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On the occasion of Saraswati River Pushkaras from 15th May to 26th, 2025
Saraswati River: Its Role in Ancient Indian Beliefs
Since the time of ancient civilizations, the river Saraswati like the Ganges and the Yamuna is the most sacred river although it flows as an inner channel. The reference of the river Saraswati is found in the Rigveda, Srimad Bhagavatam, the Brahmanda Purana, the Brahmavaivarta Purana, the Devi Bhagavatam, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.
In these sources, there are many mythological stories about the creation and glory of the river Saraswati.
The Words of Lord Brahma
There is an interesting story about the creation of the Saraswati in the Brahmanda Purana. Once Lord Brahma, the Creator went to Kailasam and discussed various issues for some time with Lord Shiva. During the discussion, Lord Brahma said: ‘I will find your Linga Rupa the beginning and the end. Lord Shiva accepted it. Lord Brahma set out to find Lord Shiva’s beginning and the end. He went to Pathala and ‘urdva lokas’ but He could not find Lord Shiva’s beginning and the end. He returned to Lord Shiva.
While looking at Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva questioned: Have you found My beginning and the end? Lord Brahma felt that He would be insulted if He had admitted that He could not find it. So, He replied: I have seen Your beginning and the end. Lord Shiva realized that Lord Brahma was lying. Lord Shiva, who was angry, cursed Lord Brahma. He said: ‘Your speech, i.e., Saraswati, would turn into a river and flow on the earth.’
The Origin from the Brahma Lake
According to the Mahabharata, the Saraswati river originated from the Brahma Lake. Once upon a time, while the Creator, Lord Brahma was sitting in the Satya Loka, the pot containing water in His hand fell and rolled on the ground three times. At this time, the water in the pot fell in three places.
Three lakes were formed in those places. They were called the Brahma Lakes. Lord Brahma, Gayasura, Uddalaka, Vasishta, and Brihaspati performed ‘yagnas.’ During that time Goddess Saraswati went there with different names, and fulfilling their wish and started flowing as a river from the Brahmasarassu. The river is called ‘Saraswati’.
The Stage for Veda Vyas’s Writings
The banks of the Saraswati river were the stage for the writings of Sri Veda Vyasa, who separated the four Vedas and wrote the Puranas. It is said that he sat on the banks of the river Saraswati and wrote the Puranas. Sri Vyasa, who was born on the banks of the Yamuna, spent his childhood on the banks of the Ganges and the Saraswati river along with the Yamuna.
When Sri Veda Vyas was in a state of grief in the Badarika Ashram on the banks of the river Saraswati, the sage Narada came there. Seeing the sage Vyasa in gloom, Narada advised him to write the ‘Srimad Bhagavatam’ describing the glories of Lord Srimannarayana. He further said: You will find peace of mind.’ It is said that after hearing Narada’s advice, Sri Veda Vyasa composed the Srimad Bhagavatam and many other works on the banks of the river Saraswati.
It is said that the river Saraswati is very sacred. In the past, there were hundreds of holy places along this river. It is said that many people benefited by taking a bath in them. The Puranas said that the Moon had got rid of his tuberculosis by taking a bath in this river. Lord Indra also had got rid of the sin of ‘Brahmahatya.’ Moreover, the Puranas revealed that Kubera had become the Chief of wealth and Lord Varuna had become the Chief of water by taking a bath in this river.
Various Names of Saraswati River
Saraswati River is mainly known as ‘Saptasaaraswata’ along with the name Saraswati. There is a story about this. In the past, the river Saraswati attended the yagna performed by Lord Brahma with the name ‘Subhadra’.
Similarly, the Saraswati river attended the yagna performed by the great sages with the name ‘Kanakakshi’, the yagna performed by Gayasura with the name ‘Vishala’, the yagna performed by Uddalaka with the name ‘Suratanvi’, the yagna performed by Brihaspati with the name ‘Suveni’, and on another occasion, the puja performed by Lord Brahma with the name ‘Vimalodhak’. Therefore, all these names are given to the Saraswati river.
Moreover, it is said that Saraswati, who attended the seven sacrifices in this way with seven names and seven forms, acquired the names ‘Saptasaaraswata’ and ‘Saptasaaraswatam’.
The Course of the Saraswati River
History says that the Saraswati river, which flows as an internal channel, used to flow directly in the past. Moreover, evidence has been found that many civilizations, people’s homes, cities, and shrines flourished on this riverbank. Like the Ganges and the Yamuna, the Saraswati also originates in the Himalayas. The Saraswati originates in Kapali Tirtha, near Siramur in the Shivalik range of the Himalayas.
