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Bathing in Sacred Places A response by Jagannatha Prakasa, © November 2006 (updated December 3, 2024) |
Questioner: "P"
Subject: Bathing in sacred placesQuestion:
Hello Sir Jagganatha,
Does bathing in holy rivers like Ganga help in removal of ones sins or is it only a mental conception. If it is not just a belief, then how about bathing somewhere - in a local river nearby.
Jagannatha Prakasa's reply
Hello "P",Well, the faithful would certainly answer yes to this.
Bathing in the holy rivers purifies the body and soul. I have bathed in the Ganga, the Yamuna, and other holy rivers and I will tell you that done with faith it is an awesome experience. These waters are not merely rivers, there is something different about them, something tangibly spiritual...
Having said that, I suppose that logically its a matter of faith, tradition and history rather than objective reality.
The basic reason why certain rivers are considered sacred and places of pilgrimage is that certain holy people, incarnations of God, great saints, religious stories, etc. are so holy that wherever they step or occur becomes holy by association. Variations on this view are true not only of the Sacred rivers of India, but also of places like Jerusalem's Temple Mount, Mecca, the Well of Solome, the Black Hills of North Dakota in the US etc. The same basic thing is seen in holy relics and shrines. Pious people the world over believe in places and items that are holy, blessed and so on.
I believe this is mainly dependant upon the faith of the believer. To an Atheist, nothing is sacred and so for such a one to bathe in Ganges would be no different than any other river, to such a person, Mecca, Jerusalem, Vrndavana and such places are no different than any others. However when God sees the faith of the Believers (of whatever religion), I believe He sometimes blesses them because of their faith. Again, it is not unlike bowing toward Mecca, walking the Via Delarosa, etc. It is the faith in the act, the devotion excercised, that impels the worshipper to act. That is what God takes note of rather than the geographical locations or items themselves.
Then there is Ganga...
The Ganga is mentioned and praised in the earliest of scriptures, from the Rg Veda (the oldest religious text on earth) all the way through the literary history of India. The Indian people came to be on its banks and for all their history the Ganga has been the giver of life. Many of the most important events in Indian history took place on the banks of these rivers, especially the Ganga.
Ganga is not simply regarded as a river, but as a goddess, Ganga devi, one of two daughters of Meru (the Himalayas), the other being Uma, consort of Shiva. The god Indra prayed for her waters to come to earth and miraculous they did according to the Indian scriptures. Vaisnavas say they flow from the navel of Lord Brahma (the Creator) himself. The story of Ganga's descent to earth appears in slightly different forms in Ramayana (Bala Kanda: Vishwamitra narrates it to the child Rama), Mahabharata (Aranya Parba: Agastya narrates it to Rama), and in the Puranas. These stories are variously dated between 2000 to 400 BC.
There are amazing accounts of healing and other miraculous events attributed to Ganga. Its tributaries like the Yamuna are also considered holy because they come from the Ganga. Even those of us living far away from India, recite mantras to bless water as Ganga for rites and purifications. Hinduism and Ganga are eternally connected.
To my knowledge, no scientific findings have ever found anything different about sacred rivers than "normal" waters, and yet these have been considered holy for thousands of years by people attuned to earth, the waters and the heavens.
So I'd say, yes, these waters do heal, forgive sins, etc. for those who have have faith in them. For those without faith, they are simply H2O.
Hope this helps,
~Jagannatha Om Prakasa
"P": Thank you sir Jagannatha. You not only answer the question but answer more than what is asked for by writing large passages. This reflects your dedication. I am very thankful to you.
Jai Jagannatha! |
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