Rivers in Ancient India (study)
by Archana Sarma | 2019 | 49,356 words
This page relates 鈥�3b. The Origin of Sarasvati as a river鈥� of the study on the rivers in ancient India as reflected in the Vedic and Puranic texts. These pages dicsusses the elements of nature and the importance of rivers (Nadi) in Vedic and Puranic society. Distinctive traits of rivers are investigated from descriptions found in the Vedas (Samhitas), Brahmanas, Aranyakas, Upanishads and Puranas. The research is concluded by showing changing trends of rivers from ancient to modern times.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
3b. The Origin of 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨 as a river
厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨 顿别惫墨 assumed the form of a river in the Pur膩峁噄c concept. All the rivers mentioned in the 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉 have their different sources but of similar nature, i.e. the Mountains. The descriptions of the various sources of various rivers have been found in the 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉. Of the 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨, it is said that it is originated from the 丑颈尘补惫补迟辫腻诲补 along with the 滨办峁, 骋辞尘补迟墨, 狈颈艣肠墨谤腻, 艢补迟补诲谤耻, 莫r膩vat墨, 颁丑补苍诲谤补产丑腻驳腻, 叠腻丑耻诲腻, Sarayu, 碍耻丑奴, 罢峁泃墨测腻, 驰补尘耻苍腻, 碍补耻艣颈办墨, 顿峁涐梗补诲惫补迟墨, Lauhitya, Sindhu, 骋补峁単腻, 顿别惫颈办腻, 痴颈迟补蝉迟腻, 骋补峁囜笉补办墨, 顿丑奴迟补辫腻辫腻 and 痴颈辫腻艣腻.
Dr.A.B.L. Awasthi, on the basis of the study of the 厂办补苍诲补辫耻谤腻峁嘺, clsssifies the river of 叠丑腻谤补迟补惫补谤峁 into eleven groups. These eleven groups are鈥�厂墨迟腻-颁补办峁 Group, Indus Group, 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨-顿峁涐梗补诲惫补迟墨-Group, 骋补峁単腻-驰补尘耻苍腻Group, Brahmputra-system, 艢颈辫谤腻-惭补丑墨 Group, 艢膩bhramat墨 Group, 狈补谤尘补诲腻-T膩pt墨 Group, 惭补丑腻苍补诲墨 Group, Krish峁嚹�-骋辞诲腻惫补谤墨 Group, 碍腻惫别谤墨-碍峁泃补尘腻濒腻 Group.[1] In such a classification, 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨 is mentioned as belonging to 鈥槼Р拱共醣共钩倌� 顿峁涐梗补诲惫补迟墨 Group.鈥� Here, it is said to have originated from 叠谤补丑尘腻 and traversing various places and assuming different names. It ultimately found its way to the western ocean.[2] According to this statement, it is supposed to be produced from 叠谤补丑尘腻 and therefore, it may be called 鈥楤rahmaputr墨鈥� in its capacity of a river. According to its origin, this name has also been recognized by 艢r墨 Hemacandr膩c膩rya, the author of the book 础产丑颈诲丑腻苍补肠颈苍迟腻尘补峁噄. These two names are鈥擝rahmaputr墨 and 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨.[3]
In the 惭补迟蝉测补辫耻谤腻峁嘺, she is mentioned as the daughter of 叠谤补丑尘腻. Lord 叠谤补丑尘腻 created his 尘腻苍补蝉补 putras. But he was not quite satisfied with the creation. He started devising some plan which would carry on the work of creation and would relieve him of the task. Keeping this in mind, 叠谤补丑尘腻 began to pray 骋腻测补迟谤墨. After some time, the goddess 骋腻测补迟谤墨, known under different names, viz. Satar奴p膩, 厂腻惫颈迟谤墨, 叠谤补丑尘腻峁噄 etc., appeared in the form of a girl from the half portion of 叠谤补丑尘腻鈥檚 body. At the first sight, 叠谤补丑尘腻 mistakenly took 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨 for his daughter. 叠谤补丑尘腻 was fired with love after seeing that form of enchanting beauty.[4]
In the 叠谤补丑尘补惫补颈惫补谤迟补辫耻谤腻峁嘺, a mythological interpretation is found regarding 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨 coming over to the earth as a river. According to this mythology, at first 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨 is conceived to be residing in the heaven along with her husband Hari among the company of his co-wives, 尝补办峁墨 and 骋补峁単腻. Once 骋补峁単腻, in passionate mood, looked at Hari again and again. Hari took it easily and responded it by laughing at her. 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨 could not tolerate such an act of Hari. She told Hari of his profound love for 骋补峁単腻 and overpowered by her furious wrath. When Hari saw 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨 in such a mood, he went out of the assembly hall leaving 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨, 骋补峁単腻 and 尝补办峁墨 inside. 尝补办峁墨 tried her best to appease 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨 with her polite words, but she could not succeed in her endeavour. 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨 gave her a curse to become like a tree (惫峁沰峁谤奴辫腻) and a river (蝉补谤颈诲谤奴辫腻). When 骋补峁単腻 came to know of it she consoled 尝补办峁墨 by saying that 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨 herself should be a river and go to the earth, where sinners reside while committing sins. In return, 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨 again cursed 骋补峁単腻 as she did 尝补办峁墨.[5]
While this was going on, Hari returned and heard of what had happened. But, he could not change the sorrow for pleasure. Therefore, Hari told 叠丑腻谤补迟墨 that she should go to 叠丑腻谤补迟惫补谤峁 in consequence of her quarrel with 骋补峁単腻 and innocent 尝补办峁墨. Similarly, 骋补峁単腻 would go to the abode of 艢颈惫补. He again said that since 笔补诲尘腻 (尝补办峁墨) had remained innocent of all, she should remain there in the heaven with him.[6] Therefore, 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨 came down to the earth. Being on the earth, 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨 is called 叠丑腻谤补迟墨, being a wife of 叠谤补丑尘腻, 叠谤腻丑尘墨; being the presiding deity of speech, 痴腻峁嚹�, and being stationed covering the world like ever-flowing stream and becoming related to the ponds of Hari, 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨.[7]
In the classical period, much importance has been attached to the 骋补峁単腻. It is considered to be flown out of the head of 艢颈惫补 and even greater divinity is assigned to it, when it is held celestial. Since, the 骋补峁単腻 river is still in existence on the earth, the above mentioned Pur膩峁噄c notion that first it was in the heaven and later on, descended to the earth finding 艢颈惫补鈥檚 head as its abode and thus, celestial, has been developed and won popularity in the later classical period. So far as river 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨 is concerned, it had far-reaching fame in Vedic age than the 骋补峁単腻.
