There are many rivers that flow from the great Lake Manasarowar at the foot of Mount Kailas, but of all the rivers which have their source in the Himalayan mountains, the Ganges is unique. When the Ganges flows from its sources in the glaciers of Gangotri, it carries in its water a variety of minerals which have nutritional and therapeutic value. Skin diseases are rarely found among villagers who live on the banks of the Ganges. A bottle of Ganges water is kept in every home and practically all of the villagers give it to a dying person to drink. When bottled, this water does not become stagnant, and bacteria do not survive in it, although they do in the water from other rivers. Long ago, sailors learned that drinking water from the Ganges carried by ships traveling from Calcutta to London did not stagnate, but water from the Thames carried by ships traveling from London to India had to be replaced by fresh water along the way. The unique chemical components and minerals of this water have been analyzed by many scientists from all over the world. Dr. Jagdish Chandra Bose, a prominent Indian scientist, analyzed the Ganges water and concluded: “There seems to be no other river water like this anywhere in the world. Its mineral qualities have powers to cure many diseases.” When the Ganges comes down to the plains, however, it is fed by many polluted streams and rivers, and the merits of its water are lost. Some of the villagers throw the bodies of their deceased into the Ganges, believing that by doing so the souls of their loved ones will go to heaven. Personally I don’t approve of polluting water and then drinking the same water and calling it holy. I was instructed by my master not to drink from or bathe in the water of the Ganges with any idea that by doing so my sins would be washed off. He taught me the philosophy of karma and said, “One has to reap the fruits of his karma. The law of karma is inevitable and is accepted by all the great philosophies of the world: ‘As you sow, so shall you reap.’ Learn to perform your duties skillfully without aversion or attachment, and do not believe that anything can wash off your bad karma. Taking a bath in a river and making pilgrimages from one shrine to another will not free you from the bondage of karma. Such belief is only superstition and has no logic.” Swami Rama Living with the Himalayan Masters
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 05:00:00 +0000
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