Saraswati; as the River and the Goddess

Saraswati was a profound river which was mentioned in ancient scriptures of Hinduism like Vedas. But we can’t found a river with the name Saraswati at present. Now, people following Hinduism see Saraswati as the Goddess of knowledge. In ancient texts, it is written that Saraswati emerged from mountains and fell in the sea and it also says that Saraswati was much larger than any other rivers (Sindu, Ganga) at that time. Many researches have been carried out to find whether the river Saraswati existed or not. Geologists and archeologists are behind this issue for a long year. It is believed that Rigveda (the most ancient text in Hinduism) was written by sages lived on the banks of river Saraswati. Mahabharata described that later river Saraswati dried up and its banks were transformed into a desert. Rigveda states that Saraswati flowed in between Yamuna and Satlaj. Even now, we can trace the presence of a river there. It is actually a water canal which fills up during the rainy season. It is called Gaggar in India and Hakra in Pakistan. Some of the scientists follow this topic believe this water channel to be the river Saraswati. Pictures captured by ISRO satellites also show that there existed a strong and powerful river.

We all know that, Ganga is not only a holy river for Hindus but a Goddess also. Ganga, being water prolific it personified and worshipped as a Devi or Goddess. In Mahabharata, it is said that Bhishma was the son of Goddess Ganga and thus got the name Gangadathan. So taking this context, we can see that maybe river Saraswathy got a personality and became Goddess Saraswati. She is the Goddess of knowledge, music and wisdom. In every picture we see that Goddess Saraswati is sitting in front of a river. The word Saraswati means having many pools (in Sanskrit Saras means pool).

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Mentions

Rigveda

Coming together, glorious, loudly roaring, Saraswati, Mother of Floods.

The above lines were written in Rigveda about river Saraswati.

काचेतत्सरस्वती नदीनां शुचिर्यती गिरिभ्य आ समुद्रात्।

रायश्चेतन्ती भुवनस्य भूरेर्घृतं पयो दुदुहे नाहुषाय॥ – RV 7.95.2

Meaning: – Pure in her course from the mountains to the oceans,
Saraswati river bestows milk and butter to Nahusha.

आ यत्साकं यशसो वावशानाः सरस्वती सप्तथी सिन्धुमाता।
याः सुष्वयन्त सुदुघाः सुधारा अभि स्वेन पयसा पीप्यानाः॥ – RV 7.36.6

Meaning: – May the glorious seventh stream Saraswati, mother of Sindhu charged with
A large volume of water flow vigorously and give milk and water.

यस्या अनन्तो अह्रुतस्त्वेषश्चरिष्णुरर्णवः।अमश्चरति रोरुवत्॥ – RV 6.61.8

Meaning: – Whose limitless, unbroken flow, swift-moving with rapid rush comes forward with a roar.

इयं शुष्मेभिर्बिसखा इवारुजत्सानु गिरीणां तविषेभिरूर्मिभिः।
पारावतघ्नीमवसे सुवृक्तिभिः सरस्वतीमा विवासेम धीतिभिः॥ – RV 6.61.2

Meaning: – O Saraswati, your mighty currents break the mountains as easily as lotus stems.
Let us invite with holy hymns and songs.

अम्बितमे नदीतमे देवितमे सरस्वति।
अप्रशस्ता इव स्मसि प्रशस्तिमम्ब नस्कृधि || – RV 2.41.16

Meaning: – Best of mothers, best of rivers, best of goddesses Sarsawati,
we are untrained and ignorant. Give us knowledge and wisdom.

Atharvaveda

देवा इमं मधूनां संयुतं यवं सरस्वत्या मधि मनावकर्क्रियुः।
इन्द्र आसित सिरपतिः शतक्रतुः किनश आसन मरुतः सुदानवः ।। – AV 6.30.1

Meaning: – God bestowed the people living on the banks of Saraswati with sweet and juicy barley, where the Maruts become the farmers and Indra, the lord of agriculture.

