Sarayu

The Sarayu (also Sarju; Dev. सरयु "IAST|saráyu-" f., later Dev. सरयू "IAST|sarayū-")is an ancient river that flowed through what is now in the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is often considered to be synonymous with the modern Ghaghara river or as a tributary of it. [Keith and Macdonell. 1912. "Vedic Index of Names and Subjects".] Actually River Karnali and River Mahakali joins in the Bahraich District and known as Sarayu River. The tributary Mahakali also known as the River Sarada in westrn Uttar Pradesh Area and the same river known as River Kali in Uttarakhand. The River Sarada Makes the Indian International Border with Nepal in Pilibhit and Lakhimpur Kheri District.

Etymology

The name is the feminine derivative of the Sanskrit root सर् "sar" "to flow"; as a masculine stem, "IAST|saráyu-" means "air, wind", i.e. "that which is streaming").tae kayo

ignificance

Traditional

The river is mentioned three times in the Rigveda. The banks of the Sarayu are the location of the slaying of two "Aryas" at the hands of Indra in RV 4.30.18. It is listed together with western tributaries to the Indus: Rasa, Anitabha, Kubha, Krumu, and the Sindhu itself as obstacles crossed by the Maruts in RV 5.53.9. In this verse, Purisini appears as its epithet. At this stage of the earlier Rigveda, it apparently was a river west of the Indus system that corresponds to Iranian Harayu (Avestan acc. Harōiium, Old Persian Haraiva, modern Harē) the Herat river. Finally, it is invoked together with Sindhu and Sarasvati (two of the most prominent Rigvedic rivers) in the late hymn RV 10.64. In RV 5.53.9, the river appears with the Rasa, Anitabha and Kubha River, again western tributaries of the Indus.

Later on, according to Ramayana 1.5.6, the Sarayu flowed beside the ancient city of Ayodhya, which is in the modern day Uttar Pradesh. It was a tributary of the Gogra. This Sarayu played a vital role for the city and life of Ayodhya, and according to the great Hindu epic, the "Ramayana", is where Rama, the seventh Avatara of Vishnu immersed himself to return to his eternal, real Mahavishnu form, when he retired from the throne of Kosala. His brothers Bharata and Shatrughna also join him, as do many devoted followers. The Sarayu is also the river upon whose banks King Rama was born.

According to a sub-story within the Ramayana, the banks of the River Sarayu is also the place where King Dashratha accidentally kills Shravan Kumar.

It is also called river flown beneath the earth.

Modern

While the Sarayu river plays an important role in RigVeda and Atharva Veda along with Ramayana. Ayodhya, capital of King Rama is mentioned on the banks of Sarayu river. Sarayu river is mentioned in great details in Ramayana. In modern times there still exist Ayodhya on the banks of river Sarayu in Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is a tributary of the Ganges which meets two other rivers at the confluence ("sangam") in U.P. See [http://www.pilgrimageindia.net/hindu_pilgrimage/images/ayodhya1.jpgmodern Sarayu picture]

In Fiction

Sarayu is also the name of the river that flows by the fictional town of Malgudi created by the Indian writer R. K. Narayan.

"Sarayu" is a character in a novel entitled "The Shack" by William P. Young (Los Angeles: Windblown Media, 2007; see www.theshackbook.com). In the novel Sarayu represents the Holy Spirit in Christian theology. The Greek word for spirit in the New Testament is "pneuma", which can also be translated "wind" or "breath". Hence the character's name "Sarayu", meaning "wind".

ee also

*Saranyu
*Ramayana
*Hindu mythology

References

*"The Ramayana", by Ramesh Menon (2001)

External links

* [http://www.tri-murti.com/ancientindia/rigHistory/ch4.htm The Geography of the Rigveda]