Correct Option (A):
The Sindhu (Indus) river is the most frequently referenced river in early Vedic literature, particularly the Rigveda. It held immense significance for the Vedic people, being described as a powerful and abundant river. It served as a vital geographical and economic axis, symbolizing prosperity and and acting as a primary source of sustenance and a route for communication and trade for the early Aryan settlements.
Incorrect Options:
- Sutudri (Sutlej): This river is mentioned in the Rigveda, but its references are less frequent compared to the Sindhu. It was one of the important rivers of the Sapta Sindhu region.
- Sarasvati: While highly revered and often invoked as a goddess of knowledge and purity in the Rigveda, its mentions are fewer than that of the Sindhu. In later Vedic texts, it is sometimes associated with a river that had dried up.
- Ganga: The river Ganga is mentioned only a few times in the Rigveda, indicating that the early Vedic heartland was primarily to the west of its main course. Its prominence increased significantly in later Vedic and post-Vedic periods.