Mahabharata

ततॊ विनशनं गच्छेन नियतॊ नियताशनः गच्छत्य अन्तर्हिता यत्र मरु पृष्ठे
सरस्वती चमसे च शिवॊद्भेदे नागॊद्भेदे च दृश्यते ।।

Meaning: – The Saraswati disappears in the desert at Vinshana and reappears at Chamasa, Shivodbheda and Nagodbheda.

सरस्वती पुण्यवहा हरदिनी वनमालिनी ।
समुद्रगा महावेगा यमुना यत्र पाण्डव ।।

Meaning: – The holy flow of Saraswati meets the sea with rapid flow.

परभवं च सरस्वत्याः पलक्षप्रस्रवणं बलः ।
संप्राप्तः कारपचनं तीर्थप्रवरम उत्तमम ।। 

Meaning: – While ascending the Himalaya, Balarama came to Plaksha Prashravana, the origin of Saraswati from where he went to Karpachanam (Origin of Yamuna).

Ramayana

सरस्वतीम् च गङ्गाम् च उग्मेन प्रतिपद्य च ।
उत्तरम् वीरमत्स्यानाम् भारुण्डम् प्राविशद्वनम् ।।

Meaning: – Arriving at the confluence of Saraswati and Ganga rivers, Bharata entered the woods of Bharmuda, the north of Viramatsaya region.

Did it Really Exist?

This is the topic of discussion for a while now. If we can take Vedic and post- Vedic texts as an evidence, there is no doubt to say that the river Saraswati existed. But some historians, archeologists and geographers believe that our Hindu scriptures are a true imagination of the monk- writers. Anyway, we don’t think so.

Many historians stated that Ghaggar- Hakra river bed was known to be river Saraswati in Hindu scriptures. It was not Indians, but a handful of foreigners put this fact in front of the world. Considering the Vedic fact about the position of Saraswati river (east of river Indus or Sindhu), it is true. Because there is no powerful rivers on the east of the Indus exists today. It is also proved by satellite images that once ghaggar- hakra canal was a strong river with prolific water flow. On the banks of this river, ancient Harappa- Mohanjadaro civilization took place before about 3500 B. C. to 1900 B. C. Ghaggar- Hakra river was identified as river Saraswati in 19th and 20thcentury.  Christian Lassen, C.F. Oldham, Marc Aurel Stein, Max Müller and Jane Macintosh are the main scholars who proposed this identification theory.

The river was dried- up in the same way mentioned in Hindu scriptures about the drying- up of river Saraswati.

Books and Works about the River Saraswati

Many books have been written on the existence of so- called mythical river Saraswati. Well- known one is Michael Danino’s excellent book The Lost River: On the trail of the Saraswati, published by Penguin India. In “Indian Journal of History of Science”, S.R.N. Moorthy states after a geological survey that “The Vedic river Saraswati is not a myth. It was a live river in the Vedic time and irrigated large areas supporting the Vedic Culture to a considerable extent,” he writes. “Its extinction is due to geological changes in the subcontinent.”
What do You Think?

That’s all about the scientific facts about the existence of river Saraswati. I also mentioned about the Vedic and Scriptural statements about it. But he, S.R.N. Moorthy also added that,

“the evidence of Harappan civilisation is entirely archaeological, while evidence of Vedic culture is entirely literary, and synthesising the two is not easy since there are some glaring differences in what is mentioned in Vedas and what it seen on the ground.”

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Saraswati; the Goddess

It is already mentioned that Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge, music and wisdom. She is also worshipped with Parvati and Lekshmi. Saraswati, Lekshmi and Parvati are the wives of the Tri- Gods, Lord Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara or Shiva. Three of them are responsible for creation, survival and destruction of life on the earth according to Hindu texts.

