesu pracinavyaparikanagaresu pracinakale asan, evamadhuna'pi prasiddhah santi | ] The Matsya Purana in the last lap of its present recension contains a bunch of sixteen chapters, 274 to 289 (an. ed.), specifying the details of Sixteen Great Gifts ( sodasa mahadana ) as follows: 1. tulapurusadana (ch. 274) ; 9. suvarna hastirathadana (282) ; 2. hiranyagarbhadana (275) ; 10. pamcalamgaladana (283) : 3. brahmandadana (276) ; 11. suvarnaprthividana (284) ; 4. kalpavrksadana (277) ; 12. visvacakradana (285) ; 5. gosahasradana (278) ; 13. suvarnamkalpalatadana (286) ; 6. suvarnakamadhenudana (279) ; 14. saptasagaradana (287) ; 7. suvarnasvadana (280) ; 15. ratnadhenudana (288) ; 16. mahabhutaghatadana (289) ; 8. suvarnasvarathadana (281) ; The Linga Purana (Uttarardha, chs. 28- 44 ) contains in a varied version an account of a of which some names are common, as tulapurusadana (ch. 28), hiranyagarbhadana (ch. 29), suvarnamedini- dana (ch. 32), kalpapadapadana (ch. 33), hemadhenudana (ch. 35), gosahasradana (ch. 38), hiranyasvadana (ch. 39), haimagajadana (ch. 42) ; some are new in this list as tilaparvatadana (ch. 32), ganesesa or visvesvaradana (ch. 34), srilaksmidana (ch. 36 ), tiladhenudana (ch. 37), kanyadana (ch. 40), hiranyavrsadana (ch. 41), lokapalastakadana

Feb., 1960] SEVEN-SEA GIFT IN MATSYA PURANA (ch. 43), and 207 -f (ch. 44), the last being an extra one (sarvadanottamottama ) to round off the ceremonies. There is also only reference to some of these, viz. fa HET, HI, in the Agni Purana, ch. 213 (Jivanand edn). These extraordinary gifts involving huge quantities of gold and jewels could be conceived in an age of exceptional prosperity, such as the Golden Age of Indian history. In the paintings of that period we actually find the depiction of visvacakra (e. g. bhavacakra on the ceiling of Ajanta Cave) and etc. The 'Gift of the Seven Oceans' was specially appropriate in an age when merchants and travellers and naval captains crossed the seven seas for trade and commerce, navigation and religious missions. We need consider the significance of such ritual as the c, and specially examine the appropriateness of its name. In the compound of the present site of the Mathura Museum there is an ancient deep well known In a compaign of well-clearance (popular satasamandari kuam ). carried out on behalf of the Museum, the well was drained off and a large number of Kushana and Gupta sculptures were recovered, establishing the antiquity of the Well. What probably had happened was that at the time of some devastating raid of the city like that by the Hunas in the last quarter of the fifth century, stone statues and reliefs from neighbouring temples were deposited in the Well with the idea of being redeemed later; that contingency, however, never came up. The Well continued to be used as a place for performing some religious ceremonies until its being closed up recently with a platform of cement-concrete. Its name, however, is a pointer to its real original significance. Sea-faring in those times was fraught with great danger. Those who went out to the sea bade last farewell to their relations and friends and had not much hope of a safe return. In case they came back safe and secure they brought enormous wealth and were greeted with

