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River
River

A river is a natural stream of water, usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean, a lake, or another stream. In some cases a river flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water....
s play a prominent part in the hymns of the Rigveda
Rigveda

The Rigveda is an ancient Indian subcontinent sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns dedicated to the Rigvedic deities . It is counted among the four canonical sacred texts of Hinduism known as the Vedas....
, and consequently in early Vedic religion
Historical Vedic religion

The religion of the Vedic period is the historical predecessor of Hinduism. Its liturgy is reflected in the Mantra portion of the four Vedas, which are compiled in Sanskrit....
.

central history of the Rigveda is that of Indra
Indra

Indra is the god of War and Weather, also the King of the gods or Deva and Lord of Heaven or Swarga in Hinduism. Mentioned first as the chief deity in the sacred Hindu text of Rig Veda, Indra is bestowed with a heroic and almost brash and amorous character....
 slaying Vritra
Vritra

In the Historical Vedic religion, Vritra "the enveloper", was an Asura and also a naga or dragon, the personification of drought and enemy of Indra....
 (literally "the obstacle"), liberating the rivers; in a variant of the myth, Indra smashes the stone Vala
Vala

Vala can refer to:* V?lva, a priestess in Norse mythology or a Scandinavian earth spirit* Numonius Vala, an Ancient Roman family name, or any of the men of that name...
, liberating the cows that were imprisoned within. Rivers and cows are often compared or mythically identified in the Rigveda, for example in 3.33, a notable hymn describing the crossing of two swollen rivers by the cars of the Bharata
Bharata

Bharata ??? may refer to:*a name of Agni*a name of Rudra*a name of Manu , according to the Vishnu Purana*Bharata , a celebrated hero and monarch of India, first of twelve Cakravartins ...
 tribe,
3.33.1cd Like two bright mother cows who lick their youngling, Vipas and Sutudri speed down their waters. (trans.






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River
River

A river is a natural stream of water, usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean, a lake, or another stream. In some cases a river flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water....
s play a prominent part in the hymns of the Rigveda
Rigveda

The Rigveda is an ancient Indian subcontinent sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns dedicated to the Rigvedic deities . It is counted among the four canonical sacred texts of Hinduism known as the Vedas....
, and consequently in early Vedic religion
Historical Vedic religion

The religion of the Vedic period is the historical predecessor of Hinduism. Its liturgy is reflected in the Mantra portion of the four Vedas, which are compiled in Sanskrit....
.

Mythology

The central history of the Rigveda is that of Indra
Indra

Indra is the god of War and Weather, also the King of the gods or Deva and Lord of Heaven or Swarga in Hinduism. Mentioned first as the chief deity in the sacred Hindu text of Rig Veda, Indra is bestowed with a heroic and almost brash and amorous character....
 slaying Vritra
Vritra

In the Historical Vedic religion, Vritra "the enveloper", was an Asura and also a naga or dragon, the personification of drought and enemy of Indra....
 (literally "the obstacle"), liberating the rivers; in a variant of the myth, Indra smashes the stone Vala
Vala

Vala can refer to:* V?lva, a priestess in Norse mythology or a Scandinavian earth spirit* Numonius Vala, an Ancient Roman family name, or any of the men of that name...
, liberating the cows that were imprisoned within. Rivers and cows are often compared or mythically identified in the Rigveda, for example in 3.33, a notable hymn describing the crossing of two swollen rivers by the cars of the Bharata
Bharata

Bharata ??? may refer to:*a name of Agni*a name of Rudra*a name of Manu , according to the Vishnu Purana*Bharata , a celebrated hero and monarch of India, first of twelve Cakravartins ...
 tribe,
3.33.1cd Like two bright mother cows who lick their youngling, Vipas and Sutudri speed down their waters. (trans. Griffith)


The Sapta Sindhu
Sapta Sindhu

The Sapta Sindhu "seven rivers" are the seven sacred rivers in Indian mythology. The Rig Veda often refers to the seven rivers.). In RV 7.36.6, the Sarasvati is the seventh river, whose mother is the Sindhu....
 are a group of seven chief rivers of uncertain or fluctuating identification (the number seven is of greater importance than the exact members of the group, compare the Saptarishi, and also the seven seas
Seven Seas

The phrase "Seven Seas" can refer either to a particular set of seven seas or to a great expanse of water in general. Different time periods have used different definitions of the phrase "Seven Seas"....
 and the seven clime
Clime

The seven climes was a notion of dividing the Earth into zones in Classical Antiquity.The lists of klimata found in early geographers vary in their extension, but by convention, they numbered seven, counted from south to north....
s).

Geography of the Rigveda

Rigvedic Geography
Identification of Rigvedic rivers is the single most important way of establishing the geography of the early Vedic civilization. Rivers with certain identifications stretch from eastern Afghanistan
Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country that is located approximately in the center of Asia....
 to the western Gangetic plain, clustering in the Punjab
Punjab region

Punjab , also Panjab , is a region straddling the border between India and Pakistan. The "Five Rivers" are Beas River, Ravi River, Sutlej, Chenab and Jhelum River; all these are tributaries of the Indus river, Jhelum being the biggest one....
. Some river names appear to go back to common Indo-Iranian rivers, with cognate river names in Avestan, notably the Sarasvati
Sarasvati River

The Sarasvati River is one of the chief Rigvedic rivers mentioned in ancient Hindu texts. The Nadistuti hymn in the Rigveda mentions the Sarasvati between the Yamuna in the east and the Sutlej in the west, and later Vedic texts like Tandya and Jaiminiya Brahmanas as well as the Mahabharata mention that the Sarasvati dried up in a desert....
 and the Sarayu
Sarayu

The Sarayu is an ancient river that flowed through what is now in the modern Indian States and territories of India of Uttar Pradesh. It is often considered to be synonymous with the modern Ghaghara river or as a tributary of it....
.

A number of names can be shown to have been re-applied to other rivers as the center of Rigvedic culture moved. It is only possible to establish a clear picture for the latest phase of the Rigveda, thanks to the Nadistuti sukta
Nadistuti sukta

The Nadistuti sukta ,"hymn of praise of rivers", is hymn 10.75 of the Rigveda.It is important for the reconstruction of the geography of the Vedic civilization....
 which contains a geographically ordered list of rivers. The most prominent river of the early Rigveda is the Sarasvati
Sarasvati River

The Sarasvati River is one of the chief Rigvedic rivers mentioned in ancient Hindu texts. The Nadistuti hymn in the Rigveda mentions the Sarasvati between the Yamuna in the east and the Sutlej in the west, and later Vedic texts like Tandya and Jaiminiya Brahmanas as well as the Mahabharata mention that the Sarasvati dried up in a desert....
, losing its prominence to the Indus
Indus River

File:Indian subcontinent CIA.pngThe Indus River is the longest river in Pakistan and the twenty-first largest river in the world, in terms of annual flow, on the Indian Subcontinent....
 in the late Rigveda. The reason for this is mostly ascribed to the movement of Vedic Aryans from out of their early seats in Gandhara
Gandhara

Gandhara is the name of an ancient kingdom , located in northern Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir and eastern Afghanistan. Gandhara was located mainly in the vale of Peshawar, the Potohar plateau and on the Kabul River....
 and eastern Afghanistan
Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country that is located approximately in the center of Asia....
 into the Indus valley. It is disputed whether the loss of prominence of the Sarasvati is due to the drying up of the Ghaggar-Hakra. But in the earlier rigvedic hymns, the Saraswati is the most prominent river of all and if one subscribes to the Saraswati as the Ghagghar-Hakra system which might have earlier included the Yamuna and some major present-day feeders of the Indus, one could not be very much off the mark in considering the Saraswati as the most prominent river-system at that time. Rivers have been known to have changed their courses in the Indian subcontinent and satellite photos have proved that. This would also negate the theory that the centre of rigvedic culture moved from the west to the east and it would also mean that the rigvedic culture encompassed a much larger area.

List

In the geographical organization of the following list, it has to be kept in mind that some or even the majority of names appearing both in early and in late hymns may have been re-applied to new rivers during the composition of the Rigveda.

Northwestern Rivers (western tributaries of the Indus):
  • Trstama (Gilgit
    Gilgit River

    Gilgit River is a tributary of the Indus River, and flows past the town of Gilgit. It is located in the Northern Areas of Kashmir, Pakistan....
    )
  • Susartu
  • Anitabha (listed once, in 5.53.9, with Rasa
    Rasa

    Rasa may refer to:* Roosevelt Academy Student Association, Student Association of Liberal Arts Honors College in Middelburg, The Netherlands* Rasa , a concept in the Indian performing arts...
    , Kubha, Krumu, Sarayu
    Sarayu

    The Sarayu is an ancient river that flowed through what is now in the modern Indian States and territories of India of Uttar Pradesh. It is often considered to be synonymous with the modern Ghaghara river or as a tributary of it....
  • Rasa
    Rasa

    Rasa may refer to:* Roosevelt Academy Student Association, Student Association of Liberal Arts Honors College in Middelburg, The Netherlands* Rasa , a concept in the Indian performing arts...
     of the early Rigveda (later a mystical or cosmological river)
  • Sveti
  • Kubha (Kabul
    Kabul River

    Kabul River , classically called the Cophes , is a river that rises in the Sanglakh Range in Afghanistan, separated from the watershed of the Helmand River by the Unai Pass....
    )
  • Krumu (Kurrum)
  • Gomati (Gomal
    Gomal

    Gomal can refer to:* Gomal River, flowing from Afghanistan to Pakistan.* Gomal University, located in Dera Ismail Khan, NWFP, Pakistan.* Gomal Dam, on Gomal River in South Waziristan, NWFP, Pakistan....
    )
  • Sarayu
    Sarayu

    The Sarayu is an ancient river that flowed through what is now in the modern Indian States and territories of India of Uttar Pradesh. It is often considered to be synonymous with the modern Ghaghara river or as a tributary of it....
  • Mehatnu
  • Svetyavari
  • Prayiyu (Bara
    Bāra

    B?ra is a Commune in Romania in Neamt County, Romania....
    )
  • Vayiyu
  • Suvastu (Swat
    Swat (Pakistan)

    Swat is a valley and an administrative Districts of Pakistan in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan located 160 km/100 miles from Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan....
    ) in Ghandari (hapax legomenon
    Hapax legomenon

    A hapax legomenon is a Word which occurs only once in either the written record of a language; the works of an author; or in a single text. Sometimes abbreviated to hapaxes....
     in RV 8.19.37)
  • Gauri (Panjkora)
  • Kusava (Kunar
    Kunar River

    The Kunar River is about 480 km long, located in eastern Afghanistan and north-western Pakistan. The Kunar river system is fed from melting glaciers and snow of the Hindu Kush mountains....
    )


The Indus and its minor eastern tributaries:
  • Sindhu (Indus; in the earlier hymns, sindhu means "stream" generically)
  • Susoma (Sohan
    Sohan

    Sohan is a village and Union Councils of Pakistan of Jhelum District in the Punjab of Pakistan. It is part of Jhelum Tehsil, and is located at 33?3'25N 73?26'30E with an altitude of 303 metres ....
    )
  • Arjikiya (Haro
    Haro River

    Haro is the name of a river and its valley in Abbottabad District in the North West Frontier Province of northern Pakistan, identified with the Rigveda Arjikiya....
    )


Central Rivers (rivers of the Punjab):
  • Vitasta (Jhelum
    Jhelum River

    Jehlum River or Jhelum River is a river that flows in India and Pakistan. It is the largest and most western of the five rivers of Punjab region, and passes through Jhelum District....
    )
  • Asikni (Chenab)
  • Parusni (Ravi
    Ravi River

    File:Ravi river lahore.JPGThe Ravi River is a river in Pakistan and India originating in Himachal Pradesh, India. It is one of the five rivers which give Punjab region its name....
    )
  • Vipas (Beas
    Beas

