UPSC Prelims 2026 Q13: Rigvedic River Names Vitasta, Asikni, Parushni
Which of the following pairs of ancient and modern names of rivers is/are correctly matched?
1. Vitasta : Chenab
2. Asikni : Jhelum
3. Parushni : Ravi
4. Yavyavati : Beas
- 1 and 2
- 3 and 4
- 3 only
- 4 only
Answer: (c) 3 only
Statement-wise explanation
- 1: incorrect — Vitasta is the ancient name of the Jhelum, not the Chenab. The Greeks called the same river the Hydaspes, where Alexander fought Porus in 326 BCE. The Vedic name for the Chenab is Asikni. This pair swaps the names of two neighbouring rivers.
- 2: incorrect — Asikni is the Rigvedic name of the Chenab, not the Jhelum. The Greeks called the Chenab the Acesines. The Jhelum's ancient name is Vitasta, so this is the other half of the same swap made in pair 1.
- 3: correct — Parushni is the Rigvedic name of the Ravi, which was later called Iravati (Greek: Hydraotes). The Rigveda (Mandala 7, hymn 18) places the Battle of the Ten Kings on the Parushni. In that battle, Sudas, king of the Bharatas, defeated a group of ten tribes.
- 4: incorrect — The Vedic name of the Beas is Vipas (later Vipasha; Greek: Hyphasis). Yavyavati appears only once in the Rigveda (6.27.6). Scholars usually place it west of the Indus, and Michael Witzel identifies it with the Zhob river of Baluchistan. It is not a name for the Beas.
How to eliminate
Pairs 1 and 2 are mirror images of each other. Vitasta is matched with Chenab, and Asikni is matched with Jhelum. If you know that Vitasta is the Jhelum, both pairs fail together, and the option with 1 and 2 drops out. The festival 'Vitasta – The Festival of Kashmir' and the Greek name Hydaspes both point to the Jhelum. Three options are left, and they all turn on pairs 3 and 4. Parushni = Ravi is the best-known Vedic river name, because the Battle of the Ten Kings was fought on it. Once you know that, the option '4 only' drops out. The last choice, between '3 only' and '3 and 4', needs one fact: the Beas is Vipas/Vipasha. Yavyavati is an obscure river that is hard to place. An unfamiliar name in a match-the-pair question is often the distractor. Facts to remember: Shutudri–Sutlej, Vipas–Beas, Parushni–Ravi, Asikni–Chenab, Vitasta–Jhelum.
Know more
Rivers of the Rigveda. Most Rigvedic hymns were composed in the Sapta Sindhu, the 'land of seven rivers': the Indus, its Punjab tributaries and the Sarasvati. The Nadistuti Sukta (RV 10.75) praises rivers roughly in order from east to west: Ganga, Yamuna, Sarasvati, Shutudri, Parushni, Asikni, Marudvridha, Vitasta, Arjikiya and Sushoma. It then names the western rivers that join the Indus.
| Rigvedic name | Later / Greek name | Modern river |
|---|---|---|
| Sindhu | Indos | Indus |
| Vitasta | Hydaspes | Jhelum |
| Asikni | Chandrabhaga / Acesines | Chenab |
| Parushni | Iravati / Hydraotes | Ravi |
| Vipas | Vipasha / Hyphasis | Beas |
| Shutudri | Shatadru / Zaradros | Sutlej |
| Kubha | Kophen | Kabul |
| Suvastu | — | Swat |
| Krumu | — | Kurram |
| Gomati | — | Gomal |
| Drishadvati | — | Chautang (generally accepted) |
Episodes linked to these rivers:
- Battle of the Ten Kings (dasharajna) was fought on the Parushni (Ravi). Sudas of the Bharata clan, guided by Vasishtha, defeated a group of ten tribes (RV 7.18).
- In RV 3.33, the sage Vishvamitra speaks to the Vipas (Beas) and Shutudri (Sutlej) where they meet and asks them to let the Bharatas cross.
- Yavyavati appears in RV 6.27, in a battle story. Its location is uncertain. Witzel places it at the Zhob in Baluchistan.
Order from west to east (memory aid): Jhelum – Chenab – Ravi – Beas – Sutlej, or Vitasta – Asikni – Parushni – Vipas – Shutudri. Under the Indus Waters Treaty (1960), the three eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) went to India and the three western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) went to Pakistan.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- Battle of Ten Kings: Pair 3 rests on knowing the Rigveda places the Battle of the Ten Kings on the Parushni, which links that ancient name to a specific river.
- Bharatas: Sudas, king of the Bharatas, won his victory on the Parushni, so knowing this Rigvedic story helps you work out which modern river pair 3 names.
- Indus river: All four pairs name Indus tributaries, and Yavyavati in pair 4 is usually placed west of the Indus, unlike the Punjab rivers.
- Indus Waters Treaty: The treaty divides the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Beas, so knowing these modern names helps you check the ancient names in pairs 1 to 4.