Puranic encyclopaedia
by Vettam Mani | 1975 | 609,556 words | ISBN-10: 0842608222
This page describes the Story of Sarasvata included the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani that was translated into English in 1975. The Puranas have for centuries profoundly influenced Indian life and Culture and are defined by their characteristic features (panca-lakshana, literally, ‘the five characteristics of a Purana�).
Story of ٲ
An ancient hermit. It is mentioned in Ѳٲ, Śⲹ Parva, Chapter 51, Verse 7, that ٲ was the son of ٲī. ٲī once happened to see the celestial maid ṣ� and became excited, and seminal discharge occurred to him. The semen fell in the river ī. The river became pregnant and delivered a child. This child grew up and became the famous hermit named ٲ.
After the death of the hermit ٲī, due to scarcity of rain a great famine occurred which lasted for twelve years. When the famine became unbearable all the hermits on the basin and banks of the river ī began to migrate to other places leaving all their possessions behind, to save their lives. But ٲ alone remained on the banks of ī, living on fish obtained from the river, engaged in meditation and study of Vedas.
After twelve years the famine ended and the country became prosperous as before. The hermits who had gone to other places began to come back to their hermitages. The desire to study Vedas grew up in their minds. But there was not a single person, well-versed in the Vedas, except ٲ. So all the hermits accepted him as their teacher. Thus ٲ taught the Vedas to Sixtythousand hermits, who had returned to their hermitages. (Ѳٲ Śⲹ Parva, Chapter 50).
In course of time the place where the hermitage of ٲ stood, became famous under the name ٲ īٳ. ճṅgṇy is another name of this place. (Ѳٲ Vana Parva, Chapter 83, Verses 43-50).
In ancient days there were two schemes of study known as 'Kāṇḍānukramapāṭha' and 'ٲpāṭha' for the ղٳپīⲹ-collection (ṃh). But today the Kāṇḍānukramapāṭha has become quite extinct. The following is a description, given in Śaṃskāraratnamālā stating how the 'ٲpāṭha' attained so vigorous a vogue.
Once owing to the curse of the hermit ٳܰ, the river ī took birth as a woman in the house of a Brahmin, who belonged to the Gotra of Āٰⲹ. Later from that same Brahmin she conceived and gave birth to a son named ٲ. The river ī herself, taught her son the Vedas completely, and then sent him to ܰܰṣeٰ to do penance. As a result of the penance ٲ got an original ṻ (serial lessons) of the ղٳپīⲹ saṃhitā. He taught those serial lessons to his disciples. In course of time these serial lessons got the name ٲpāṭha. which earned metaphysical and philosophical importance.