Vaitarini

[Arlo Griffiths]

The Vaitara.nii is the northernmost of the three great  rivers which run
through northern and coastal Orissa, and flow into the Bay of Bengal. There
seems to be some evidence that the river of today was already known by that
name in olden times. In the E-text of the Mahaabhaarata I find 18 passages,
including:

03114004a ete kali:ngaa.h kaunteya yatra vaitara.nii nadii
03114004c yatraayajata dharmo 'pi devaa;n ;sara.nam etya vai

Kali:nga being perhaps a reference to what we now call Orissa.
    Why this particular beautiful Orissa river would have got such a
dreadful (ghora) connotation as it has in some Mbh. passages (see also
AVPari;s 9.4.1), I do not know. It is a nice river to take one's morning
snaana in --- as the Mbh. bard also says, it is quite "paapapramocanii"!

Arlo Griffiths


----------
>From: Andrea Marion Pinkney <amp65 at COLUMBIA.EDU>
>To: INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK
>Subject: Vaitarini
>Date: vri, 28 apr 2000 4:26 PM
>

>
>
> Aloha,
>
> What is the river Vaitarini?
> It is listed in dictionaries as a mythical river in hell, which must be
> crossed to reach Yama-loka.
> Does it also mean Ganga?
>
> I would appreciate any clarifications.
> Andrea Pinkney