Glories of River Kaveri – Story
(Thula Purana)
Kaveri Matha, who is a devatha, transforms into a river and marries the King of the Oceans.
Indeed, she was born as the daughter of a king named Kavera. So, she received the name Kaveri and became a river.
Because she married the King of the Oceans, all other rivers come to her.
It is for this very reason that the Thula Purana states that Goddess Ganga herself resides within the Kaveri.
According to the tradition, the spiritual merit one would gain by bathing daily in the River Ganga for a thousand years can be attained by bathing in the River Kaveri for just a single day during the Thula month (mid-October to mid-November).
Scriptures state that the people leaves their sins by bathing in river Ganga . So, River Ganga is loaded with the Sins. Ganga devi comes to Mahamaham (Called South Kumbhamela) festival in Kumbakonam in the Kaveri delta region in Tamilnadu to unload the sins accumulaetd by her from the devotees. Thus, Kavei river is capable of accepting the sins unloaded even by Ganga devi. This Mahamaham festival is celebrated once in 12 years in which many lakhs of people from all parts of India come to Kumbakonam to take a holy dip in Kaveri. I too have attended that festival there.
The Thula Purana serves to extol the greatness of the Kaveri, describing her as the river that “never fails, even if the heavens fail to send rain.”
Bathing in the Kaveri daily before sunrise during the Thula month (mid-October to mid-November) is known as Thula Snana. Bathing during the last two days of the month is considered even more auspicious. It is widely believed that after taking a holy dip in the Kaveri, reading the Thula Puranam either in its entirety or section by sectionon a daily basis will bestow all manner of blessings and well-being.
Why Does River Kaveri Possess Such Greatness?
There is a Short Story behind it.
STORY:
Once, during the Thula month (mid-October to mid-November), Lord Shiva mounted his celestial vehicle—the bull—and set out to tour the world.
At that time, his mount—the bull named Nandi became slightly arrogant.
Upon approaching the River Kaveri, he strayed away from Lord Shiva’s entourage and positioned himself alone in the very center of the river.
Angered by this act, Lord Shiva resolved to quell Nandi’s arrogance. He pressed down upon Nandi with his toe, forcing him to sink deep into the netherworld beneath the riverbed of the Kaveri.
Shedding tears of remorse, Nandi—the celestial bull—begged Lord Shiva for forgiveness for his transgression and pleaded with him to grant him liberation.
Consequently, Lord Shiva, moved by compassion, commanded the divine Bull (Rishabha) to remain at that very spot and bestow blessings—on His behalf—upon all those who came to bathe in the River Cauvery.
Since Lord Shiva’s divine thumb had left its imprint upon the Bull submerged within the Cauvery, it is believed that those who bathe in the river during the Thula month (mid-October to mid-November) receive the Lord Shiva’s grace directly.
This ritual bath during the Thula month is celebrated with particular fervor in the stretch of the Cauvery River flowing through Mayuram (Now called as Mayiladuthurai).
Furthermore, in Karnataka—specifically at Talakaveri near Mysore, the source of the river, this ritual bathing ceremony is also observed on a grand scale during the Thula month (mid-October to mid-November).
Each month possesses its own unique significance. It is said that by understanding these specific virtues and by reading a relevant Purana (mythological scripture) during each respective month, one can ensure that peace prevails within the family, happiness abounds, and wealth accumulates.
For this very reason, people in bygone eras made it a daily routine within their households to read through the Puranas, section by section.
Moreover, by attending spiritual discourses and musical concerts, they allowed divine messages to constantly resonate in their ears. Consequently, these spiritual truths naturally took root deep within their hearts. As a result, they lived lives filled with profound peace of mind.
However, given that the Puranas were originally composed on a massive scale, people in the modern era—constrained by a lack of time—find it difficult to read through them in their entirety.
The Thula Purana, specifically, extols the glory of the River Cauvery and describes the spiritual merit (Punya) attained by bathing in its sacred waters during the month of Thula.
It is recorded that sages such as Agastya and Narada expounded upon the greatness of the River Kaveri by narrating various stories to King Harishchandra, Yuthishtira, and Draupadi;
Furthermore, it is noted that the Lord Shiva Himself recounted certain tales directly to Sage Agastya.
Moreover, Sage Vyasa, too, elucidated the river’s significance to Arjuna through the medium of storytelling.
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