Story of Mṛtasañjīvanī

This is a medicinal herb to give life to those who are dead. When in the Rāma-Rāvaṇa battle Lakṣmaṇa and others fell dead, Śrī Rāma wanted Mṛtasañjīvanī to be brought to revive them back to life. Jāmbavān the oldest among the monkeywarriors then instructed Hanūmān to get it from the mountain Mahāmeru explaining to him the way to reach there. He said: "If you go a hundred yojanas (1200 Kilometres) from here to the north you would reach Rāmeśvara the southernmost point of Bhārata. From there if you go to the north another thousand yojanas you would reach the Himālayas which is the northern-most point of Bhārata. Himavān is thousand yojanas high, two thousand yojanas wide and is long enough to reach the two oceans on the east and the west.

On that mountain is the marriage-dais of Pārvatī and Parameśvara and you will find places where Parameśvara had sat for practising penances. On the northern side under a big Kūvala tree lies Kāmadhenu. This cow gives milk to the sages and tourists who go there. Nine thousand yojanas to the north of this there are two mountains named Hemakūṭa and Ratnakūṭa. The centre of that is Ṛṣabhavarṣa. On a big Kāraskara tree there will be hanging a king with his face downwards after being cursed by the sage Durvāsas. He will be released from the curse by you. If one eats the fruits of this tree one will be free from greying of hairs and rugosity.

If you go farther north from Hemakūṭa you will reach the mountain Niṣadha. There is a lake there. If one bathes there one will be granted all prosperity by Lakṣmīdevī. Farther to the north is situated Mahāmeru. The greatness of this mountain is indescribable.

Mahāmeru has got four supporting mountain pillars named Mandara, Merumandara, Supārśva and Kumuda. The abode of the three deities is on the top of this mountain. On a peak in the centre is living Brahmā with his wives Vāṇī, Gāyatrī and Sāvitrī as creator of the universe. This place is called Satyaloka and to the west of it is Śrī Vaikuṇṭha the abode of Mahāviṣṇu. Mādevī and Bhūdevī are his two wives. He is the god who protects us all. To the east of Satyaloka is Kailāsa, the abode of Śiva. He lives there with his wives Gaṅgā and Pārvatī and sons Gaṇeśa and Śubrahmaṇya. To the south of Satyaloka is the city Saṃyamanī the abode of Yamadharmarāja. He lives there with his wife Kālinī and sons Viḍava, Mahimā and Dīpaka. To the east of this is the wonderful Devaloka. There lives Indra, his wife Śacīdevī and son Jayanta with thirtythree crores of Devas. Celestial nymphs like Urvaśī, Rambhā and Tilottamā live there. Kāmadhenu, the Kalpa tree, Airāvata, Uccaiśśravas, and Cintāmaṇi are all there. You will find Amarāvatī the Capital of Indra and Sudharmā his court there.

On the northern side of Meru is a tall Aśvattha tree. To the north of that is the Nīla-mahāgiri (the great blue mountain). Kaśyapa has installed a deity named Śvetavarāhamūrti there. Beyond that is the Ṛṣabhādri (ox-shaped mountain). It is believed that a divine ox became a mountain there. Its two horns are like two peaks. This mountain contains many divine medicines of which Śalyaharaṇī, Viśalyakaraṇī, Sandhānakaraṇī and Mṛtasañjīvanī are the most important.

Once the asuras defeated the Devas. Then Parameśvara and Mahāviṣṇu gave the Devas these four medicinal herbs. They planted them here and watered them from the Milk-sea. Around these precious plants stand guard the pārṣadas of Śiva and the Discus Sudarśana of Viṣṇu." (Yuddha Kāṇḍa, Kamba Rāmāyaṇa).

There is another statement in the Mahābhārata that Sañjīvanī is an art, the use of a mantra. Śukrācārya by this art brought to life all the asuras killed in a war with the devas. (Śloka 8, Chapter 76, Ādi Parva). Again Śukrācārya brought to life three times his disciple Kaca whom the asuras killed three times. Śukrācārya taught the art to Kaca. (Śloka 28, Chapter 76, Ādi Parva).