Gomati

By Swami Harshananda

• Gomatī is one of the sacred rivers mentioned in the Naḍisukta of the Ṛgveda. It is referred as a tributary of the river Sindhu (Indus).
• The modern Gomatī is a tributary of the river Gaṅgā flowing near Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh.
• According to some mythological accounts, Kauśiki, sister of Viśvāmitra, was cursed by her husband Rcīka. Hence she became the river Gomatī.
• Śrī Rāma is said to have conducted the Aśvamedha sacrifice on the banks of this river.
• The Mahābhārata says that one can get rid of one’s sins by drinking the water of this river.
• The Sabhāparva declares that the goddess Gomati, the presiding deity of the river, lives in the court of Varuṇa (the deity of the water principle or oceans), serving him.
• Sometimes Gomatī and Gaṅgā are considered identical, the former being given as one of the names of the latter.
• According to Śātātapa, a writer on the dharmaśāstras referred to by others, Gomatī is a type of Vedic mantra used in prāyaścittas or expiations, especially for killing a cow.

References

• The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

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