Sindhu river Saraswati river
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References to Saraswati river comes many times in Vedas. It appears as Sindhu, Sapta Sindhu, etc. Actually River Saraswati Rriver is part of this Sapta sindhu matrix. Phrase of Sapta Sindhu is generally used in Vedas to refer to seven water bodies combinedly, as Seven Rivers. Sapta means Seven, Sindhu means ‘water mass’. And Atharvana veda defines water in a stream or river as Nad. (The following texts are extracts from Chapter 9, Sapta Sindhu Rivers in author’s BOOK: “A Tribute to the Ancient World of India”)
Nad refers to that kind of waters which make rhythmic sound while it flows. Samudra is also used to refer to any large water body whether it may be a river or sea or large pond. Sometimes words ‘Sapta Sindhu’ may be referring to a single entity that is “sacred waters that flow in all the seven rivers”.
Phrases like Saptanad and Panchanad come very rarely in Vedas. But on ground we find a river called as Panchanad formed by joining of Sutlez and Chenab. And there is a river called as Saptanad which is actually Sindh river in its lower reaches (in Sindh province).
It should be understood that Vedic people would have perceived the divine power of waters carried by Rivers, and also the power of Water as an essential element for sustenance of our lives. They called it with a feminine name as Saraswat
But, generally Goddess Saraswati is shown in later day Hindu pictures as sitting on a log of wood kept on the bank of a River or stream. Whereas, Devis seem to have been shown in pictures drawn on tablets of ancient Sapta Sindhu Valley as goddesses dwelling on the branches of a Peepal / Bodhi tree, if depiction of a female deity standing in the bushes of a Peepal tree in a Seal is any indication.
Sapta Saraswati
Vedas praise Saraswati Devi as, “Saraswati saptadhi Sindhu mata”. This means ‘Devi Saraswati is the divine power that dwells in all the seven rivers and she is the mother of waters in all these seven rivers’. In other words all waters of the seven Rivers possess the divine powers of Devi Saraswati. And indirectly this is telling that originally there is no separate Saraswati River to call, but each and every River in the Sapta Sindhu river system was referred to as Saraswati River.
(It is just like calling every water mass as Ganga by Indians today) If it is a pond or a stream or a river, every water mass ( Sindhu ) should have been called as Saraswati by the ancients.
Meaning, “You are Amba (Mother), Your are Nadi (River) and You are Devi (Goddess)”. So Devi Saraswati is all pervading Godly entity worshipped by the ancients in several forms, viz., Mother goddess, as a sacred river, and so on. (Perhaps worshipping of Devi Saraswati as Goddess of learning is a later day development.). Both Atharvana Veda and Rig Veda refer to Yajnas conducted in favour of Devi Saraswati,
“पावकानः सरस्वती वाजॆभिः वाजिनीवती यज्ञं वा अस्तु धियावासुह चॊदयित्रि सुनृतानम चॆतान्ति सुमतीनाम, यज्ञाम दाधॆ सरस्वति
महॊ अर्नः सरस्वति प्रचॆतायति कॆतुना
धियॊ विश्वा विराजति”
“paavakaanaH sarasvatI vaajEbhiH vaajinIvatI yaj~jaM vaa astu dhiyaavaasuha chOdayitri sunRutaanam chEtaanti sumatInaam, yaj~jaam daadhE sarasvati
mahO arnaH sarasvati prachEtaayati kEtunaa
dhiyO viSvaa viraajati” – Rig Veda
“Oh, Devi Saraswati, goddess of learning, please accepts all the offerings made to you in this Yajna. And bless us with good minds and hearts, good fortunes and abundant monies.”
Let us look at the famous hymn on Saraswati in Rig Veda,
अम्बितमॆ नदीतमॆ दॆवितमॆ सरस्वति!
अप्रशस्ता इव स्मसि प्रश स्तिमम्ब नस्कृधि!
ambitamE nadItamE dEvitamE sarasvati!
apraSastaa iva smasi praSa stimamba naskRudhi!!
