In Search of Saraswati Mountain Range in Himalayas



Jai Maa Saraswati


The Himalayan Mountains are regarded as sacred in South Asia. The Infinite reality cannot be visualised by a finite mind but aspects of him can be viewed symbolically in the sun, stars, majestic mountains, rivers or as personified in divine beings in the universe, and it is in this light that some mountain peaks and ranges are regarded as sacred throughout Asia from India to Japan. The earth itself and its components are regarded as akin to a divine mother since life is born in its bosom whereas heavenly objects such as the sun in a fatherly manner since it is his rays that give life. The male and female are two aspects of the one and only reality Who is neither. However, in recent centuries bold western explorers have scaled and surveyed lofty Himalayan peaks. Names have been given to some of the peaks by just numbering them or as mere geological features missing the point that these are majestic manifestations of the divine on earth.

Saraswati Mountain Range

Recently this author was engaged in reviewing the research on the source of the mightiest ancient river of South Asia – The Saraswati ( also spelt Sarasvati)  River which led to the development of the first organized human civilization known erroneously as the Indus Valley civilization (see here). This river has disappeared several thousand years ago due to tectonic shifts and climate change and only scattered remnants of it remain now. The research led to the only possible primary Himalayan source of this river as a range in the Himalayas that can only be called as the Saraswati Mountain range. It is a massif with two peaks. The Higher of the two peaks may then be called the Saraswati Devi Mountain (Parvat) of 6316 m height and the lower one as Hanuman Parvat  (6102m ) by interpreting the current local name of this range in a sacred light i.e. the monkey tail range or in Hindi Bandarpoonch. I


Hanuman ji at the gate of Naini Mata temple in Nainital in 2010

In mythology the Lord Hanuman is often found sitting at the feet of an incarnation of the Mother Goddess (when not standing as a guard at her gate as in the Naini Devi temple at Nainital. hence it is wholly appropriate to have him represented in this mountain range. These higher mountain ranges including the twin peaks of Nanda and Sunanda goddesses are in the districts to the north of Nainital district and visible from vantage points of Nainital district.

The Saraswati River emerging from the Himalayas

Glacial melt from these peaks leads to the river known as Tons that has begun merging with another river the Yamuna since a few thousand years ago instead of flowing independently southward as the Saraswati River where it is joined by other seasonal tributaries. The goddess Saraswati personified as a mother goddess is a wielder first and foremost of knowledge and wisdom and then of health, peace and prosperity too. It is interesting to note that in the regions through which the remnants of this river flow (known as Ghaggar) live some of the strongest people not just in India but also the world as promised in ancient texts:

In  Rigveda, RV 7.95.1-2, the Sarasvati is described as:

This stream Sarasvati with fostering current comes forth,
Our sure defense, our fort of iron.
As on a chariot, the flood flows on,
Surpassing in majesty and might all other waters.
Pure in her course from mountains to the ocean,
 Alone of streams Sarasvati hath listened.
Thinking of wealth and the great world of creatures,
She poured for Nahusa her milk and robustness.

 
Sushil Kumar, amongst the strongest in the World


The last line of this hymn reminds one that even with the few remnants of Saraswati that flow through Harayana today, that region has the strongest persons in the world, on a diet of milk and milk products rather than meat and synthetic drugs, such as the Olympian medal winner Sushil Kumar the wrestler, who defeats and lifts up world champion wrestlers of the world as if holding up like a light chair before dashing them into the ground of defeat,  as well as several others, including the Rajputs further along the course of the river in Rajasthan. Wrestlers pay respects to Lord Hanuman the god of strength regularly, who too was a strict vegetarian. A non-flesh healthy vegetarian diet that includes milk and milk products becomes possible easily when their are pastures for cows and agriculture and when cows are kept in every home as pets rather than herded into a large diary, cruelty to animals is avoided. Nuts from trees such as almonds add the extra touch for wrestlers like Sushil Kumar rather than chemical drugs as used by some in west and which produce painful side effects later after temporary gains.


  Jai Hanuman, Jai Bajrang Bali
.

You may read more about the search of the river Saraswati at 


Bandarpunch range by
By Paul Hamilton. Some Rigths reserved as indicated at the link

Tons River photo, Courtesy Ajay Bhandari, Flickr
Some rights reserved as indicated at link 



Comments

Naina Paul said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

Popular posts from this blog

Who was Babaji or Baba Haidakhan?

The Goddesses Nanda and Sunanda of Kumaon

Encounter with a Himalayan Mystic – Baba Haidakhan or Babaji

Jai Shiv Shankar – Spiritual Mantra from the Himalayas

The Abode of Shiva

The Rightful recognition of Nanda Devi East as Sunanda Devi