saraswati civilisation

[Koenraad Elst]

Alright, Dr. Thompson, let's treat Indology as a science too.  And Saraswati
as a legitimate object of indological discussion, considering its prominence
in the Rg-Veda.  What firm
data does Indology have on the identification of a real or imaginary object
as "Saraswati"?

For once, I have mainstream opinion on my side: most scholars now accept
that the Saraswati is to a physical river, as is clear from their
discussions on whether a river in India or one in Afghanistan is meant.  The
first verse that comes to mind where Saraswati can hardly be anything except
an earthly river, is the famous river hymn (10:75), where it is listed along
with the
Ganga, Yamuna, Sindhu etc.  If you can convince me that a heavenly river was
inserted amid the north-Indian rivers, I'll return a second verse.

Yours sincerely,
Koenraad Elst
http://members.xoom.com/KoenraadElst/