Shri Saraswati Chalisa (Shri Saraswati Chalisa)

॥दोहा॥ जनक जननि पद्मरज, निज मस्तक पर धरि।

बन्दौं मातु सरस्वती, बुद्धि बल दे दातारि॥
पूर्ण जगत में व्याप्त तव, महिमा अमित अनंतु।
दुष्जनों के पाप को, मातु तु ही अब हन्तु॥
जय श्री सकल बुद्धि बलरासी।जय सर्वज्ञ अमर अविनाशी॥
जय जय जय वीणाकर धारी।करती सदा सुहंस सवारी॥
रूप चतुर्भुज धारी माता।सकल विश्व अन्दर विख्याता॥
जग में पाप बुद्धि जब होती।तब ही धर्म की फीकी ज्योति॥
तब ही मातु का निज अवतारी।पाप हीन करती महतारी॥
वाल्मीकिजी थे हत्यारा।तव प्रसाद जानै संसारा॥
रामचरित जो रचे बनाई।आदि कवि की पदवी पाई॥
कालिदास जो भये विख्याता।तेरी कृपा दृष्टि से माता॥
तुलसी सूर आदि विद्वाना।भये और जो ज्ञानी नाना॥
तिन्ह न और रहेउ अवलम्बा।केव कृपा आपकी अम्बा॥
करहु कृपा सोइ मातु भवानी।दुखित दीन निज दासहि जानी॥
पुत्र करहिं अपराध बहूता।तेहि न धरई चित माता॥
राखु लाज जननि अब मेरी।विनय करउं भांति बहु तेरी॥
मैं अनाथ तेरी अवलंबा।कृपा करउ जय जय जगदंबा॥
मधुकैटभ जो अति बलवाना।बाहुयुद्ध विष्णु से ठाना॥
समर हजार पाँच में घोरा।फिर भी मुख उनसे नहीं मोरा॥
मातु सहाय कीन्ह तेहि काला।बुद्धि विपरीत भई खलहाला॥
तेहि ते मृत्यु भई खल केरी।पुरवहु मातु मनोरथ मेरी॥
चंड मुण्ड जो थे विख्याता।क्षण महु संहारे उन माता॥
रक्त बीज से समरथ पापी।सुरमुनि हदय धरा सब काँपी॥
काटेउ सिर जिमि कदली खम्बा।बारबार बिन वउं जगदंबा॥
जगप्रसिद्ध जो शुंभनिशुंभा।क्षण में बाँधे ताहि तू अम्बा॥
भरतमातु बुद्धि फेरेऊ जाई।रामचन्द्र बनवास कराई॥
एहिविधि रावण वध तू कीन्हा।सुर नरमुनि सबको सुख दीन्हा॥
को समरथ तव यश गुन गाना।निगम अनादि अनंत बखाना॥
विष्णु रुद्र जस कहिन मारी।जिनकी हो तुम रक्षाकारी॥
रक्त दन्तिका और शताक्षी।नाम अपार है दानव भक्षी॥
दुर्गम काज धरा पर कीन्हा।दुर्गा नाम सकल जग लीन्हा॥
दुर्ग आदि हरनी तू माता।कृपा करहु जब जब सुखदाता॥
नृप कोपित को मारन चाहे।कानन में घेरे मृग नाहे॥
सागर मध्य पोत के भंजे।अति तूफान नहिं कोऊ संगे॥
भूत प्रेत बाधा या दुःख में।हो दरिद्र अथवा संकट में॥
नाम जपे मंगल सब होई।संशय इसमें करई न कोई॥
पुत्रहीन जो आतुर भाई।सबै छांड़ि पूजें एहि भाई॥
करै पाठ नित यह चालीसा।होय पुत्र सुन्दर गुण ईशा॥
धूपादिक नैवेद्य चढ़ावै।संकट रहित अवश्य हो जावै॥
भक्ति मातु की करैं हमेशा।निकट न आवै ताहि कलेशा॥
बंदी पाठ करें सत बारा।बंदी पाश दूर हो सारा॥
रामसागर बाँधि हेतु भवानी।कीजै कृपा दास निज जानी॥
॥दोहा मातु सूर्य कान्ति तव, अन्धकार मम रूप।
डूबन से रक्षा करहु परूँ न मैं भव कूप॥
बलबुद्धि विद्या देहु मोहि, सुनहु सरस्वती मातु।
राम सागर अधम को आश्रय तू ही देदातु॥

Meaning:-

Victory to she who is the strength of wisdom,

Victory to the indestructible god, who knows everything,

Victory to her, who holds Veena in her hand,

Who always travels on a divine swan.

