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गङ्गे च यमुने चैव गोदावरि सरस्वति ।
gaṅge ca yamune caiva godāvari sarasvati ।
नर्मदे सिन्धु कावेरि जलेऽस्मिन् सन्निधिं कुरु ॥
narmade sindhu kāveri jale'smin sannidhiṃ kuru ॥

 

English Meaning

This shloka refers to the sacred rivers of India. O Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Saraswati; Narmada, Sindhu and Kaveri ! May you be present in this water (that I am using).

 

पदच्छेदः padacchedaḥ

गङ्गे च यमुने च एव गोदावरि सरस्वति नर्मदे सिन्धु कावेरि जले अस्मिन् सन्निधिं कुरु

gaṅge ca yamune ca eva godāvari sarasvati narmade sindhu kāveri jale asmin saṃnidhiṃ kuru

 

 

अन्वयः anvayaḥ

गङ्गे च यमुने च एव गोदावरि सरस्वति नर्मदे सिन्धु कावेरि अस्मिन् जले सन्निधिं कुरु ।

gaṅge ca yamune ca eva godāvari sarasvati narmade sindhu kāveri asmin jale saṃnidhiṃ kuru ।

 

पदार्थः padārthaḥ

गङ्गे gaṅge = O’ Ganga

च ca = and

यमुने yamune = O’ Yamuna

एव eva = also

गोदावरि godāvari = O’ Godavari

सरस्वति sarasvati = O’ Saraswati  

नर्मदे narmade = O’ Narmada

सिन्धु sindhu = O’ Sindhu

कावेरि kāveri = O’ Kaveri

अस्मिन् asmin = In this

जले jale = In water

सन्निधिं कुरु sannidhiṃ kuru = be present

 

Significance of the Shloka

bhāratam or India has several important rivers that have played a fundamental role in sustaining our civilization. Prominent among them are Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Saraswati, Narmada, Sindhu and Kaveri. These rivers and their tributaries have allowed our towns and cities to flourish for thousands of years. After all, water is a life giver. And plentiful pure water from rivers allows abundant growth. 

 

Before we start the day, we pray to bhagavAn sUrya to enrich our intellect. Before we eat, we pray to devi annapoorna for nourishing us with the best food. Similarly, when we bathe, we pray that the qualities that made these rivers significant to our culture be present in the water we use. Why do we do this? First, to remember the rivers of civilizational importance and second, to preserve the purity of the water source that we use to clean our bodies.

 

This shloka is truly one of the most powerful invocations for upcoming decades where water resources will become more scarce and polluted than ever and we should continue to preserve them for future generations.

 

Stories and anecdotes on Indian rivers

 

Ganga

River Ganga used to flow in heaven (devaloka). Once a king named Bhagiratha (भगीरथ) did severe tapas to bring River Ganga down to earth. His ancestors were cursed by a sage named Kapila muni (कपिल मुनि) and the only way they could be freed from the curse was if Ganga touched their ashes and purified it. Ganga was pleased by Bhagiratha’s tapas and agreed to come down to earth. But there was a problem. Earth (bhūmi devi) would not be able to withstand the force of Ganga’s descent.

 

On Bhagiratha’s request, as Ganga descended from the heavens, Shiva caught her in his hair locks and let her flow out in moderation. This rivulet which flowed from Shiva’s locks, followed king Bhagiratha, and flowed over his ancestors’ ashes. Thus,  Bhagiratha’s ancestors were freed from the curse and liberated. Even today, many believe that bathing in the holy Ganga purifies them of their sins.

 

Yamuna

River Yamuna runs parallel to River Ganga. Yamuna is considered the daughter of Surya Deva, and the sister of Yama Deva, the God of death. Yamuna has a significant place in our epics. In the Mahabharata, the Pandavas’ kingdom, Indraprasta, was situated on the banks of Yamuna. Bhagavān Sri Krishna, when he was just a few hours old, crossed River Yamuna for the first time. His father carried him as a baby on his head and transported him to Gokulam from Mathura. Krishna spent all his childhood on the banks of this river.

 

Godavari

Godavari is called the Ganga of the south or dakṣiṇagangā. There was once a sage named Gautama. Along with his wife Ahalya, he lived in a small hermitage. One day a cow entered their home and ate all the rice. The sage tried to scare the cow with a special grass called Darbha. Instead of getting out of the house, the cow fell dead. Sage Gautama had committed a great sin called ‘Go-hatya’ meaning, killing a sacred cow. The Cow is considered scared in Hinduism. To get rid of the sin, the sage prayed to Shiva. He did severe penances. Shiva was pleased and appeared before Gautama. Gautama requested Shiva to divert River Ganga towards his hermitage so that he could be purified. Shiva agreed and soon a river began to flow close to his hermitage. As soon as the river water flowed over the dead cow, it came back to life. This way sage Gautama was redeemed of all his sins. This was the origin of River Godavari.

 

Saraswati

Saraswati is an ancient river. There are several mentions of Saraswati in the vedas and the puranas. The river existed during the Mahabharata and the Ramayana times. It is believed that the river went underground due to probable earthquakes over 5,000 years ago in the Himalayas. Scientists, researchers and archeologists have confirmed that River Saraswati did exist and are trying to find concrete evidence on what happened to this gigantic magnificent river.

 

Narmada

River Narmada was created from Shiva’s perspiration while he was performing penance on Mount Riksha (ऋक्ष), which is a part of eastern Vindhyachal mountain ranges in central India. Mother Narmada was blessed saying, “Every stone, large or little, in Narmada River would be turned into the shape of a shivalinga (शिवलिङ्ग).”

 

Thus, each stone in the Narmada, is shaped perfectly in the form of a shivalinga by the flow and water current. And every stone in the Narmada River is regarded as Narmadeshwara Shivalinga.

 

Sindhu

Sindhu is River Indus in the present day world. India got its name from River Sindhu. India has been trading with several countries since olden times. Persian traders (modern day Iran) used to pronounce the letter ‘s’ as ‘h’ in their native language. So Sindhu river came to be called as Hindu river. The place along and around the banks of the Hindu river and Hindustan came to be known as the land of Hindu. Greece referred to River Hindu as Indos. And their neighbor, the Romans named it Indus. And the name India was born.

 

Thus, the word India is simply the name given by outsiders. The country is originally called bhāratam.

 

Kaveri

The last river mentioned in this shloka is River Kaveri. Sage Agastya (अगस्त्य) wanted to marry Lopamudra (लोपामुद्रा) - the daughter of King Kavera. Lopamudra’s wish for this human birth was to serve humans. However, she did not know how she would serve and when she would begin. Lopamudra had one condition for her to get married to Sage Agastya. She told Agastya, “I am afraid of being alone. You will have to take me along wherever you go.” Agasthya was a sage, so he traveled the length and breadth of India, teaching and spreading wisdom. So using his powers, he carried Lopamudra as water in his water-pot, kamaṇḍala (कमण्डल).

 

One of the places he visited had a serious water shortage. There was no rain for many years. As a result the cattle and crops were dying. People prayed to Ganesha to remove their obstacles. Ganesha in response, noticed Sage Agasthya’s water-pot. He saw an opportunity and he took the form of a crow, flew over to the water-pot and toppled it. The water flowed out. It was actually Lopamudra who was flowing.

 

The sage’s disciples saw this and tried to stop it. But they couldn't. Lopamudra then realized this would be her way of serving people - as a river. She flowed and became a beautiful river with sweet tasting water. Meanwhile, the disciples rushed to Agastya and narrated what had happened. Agastya came looking for his wife. He recognized her in the form of a river and named the river ‘Kaveri’ - daughter of King Kavera.