India is home to many distinct populations; however, the beliefs of these peoples have common origins. The lifestyles dictated by the beliefs of these different cultures often lead to journeys and pilgrimages to holy places such as the Narmada River: "The Narmada River is considered the mother and giver of peace. Legend has it that the mere sight of this river is enough to cleanse one's soul" (Walsh 1). People journey to the Narmada to attain a higher spiritual awareness. Gita Mehta's A River Sutra portrays the lives of diverse individuals seeking peace through the Narmada River. Each of the character's stories is paralleled throughout the book for they all lose a cherished part of their lives. After the loss of their companions, whether human or spiritual, they are drawn to the Narmada to attempt the retrieval of their lives by coming to terms with the tragedies that have taken place. By losing the objects of their desire, the characters are able to transition to the next phase of their lives through the holy Narmada.

The narrator, or sahib, retires to a bungalow on the banks of the Narmada where he encounters a variety of people that have journeyed to the river for healing pur

Next, the narrator meets an unattractive woman in the local bazaar. Her desire lies in the expression through music and the wish to be beautiful. She is greatly influenced by the music her father teaches her, and while she has true beauty on the inside, her hideous exterior prevents her from finding companionship with another person. Throughout the story, the bond with her father grows stronger because of their common interest for music, yet the relationship with her mother is weakened because of the fear that her daughter will never be married. When another male character, "the stranger," enters the story, the woman becomes interested in him. Her desire is soon fulfilled as she realizes that he is an aspiring musician like herself. Their relationship strengthens as they learn to play music together, representing life: "And music can never be still, it can never be without desire. Life must create more life or become death" (206). Music is an expression of desire and desire is the equivalence of life that the woman experiences through her veena. In exchange for music lessons, the stranger is obligated to marry the woman, but the teacher releases his contract. When the woman discovers that the stranger has declined, she feels dejected and her father orders her to go to the Narmada in order to recover from the agony of her rejection: "He says I must understand that I am the bride of music, not of a musician" (225-6). Her true desire was not for the stranger, it was for music, and all the stranger did was help her to become a better musician. After losing the desire she carries for the stranger, she is able to move on and see things for what they really are, no matter their exterior appearance.

Religion plays an important role in the culture and society of India. Hinduism is the religion primarily practiced throughout the country, but all religions come together and worship along the sacred banks of the Narmada River. Shiva is the primary god is of the Hindu triad - Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva. He is both the God of Death and Creation. Shiva is the creator of the Narmada River, deeming her the most holy body of water in all of India.

The Naga Baba sacrifices all the luxuries of humanity in exchange for a greater understanding of the spiritual world, taking on a student and companion to share his denouncement from society, and paralleling his life to the narrator's. Unlike the Naga Baba, the narrator does not test his faith by undergoing the test of physical limitations, but has gone from one extreme as a bureaucrat to the extreme of detachment from the material world: "In ancient times, when a man and his wife grew old, they were expected to give up the materialistic family life and settle in a forest, practicing a simple, spiritual way of life" (Hew 56). The sahib reaches a point in his life where he can no longer find peace and fulfillment through a simplistic lifestyle. After the Naga Baba's exhaustive training, he follows tradition and on the night of Shiva goes to beg for alms at the houses of the "unclean, untouchable, or profane," a ritual t

Some common words found in the essay are:
Narmada River, Nitin Bose, Hunger's Self, Naga Baba, River Sutra, Master Mohan, Baba Uma, Naga Baba's, Narmada India, India Hinduism, narmada river, naga baba, holy narmada, river sutra, narrator meets, understanding life, banks narmada, woman discovers, characters able, hunger's self,
Approximate Word count = 2086
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)