By Swami Harshananda
Oghavati literally means ‘that which flows fast’.
The famous Vedic river Sarasvatī is said to be seven in number. They are:
- Suprabhā
- Kāñcanākṣī
- Viśālā
- Manoramā
- Sarasvatī
- Oghavatī
- Sureṇu
These may be the seven names of the same river of which Oghavatī is also the one. The purāṇas and the epics sometimes describe that Sarasvatī, the divine river, manifested itself in seven places at different times due to being invited by prayerful ṛṣis or sages. Oghavati was one of them that appeared in Kurukṣetra due to Vasiṣṭha’s prayer. On the bank of this river, the grandsire Bhīṣma lay on his bed of arrows and gave the great discourse contained in the Śāntiparva of the Mahābhārata.[1]
References[edit]
- ↑ Śalyaparva 38.4
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore