This is a medicinal herb to give life to those who are dead. When in the राम-रावण battle लक्ष्मण and others fell dead, श्री राम wanted मृतसञ्जीवनी to be brought to revive them back to life. जाम्बवान् the oldest among the monkeywarriors then instructed हनूमान् to get it from the mountain महामेरु 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 रामेश्वर the southernmost point of भारत . From there if you go to the north another thousand yojanas you would reach the हिमालयस् which is the northern-most point of भारत . हिमवान् 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 पार्वती and परमेश्वर and you will find places where परमेश्वर had sat for practising penances. On the northern side under a big कूवल tree lies कामधेनु . This cow gives milk to the sages and tourists who go there. Nine thousand योजनस् to the north of this there are two mountains named हेमकूट and रत्नकूट . The centre of that is ऋषभवर्ष . On a big कारस्कर tree there will be hanging a king with his face downwards after being cursed by the sage दुर्वासस् . 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 हेमकूट you will reach the mountain निषध . There is a lake there. If one bathes there one will be granted all prosperity by लक्ष्मीदेवी . Farther to the north is situated महामेरु . The greatness of this mountain is indescribable.

महामेरु has got four supporting mountain pillars named मन्दर , मेरुमन्दर , सुपार्श्व and कुमुद . The abode of the three deities is on the top of this mountain. On a peak in the centre is living ब्रह्मा with his wives वाणी , गायत्री and सावित्री as creator of the universe. This place is called सत्यलोक and to the west of it is श्री वैकुण्ठ the abode of महाविष्णु . मादेवी and भूदेवी are his two wives. He is the god who protects us all. To the east of सत्यलोक is कैलास , the abode of शिव . He lives there with his wives गङ्गा and पार्वती and sons गणेश and शुब्रह्मण्य . To the south of सत्यलोक is the city संयमनी the abode of यमधर्मराज . He lives there with his wife कालिनी and sons विडव , महिमा and दीपक . To the east of this is the wonderful देवलोक . There lives इन्द्र , his wife शचीदेवी and son जयन्त with thirtythree crores of देवस् . Celestial nymphs like उर्वशी , रम्भा and तिलोत्तमा live there. कामधेनु , the कल्प tree, ऐरावत , उच्चैश्श्रवस् , and चिन्तामणि are all there. You will find अमरावती the Capital of इन्द्र and सुधर्मा his court there.

On the northern side of मेरु is a tall अश्वत्थ tree. To the north of that is the नील-महागिरि (the great blue mountain). कश्यप has installed a deity named श्वेतवराहमूर्ति there. Beyond that is the ऋषभाद्रि (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 शल्यहरणी , विशल्यकरणी , सन्धानकरणी and मृतसञ्जीवनी are the most important.

Once the asuras defeated the देवस् . Then परमेश्वर and महाविष्णु gave the देवस् these four medicinal herbs. They planted them here and watered them from the मिल्क्-सेअ . Around these precious plants stand guard the पार्षदस् of शिव and the Discus सुदर्शन of विष्णु . (Yuddha Kāṇḍa, Kamba Rāmāyaṇa)

There is another statement in the महाभारत that सञ्जीवनी is an art, the use of a mantra. शुक्राचार्य by this art brought to life all the असुरस् killed in a war with the देवस् . [mh-1-76-8 ] Mahābhārata • Ādi parva . Again शुक्राचार्य brought to life three times his disciple कच whom the असुरस् killed three times. शुक्राचार्य taught the art to कच . [mh-1-76-28 ] Mahābhārata • Ādi parva .