Sarasvati River

[Guest guest]

Regarding the Sarasvati River, Jaya Vijaya who wrote the Ganga book sent me the

following information:

 

There is a common understanding that whenever and wherever Ganga and Yamuna

join, then Sarasvati is also there, and visa-versa at times!

 

The Brahma-vaivarta Purana explains why Sarasvati no longer exists in her

full glory: When Ganga-devi cursed Sarasvati-devi to become a river here on

Mrtyuloka, one of the conditions was that she would only remain on earth as

long as rishis and other great sages performed tapasya on her banks. Since

we are now in Kali-yuga, there are no longer these great souls performing

austerities, so she vanished.

 

There are many dried-up river banks of the Sarasvati that flow a little

during the monsoon. I recall only a few: one near Panipat (Haryana); near

Northern Gujarat; and of course in Prahbasa-tirtha/ksetra or Sind, where

Krsna and Balarama left this mortal world.

 

The Sarasvati in the Mana-Badarinath area, that so beautifully flows and

originates somewhere from Tibetan/China (according the locals), is the only

actual flowing Sarasvati to be physically seen today. Personally, where she

joins the Alakananda at Kesava-prayaga is my favorite Himalayan bathing area.

Words can’t describe her beauty when the sun is shinning fully. We know that

the Vyasadeva’s original asrama is situated in Uttara-Badari, which is in

another realm and inaccessible to humans. It’s mentioned in the SB (1.4.15)

that Vyasa’s asrama is on the western banks of the Sarasvati. The current

Vyasa-gufa/asrama in Mana, where most pilgrims/tourists visit, is an

expansion of the original asrama and is located on the eastern bank of the

Sarasvati. So it may possible that the present day Sarasvati River that we

see in Mana at Kesava-prayaga is an expansion of the one mentioned in the SB?

 

“They” always say Sarasvati is mystical at Prayaga, but just go to the

Himalayas and see for your self! Scientists claim that there is an

underground source of the Sarasvati. If that is true, then she has a double

appearance at the Triveni. The more the better! Just as some demigods take

various human forms during the Kumbha-melas, it may be possible she also

personally appears during the Kumbha-melas in a different form, as with

Ganga-devi and Yamuna-devi.

 

As mentioned in the Puranas, when Kali-yuga progresses in sinful life, Ganga

will finally disappear from this planet (in 5,000 years or so), and then all

other scared rivers and tirthas will also vanish and hide until next

Satya-yuga. In one way, Sarasvati is fortunate being already gone except in

the Himalayas!

 

In our travels, we’ve had darshan of 5 different Triveni-sangamas/ghatas (and

there must be many more):

 

1) Prayaga-raja or Triveni-sangama: The Sarasvati joins the Alakananda at

Kesava-prayaga@Mana-Badarinath and then they join the Bhagirathi at

Deva-prayaga (becoming the Ganga). Then they travel through Rishikesh,

Haridvara, Sukatala, Soro-ksetra, Kanyakubja, Bithur and finally Prayaga

where they join the Yamuna.

 

2) Rishikesh or Triveni-ghata: The Ganga and Sarasvati are already together

flowing down from Mana. Near the banks of the Ganga in Rishikesh there is

Rishi-kund which is non-different from the Yamuna, thus becoming

Triveni-ghata.

 

3) Gangani or Jamadagni’s asrama: On the banks of the Yamuna in Gangani in

the Himalayas there is Jamadagni Rishi-kunda which is non-different than

Gomukh-jala. Just opposite Gangani is another large river (I can’t recall

the Garhwali name) that is considered Sarasvati, thus another Triveni-sangama.

 

4) Saptagrama or Triveni-ghata: In Saptagrama (West Bengal, just south of

Kalna and Jirat) there is another Triveni where the seven sages performed

tapasya. Ganga, Yamuna and Sarasvati eternally flow there and Lord Nityananda

visited this place.

 

5) Mayapura Dhama or Antardvipa: The Ganga & Yamuna are already flowing

together coming from Prayaga. The Ganga flows on the Mayapura side and the

Yamuna flows in the Navadvipa township side. Then they meet the Jalangi,

which is also the Sarasvati, thus creating the original Triveni-sangama

known today as Hular-ghata.

 

Also see:

http://www.stephen-knapp.com/recent_research_on_the_sarasvati_river.htm

 

In service of Srimati Vrinda Devi,

Deena Bandhu dasa