Rig Vedic rivers
Topic: The Vedic Age · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Ṛigveda names many rivers of the northwest of the subcontinent, where its earliest hymns were composed. The main rivers, with their Vedic and modern names, are:
- Sindhu: Indus
- Sarasvatī
- Śhutudri: Sutlej
- Vipāś: Beas
- Paruṣhṇī: Ravi
- Asiknī: Chenab
- Vitastā: Jhelum
The Sarasvatī is praised as the best of rivers and as a mother and goddess. The Ganga and Yamuna are mentioned only a few times. This shows that early Vedic life was centred in the northwest, not in the Ganga plains.
Example
The Nadīstuti ('praise of rivers') hymn in Book 10 of the Ṛigveda lists the rivers in order from east to west. It begins with the Ganga and Yamuna and moves towards the Sindhu. The Battle of Ten Kings, described in Book 7, was fought near the Paruṣhṇī (Ravi).
Don't confuse with
- Modern Punjab's five rivers: Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. In Vedic usage, adding the Indus and the Sarasvatī to these five gives the Sapta Sindhu, the 'seven rivers'.