IAS exam preparation - Saraswathi River

Saraswathi River

 

Context:

 

  • Asserting that understanding the close link between geography and civilisation, noted economist, author and historian Sanjeev Sanyal recently highlighted the critical role River Saraswati played in our civilisational existence.
  • “There is a close link between our geography and our civilization. This helps us to understand the fundamentals of our ancient civilization,” Mr Sanjeev Sanyal, Principal Economic Advisor to the Government of India, said speaking at the National Youth Festival 2022 on the topic “Saraswati-The River That Gave Birth to Indian Civilization”.
  • Talking about the forgotten and lesser known history of River Saraswati and a critical role it played in our civilisational existence, he quashed some of the persistent myths about India. He spoke about the “actual proof of the River Saraswati as referenced across ancient Hindu texts.” 
  • He also showed actual maps and satellite imagery to buttress his viewpoint. He also spoke of the “Sapt Sindhu” and the rise of the Indic civilization.

 

About Saraswathi River

  • Sarasvati Riveris a deified river mentioned in the Rig Veda and later Vedic and post-Vedic texts. It played an important role in the Vedic religion, appearing in all but the fourth book of the Rigveda.
  • As a physical river, in the oldest texts of the Rig Veda she is described as a “great and holy river in north-western India,”
  • But in the middle and late Rig Vedic books she is described as a small river ending in “a terminal lake (samudra).”
  • As the goddess Sarasvati, the other referent for the term “Sarasvati” which developed into an independent identity in post-Vedic times.
  • She is also described as a powerful river and mighty flood. The Sarasvati is also considered by Hindusto exist in a metaphysical form, in which it formed a confluence with the sacred rivers Ganges and Yamuna, at the Triveni Sangam.

Source: THE HINDU.