Nurgül Toprak Göner wanted me write about Ganga, I am just putting few thoughts together here. In the culture and spirituality in India Ganga plays a vital role for several reasons. Let me put the ideas from gross physical level to the mythological level. When you look at the map of India in the north we have Himalayas standing tall diluting the cold winds from the north so that by the time the winds come to the planes of Ganga there are no hurricanes or other types of natural calamities. Since Ganga comes from the glaciers of Himalayas it is perennial river in a tropical country like India where many rivers go nearly dry or dry in summer. The planes of Ganga are so far away from South sea Indian ocean and in the east the bay of Bengal that no hurricane of tsunami from the ocean hits this place. There is never a historical reference that the planes of Ganga like Varanasi is subjected to natural vagaries. Usually any place will be destroyed or you have ruins when the place entirely gets devastated by natural calamities. But Varanasi scientifically has no possibility for that so the oldest living city in the world is Varanasi on the banks of Himalayas. All along the Ganga we have pilgrim centers right from Himalayas to the bay of Bengal because of its perennial nature. The land around Ganga is highly fertile. India which is predominantly vegetarian can be supported alone by the produce on the Ganga river harvest!! In this culture when we want to show highest respect for any thing is recognize it as mother goddess. When we say mother it means that we have least fear for it. Since the water is continuously being replenished by the glaciers it is very pure. Since it flows from the Himalayas which is the source of many medicinal plants Ganga is very medicinal. I participated in the recent Kumbh Mela where more than a million people gathered the banks can take that load of pilgrims with no burden and the river was so clean and clear!! Since the culture respects nature by giving the status of goddess in India we have many Puranic stories attached with Ganga. She was born by the tapas or relentless meditation of a saint king by name Bhageerath who is one of the forefathers of Rama. To wash off the ignorance of the people. Therefore several spiritual teachers have their ashrams along Ganga. A mother is the image of patience Ganga represents that quality. Another story says that she has given birth to several children and as soon as they are born she would leave them in water. The story is that human form is only form where one can achieve the highest of spiritual attainment and those souls were waiting for this last birth and immediately their liberation takes place in the hands of the mother. Often this question comes how can a mother be so cruel to leave her just born child to leave in Ganga waters? On the other hands I would like to wonder how much she is concerned about the liberation of child that she could set aside her attachment to the child. The last child she spared has become the Great Bhishma who is the central figure in Mahabharata war so that in the chapter on his name called chapter of Bhishma has given birth to Bhagavad-Gita. My appeal to one and all is that these incidents from the Puranas are not for debate but for getting inspiration. Ever young ever pure and mountain of goodness coupled with infinite compassion is the imagination of Ganga that Lord Shiva holds her on his head. May lord Shiva give every one the eyes that he can look at every woman as Ganga.
Posted on: Tue, 19 Nov 2013 12:21:12 +0000