“सरस्वतीं पितरॊ हवन्तॆ दक्षिणा यज्ञमभि नक्षमाणाः
आसद्यास्मिन बर्हिषि मादयध्वमनमीवा इष आ धॆह्यस्मॆ”
“sarasvatIM pitarO havantE dakShiNaa yaj~jamabhi nakShamaaNaaH
aasadyaasmin barhiShi maadayadhvamanamIvaa iSha aa dhEhyasmE”
— atharvana veda
“We conduct this Yajna for the benefit of Pitaras (ancestors) living in the Southern direction praying them to fulfill our desires, so Oh Saraswati devi please bless us with your favorable wishes in our endeavor.”
. . . .
People in India presently believe that Saraswati River disappeared from this earth for obvious reasons and now it manifests at the confluences of any two rivers and flows there as undercurrent of these two rivers during Pushkara times making the confluence a Triveni sangama (as if it is a confluence of three rivers).
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However, sometimes our Vedas and other scriptures mention Saraswati as a particular river also. Manu Smriti says that Saraswati River makes one of the boundaries of legendary Brahmavarta,
“The land that lies between the two Divine Rivers of Sarasvati and Drushadvati is called as Brahmavartam and that country was built by Devas (Gods).”
Accordingly, if Drushadvati River lies in East then as a corollary to this, Saraswati River should be making the Western boundary of Brahmavarta. Presently a tributary of Ghaggar is called as Drishadvati. This is a seasonal river. Ghaggar lies in the eastern side of Sapta Sindhu river belt. Hence, if we take Drushadvati / Ghaggar River as Eastern boundary of Brahmavartam then obviously present day R. Sindhu becomes the Western boundary of Brahmavarta. Then in all probability Sindhu River should be construed as the ancient Saraswati River.
*
In order to authenticate this proposition let us see other references also,
“sarasvatIdRuShadvatyOrdEvanadyOryadaMtaram taM dEvanirmitaM dESaM brahmaavartaM prachakShatE” – Manu smriti
“सरस्वतीदृषद्वत्यॊर्दॆवनद्यॊर्यदंतरम तं दॆवनिर्मितं दॆशं ब्रह्मावर्तं प्रचक्षतॆ” – मनु स्मृति
the Ancient World of India”)
Sapta means Seven, Sindhu means ‘water mass’. Words ‘Sapta Sindhu’ appear several times in Vedas. Phrase of Sapta Sindhu is generally used in Vedas to refer to seven water bodies combinedly, as Seven Rivers. And Atharvana veda defines water in a stream or river as Nad. Nad refers to that kind of waters which make rhythmic sound while it flows. Samudra is also used to refer to any large water body whether it may be a river or sea or large pond. Sometimes words ‘Sapta Sindhu’ may be referring to a single entity that is “sacred waters that flow in all the seven rivers”.
Phrases like Saptanad and Panchanad come very rarely in Vedas. But on ground we find a river called as Panchanad formed by joining of Sutlez and Chenab. And there is a river called as Saptanad which is actually Sindh river in its lower reaches (in Sindh province).
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It should be understood that Vedic people would have perceived the divine power of waters carried by Rivers, and also the power of Water as an essential element for sustenance of our lives. They called it with a feminine name as Saraswati.
But, generally Goddess Saraswati is shown in later day Hindu pictures as sitting on a log of wood kept on the bank of a River or stream. Whereas, Devis seem to have been shown in pictures drawn on tablets of ancient Sapta Sindhu Valley as goddesses dwelling on the branches of a Peepal / Bodhi tree, if depiction of a female deity standing in the bushes of a Peepal tree in a Seal is any indication.
Vedas praise Saraswati Devi as,
“Saraswati saptadhi Sindhu mata”
Rig Veda
This means ‘Devi Saraswati is the divine power that dwells in all the seven rivers and she is the mother of waters in all these seven rivers’. In other words all waters of the seven Rivers possess the divine powers of Devi Saraswati. And indirectly this is telling that originally there is no separate Saraswati River to call, but each and every River in the Sapta Sindhu river system was referred to as Saraswati River.
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