Talk:Sāgara; samudra

By Swami Harshananda

sāgara; samudra (‘ocean,’ ‘sea’)

The ocean—any of the oceans for that matter—derives its name from the sixty-thousand sons of the emperor Sagara of the solar race, as sāgara, since they were responsible for digging it. (See SAGARA for details.)

Since all the rivers are considered pure, a bath in them makes a person pure, free from all sins. Again, since all the rivers flow into the sea or the ocean (samudra or sāgara), a bath in it also makes a person pure.

Generally, the days prescribed for such a bath are: amāvāsya (new-moon day); purṇimā (full-moon day); the five days of the week avoiding Tuesdays and

Fridays. However, there are no restrictions regarding taking bath in the sea at Setu or Rāmeśvaram.

The purāṇas enumerate the oceans as seven. They are: lavaṇasamudra (ocean of salt water); ikṣusamudra (ocean of sugarcane juice); surāsamudra (ocean of wine); sarpis-samudra (ocean of ghee); dadhisamudra (ocean of curds); kṣīra-samudra (ocean of milk); and, jalasamudra (ocean of water) (vide Vāyupurāna 49.123; Visnupurāna 2.2.6).

The sage Agastya is said to have drunk the ocean at the request of Indra, so that the demons, Kālakeyas, who used to hide under its water, could be destroyed (.Mahābhārata, Aranyaparva 99).

At one period of time, samudrayāna or sea-voyage was prohibited for the brāhmaṇas, dubbing it as one of the items of kalivarjyas (things to be given up during the kali-age or iron-age). It is difficult to understand this prohibition except by the historical fact that many learned brāhmaṇas were emigrating to foreign countries either on invitation or to spread their knowledge, thus making Bhārata that much poorer!

The Visnudharmasutras (3.160.1-7) mentions a Samudravrata, a rite aimed at appeasing the presiding deities of the seven samudras, to be performed for seven days from Cāndramāna Yugādi. The performer is said to attain health, wealth and heaven.

See also SAMUDRAMATHANA.

References

• The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

OLD CONTENT

sāgara; samudra (‘ocean,’ ‘sea’) The ocean—any of the oceans for that matter—derives its name from the sixty- thousand sons of the emperor Sagara of the solar race, as sāgara, since they were responsible for digging it. (See SAGARA for details.) Since all the rivers are considered pure, a bath in them makes a person pure, free from all sins. Again, since all the rivers flow into the sea or the ocean (samudra or sāgara), a bath in it also makes a person pure. Generally, the days prescribed for such a bath are: amāvāsya (new-moon day); purṇimā (full-moon day); the five days of the week avoiding Tuesdays and Fridays. However, there are no restrictions regarding taking bath in the sea at Setu or Rāmeśvaram. The purāṇas enumerate the oceans as seven. They are: lavaṇasamudra (ocean of salt water); ikṣusamudra (ocean of sugarcane juice); surāsamudra (ocean of wine); sarpis-samudra (ocean of ghee); dadhisamudra (ocean of curds); kṣīra- samudra (ocean of milk); and, jalasamudra (ocean of water) {vide Vāyupurāna 49.123; Visnupurāna 2.2.6). The sage Agastya is said to have drunk the ocean at the request of Indra, so that the demons, Kālakeyas, who used to hide under its water, could be destroyed (.Mahābhārata, Aranyaparva 99). At one period of time, samudrayāna or sea-voyage was prohibited for the brāhmaṇas, dubbing it as one of the items of kalivarjyas (things to be given up during the kali-age or iron-age). It is difficult to understand this prohibition except by the historical fact that many learned brāhmaṇas were emigrating to foreign countries either on invitation or to spread their knowledge, thus making Bhārata that much poorer! The Visnudharmasutras (3.160.1-7) mentions a Samudravrata, a rite aimed at appeasing the presiding deities of the seven samudras, to be performed for seven days from Cāndramāna Yugādi. The per¬former is said to attain health, wealth and heaven. See also SAMUDRAMATHANA.