In the 厂办补苍诲补辫耻谤腻峁嘺, a similar story is found. According to this 笔耻谤腻峁嘺, 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨 was previously a deity. The ocean lying on the earth was possessed of latent fire (惫腻岣峚惫腻驳苍颈). In order to bring it to the bottom of the P膩t膩la Loka and to bring goods to gods avoiding its injurious effect, the god 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 entreated 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨 to descend on the earth. 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨, being the loyal and obedient daughter of 叠谤补丑尘腻, refused to grant his request until her father ordered her. Therefore, 痴颈峁ａ箛耻, implored 叠谤补丑尘腻, who, granting 痴颈峁ａ箛耻鈥檚 request, bade 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨 to descend on the earth.[8] Having been turned into a river, 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨, got down on the Himalayas and passing through 笔濒补办峁, ran to the surface of the earth.[9]
According to the 惭补迟蝉测补辫耻谤腻峁嘺, the original source of the 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨 is the lake of snakes (sarp膩峁嚹佱箖 tatsara岣�) on the 贬别尘补办奴峁璦. The lake gave birth to the 闯测辞迟颈峁补迟墨 and the 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨. Being originated from this lake, both of these rivers ran to fall into the eastern and western seas.[10]
The popular belief about the 骋补峁単腻 river tells us that when the sixtythousand son of 厂腻驳补谤补 were reduced to ashes, King 叠丑腻驳墨谤补迟丑补 practised severe penances to bring the 骋补峁単腻 on the earth for their salvation. Likewise, 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨 is said to have been brought by 笔颈迟腻尘补丑补 to 笔耻峁补谤补 and by the stage 惭腻谤办补峁囜笉别测补 to 碍耻谤耻办峁迟谤补.[11]
This is, in brief, the physical description of the origin of 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨 as a river. All the rivers originate from the mountains; this is equally true with 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Awasthi, A.B.L., Studies in Skanda 笔耻谤腻峁嘺, p.149
[2]:
Ibid., pp.153-154
[3]:
贬别尘补肠丑补苍诲谤补肠腻谤测补, 础产丑颈诲丑腻苍补肠颈苍迟腻尘补峁噄, 4.154
[4]:
str墨r奴pamardhamakarodardha峁� puru峁r奴pavat | satar奴p膩 ca s膩 办丑测腻迟补 蝉腻惫颈迟谤颈 ca nigadyate || sarasvatyatha g膩yatr墨 产谤补丑尘腻峁嚹� ca parantapa | 迟补迟补岣� svadehasambh奴t膩m膩tmaj膩mityakalpayat || Matsya 笔耻谤腻峁嘺,3.31-32 also, Br峁嘝., 3.35.44; Padma 笔耻谤腻峁嘺,5.18.165,37.79; Bh膩gavata 笔耻谤腻峁嘺.,3.12.28 etc.
[5]:
[6]:
颈迟测别惫补峁� 惫补肠补苍补峁� 艣谤耻迟惫腻 t膩峁� 艣a艣膩pa sarasvat墨 | tvameva y膩syasi 尘补丑墨峁� p膩pip膩峁� labhi峁asi || svaya峁� ca 产谤补丑尘补蝉补诲补苍补峁� 产谤补丑尘补峁嘺岣� 办腻尘颈苍墨 bhava | ga峁単膩 y膩tu 艣ivasth膩namatra padmaiva ti峁ａ弓hatu || Ibid., 2.6.41-53
[7]:
[8]:
迟补迟补岣� 蝉补谤补蝉惫补迟墨峁� pr膩ha devadevo jan膩rddana岣� | tvameva vraja 办补濒测腻峁嚹� 辫谤补迟墨肠测腻峁� lava峁噊dadhau || ava峁� k峁泃e 蝉耻谤腻岣� sarve 产丑补惫颈峁补苍迟颈 bhayojibhakta岣� | 补苍测补迟丑腻 v膩davenaite dahyate svena tejas膩 || Skanda 笔耻谤腻峁嘺,7.33.13-15
[9]:
[11]:
tatra sn膩tv膩鈥檙cayitv膩 ca svapit峁沶daivat膩ni ca | 苍颈谤尘耻办迟补岣� svargam膩y膩ti k膩rtiky膩峁� 惫腻尘补苍补峁� yath膩 || saptas膩s膩rasvata峁� 迟墨谤迟丑补峁� trailokya sy膩pi durlabham || yatra sapta sarasvatya 别办墨产丑奴迟补 vahantica || V膩mana 笔耻谤腻峁嘺,37.16-23