Saptasārasvata means “the seven Sarasvatīs”. It is a holy tīrtha at Kurukshetra, on the river Sarasvatī, where seven forms of Sarasvatī Devī flow together. The ṛshi Maṅkaṇaka (also called Maṅkaṇa) set it up, by calling each of the seven forms from sacred places across Bhāratavarsha to meet at Kurukshetra. It is also the place where Bhagavān Śiva promised Maṅkaṇaka that he would always live here. It is therefore a tīrtha of Bhagavān Śiva as much as of Sarasvatī.

Where it lies

The Saptasārasvata Tīrtha lies in the round of tīrthas at Kurukshetra, along the Sarasvatī. Chapter 16 of the Saro Māhātmya places it after the Somarasī Tīrtha and the Śrīkuñja Tīrtha, both on the Sarasvatī bank. The text calls it triloka-durlabha (hard to find in all three worlds) and counts it among the very glorious (mahāmahimā) places of the pilgrimage. (Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 16)

The seven Sarasvatīs

Chapter 16 names the seven in this order:

Suprabhā. She came from Pushkara Tīrtha. She is the bright form who answered Brahmā’s meditation when the ṛshis declared that a yajña without Sarasvatī bears no fruit.
Kāñcanākshī. The golden-eyed form. She came from Naimishāraṇya when Maṅkaṇaka meditated.
Viśālā. The wide form. She came from Gayā, where King Gaya had called her for his great yajña.
Manoharā. The form that holds the mind. She came from Uttarakośala, where she had answered the meditation of the muni Uddālaka.
Oghāvatī (also called the Ogha-nāma Sarasvatī). The form of the flood. She came from Kedāra Tīrtha through Maṅkaṇaka’s prayer.
Suvenu. She also came from Kedāra. Maṅkaṇaka brought her after he had worshipped Parameśvara there.
Vimalodakā. The form of pure water. Daksha had let her go at Gaṅgādvāra, and Maṅkaṇaka’s call drew her to Kurukshetra.

In addition, Mārkaṇḍeya sang a stotra (hymn of praise) to Sarasvatī at the Plaksha tree (Chapter 11). Sarasvatī herself then said that she would follow him. Mārkaṇḍeya led her through the Brahma-sarovara and the Rāmahrada into the centre of Kurukshetra, and so an eighth stream joined the holy meeting of waters. (Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapters 11 and 16)

The presence of Bhagavān Śiva

Maṅkaṇaka was humbled by Bhagavān Śiva and then offered a stotra of surrender. Bhagavān Śiva said: “I will always be present with you in this āśrama. Whoever bathes at the Saptasārasvata Tīrtha and worships me here will lack nothing, in this world or the next. By my grace they will reach the highest state and enjoy the pleasures of the Saptasārasvatī svarga.” So Bhagavān Śiva’s presence at Saptasārasvata is for ever, not only now and then. (Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 17)

The phalaśruti

The reward (phalaśruti) of bathing at the Saptasārasvata Tīrtha is:

Blessings that lack nothing, in this world and the next.
The highest state (sarvonnata-pada).
The pleasures of the Saptasārasvatī svarga (the heaven of the seven Sarasvatīs).
The lasting grace of Bhagavān Śiva on the one who worships.

(Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 17)

Maṅkaṇa’s tapas

The Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa (Chapter 36) also speaks of Saptasārasvata as the place where Maṅkaṇa did long tapas (austerity). There he saw Bhagavān Śiva’s cosmic dance. This led to the episode in which Bhagavān Śiva showed that the dancing ash from his own finger was more wondrous than the juice from Maṅkaṇa’s cut finger. The text gives this as part of the larger Chapter 36 account tied to the Hāṭakeśvara region.

In this account the Sarasvatī is called one of the holiest rivers, and the meeting of her seven streams, the Saptasārasvata, makes that holiness many times greater. Where the waters meet, the strength of tapas, ritual bathing and the chanting of mantras grows.

The Auśanasa Tīrtha nearby

Chapter 18 of the Saro Māhātmya also tells of the Auśanasa Tīrtha, in the same part of the pilgrimage. There Śukrācārya became a graha (planet) through long tapas. The land around the Saptasārasvata Tīrtha is full of holy places tied to the great ṛshis of the Vedic tradition.

Sources

Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapters 11, 16, 17 and 18
Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 36