Identification of Rigvedic hydronyms has engaged multiple historians; it is the single most important way of establishing the geography and chronology of the early Vedic period.[1][2] Rivers with certain identifications stretch from eastern Afghanistan to the western Gangetic plain, clustering in the Punjab. The Rigveda mentions the sapta-sindhavaḥ (Sanskrit: सप्तसिन्धवः, seven rivers), along with other rivers:
“He has surveyed eight summits of the Earth, three shore or desert regions, seven rivers.” (aṣṭaú vy àkhyat kakúbhaḥ pr̥thivyā́s trī́ dhánva yójanā saptá síndhūn RV.I.35.8).[3]
Sapta-sindhavaḥ is cognate with Avestanhapta həndu, and is interpreted as referring to Punjab.[lower-alpha 1] The region's name comes from پنج, panj, 'five' and آب, āb, 'water' thus "five waters", a Persian calque of the Indo-Aryan Pancha-nada meaning "five rivers".[4]
The same names were often imposed on different rivers as the Vedic culture migrated eastward from around Afghanistan (where they stayed for a considerable time) to the subcontinent via Punjab.[1]
Multiple hydronyms are located in the Rigvedic corpus; they are slotted according to rough geographical locations, following the scheme of Michael Witzel.[1] Alongside, opinions of scholars about modern correlates are provided:[5][6]
Indus:
Síndhu – Identified with Indus.[5] The central lifeline of RV.[6]
Northwestern Rivers:
Tr̥ṣṭā́mā – Blažek identifies with Gilgit.[5] Witzel notes it to be unidentified.[1]
Susártu – Unidentified.
Ánitabhā – Unidentified.
Rasā́ – Described once to be on the upper Indus; at other times a mythical entity.[5]
Mehatnū – A tributary of Gomatī́.[5] Unidentifiable.[1]
Yavyā́vatī – Noted to be a branch of Gomatī́. Witzel as well as Blažek identifies with Zhob River.[1][5] Dähnhardt comments it to be synonymous to Yamúnā or flowing very close to it.[6]
Witzel, Michael (1998). "Aryan and non-Aryan Names in Vedic India: Data for the linguistic situation, c. 1900-500 B.C". In Bronkhorst, James; Deshpande, Madhav (eds.). Aryans and Non-Non-Aryans: Evidence, Interpretation and Ideology. Harvard Oriental Series. Cambridge. pp.337–404.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Dähnhardt, Thomas Wolfgang Peter (2009). "The descent of King Lion: Some considerations on the relations between the Indus and other rivers in the sacred geography and culture of ancient India". In Filippi, Gian Giuseppe (ed.). I fiumi sacri. Indoasiatica. Vol.6. Libreria Editrice Cafoscarina. pp.189–208. ISBN9788875432416.
Gherardo Gnoli, De Zoroastre à Mani. Quatre leçons au Collège de France (Travaux de l’Institut d’Études Iraniennes de l’Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle 11), Paris (1985)
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