India is uniquely blessed with a large number of perennial rivers. Sanskrit literature is replete with vivid descriptions and perspicuous portrayals of rivers in India throughout her length and breadth. The rivers in India are not regarded as merely a flowing mass of waters, but as loving, kind, benevolent, and bountiful mothers. The rivers had attracted the attention of even the Rsi-poets of the Vedas as also the authors of the Epics and the Puranas. This book deals with the rivers as they are found in Sanskrit literature. The mythology woven around them, their ritual worship, and their relationship with gods and men have been detailed. Sanskrit authors had fairly good knowledge of the rise and fall of the rivers. They compare well with the modern geographical views that are also provided in this book. This book also furnishes a large number of tirthas on the banks of the rivers as they are found in the texts. In addition, eulogies (manatmyas) and prayers (stutis) of rivers have also been mentioned with textual references.
![Rivers in Hindu Mythology and Ritual / Lal, S.K. [Dr.]](siteadmin/image/Large/0.gif)