208 puranam - PURANA [Vol. I, No. 2 universal rejoicing amongst their kith and kin. In spite of the naval risks stout hearts were resolved to face them and many a young man of undaunted spirit left their home in search of oceanic markets, inspired by the thought of earning wealth through their own efforts. The belief became common that a sea-voyage alone fetched sufficient wealth. Bana speaks of this motif (Harshacharitra, VI p. 189; 楼楼楼露 = AYZMA隆 according to Sankara), and also refers to the massive wealth of the four oceans falling to the share of a person of courageous resolution ( catuh sagarasambhutasya bhutisambharasya bhajanam 4 b. VI, p. 191). He refers also to the magic ointment which applied to the feet secured peregrination over the oceanic islands (c, ib. VI, p. 194). In the Mrichchhakatika, the Vidushaka overwhelmed by the exceeding wealth in Vasantasena's house expresses his surprise by asking if the Courtezan also indulged in the shipping trade (H yanapatrani vahanti, Act. IV). In this context the formulated as a befitting religious ceremony for those fortunate ones who came back from their oceanic trip loaded with gold and jewels of which a share they disposed of in pious charities. A well was selected to represent the oceans and there the ceremonies were performed. The name ccc for such wells was thus justified. With this background in mind, it struck me that the five big commercial cities of Madhyadesa in the Gupta period, viz. Mathura, Prayaga, Varanasi, Pataliputra and Ujjayini, which appear as the starting point in the motif of the sea-voyage in the story literature of that period, should each possess a well. To my great joy enquiry confirmed this assumption and it acquired for me almost the value of a scientific hypothesis. The Saptasamudra Well at Mathura which provided the first hint has been mentioned above. To my satisfaction a reference to it was subsequently found in the Varaha Purana:

Feb., 1960] SEVEN-SEA GIFT IN MATSYA PURANA arkasthalasamipe tu kupam ca vimalodakam | 209 saptasamudrakam nama devanamapi durlabham || ( varaha0 157|13 ) i. e. near the holy spot called which is sacred to the Sun-god, is the Well named Sapta-Samudraka which is difficult of access even to the gods. I then turned my enquiry to Prayaga. There we have long known the Samudra Kupa at Pratishthana or Jhusi. It is duly mentioned in the Matsya Purana as part of the Prayagamahatmya : purvaparsve tu gamgayastrisu lokesu bharata | kupam caiva tu samudram pratisthanam ca visrutam || ( matsya 0 106|30 ) The verse with some variation, but conveying additional information, is also found in the of the Kurma Purana: purvaparsve tu gamgayastrailokye yati avatah sarvasamudrah pratisthanam ca manavah | visrutam || ( kurma0 purvardha, 37|22 ) To the east of the conjoint stream of the Ganga and the Yamuna after their confluence, towards modern Jhusi side (ancient Pratishthana) a pilgrim finds himself at the spot called Trailokya, and there the Sarva-Samudra Well is situated. Hr of the Matsya is named sarvasamudra here, which should be the same as saptasamudra, and it is probable that the latter may be found in some Mss. as a variant reading for the former. The is the work of one who was fully conversant with local topography as shown by this and other references in it. At Varanasi which was one of the biggest commercial cities on the Ganga and a starting point for many a naval enterprise, there is a mohalla called Sapta Sagara where there are temples and wells named after the Seven Oceans. I owe the information to my friend Shri Surya Narayan Vyas that there is the Sapta-Samudra well at Ujjain also,

210 puranam -- PURANA [Vol. I, No. 2 Similar information about a Sapta-Samudra Well at Patna has been heard, but details are awaited. The consisted of a neat ceremony performed near the Sapta-Samudra well by ordering seven golden basins (kundas) to represent the Seven Seas. They ranged in size from one pradesa (9") to one aratni (18") and the quantity of gold used varied from 7 palas to 1000 palas (a pala being equal to 4 karsha or tola wt.). These were filled all with precious stones and each with salt, milk, butter, molasses, curds, sugar, holy water, ( lavana, ksira, ghrta, iksurasa, dadhi, sarkara, suddha udaka ), and the figures of Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, Surya, Chandra, Lakshmi, Parvati respectively were placed in them. Before making the gift, one was devoutly to recite mantras to the Oceans: 11. Homage to you, O eternal Seas, the meeting-place of all the flowing rivers, and life-givers to living creatures. 12. You make happy the creatures of the three worlds with your ambrosial gifts of milk, water, butter, curds, sugar, salt, and molasses, and also with treasures. May you effect an end to my miserable condition. 13. In these worlds you alone bestow stable wealth lasting for generations ( subaddha manipradana ) on religious people ( tirtha ), Gods and Asuras. You possess in your womb goddess SriLakshmi that adorns the bodies of men by applying the ambrosial unguent of wealth and removing wants (c4 = 34 );- may that Goddess come to me also. 14. Remaining pure and unperplexed who offers to the Occans surging with ambrosial fluids golden lotuses, he attains to the seat of God Vishnu and even the immortals begin to worship him. 15. Himself becoming free from all his sins (in the form of wants and miseries), his merits (earned by virtue of the Great Gift of the Seven Occans) at once transfer his ancestors, sons and wives from burning hell to the abode of God Siva.