Whose form is the four armed mother,

Who is famous all over the world,

In this world when there is a sinful thought,

Then comes the  tasteless flame of Dharma.

Then the mother will take an incarnation,

And she would make us sinless stars,

Through your blessings people knew about,

The great wise sage called Valmiki,

And the Ramayana was written by him ,

And he was called the primeval poet.

Oh mother, through your merciful look,

Kalidas became very famous.

Thulasi das and Sur das  became wise men,?

And did not have any one else but you to support,

Oh mother this is definitely your mercy.

Mercy is shown by her who is mother Bhavani

And this is known  and real devotees will know

The son does lot of mistakes,

But you wear a mind that is pretty, mother.

Oh mother now I am keeping this shame of mine,

And humbly salute you in various ways,

I am endlessly dependent on you,

Please show me your mercy, Oh mother of the world.

The asuras Madhu and Kadidab were extremely powerful,

And they wrestled with Maha Vishnu till he was tested,

And the  horrible war went on for thousands of years,

But still Lord Vishnu was not able to defeat them.

Oh mother , At last Lord Vishnu requested for help

And told That I did not do it earlier because of ignorance,

For the death  of these brothers has to come by you only,

And I should have expressed this wish to you earlier.

Within a second  in the war , Oh mother you killed,

Chanda and Munda who were very famous warriors,

There was The great sinner  called Raktha Bheeja,

And hearing about him, devas and sages shivered with fear.

And Oh mother cut off his head very easily,

And again and again you did this, Oh mother of universe,

The Shumbh and Nishumbh  who were world renowned,

And Oh mother you killed them both within no time.

The mind of the mother of Bharatha was spoiled,

And Sri Ramahandra went and lived in the forest,

And  due to this, you made the death of Ravana happen,

And this is being told  by all devas, men and sages.

Without singing your praise  none becomes able,

Is the conclusion drawn from time immemorial,

And for this Lord Vishnu and  Lord Shiva are witness,

For you are the patron who protects them also.

You are called as Rakth Danthika and Sathakshi ,

And this was because you ate very many asuras,

To  those  who take the name of Durga in this world,

There are never any problems  in this world.

You are the destroyer of difficulties in this world, Oh mother,

Please take mercy on us as and when we need , oh giver of joy .

When the king became angry and wanted to kill,

Or in the Forest where very cruel animals are there,

Or when one is stranded in the middle of the ocean,

Or when we re caught in a furious cyclone,

Or when we are tortured by devils and ghosts,

Or in poverty or when we are sad,

On Chanting the her names all good would happen,

And there need not be any doubt about his,

For a ll those who do not have sons or if they are in danger,

The only method  for all of them is Worship of Chandi.

By reading this forty verse prayer daily,

One would get a pretty son with good character,

By offering incense  and Naivedhya to her,

They would definitely get rid of their sorrow.Be always show devotion to mother,

And then problems will never come close to you,

If the imprisoned one reads this seven times,

All the ties binding him will go far away.

The goddess Bhavani is like the Ocean of Rama,

And would always  show mercy to her devotes.

Doha

Mother you shine like the Sun God,

And darkness is my real form,

Please save me from drowning ,

So that I can cross this well of miseries,

I desire that you give me strength, wisdom and knowledge,

And please hear my prayer, oh mother Saraswathi,

You are  the immeasurable ocean of Rama,

And only you can be depended upon to cross it.

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