Talk:Nadī
By Swami Harshananda
nadī (‘[water that flows] by making sound,’ ‘river’)
Rivers have always been looked upon, in the Hindu scriptures, with awe and reverence. They have also been—at least the major ones—deified and accepted as goddesses. This may be because they are sources of life-giving water (not only for drinking but also for raising crops). Again, their banks provided the ṛṣis and munis (sages) with a congenial place for practising austerities. This might have led to the belief that bathing in them purifies not only the body but also the mind.
The Rgveda itself mentions 20 rivers by name (vide 5.53.9; 10.64.9; 10.75.5,6) and refers to another 99 flowing rivers later (10.104.8).
If a flowing water has to be called a ‘nadī’ or river it had to be at least of a length of 8000 dhanus (14.4 kms.).
Only the nadīs that flowed directly into the sea were considered holy or pure enough for taking a bath.
In the Rgveda (10.75.5-6) there is a Nadīstuti, a eulogy of seven important rivers. They are: Gañgā, Yamunā, Saras-vatī, Śutudrī, Paruṣṇī, Marudvṛdhā and Arjikīyā.
In this verse itself, three more rivers are also mentioned: Asikni, Vitastā and Suṣomā.
The rivers Gaṅgā and Yamunā are very much there even now and command great reverence from the Hindus.
Sarasvatl, once a mighty river, is
believed to have disappeared underground, probably around 2000 B. C.
The other rivers have been identified by the scholars of Indology as follows: ancient present
Arjīkīyā Vipāśā
Asiknī Chenab
Marudvṛdhā Maruvārdvān Paruṣṇī Rāvī
Suṣomā Sohān
Śutudrī Sutlej
Vitastā Jhelum
The Rgveda also mentions the Sapta-sindhus (seven great rivers) vide 1.32.12; 1.34.8; 4.28.1; 10.43.3) which are the same as the Sindhu (Indus), Sarasvatī and the five rivers of Punjab.
Even in the modern days, seven rivers are highly venerated and their presence invoked into the water used for pujā or ritualistic worship. They are: Gaṅgā, Yamunā, Godāvarī, Sarasvatī, Narmadā, Sindhu and Kāverī.
Water is the greatest gift of God to living beings. Rivers and lakes are the lifeline of a nation. According to the purāṇas, a sage Tundila by name, worshipped Śiva, the great God, and became one of his aspects, viz., water. He came to be called Puṣkara or Water-god. When Brahmā created this world he took the help of Puṣkara, as also Bṛhaspati, the sage-preceptor of the gods. According to the arrangement arrived at among them, whenever Bṛhaspati (represented by the planet Guru or Jupiter) enters a particular zodiacal sign, a particular river becomes a ‘Puṣkara,’ charged with the divine power of all the gods. This happens once in 12
years for each of the twelve rivers mentioned in the purāṇas. And, that power will last for 12 days. So, whosoever takes a
dip in that river at its puṣkara-period, is benefited immensely in the spiritual sense.
The following table serves as a guide for the puṣkaras of important rivers:
When Brhaspati Puskara enters the zodiac commences for 1. Mesa (Aries) Gañgā 2. Vrsabha (Taurus) Narmadā 3. Mithuna (Gemini) Sarasvatī 4. Karkātaka (Cancer) Yamunā 5. Siiiiha (Leo) Godāvarī 6. Kanyā (Virgo) Kṛṣṇā 7. Tulā (Libra) Kāverī 8. Vṛścika (Scorpio) Tāmrapami 9. Dhanus (Sagittarius) Sindhu 10. Makara (Capricorn) Tuñgabhadrā 11. Kumbha (Aquarine) Bhīmarathī 12. Mīna (Pisces) Pranahitā (Tapatī)
Naturally, during these periods of Puṣkara of a particular river, thousands of devout people gather there, to have a ceremonial dip in that river and earn religious merit.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore