Saraswati—Myth and Reality

Saraswati—Myth and Reality

By Rajbir Deswal
Saraswati—the consort of Brahma, worshipped as the mythological river has baffled the seekers, in particular with regard to its appearance and disappearance, at innumerable places in India. The land of Haryana has traces, nothing short of confirmation about Saraswati.
An old, all pink, wrinkled hermit came to Prachi, hardly any distance from the mythological town of Kurukshetra, some years back. The place is within the town Pehowa, and here is the famous temple of Vashistheswra Mahadev. The old hermit having reached this place called the pujari and the mahant of the temple and told them that this was the place where he “once took his holy bath in Saraswati”.
All those present were astonished for there was no trace of water around. The hermit asked them to dig up the ground there. To their surprise, they all found bricks laid in a pattern. They looked for the hermit but he was no where to be found. This has been stated so by the pujari.
There were fields all over but when the ground was dug a little more, a bathing ghat exposed itself. The newfound-ghats did not come as a surprise for the local people for the prevalent belief that the mythological river Saraswati flowed here, as mentioned in the Vamana Puran and other Hindu scriptures. Yet, it was a discovery in flesh and blood.
The scriptures confirm a one time existence of five ghats namely Shiva Prachi, Vishnu Prachi, Vashist Prachi, Viswamitra Prachi and Brahma Prachi at this site. Till date after a digging of about a couple of years, two ghats have been exhumed, although the people say that a ban has been imposed.
Some of the finds in the form of idols etc. were reportedly taken away by the authorities and with the resident’s protest they were credited to them, although they are said to be lying in a preservatory at Ambala these days. Besides the ghats and other constructions, idols of Lord Vishnu, a Shiv-Ling, Jalehari-a seat for Shiv-Ling, broken mukuts in fine shapes, and a good number of idols of meditating pose of Rishi Vashist, were found.
“There is a rich treasure buried here, says Ram Murti Shastri (69) who is looking after the installation work at this site. Himself being a contemporary and friend of the famous saangi of Haryana, Mange Ram, Ram Murti organises saangs etc. to raise funds for the renovation of the temple.
There is a common belief that who ever dies in Kurukshetra (within the boundaries described in the scriptures) attains mukti or salvation and his mortal remains need not be consigned to the Ganga. Some people believe that this fact gained currency after the epic war of Mahabharta. It was believed that after a lot of bloodshed this bhoomi was blessed with divine recognition.
But this fact is contested in the Vamana Puran where it is said that Saraswati had sprouted from the Pilkhan tree with the blessings of Lord Vishnu and pleased by the meditation of Rishi Markandeya. Thus there had been a ritual of not consigning the mortal remains of the dead in Haridwar but any where in Kurukshetra where Saraswati was said to be flowing always, although invisible at certain places, even during Pre-Mahabharta period.
Vamana Purana says that Saraswati appeared in Kurukshetra, Prithudak or Pehowa, Sannihit Sarovar, Prachi, Papantak, Madhushrva, Avkiran, Brahamyoni etc. and then flowed towards the West. This fact is also substantiated by a modern belief, again corroborated by the geographical evidence that Saraswati at one time flowed past Sirsa town (the name was probably taken from Saraswati) of Haryana and weaving her route via Rajasthan reached Allahabad to join Ganga and Jamuna. At the Sangam site in Allahabad, even today it is believed that the “Invisible Saraswati” flows.
While Rama is said to have performed the shradha of his father Dashratha at the Rishi kund at Rishikesh where it is believed that 88,000 rishis had performed a Yajna; Yudhishthir had prayed for his pitras (deceased ancestors) at Prachi Saraswati, on Krishna’s advice. Even at the Rishi Kund at Rishikesh, Saraswati and Jamuna are believed to be uniting with Ganga with the blessings of Lord Vishnu.
Saraswati has been described superior to Ganga in the sense that “once in a year Ganga comes to Prachi Saraswati, to lighten her burden of the sins committed by the human beings, as the former owns them all”. The occasion is Mekh-Baisakhi. And the people in the area welcome Ganga, by organising a mela on this day. In the scripture Bharta, it is said that Lord Krishna asks Yudhishthir “to go to Prachi Saraswati instead of Ganga, Prayag and Pushkar” to pray for his ancestors by pind-daan. Harit-Samriti also emphasises the importance of Prachi Saraswati.
Mantra Shashtra says that drinking the water of Saraswati for one full year in itself inculcates the poetic sensibilities in a person. The effect of this is felt in the extempore rendering of poetry in the casual conversation. It should not be forgotten here that Saraswati is basically believed to be the Goddess of all that is beautiful, artful, musical, intellectual; so to say, a symbolic expression of the finest in the human beings. Vamana Purana says that poetic talent was imbibed by Brahspati at Prithudak (Pehowa) with the blessings of Saraswati.
There are interesting ancedotes about Saraswati in Yog Vashist. Lord Rama, once asks his Guru Vashist about his (Rama’s) identity and the Rishi replies that “Tawam adi dev asi”, (You are the Adi Dev). In simpler words it means that Rama was the Avtar or the Lord incarnate.
Vashistha and Vishwamitra were both the Gurus of Ram, but they had bitter enemity between them. Vishwamitra, when he was refused Nandini (Kamdhenu’s daughter—a cow in Hindu mythology) killed one hundred sons of Vashistha. Even this did not satisfy him. Then Vishvamitra ordered Saraswati to bring Vashistha from Sthaneshwar to Prithudak, and so did she.
Having reached the Prachi site, Vashistha was attacked by Vishwarmitra but he was saved by Shiva, And this justifies the name given to the temple at Prachi i.e., Vashistheswara Mahadev. Saraswati, however, had apologised to Vashistha for she was obeying Vishwamitra’s order “under compulsion”. The Shiv-Ling in the temple at Prachi is said to have been found from Saraswati and one can still feel a “sandy­touch”. There is still a site about a mile from Prachi where a huge maund is known as the Vishwamitra ka Tila.
There is yet another theory why this teerath is called Vashisthapawah Prachi. When an infuriated Vishwamitra attacked Vashistha, immediately Saraswati reversed her route in the opposite direction i.e., the East. Since Saraswati had herself brought Vashistha from Sathanu Ashram, she feared the sin of brahman-hatya and was duty bound to save Vashistha. Thus the arrow shot by Vishwamitra could not hit its target because of the change in the flow of Saraswati. Rishi Vashistha thereafter decided to live at Prachi-Prithudak. This again finds mention in the Vamana Purana, Chapter 40.
Adjacent to the temple is the gufa (cave) where Vashistha is said to have meditated. The scriptures confirm how the enemity between Vashistha and Vishwamitra ended. Both appeared before Lord Vishnu to know as to who was superior and the test the lord ordered was that whoever would be able to bear the weight of the Earth would be superior. Well, Vishwamitra opted out while Vashistha went through the ordeal. Hence Vashistha was declared Braham Rishi while Vishwamitra was contended with his being ordained the Raj Rishi. The gufa of Vashistha too has been dug out from the bed, where Saraswati is believed to have flowed besides the ghats.
Another site just near the ghats is the Sidh Peeth Sthan. It is in ruins now, Baba Sidh Gir, believed to be a contemporary of the Moughal King Akbar, lived here. Later, Rameshwar Puri Sidh did tap (meditation) here. It is really surprising that all the three sites, the temple, the gufa and the sthan are located just on the banks of Saraswati although the appearance of the ghats is a recent discovery.
A little more mention of Jalheri here would be more appropriate for this find is a unique example of the ancient art of stone carving. This seat for the idol of Lord Shiva is a one-piece work of art. Every particle of the turmeric-yellow stone is very distinct. Having had been buried for quite an unknown length of time, its colour has not at all undergone even a slight change. The laharias (patterns) have been so beautifully carved keeping in view the dropping of the water droplets’ path, offered to Shiva.
Saraswati and Prithudak (Pehowa) supplement for each other’s mythological status. Lord Vishnu is said to have suggested Devgun to take all the Devtas and the Rishis for a pilgrimage to “Prithudak which is the unmatched Teerath on the Earth as Prachi Saraswati is also here”. There is an interesting story of Kartikeya, Shiva’s son, related to Prachi.
When a decision was being taken as to who out of Ganesha and Kartikeya should be a successor to their father Shiva’s Domain, a test was ordered for both the Sons that whoever would go around the Brahamand (universe) and return first would be the choice. It is said that Kartikeya had already left when Parwati, Shiva’s wife, gesticulated to Ganesha to do a parikarma around his parents for, they themselves were no less than the entire Brahamand, for the son. And Ganesha did the parikarma.
By this time Kartikeya had reached Sanhal Dweep, where he was intercepted by Narad, who told him that the decision had already been taken. Kartikeya is, then said to have cursed his mother and father.
As this defiant act was considered nothing short of severing the divine connection, and a penance was necessary, Kartikeya was advised by Vishnu to rush to Prithudak and take his holy bath in Saraswati.
Even today there is a unique temple of Kartikeya in Pehowa, where women are not allowed to enter the temple for the belief that they would become widows, as a result of the sharapa given by Kartikeya himself. Hence, sindoor and sarson oil is offered to Kartikeya. This is the only temple of kartikeya in the whole of North India.
According to yet another belief, the father of Hindi literature, Kalidasa, himself was blessed with the prolification of the poetic faculties, by drinking the water of Saraswati, “It is possible still?” I ask Ram Murti Shastri, and he replies “Ab to ghor kalyug hai jee!”