From there, the Saraswati joins Manasasarovar, where it turns and flows down the Himalayan peaks and enters the plains at Adibadri (in Ambala district). From there, it started its divine journey and joined the rivers Marakanda and Gaghur in the middle, and flowed through the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, and finally met the Arabian Sea at Prabhasa.
Although there are no traces or direct streams today, there are many historical evidences. The Aryans who lived in our country during the Vedic period lived in the ‘Saptasindhu’ region. The ‘Saptasindhu’ is the region of seven rivers namely Saraswati, Sindhu, Vitasta (Jhelum), Asikni (Chenab), Varosni (Ravi), Vipas (Beas), and Sutudri (Sutlej), which is also called ‘Aryavarta’.
Therefore, it is said that the Saraswati , which originated in the Himalayas, flows in the Aryavarta and meets the Ganges and theYamuna.
Moreover, the ‘Harappan culture’ flourished in our country before the Aryans. The settlements of this civilization, known as the Indus Valley Civilization, have been discovered not only near the Indus river but also in many excavations.
In the research conducted in 1973 by scientist R.S. Chin, who was also involved in the excavations and research of the Harappan Civilization, it is stated that one of the settlements of the Indus Valley Civilization, Banawali, was located on the banks of the Saraswati , which is evidence that the Saraswati used to flow in the past. It seems that the Saraswati, which flowed during the period of the Puranas as well as in the historical period, disappeared later.
This river might have disappeared during the ‘Mali- Vedic’ period. The proof for this is that the Mahabharata War is said to be an example of the wars that took place during the ‘Mali-Vedic’ period. It is said that the Saraswati dried up during the Mahabharata War and that Balarama, during his pilgrimage, travelled along the path of the dried up river Saraswati. It is also said that Kurukshetra was located on the banks of the Saraswati and that the Saraswati disappeared there and the name ‘Vinasana’ was coined for the area where the river disappeared.
The Story Behind the Disappreance
After the war with the demons, the gods hid their weapons in the ‘ashram’ of Dadhichi. After some time, Dadhichi wanted to go to the Himalayas to do penance and he mixed the weapons of the gods in water and made them drink. Later, when the gods went to Dadhichi and asked him to give them their weapons, he explained what had happened. Dadhichi died when the gods were angry. The gods told him to make weapons from his bones.
When Dadhichi’s son Pippalada came to know about this and thought that the gods were the reason for his father’s death, he went to Badarikashrama to take revenge on the gods and performed severe penance. Owing to that penance, ‘badabagni’ emerged from his thighs. It started destroying the gods one by one every day. With this, all the gods sought refuge in Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu persuaded ‘badabagni’ to go into the sea and drink only water to quench his thirst.
Only a virgin could take submarine fire into the sea. Therefore, Lord Brahma, the Creator took the help of His daughter Saraswati. Ganga and Yamuna also encouraged Saraswati. Saraswati agreed to it.
But what if the evil spirits touch Her and defile Her while she is flowing with the submarine fire? She asked. Lord Brahma said: ‘You have no fear. You flow from within the earth and the story goes that the Saraswati river on the earth went into the layers of the earth and flowed as an internal channel and took the submarine fire into the sea. It is said that since then the Saraswati river started flowing as an internal channel.
Although this is said in a mythological way, research has revealed that the Saraswati river disappeared due to geological changes. It seems that about 17 million years ago, a huge earthquake in the Shivalik mountain range in the Himalayas caused the Shivalik Mountains to break into pieces, damaging the existence of the river Saraswati.
Therefore, the melting of the snow stopped the flow of water into the river, and the river dried up. However, it is said that during the rainy season, it would flow for a few years and then completely dried up and disappeared.
Research on the Existence of the Saraswati River
Research on the Saraswati began in 1819. In 1972, satellite images taken by an American satellite provided evidence and added strength to the claims that the Saraswati river existed in the past. Research is still going on. In 1985, the Saraswati Research Movement was started with 18 members and efforts were made to revive the river and were somewhat successful.
It currently flows from the Shivalik Mountains in the Himalayas. A Saraswati Kund was built at Bindu Sarovaram in Badri. In 2004, lakhs of people took their holy bath there on the Shukla Paksha Panchami (Vasanta Panchami) of Magha masam.
Saraswati River Pushkaras
When the Bruhaspathi (Jupiter) enters the Mithuna Rasi (Gemini sign) Pushkaras are performed for the river Saraswati. It is said in the Rigveda that the river Saraswati is superior to twenty one rivers like the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the Indus. It is said that it is a great river that bestows wealth, children, longevity, knowledge, fame, and immortality to the people.
