Nadistuti sukta
Encyclopedia
The Nadistuti sukta ,"hymn of praise of river
s", is hymn 10.75 of the Rigveda
.
It is important for the reconstruction of the geography of the Vedic civilization. Sindhu (the Indus) is addressed as the mightiest of rivers and addressed specifically in verses 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9.
In verse 5, the rishi
enumerates ten rivers, beginning with the Ganges
and moving westwards:
O Ganga, Yamuna, Sarasvati, Shutudri(Sutlej), Parushni
(Iravati, Ravi), follow my praise! O Asikni (Chenab)
Marudvridha, Vitasta (Jhelum), with
the Arjikiya (Haro) and Sushoma (Sohan), listen!
verse 6 adds northwestern rivers (tributaries of the Indus flowing through Afghanistan and north-western Pakistan),
First united with the Trishtama in order to flow, with the Susartu and
Rasa, and with this Svetya (you flow), O Sindhu (Indus) with the Kubha
(Kabul R.) to the Gomati (Gomal), with the Mehatnu to the
Krumu (Kurram), with whom you rush together on the same chariot.
Griffith
(1896) in his footnote to 10.75.5, explains this arrangement as follows:
More recent interpretations take the arrangement to corresponds to the eastward expansion of the Vedic culture. At the time of the hymns composition, it had expanded as far as the Gangetic plain, and the poet looks back west to the known lands already settled. Recent linguistic reconstruction suggests that Book 6 is one of the earliest of the Rigveda, while book 10 is one of the youngest, so that it would appear that the Ganges still fell within the area of Vedic culture before the codification of the Rigveda.
The list of ten rivers in the Nadistuti sukta should not be confused with the Sapta Sindhu, the "Seven Rivers" of uncertain identification of the earlier Rigveda.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s", is hymn 10.75 of the Rigveda
Rigveda
The Rigveda is an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns...
.
It is important for the reconstruction of the geography of the Vedic civilization. Sindhu (the Indus) is addressed as the mightiest of rivers and addressed specifically in verses 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9.
In verse 5, the rishi
Rishi
Rishi denotes the composers of Vedic hymns. However, according to post-Vedic tradition, the rishi is a "seer" to whom the Vedas were "originally revealed" through states of higher consciousness. The rishis were prominent when Vedic Hinduism took shape, as far back as some three thousand years...
enumerates ten rivers, beginning with the Ganges
Ganges River
The Ganges or Ganga, , is a trans-boundary river of India and Bangladesh. The river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of North India into Bangladesh, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. By discharge it...
and moving westwards:
O Ganga, Yamuna, Sarasvati, Shutudri(Sutlej), Parushni
(Iravati, Ravi), follow my praise! O Asikni (Chenab)
Marudvridha, Vitasta (Jhelum), with
the Arjikiya (Haro) and Sushoma (Sohan), listen!
- GangesGanges RiverThe Ganges or Ganga, , is a trans-boundary river of India and Bangladesh. The river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of North India into Bangladesh, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. By discharge it...
- YamunaYamunaThe Yamuna is the largest tributary river of the Ganges in northern India...
- SarasvatiSarasvati RiverThe 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...
- Sutudri
- Parusni
- Asikni
- Marudvrdha
- Vitasta
- Arjikiya
- Susoma
verse 6 adds northwestern rivers (tributaries of the Indus flowing through Afghanistan and north-western Pakistan),
First united with the Trishtama in order to flow, with the Susartu and
Rasa, and with this Svetya (you flow), O Sindhu (Indus) with the Kubha
(Kabul R.) to the Gomati (Gomal), with the Mehatnu to the
Krumu (Kurram), with whom you rush together on the same chariot.
- Trstama
- Susartu
- RasāRasa- Indian culture :* Rasa , a concept in the Indian performing arts* Rasa , a concept of taste or emotional rapture related to Krishna devotion* Rasā, a mythical river mentioned in the Rigveda...
- Shvetya
- SindhuIndus RiverThe Indus River is a major river which flows through Pakistan. It also has courses through China and India.Originating in the Tibetan plateau of western China in the vicinity of Lake Mansarovar in Tibet Autonomous Region, the river runs a course through the Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir and...
- KubhaKabul RiverKabul River , the classical Cophes , is a 700 km long river that starts in the Sanglakh Range of the Hindu Kush Mountains in Afghanistan and ends in the Indus River near Attock, Pakistan. It is the main river in eastern Afghanistan and is separated from the watershed of the Helmand by the Unai Pass...
- GomatiGomal RiverGomal River is a river in the historical region of Pashtunistan, consisting of areas in Afghanistan and Pakistan, inhabited by the Pashtuns...
- Krumu
- Mehatnu
Griffith
Ralph T.H. Griffith
Ralph Thomas Hotchkin Griffith , scholar of indology, Son of B.A. of Queen's College was elected to the vacant Sanskrit Scholarship on Nov 24, 1849. He translated the Vedic scriptures into English. He also produced translations of other Sanskrit literature, including a verse version of the...
(1896) in his footnote to 10.75.5, explains this arrangement as follows:
- "the poet addresses first the most distant rivers. Ganga: the Ganges is mentioned, indirectly, in only one other verse of the Rigveda, and even there, the word is said by some to be the name of a woman. See 6.45.31."
More recent interpretations take the arrangement to corresponds to the eastward expansion of the Vedic culture. At the time of the hymns composition, it had expanded as far as the Gangetic plain, and the poet looks back west to the known lands already settled. Recent linguistic reconstruction suggests that Book 6 is one of the earliest of the Rigveda, while book 10 is one of the youngest, so that it would appear that the Ganges still fell within the area of Vedic culture before the codification of the Rigveda.
The list of ten rivers in the Nadistuti sukta should not be confused with the Sapta Sindhu, the "Seven Rivers" of uncertain identification of the earlier Rigveda.