The Geography of the Puranas c8.5

c8.5

(iii) A river with all its tributaries is considered by the authors of the Purāṇas as one river. They do not usually give separate names for tributa ries while describing the main river. If the Purāṇas want to say that the river B is a tributary of river A, they say that 'the river A falls on the summit of the source mountain of river B'. Conversely, if the Purāṇas say that river A falls on mountain X and then on mountain Y, they want to convey the idea that the river A first receives a tributary from mountain X, then another from mountain Y. Individual tributaries are no doubt mentioned in the Purāṇas but only when they 'in their own right' are associated with any natural or cultural phenomena. For instance, Vetravatī, Śiprā or Kālindī would be mentioned as individual rivers while describing the city of Vidiśā, the Kingdom of Ujjayinī or the land of Surasenas or Pañcālas with which they are associated—but not as tributaries of the Carmanvatī or the Gaṅgā.