2 ms·

You are right that Kumbha is Aquarius but the kumbha in kumbha mela is from its’ primary meaning of pot. Specifically the pot of amrta (the nectar of immortali

You are right that Kumbha is Aquarius but the kumbha in kumbha mela is from its’ primary meaning of pot. Specifically the pot of amrta (the nectar of immortality) that the Devas and Asuras got together to churn and then fought over. In the ensuing tussle, four drops fell at the various places on Earth where the kumbha mela is celebrated. The zodiacal sign is also associated with this story though probably both the Greeks and Indians got the zodiacal concept from the Babylonians and added their own interpretations afterwards. Your point about the Saraswati is a bit nit picky. Yes there was a real Saraswati (that dried up by the end of the Vedic age) but the mystical Saraswati that flows at Prayag is not related to that

msravi 8y ago
Yes, I'm aware of the pot-of-nectar legend - just didn't have the time to check primary sources for the origin of the legend, and did not want to put out something I was unsure of. If you have a primary reference for the origin of that legend, that would be helpful. As for the Saraswati, you are mistaken. The sangam (confluence) at Prayag being referred to as "Triveni" (three rivers) is a recent invention (1860 or thereabouts) and is first referred to in written literature in 1873. And it is the same Saraswati river. See https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/The-story-of-Triveni/article14553336.ece https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/The-story-of-Tri... To quote: "...the word Triveni was used for the first time in 1873 to convey the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati in the six-volume Sanskrit work Abhidhan Vachaspatya of Taranath Tarkvachaspati, who was associated with Government Sanskrit College, Calcutta (now Kolkata). Otherwise, according to its etymology, it meant triple-braided. Whether it is Valmiki or Kalidasa, no Sanskrit poet has used the word Triveni to denote the confluence of rivers at Prayag (Allahabad). Whenever they referred to it, it was always as a confluence of two rivers Ganga and Yamuna."

msravi 8y ago

Yes, I'm aware of the pot-of-nectar legend - just didn't have the time to check primary sources for the origin of the legend, and did not want to put out something I was unsure of. If you have a primary reference for the origin of that legend, that would be helpful. As for the Saraswati, you are mistaken. The sangam (confluence) at Prayag being referred to as "Triveni" (three rivers) is a recent invention (1860 or thereabouts) and is first referred to in written literature in 1873. And it is the same Saraswati river. See https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/The-story-of-Triveni/article14553336.ece https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/The-story-of-Tri... To quote: "...the word Triveni was used for the first time in 1873 to convey the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati in the six-volume Sanskrit work Abhidhan Vachaspatya of Taranath Tarkvachaspati, who was associated with Government Sanskrit College, Calcutta (now Kolkata). Otherwise, according to its etymology, it meant triple-braided. Whether it is Valmiki or Kalidasa, no Sanskrit poet has used the word Triveni to denote the confluence of rivers at Prayag (Allahabad). Whenever they referred to it, it was always as a confluence of two rivers Ganga and Yamuna."