Aruṇā Saṅgama
Aruṇā Saṅgama · aruṇā sam-gama, “the confluence of the Aruṇā”
The Aruṇā Saṅgama is the world-famous confluence of the river Aruṇā with the Sarasvatī, in the holy land of Kurukshetra. The Saro Māhātmya of the Vāmana Purāṇa tells that it was made by compassionate ṛshis. When the Sarasvatī had flowed with blood for a year under the śāpa (curse) of Viśvāmitra and become the haunt of rākshasas, ṛshis who came on pilgrimage purified her with the waters of the Aruṇā, which removes all pāpas (sins). Then, to lift up the rākshasas who begged them for release, they made the holy confluence of the two rivers. The rākshasas bathed there, were freed of pāpa, put on divine garlands and garments, and went to svarga.
One who fasts three nights at the Aruṇā Saṅgama and bathes there is freed of every fault, and in the terrible Kali age, when dharma has sunk low, those who bathe there become free.
The river of blood
There had long been enmity between the rājarshi Viśvāmitra and the brahmarshi Vasishṭha, each relying on the power of his own tapas. While Vasishṭha remained in fierce tapas at his āśrama, Viśvāmitra called the Sarasvatī and commanded her to bring Vasishṭha to him, saying that he would surely kill him. The great river stood still in great anguish. Viśvāmitra, still more enraged, roared, “Go at once and bring Vasishṭha!” Weeping, the river went to Vasishṭha and told him Viśvāmitra’s words, and Vasishṭha, wasted by tapas, told her to carry him to Viśvāmitra as he had commanded.
As she bore him along in her current, Vasishṭha praised her: “O holy Sarasvatī, arisen from the lake of Brahmā! With your holy waters you have flooded the whole world. You flow in the sky and give water to the clouds. All waters are your form. You are the support of this whole world, with nourishment, fame, the siddhis, radiance, forbearance, svāhā, svadhā and speech. In all living beings you dwell as speech. Namas to you.”
Pleased with his stotra, the Sarasvatī carried him gently to Viśvāmitra. But when Viśvāmitra took up a weapon to kill him, she hid him in the middle of her current. So she honoured the commands of both. Not seeing Vasishṭha, Viśvāmitra was angry at her and pronounced a śāpa: “O best of streams! For deceiving me so, you shall flow with blood instead of water and be the dwelling-place of rākshasas.” For one year the Sarasvatī flowed with blood. The devas, gandharvas and apsarās grieved to see her, while bhūtas, piśācas and rākshasas gathered round, drank the blood with great joy and laughed their hideous laughs as if they had conquered svarga.
Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 19
The ṛshis make the confluence
Some days later some ṛshis rich in tapas came near the Sarasvatī on a yātrā (pilgrimage). Seeing the holy river turned to blood and full of rākshasas, they resolved to protect her and asked her the cause, and she told them all that Viśvāmitra had done. Then the munis gladly brought the holy waters of the river Aruṇā, which removes all pāpas, mixed them into the Sarasvatī and made her pure.
Seeing her waters made pure, the rākshasas pleaded with the munis most piteously: “We are for ever far from dharma and tormented by hunger. We did not choose this path ourselves. Because of the pāpa we did, and because we did not receive your grace, our kind keeps growing and we became brahmarākshasas. All vaiśyas, śūdras and kshatriyas who hate brāhmaṇas become brahmarākshasas. This karma has come down from of old. You are great tapodhanas, able to save all the worlds!”
Hearing them, the compassionate munis took counsel among themselves. Food that is left over from another’s eating, on which insects have settled, into which hairs have fallen, or that is polluted by the wind or by the breath of the mouth, is rākshasa food; knowing this, the wise should avoid it, for one who eats it has as good as eaten the food of rākshasas.
Having reflected thus, the maharshis purified that tīrtha and, to lift up the rākshasas, made there the holy confluence of the rivers Aruṇā and Sarasvatī. All those rākshasas immersed themselves in the waters of the confluence, were freed of pāpa, wore divine garlands and garments, and went to the worlds of svarga.
Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 19
Rite and phala
The Saro Māhātmya gives the rite and its phala (fruit):
- One who fasts for three nights at this world-famous confluence and bathes there is freed of all his kilbishas (faults).
- In the terrible Kali age, when dharma has sunk low, men who bathe at the Aruṇā Saṅgama become free.
Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 19
Sources
- Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 19