1(a). The river Sarasvatī in the Ṛgveda-saṃhitā (Introduction)

The Ṛgvedasaṃhitā is a book of poetry which is fundamentally lyrical. The whole gamut of its poetry is the poetry of nature. Nature was the vital source of inspiration for the Vedic seers. For them, it was not an inert insensate, brute matter, but was rather endowed with conscious life. The beauty and sublimity of the natural phenomena awoke in them a consciousness of rare powers and moral obligations to make noble use of them. Nature, as the subject matter of poetry, is described in various ways. The first and formost way, in which nature is described in poetry, is as an object of love. Nature, as the subject matter of poetry, has found its expression in the form of personification in the Ṛgvedasaṃhitā.

Personification is a device by which nature or any insensate object, or any abstract idea is given human personality and is depicted, as if it is a human being in both acting and feeling. In the Ṛgvedic poetry, the personification of nature has advanced to that extent where human limbs have been ascribed to its phenomena. Due to their intimate relation with the various phenomena of nature, the Vedic poets have given life to them. The Vedic poets called the phenomena of nature as their father, mother, brother, friend and so on so forth. Almost in every maṇḍala of the Ṛgvedasaṃhitā, the beautiful description of the sun, dawn, wind, rain, sky lightning etc., are found. Due to their keen love for nature, its phenomena have become gods and goddesses to the Vedic poets. The sun, the wind, the lightning, the fire, the sky etc., were gods, and dawn, rivers, night, earth etc., were goddesses. So, for the Vedic poets, nature is also a divine entity. The poet addresses the various phenomena of nature as gods and goddesses. Among them, the sky, as the home of light, is personified a dyaus. Again, as an all encompassing phenomenon, the sky is personified as Varuṇa. The sun has been personified variously, viz. Sūrya, Mitra, Savitṛ, Puṣan, Viṣṇu, Vivasvat etc. Water of the sky has been personified as an impetuous warrior. Several rivers are personified and invoked as deities in the Ṛgvedasaṃhitā.

Among the rivers of the Ṛgvedasaṃhitā, the only names of frequent occurrences are those of the Sindhu and the Sarasvatī. Sarasvatī is one of the seven rivers. These seven rivers are called seven precious objects.^[1] Sarasvatī is regarded as most celebrated among the rivers and invoked in three full hymns^[2] and numerous other passages. These rivers are worshipped by the devotees and asked for various cherished boons, wealth etc.

Rivers are connected with the Mother Goddess cult from time immemorial. The rivers are generally conceived as females and are regarded as Mother Goddess. Sarasvatī is also worshipped as Mother Goddess. She is celebrated as the prominent mother-deity in the Ṛgvedasaṃhitā. Sarasvatī, once a river of immense importance to the Ṛgvedic people, is spoken of very highly in the Ṛgvedasaṃhitā. In the Vedas, Sarasvatī is primarily a river, but is celebrated in the hymns both as a river and a deity. According to Yāskācārya^[3], Sarasvatī is celebrated both as a river and as a deity. She was no doubt, primarily a river deity, as her name, ‘the watery,’ clearly denotes and in this capacity, she is celebrated in a few separate passages. The hymns in praise of the river Sarasvatī in the Ṛgvedasaṃhitā and the homage paid to her indicates that the she was not always regarded as a mere river, there is a latent belief in a presiding deity over the river. Originally a terrestrial river, later on, Sarasvatī was ascribed with divine character on account of the sanctity of its waters and was conceived as Vāk and then as the goddess of speech. Her mythological indentification with the tongues of Brahmā and Viṣṇu also underlines her identification with speech or creative sound. Vāk has fifty seven names. Sarasavatī is one of the fifty seven names of Vāk. In the later period, her association with a river is deemphasized and her association with speech, poetry, music and culture is affirmed. Her position as Vāk, which is recognized in the Brāhmaṇas, finds no mention in the Ṛgvedasaṃhitā.

Vedic seers took Sarasvatī to be a goddess at first and later on projected their concepts into a solid and physical from, i.e. a terrestrial river. The Vedic seers probably proceeded from Sarasvatī’s physical account to a subtler notion. She is regarded as the best among the rivers of the country,^[4] and attracts the attention of the Vedic Aryans. The seers who dwell along its banks might have been impressed towards it for its mighty stream, rhythmic flow, congenial waters and the like and they started praise for her. She occupied a very pious place even in the sacrifices also. Her anthropomorphic feature is possible only in its capacity of a river rather than of a goddess or the like.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

janiṣṭa hi jenyo agre ahnāṃ hiteṣvaruṣo vaneṣu | damedame śapta ratnā dadhāno’gnirhotā ni ṣasādā yajīyān || Ṛgveda Saṃhitā, 5.1.5; 6.74.1

[2]:

Ibid.,6.61;7.95;7.96

[3]:

tatra sarasvatītye tasya nadīvaddevatācca nigamā bhavanti | Nirukta, 2.23

[4]:

ambitame nadītame devitame sarasvatī | apraśastā iva smasi praśastimaṃba naskṛdhi || Ṛgveda Saṃhitā, 2.41.16