Sarayu is an ancient river that originates from Uttarakhand, India, and it passes through various towns in Uttarakhand and finally it ends at the India-Nepal border. It also flows through Ayodhya, the birth place of Lord Rama. This sacred river is described in Ramayana, and as per Ramayana, at the end of the Rama avatar, Lord Rama took the people of Ayodhya and went inside this river and reached the abode of Lord Vishnu, the Vaikunta.
As per ancient legend, Sarayu was the daughter of a Rishi couple. She was an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu, and hence as per the advice of her parents, she began to meditate on Lord Vishnu, and she got the boon from Lord Vishnu, of becoming a holy River in the earth. She is very ancient River goddess, and those who take bath in this sacred River would get cleansed from their sins and would become purified, and they would blossom in their life like the lovely lotus flower.
The holy River Sarayu was mentioned in Ramayana, in Puranas and also in other sacred texts of Hinduism. Sarayu was praised by ancient kings, queens and sages, and they would regularly take bath in this holy river. As per legend, the great Vishnu devotee Prahalada, Narada and Agastiya had took bath in this sacred River before several thousands of years ago. Rama’s ancestors like Raghu, Aja and Dasharatha had taken bath in this holy river, in order to sanctify themselves.
Holy Rivers gives refreshment to mind, gives good health and boosts the spiritual energy. They give chillness to our mind and body, and remove the heat from our body. Some of our diseases also would be cured by bathing in the holy rivers. Ancient people would bring their mentally challenged children to the holy rivers like Ganga, Yamuna and Godavari, and they would make them to take bath in these rivers, and due to the divine grace of the holy river mother goddesses, the mental illness of most of the children were cured.
“OM”
WRITTEN BY
R.HARISHANKAR