Feb., 1960] SEVEN-SEA GIFT IN MATSYA PURANA Matsya Purana, Ch. 287 (anandasrama edn.) saptasagaramahadanavidhivarnanam | matsya uvaca | namo vah sarvasindhunamadharebhyah sanatanah | jantunam pranadebhyasca samudrebhyo namo namah || athatah sampravaksyami mahadanamanuttamam | saptasagarakam nama sarvapapapranasanam || 1 || punyam dinamathasadya krtva brahmanavacanam | tulapurusavatkuryallokesavahanam rtvinmandapasambharabhusanacchadanadikam budhah || 2 || karayetsaptakundani kamcanani vicaksanah || 3 || pradesamatrani tatharatnimatrani vai punah | kuryatsapta paladurdhvamasahasracca saktitah || samsthapyani ca sarvani krsnajinatilopari | prathamam purayetkundam lavanena vicaksanah || dvitiyam payasa tadvattrtiyam sarpisa punah | caturthantu gudenaiva dadhna pamcamameva ca || 6 || sastham sarkaraya tadvat saptamam tirthavarina | sthapayellavanastham tu brahmanam kancanam subham || kesavam ksiramadhye tu ghrtamadhye mahesvaram | bhaskaram gudamadhye tu dadhimadhye nisadhipam || sarkarayam nyasellaksmim jalamadhye tu parvatim | sarvesu sarvaratnani dhanyani ca samantatah || tulapu rusavacchesamatrapi parikalpayet | tato varunahomante snapito vedapumgavaih || 10 || trih pradaksinamavrtya 13 mantranetanudirayet | 211

212 puranam - PURANA namo vah sarvasindhunamadharebhyah sanatanah || [Vol. I, No. 2 jantunam pranademyasca samudrebhyo namo namah || 11 || ksirodakajyadadhimadhuralavaneksusaramrtena bhuvanatrayajivasamghan | anandayanti vasubhisca yato bhavantastasmanmamapyaghavighatamalam disantu || 12 || yasmatsamastabhuvanesu bhavanta eva tirthamarasurasubaddhamanipradanam | papaksayamrtavilepanabhusanaya lokasya vibhrati tadastu mamapi laksmih || 13 || iti dadati rasamrtasamyutan suciravismayavaniha sagaran | kamalakamcanavarnamayanasau sakalapapavidhautavirajitah padamupaiti hareramararcitah ||14|| pitrpitamahaputrakalatrakam | narakalokasamakulamapyayam jhatiti so'pi nayecchivamandiram ||15|| iti srimatsye mahapurane mahadananukirtane saptasagarapradanavidhirnama saptasityadhikadvisatatamo'dhyayah || 287 || narayanamaharnavah vrndam jalamucam caiva svasanenabhitaditam || 32 || ksmayam vrstim visrnate bhasayat tena bhaskarah | parivartate || 33 || toyasya nasti vai nasah tadeva apam tvadhipatirdevo bhava ityeva kirtitah || 36 || cadbhutam | bhavatmakam jagatsarvamiti kincaha narayanatvam devasya haresvadbhih krtam vibhoh || 37 || nagatamalayo visnustvapastasyalayani tu || 38 || ( linga0, a0 54 )