River goddess in Hindu mythology

 River Goddesses in Hindu Mythology

Rivers have played a pivotal role in the evolution of Indian civilization. During ancient times when technology was not as advanced as it is today, people used to dwell along river banks for easy access to water that would be used for drinking, bathing, irrigation, transportation, and also as a food source. In India, all the rivers except the Brahmaputra, are revered as goddesses for their feminine nature of sustaining life.

 

River goddess in Hindu mythology

 

Rivers have played an important role in the development of Indian civilization. In ancient times when technology was not as advanced as it is today, people lived along river banks for easy access to water, which was used for drinking, bathing, irrigation, transportation and also as a food source. In India, all rivers except the Brahmaputra are worshiped as goddesses for their feminine nature of sustaining life.

India not only takes its name from the Indus River (Sindhu), but is also the foundation of Hinduism, the faith practiced by the majority of the country's population. According to the Vedas, the Saptanadi or seven sacred rivers of the subcontinent are the Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Sindhu or Sindhu, Narmada, Godavari and Kaveri. Of these, Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati also play important roles as river goddesses in Hindu mythology.

Ganga

 

Goddess Ganga is often depicted as fair skinned, sitting on a crocodile, holding a water lily in one hand and the musical instrument Lute in the other. As it is considered to be the purest river, there are many stories of its origin in Hindu mythology, but the most popular one is the one in which Lord Shiva uses his matted locks to control its fierce water streams while descending to earth.

 

The story of Ganga's descent to earth begins with Lord Rama's ancestor, King Sagar's desire to sacrifice a horse to appease the gods and gain more power. Fearing that he would be overthrown, Lord Indra, the king of the gods, stole the horse that was to be sacrificed and tied it outside the monastery of sage Kapil. Realizing that his horse was missing, the king sent his sons in search of it.

After searching for some time, the princes found him at the sage's residence. They assumed that Rishi had stolen it and started verbally abusing him while trying to free the horse. Fed up with their unruly behaviour, the sage used his yogic powers and burnt them to ashes.

 

Concerned, King Sagar requested his grandson, Prince Anshuman, to search for the princes. As soon as he reached Rishi Kapil's ashram, he found a pile of ashes and a horse and understood what had happened. Anshuman met the sage, begged him for forgiveness and asked for the salvation of the dead princes.

The sage claimed that only Goddess Ganga, who lived in heaven, could wash away his sins and liberate him. Prince Anshuman and his son Dilip tried many times to please Lord Brahma, but all in vain. However, Anshuman's grandson Prince  Bhagirathan performed rigorous penance and convinced God to send Goddess Ganga to earth. Brahma agreed, but Ganga thought it was an insult to descend to earth. He resolved to increase his currents of water so much that it could destroy anything that came in its path.

Lord Shiva with Ganga in his matted hair Prince Bhagirathan realized his power and prayed to Lord Shiva to let the river flow through his matted hair. Pleased, Lord Shiva absorbed Goddess Ganga in his hair and was called Ganaga dharan.

When Ganga finally descended from heaven, the water touched the ashes, and all the ancestors of King Bhagirathan attained salvation. Even today, thousands of people visit the river to purify themselves and pray for the forgiveness of their sins. She also appears in the famous epic Mahabharata as the wife of King Shantanu and mother of Bhishma.

Yamuna

 

Yamuna is the second most revered river in Hinduism and a major tributary of the Ganges. She is depicted as having a dark skin complexion, holding a pot in her arms, and standing on a turtle.

In Hindu mythology, she is the daughter of Surya, the sun god, and Sanjana, the goddess of dawn and clouds and twin sister of Yama, the god of death. The story of Yamuna's birth is quite interesting.

Surya's wife Sanjana could not tolerate the bright light emanating from her husband. Despite being told not to protest, she couldn't help but doze off, as the sun's rays were extremely powerful. He felt insulted and declared that his son would be called Yama, meaning restraint, and his daughter would be called Yamuna, which would be worshiped till the end.

 

Due to its bright rays, Sanjana could no longer bear to live with the Sun and left its shadow, i.e. Chhaya, in its place. After Chhaya gives birth to her own children, she begins to misbehave with Yama and Yamuna. Fed up with being treated badly, Yama kicked Chaya's feet. She felt offended and cursed him that his feet would rot, be infested with maggots, and no one could save him from the curse.

Yamuna could not see her brother being put to death, so she descended to earth and began to pray for him with all her heart and soul. After realizing that she could not save him, she became so distressed that her tears formed into a river and began destroying life on the planet. This river came to be known and worshiped as 'Yamuna'.

 As Yamuna cried uncontrollably, the gods and goddesses realized that she was stuck in time. Night did not exist, and there was only one day which went on forever, i.e. 'today'. So, he decided to create darkness, and for the first time, sunset. With time, Yamuna gradually overcomes her grief and recovers. The river, which was created by the flow of her tears, became calm and instead became a source of life and livelihood.

Saraswasti

 

Goddess Saraswati is often depicted in Hinduism wearing a white sari, holding a veena, a book, a rosary and a vessel in four arms, and seated on a lotus by a river. These symbols depict many of the goddess's attributes, including wisdom, truth, knowledge and speech. She is a member of the trinity of goddesses along with Lakshmi and Parvati, parallel to the trinity of gods consisting of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh (Shiva).

In the Rigveda, Saraswati is depicted as the river of knowledge. It is believed that the creator Lord Brahma attempted to create the universe, but realized that due to his lack of knowledge and planning the entire universe fell into disarray. As he wished to attain true knowledge, Goddess Saraswati emerged from his mouth. He helped him create the universe in an organized manner. After this she turned into a river and spread knowledge as she flowed but with the passage of centuries she dried up.

According to the Padma Purana, the fight between Brahmins and Kshatriyas led to widespread bloodshed and destruction. As a result, a fire called Vadava-Agni was born. It consumed everything that came in its path. The gods sought help from Lord Shiva, who was deeply troubled by the devastation caused to the planet. Shiva felt that it would be a good idea to request Goddess Saraswati to immerse the Vadava-Agni in the ocean.

When they reached Saraswati, she refused to comply unless the request came from Brahma. Therefore, Brahma asked him to turn into a river and take the fire to the ocean. She transformed herself into the river Saraswati and arose from the sacred fig tree Plaksha. She flows north towards Pushkar and then finally enters the sea, where she extinguishes the great fire.

Also Read : About Some Topic Mahabharata.  

These stories highlight how Hindu mythology explains the key principles and concepts of life in the Vedas in a simple way. The mythological stories of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati provide lessons that can be applied in real life as well. For example, the story of Ganga teaches us about ambition, strength and detachment, while Yamuna's story is about devotion to her brother and healing over time. Saraswati teaches us that every problem has a solution if it is approached with courage. point where three rivers meet

 

The confluence in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh is known as 'Triveni Sangam' and is considered a holy place where one can attain salvation.