by Swami B.G. Narasingha
‘The Sacred River Sindhu/Indus’ was posted by Swami B.G. Narasingha on his blog, narasingha.net, on October 2nd, 2011. In this short article, Narasingha Maharaja explains the significance of the River Sindhu and his pilgrimage to it. This article was later expanded into a bigger article called ‘Sindhu River – How India Got Her Name.’
Of the seven most holy rivers in India the Sindhu is significant in that it is from the Sindhu that India has got her name (Sindhu-Indus-Indica-India) The Ṛg Veda refers to the Sindhu River as very auspicious and it is from the name ‘Sindhu’ that the word ‘Hindu’ also comes. Due to a speech variation, the Persians referred to those people east of the Sindhu River as Hindus.
After the time of Alexander the Great (circa 350 BCE) the Sindhu became known as the Indus River and the lands to the east of the Indus were known as Indica. During the British Raj, Indica came into the English language as India. Thus the name India. But as we know, the Vedic name of India is Bhārata and it is still in vogue today among the learned.
My recent trip to Ladakh gave me the opportunity to have a darśana of the Sindhu River — something i had looked forward to for many years. The Sindhu originates from Mount Kailāśa deep in the Himalayan range and flows westward across modern day Ladakh and Kashmir where he (a masculine river) then enters Pakistan and then flows south to eventually reach the Arabian Sea.
Many Hindus come to Ladakh every year to have darśana of the Sindhu and a great Darśana Festival is held in June that is attended by thousands. Myself, Kuñja-vihāri and Rūpānuga however preferred to go for darśana at a time with less crowds, the end of September. It was a wonderful experience. Here are a few photos of the Sindhu River and also the saṅgam where the Zanskar River joins the Sindhu.
Sindhu ki jaya! Indus ki jaya!
More Articles by Swami B.G. Narasingha
Heresy, Inquisition, Jihad, Fatwa and the Hare Kṛṣṇas
‘Heresy, Inquisition, Jihad, Fatwa and the Hare Kṛṣṇas’ was written by Śrīla Narasiṅgha Mahārāja in July 2010 was a follow-up article to his essay, ‘Śriya Śuka.’ After receiving a barrage of complaints, insults (and a few death threats) from members of a certain Vaiṣṇava mission, Narasiṅgha Mahārāja asks if there is any difference between Christian and Muslim fanatics and the Hare Kṛṣṇas?
The Dawn of the Age of Love?
“Dawn of the Age of Love” was written in 2009 by Śrīla Narasiṅgha Mahārāja in response to the erroneous idea that Kalki-avatāra does not appear at the end of this Kali-yuga. Quoting previous ācāryas, he shows that this is not the case.
This Saṅkīrtana Movement Is the Līlā of Mahāprabhu
‘This Saṅkīrtana Movement Is the Līlā of Mahāprabhu’ by Swami Narasingha was first published on March 30th 2002. This article was based on class by Narasingha Maharaja given in 2001 wherein Maharaja discusses gaura-līlā in relation to kṛṣṇa-līlā and how by engaging in Mahāprabhu’s saṅkīrtana movement, one attains Vṛndāvana.
