Sarayu River

Sarayu River flows by the holy city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh (India) adding more sacredness to the sapta-moksha puri. The Sarayu river originates at the big toe of the left lotus feet of Lord Vishnu the way Ganga river originates at the big toe of His right lotus feet. The very origin of the river is an indicator as to how dear Sarayu river is to Lord Rama.

The Skanda Purana says that its waters are of the highest sanctity in the whole world. Great Sages have resided on the banks of its rivers. The humming of bees and chirping of birds on its banks adds to its serene beauty.

The earthly origin of the Sarayu river is the Mansarovar lake in the Himalayas. While Ghaghara river is the main tributary, the Kali and Karnali rivers too combine to form the Sarayu river in the Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh. Upon entering the state of Bihar in India, the Sarayu river merges with the Ganga river.

In fact, Sarayu is another form of the sacred Ganga. This is testified by the presence of various tirthas on the banks of River Sarayu. In fact Lord Ramachandra would daily take bath in this river. On its sacred banks, He would perform sacrifices and charities.

The appearance of Sarayu river

Lord Vishnu is the source of the sacred Sarayu river. Her appearance and arrival in Ayodhya are a very unique lila. Once Lord Brahma was engaged in severe penances to please Lord Vishnu. Seeing this, Lord Vishnu became compassionate and shed a tear from His eye.

Very carefully and with great reverence, Lord Brahma collected the sacred tear of Lord Vishnu in his kamandalu. Lord Brahma preserved this sacred tear in the Mansarovar lake located on Mount Kailash. This lake was created by Lord Brahma from his mind. Hence, known as Manas lake initially and later on Mansarovar.

The Sarayu river is brought to Ayodhya

The sacred city of Ayodhya was ruled by the kings coming in the line of the Surya i.e. Surya Vamsha or Solar dynasty. Although the city was unrivalled in its opulence, it lacked one of the most important aspects of spirituality – A sacred river. Sage Vasishta, who was the kula-guru of Surya Vamsha, requested the King of the Solar dynasty to bring a sacred river to Ayodhya in order to perform his holy rituals and religious duties like sandhya vandhanam, homas, yagnas, etc.

Honouring Sage Vasishta’s request, the King pulled out an arrow from his quiver and shot it. The arrow went up north and hit the bund of Mansarovar lake, thereby creating a hole in it. The sacred tear of Lord Vishnu started oozing out of the Mansarovar lake in the form of a river.

Following the path taken by the arrow, the river reached the sacred city of Ayodhya. As the river followed the path of the arrow to reach Ayodhya, it came to be called Sarayu. Since then, the sacred Sarayu has been serving Lord Rama and His devotees.

The glories of Sarayu river

The Sarayu river is undoubtedly very glorious due to its origin from Lord Vishnu’s lotus feet. With the utmost respect and attention, let us have a look at the glories of the Sarayu mentioned in the Ayodhya Mahatmya section of Skanda Purana:

The Sarayu river gives unlimited satisfaction to the Pitrus i.e. ancestors. If you perform the shraddha ceremony for ancestors here, you get far more merit than that obtained at Gaya. One darshan or a holy dip in the Sarayu gives you the result of staying in Kashi for thousands of Manvantaras.

The result of staying in Mathura for the period of a kalpa is attained by just visiting the sacred Sarayu river once. The result of visiting Pushkar and Prayag in the months of Karthika and Magha respectively is attained easily if you visit the sacred Sarayu river once.

Seeing the sacred Sarayu river just once equals the merit of staying in Avanti for thousands and crores of kalpas. Sarayu river is brahman itself in the form of water as it bestows liberation. You won’t experience the effect of material karma here. Rather, one attains the qualities of Lord Rama by seeing her or taking a holy dip in her sacred waters.

How to Reach the Sarayu River

If there was a simple yet comfortable way to visit the Sarayu river, the best option would be to join the Ayodhya Yatra conducted by Tirtha Yatra. In simple words “One of the finest”!

The sacred river Sarayu is located in the holy city of Ayodhya. Or it could be more appropriately said that Ayodhya is located on the banks of the sacred Sarayu. Hence, you must reach Ayodhya in order to have the darshan of her holy and pristine waters or even take a holy dip.

The following modes of transportation will definitely bring you to Ayodhya:

By Road: Ayodhya is well connected to cities in Uttar Pradesh and nearby states by road. Uttar Pradesh state buses are available from major cities in the state 24 hours.

You can even hire private taxis from these cities or from a nearby town where you may be present. Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj and Varanasi are the nearest cities within a distance of 200 kms.

By Rail: Ayodhya city is served by two railway stations. They are Ayodhya Junction and Ayodhya Cantt. Trains connecting major cities and towns of India stop over here.

By Air: The nearest airports are in Gorakhpur 139 kms away and Lucknow 151 kms away. You can fly in here and use the rail or road route to reach Ayodhya.

A government airstrip in Ayodhya is being upgraded to create a new airport though this may take time.

Sarayu River: The manifestation of transcendental compassion

The Sarayu river is indeed very sacred. Be it her origin as the manifestation of Lord Vishnu’s compassion or her service to Lord Ram, she has been at the epitome of glory.

As per the Bala Khanda of the Valmiki Ramayana, Lord Rama was traveling with Sage Vishwamitra on a boat when He heard the sound of gushing water. Curious Rama was introduced to the sacred Sarayu river by Sage Vishwamitra then.

Since then, Sarayu has been serving her eternal master Lord Rama within and without. Lord Rama chose to go back to Vaikuntha loka along with His citizens through her sacred waters.

Being a humble servant of Lord Rama, she sets the perfect example of devotion and humility. Perhaps, we could all learn from her, offering her unconditional obeisances.  Mere words will not be sufficient to describe her glories.

Being witness to Lord Rama’s pastimes, she could say more. Perhaps, you should ask!