Darukavana
| Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R) |
Darukavana (दारुकवन) is name of an ancient forest near Dwarka in Gujarat. The Nageshvara Jyotirlinga is situated in the Darukavana.
Origin
Variants
- Daruka Vana (दारुकवन) (AS, p.432)
History
The Shiva Purana says Nageshvara Jyotirlinga is in 'the Darukavana', which is an ancient name of a forest in India. 'Darukavana' finds mention in Indian epics.
Location controversy
The actual location of the legendary forest of Darukavana is debated. No other important clues indicate the location of the Jyotirlinga. 'Darukavana' remains the only clue.
The name Darukavana, is derived from daruvana (forest of deodar trees), is thought to exist in Almora. Deodar (daru vriksha) is found abundantly only in the western Himalayas, not in peninsular India. Deodar trees have been associated with Lord Shiva in ancient Hindu texts. Hindu sages used to reside and perform meditation in deodar forests to please Lord Shiva. Also, according to the ancient treatise Prasadmandanam, "हिमाद्रेरूत्तरे पार्श्वे देवदारूवनं परम् पावनं शंकरस्थानं तत्र् सर्वे शिवार्चिताः।"
Because of this the 'Jageswara' temple in Almora, Uttarakhand is commonly identified as Nageshvara Jyotirlinga.
The written name of Darukavana could be misread as 'Dwarakavana' which would point to the Nageswara temple at Dwaraka. However, no forest is in this part of Dwaraka that finds mention in any of the Indian epics. The narratives of Shri Krishna, mention Somanatha and the adjoining Prabhasa tirtha, but not Nageswara or Darukavana in Dwaraka.
Darukavana might exist next to the Vindhya Mountains. It is south-southwest of the Vindhyas extending to the sea in the west. In the Dvadasha Jyotirlinga Stotra [1],[2] Shankaracharya praised this Jyotirlinga as Naganath: "Yamye sadange nagaretiramye vibhushitangam vividhaishcha bhogai Sadbhaktimuktipradamishamekam shrinaganatham sharanam prapadye"
This could be taken to mean that it is located in the south ['yamye'] at the town of 'Sadanga', which was the ancient name of Aundh in Maharashtra, south of the Jageswara shrine in Uttarakhand and west of Dwaraka Nageshvara.
Daruka in Mahabharata
Daruka (दारुक) in Mahabharata (V.82.22): The charioteer of Krishna
Udyoga Parva/Mahabharata Book V Chapter 82 mentions that Krishna departed for Hastinapura on Yudhishthira's mission and stays at Vrikasthala for night-halt. Daruka (दारुक) is mentioned in Mahabharata (V.82.22). [3]....And Daruka also, setting the steeds free, tended them according to the rules of equine science, and taking off the yokes and traces, let them loose.
दारुकवन
विजयेन्द्र कुमार माथुर[4] ने लेख किया है ...दारुकवन (AS, p.432) द्वारका गुजरात के निकट नागेश्वर नामक स्थान का परिवर्ती प्रदेश. यहां द्वादश ज्योतिर्लिंगों में से एक का स्थान माना जाता है. (देखें शिव पुराण, 1.56)
External links
References
- ↑ Vivekananda, Swami. "The Paris Congress of the History of Religions". The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. Vol.4.
- ↑ Dvadasha Jyotirlinga Stotra
- ↑ दारुकॊ ऽपि हयान मुक्त्वा परिचर्य च शास्त्रतः, मुमॊच सर्वं वर्माणि मुक्त्वा चैनान अवासृजत (V.82.22)
- ↑ Aitihasik Sthanavali by Vijayendra Kumar Mathur, p.432