Story of Sārasvata

An ancient hermit. It is mentioned in Mahābhārata, Śalya Parva, Chapter 51, Verse 7, that Sārasvata was the son of Dadhīca. Dadhīca once happened to see the celestial maid Alambuṣā and became excited, and seminal discharge occurred to him. The semen fell in the river Sarasvatī. The river became pregnant and delivered a child. This child grew up and became the famous hermit named Sārasvata.

After the death of the hermit Dadhīci, due to scarcity of rain a great famine occurred which lasted for twelve years. When the famine became unbearable all the hermits on the basin and banks of the river Sarasvatī began to migrate to other places leaving all their possessions behind, to save their lives. But Sārasvata alone remained on the banks of Sarasvatī, living on fish obtained from the river, engaged in meditation and study of Vedas.

After twelve years the famine ended and the country became prosperous as before. The hermits who had gone to other places began to come back to their hermitages. The desire to study Vedas grew up in their minds. But there was not a single person, well-versed in the Vedas, except Sārasvata. So all the hermits accepted him as their teacher. Thus Sārasvata taught the Vedas to Sixtythousand hermits, who had returned to their hermitages. (Mahābhārata Śalya Parva, Chapter 50).

In course of time the place where the hermitage of Sārasvata stood, became famous under the name Sārasvata tīrtha. Tuṅgakāraṇya is another name of this place. (Mahābhārata Vana Parva, Chapter 83, Verses 43-50).

In ancient days there were two schemes of study known as 'Kāṇḍānukramapāṭha' and 'Sārasvatapāṭha' for the Taittirīya-collection (Saṃhitā). But today the Kāṇḍānukramapāṭha has become quite extinct. The following is a description, given in Śaṃskāraratnamālā stating how the 'Sārasvatapāṭha' attained so vigorous a vogue.

Once owing to the curse of the hermit Durvāsas, the river Sarasvatī took birth as a woman in the house of a Brahmin, who belonged to the Gotra of Ātreya. Later from that same Brahmin she conceived and gave birth to a son named Sārasvata. The river Sarasvatī herself, taught her son the Vedas completely, and then sent him to Kurukṣetra to do penance. As a result of the penance Sārasvata got an original Kramapāṭha (serial lessons) of the Taittirīya saṃhitā. He taught those serial lessons to his disciples. In course of time these serial lessons got the name Sārasvatapāṭha. which earned metaphysical and philosophical importance.