سفينا: کشتی۔
Whose denizens are Kalims*, whose mountains the Sinais* are;
where the Prophet Nuh's boat and its occupants had landed;**
the land whose elegance is the stairway to the sky;
living in whose environment is like living in Paradise;
that same is my homeland, that same is my homeland.
* This is an allusion to the inspiring beauty and tranquility of the India's mountains, specially the Himalayas, which inspired the sages to write the holy books of the Hindus, such as the Vedas. All their existing religious books, except some parts of the Vedas, which were written in Central Asia, were inscribed in the peace and tranquility of India to which this hemistich refers.)
** According to the Old Testament the Ark of Nuh A.S. landed in the ‘mountains of the Ararat Range’ in Turkey. According to the Holy Qur’an it rested on the Mount Jodi, which is a peak of the Ararat Range… According to Encyclopedia Britannic the tradition of the Deluge exists in many peoples practically all over the world. This can be interpreted as referring to one world wide Deluge whose tradition has persisted even among people living in different periods of history.
As regards the Deluge in India there are three stories, which differ in form. The earliest tradition is related in ‘Satapatha Brahmana’, a Hindu epic. It is related that Manu was the first Man and was the son of the sun god ‘Vivasat’ who found a small fish, while bathing. The fish requested him for help which was given by Manu. When the fish grew it was carried to the sea, where it revealed to Manu the time of the Deluge and advised him to construct a ship for deliverance from it. When the Deluge occurred Manu embarked the ship alone which was towed by the fish through the water to the ‘summit beyond the northern mountains’, where Manu tied his ship to a tree on the advice of the fish. Manu descended from the mountain after the Deluge had subsided, offered a sacrifice and prayer. In a year's time his prayer was granted. A woman appeared who called herself ‘Ida’ (the goddess of fertility). The Deluge is not stated to be a retribution for sins as is stated in the Old Testament and the Holy Qur'an.
The second story is mentioned in another Hindu epic Mahabharata, where the additional information is given that Manu disembarked from the ship with seven rishis, or saints. The fish announced itself to be God (Brahama), and empowered Manu to create the whole world, gods as well as human beings after his marriage with ‘Ida’. Thus, Manu combines the attributes of Adam A.S. and Nuh A.S.
The third story occurs in another Hindu epic, Bhagvata Purana. It gives the details of the announcement of the Deluge seven days before hand and of advice to Manu to take pairs of all animals as well as seeds of all plants… Critical examination shows that these stories of the Deluge in India lack credibility.)