The Glory of River Chitravati – Yamuna of Sai Krishna

As part of our efforts to include more people in the seva of spreading Bhagawan's message, we invited those who would like to join our content team as volunteers. We requested them to submit articles on any one of the two themes: 'Celebrating the 100th Birthday of Bhagawan' and 'The Glory of Chitravati'. We will be sharing some of the impressive entries we received as part of this campaign. We thank all those who participated and sent in their entries, and we pray to Bhagawan to shower His blessings on each one of you.

Bharat-Varsha has been a land of Divinity. It is a country where time and again the Divine Lord, the Parmatman experiences joy incarnating in Human Form. A land blessed by so many Avatars and Sages, bestowed with lush green forests, beautiful mountains, and gushing rivers. The country is christened Son-chiriya (the golden bird) due to its distinctiveness in various aspects. It is the same land where the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, and many vivid literatures have been penned down. It is the land where nature is extolled as Prakriti and God Himself manifests as Purusha. This is the nation where the Bhoomi (land) and Srotas (rivers) are considered divine mothers that sustain life. This is the country where the subjects request bliss of the rivers in the waters they use by chanting the hymn,

गङ्गे च यमुने चैव गोदावरि सरस्वति । 
नर्मदे सिन्धु कावेरि जलेऽस्मिन् संनिधिं कुरु ॥

Meaning - Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Saraswathi, Narmada, Sindhu, Kaveri, may all these have a holy confluence in this water; where the seven rivers mentioned in the hymn are considered to be the divine rivers that flow through the Indian Subcontinent. Ganga, the river born from the toe of Lord Vishnu, stayed in the kamandalu (oblong water pot) of Lord Brahma, and flows through the matted locks of Lord Shiva. River Yamuna, the daughter of Lord Surya (Sun God), sister of Lord Yama, flows through the Himalayas, to Gokula, Vrindavana, and merges with Ganga in Prayagraj and all the other rivers mentioned in the hymn have their own stories connecting them directly to the Supreme.

In fact, the Yamunashtakam expounds on the glory of River Yamuna by calling her the river on whose bank Lord Krishna used to perform His Divine Leelas, lushly covered with the Kadamba and Mallika Groves. The river that witnessed the Kaliya-mardanam (destruction of Kaliya Naga), deific Rasa-leelas, grazing of the cows by the Divine Cowherd, and many more during the Dwapara-yuga. Why am I speaking about this? Well, another river witnessed such divine leelas, absorbed them, and still flows as a witness to that Love and Grace. It showers this divine pleasure upon the devotees who visit or mention the river. Yes, the River Chitravati. A river that was so dear to the Divinity Himself, where He performed His pastimes and the river that is equally divine as the seven rivers mentioned in the deific hymn. The sands of the riverbed from where Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba manifested whatever He willed. From hot dosas to ghee dripping fresh mysore-paks, from idols to pendants of Deities sculpted in metal, ivory, and even books, like Bhagwat Gita.

 

Blessed is the River Chitravati and its banks. It witnessed the birth of the Divine Lord in the village of Puttaparthi. Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba mentions that the Avatar chooses when and where to be born, and nature then plays its part in setting up the stage for the Lord to perform His Tasks. The time and place were set, and so were the scenarios. A gurgling river Chitravati flowed next to the village the Lord chose to incarnate. A river that would dry up in the summers, and flow ferociously during the monsoons. As little Sathya started going to school, He would cross this river daily to attend His school in Bukkapatnam, often crossing the river a few times daily to attend to His grandfather during His lunch breaks. The river that enjoyed the playfulness of the kids, where Sathya and other kids used to take their bath, near its banks is the Hanuman Temple where Lord Hanuman appeared as a Big Monkey in front of Sathya praying to Him not to perform circumambulation.

As heard from the locals, River Chitravati is considered the Ganga of Puttaparthi. But it is also Yamuna, which has witnessed the celestial plays of our dear Sai Krishna. Even today if you go and sit at the banks of the river, you will feel the bliss and peace that the devotees from the past felt though. The divine energy reverberating through the ripples generated in the flowing river brings back all the memories of the frolics the Sweet Lord performed with the devotees. Every drop of water apparent in the river beholds the eternal consciousness that the Divine Lord is Omnipresent, Omniscient, and Omnipotent.

Blessed are those who come under the Sai-fold, who toil to be bestowed with the merits from the Lord. Blessed are those who could be with the sweet Lord, and witness all the divine Leelas. And then, blessed are these divine creations of the Prakriti, like the river Chitravati, which has been a witness to the physical sojourn of the Supreme Lord, and till today flows uninterrupted singing His glory, spreading His messages across, being a part of His divine acts, and bestowing the devotees the euphoria of reminiscing each act.

Whenever you visit Puttaparthi, visit Chitravati, sit near its banks, and experience pure bliss conferred upon! Jai Sai Ram!

 

- Jithesh V. Nair