    Beas may refer to:* Beas, Punjab, a town in Punjab, India.* Beas River, a river in the northwestern region of India....
    )
  • Sutudri (Sutlej
    Sutlej

    The Sutlej River is the longest of the five rivers that flow through the historic crossroad region of Punjab region in northern India and Pakistan....
    )
  • Marudvrdha


East-central Rivers (rivers of Haryana
Haryana

Haryana is a States and territories of India in the Punjab region of northern India. It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south....
):
  • late Sarasvati
    Sarasvati River

    The Sarasvati River is one of the chief Rigvedic rivers mentioned in ancient Hindu texts. The Nadistuti hymn in the Rigveda mentions the Sarasvati between the Yamuna in the east and the Sutlej in the west, and later Vedic texts like Tandya and Jaiminiya Brahmanas as well as the Mahabharata mention that the Sarasvati dried up in a desert....
     (Ghaggar; the early Sarasvati is more often identified with the Helmand
    Helmand River

    The Helmand River is the longest river in Afghanistan and the primarily drainage basin for the Endorheic basin Sistan Basin.The Helmand river stretches for 1,150 km ....
    , or classified as of unknown identification; late and post-Rigvedic Sarasvati is both a mystical, invisible river and an independent goddess)
  • Drsadvati, Apaya ? (both hapax legomenon
    Hapax legomenon

    A hapax legomenon is a Word which occurs only once in either the written record of a language; the works of an author; or in a single text. Sometimes abbreviated to hapaxes....
     in RV 3.23.4)


Eastern Rivers:
  • Asmanvati (Assan)
  • Yamuna
    Yamuna

    The Yamuna is a major tributary river of the Ganges in northern India. With a total length of around , it is the largest tributary of the Ganges....
  • Ganga
    Ganges River

    The 'Ganges' is one of the major rivers of the Indian subcontinent, flowing east through the Gangetic Plain of northern India into Bangladesh....
     (Ganges)
Uncertain / other
  • Silamavati
  • Urnavati
  • Yavyavati
    Yavyavati

    The Yavyavati is a river of Indian subcontinent, mentioned in the Rigveda and in the Pancavimsa Brahmana . In the Pancavimsa Brahmana the river is associated with the Vibhinduka region ....
     (Zhob river
    Zhob River

    Zhob River is located in Balochistan , Pakistan. The meltwater from the Sulaiman Mountains forms Zhob Rivers and it flows through Balochistan and drains into Gomal River near Khajuri Kachadd....
    ?)


See also

  • River goddess
  • Samudra
    Samudra

    Samudra is a Sanskrit term for "ocean", literally the "gathering together of waters"...
  • Nadistuti sukta
    Nadistuti sukta

    The Nadistuti sukta ,"hymn of praise of rivers", is hymn 10.75 of the Rigveda.It is important for the reconstruction of the geography of the Vedic civilization....
  • Sapta Sindhu
    Sapta Sindhu

    The Sapta Sindhu "seven rivers" are the seven sacred rivers in Indian mythology. The Rig Veda often refers to the seven rivers.). In RV 7.36.6, the Sarasvati is the seventh river, whose mother is the Sindhu....
  • Ap (water)
    Ap (water)

    Ap is the Vedic Sanskrit term for "water", in Classical Sanskrit occurring only in the plural, , whence Hindi . The term is from PIE hxap "water"....
  • Rigvedic deities
    Rigvedic deities

    There are 1028 hymns in the Rigveda, most of them dedicated to specific deity.Indra, a heroic god, slayer of Vrtra and destroyer of the Vala, liberator of the cows and the rivers; Agni the sacrificial fire and messenger of the gods; and Soma the ritual drink dedicated to Indra are the most prominent deities....
  • Aryan migration
  • Out of India theory
    Out of India theory

    The Out of India theory is the proposition that the Indo-European language family Indo-European homeland in the Indian subcontinent and spread to the remainder of the Indo-European region through a series of migrations....
  • Old European hydronymy
    Old European hydronymy

    Old European is the term used by Hans Krahe for the language of the oldest reconstructed stratum of European hydronymy in Central and Western Europe....