1. In the Stature of being Worshipped: Goddess Ganga

 

IN THE STATURE OF BEING WORSHIPPED…

If we go and flip through the pages of history, read the ancient Indian epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana, we get to see a glimpse of the tranquility and the auspiciousness of our rivers.

We all have heard people saying “Ganga me snan karo to saare paap dhul jaaenge.”

The river Ganga, often personified as a goddess is believed to relieve you of your sins and facilitate moksha or enlightenment with just one dip in her.

Back when the Ganga was unpolluted, it was abundant in sulphur and natural germicides. This meant that taking a dip in the river would rid the people of many skin diseases and other common ailments and would increase their life span. Centuries ago, when people were illiterate, they could not understand the scientific relevance of cleansing themselves in the Ganges and hence religious connotations were attached to the river so as to make it a ritual to bathe in the Ganga. But gradually, in the course of time, people clutched on to these religious faiths and passed on the customs to their progeny and in this midst, its actual significance got lost. However, the millennials who are also guided by the old school thoughts of their parents refused to believe in them and they are so obstinate in their idea of viewing Indian spiritual customs as mere superstitions. Since they have a quest for a scientific backing in every aspect of Indian traditions, many of them are now aware of the empirical rationale behind bathing in Ganga but sadly, the new generation could not reap the benefits of the magical powers of the river; thanks to the overwhelming results of pollution and degradation caused by industries.

But nature has the power to heal itself- but like everything else in this universe, it too, takes time.

For decades altogether, mankind has exploited the resources of mother nature indiscriminately in such a manner that our consumption levels were far beyond earth’s absorptive and waste assimilation capacity.

But the Covid-19 lockdown with absolute human inactivity and stillness has certainly given us hopes of nature repairing itself- pollution of all forms has greatly reduced, giving us an atmosphere of serene living.

The nationwide lockdown wherein all industries are put to a halt has given sufficient time to nature to undo all the wrongs. Scientists say that the lockdown that had been imposed with the intention of curbing the spread of the deadly coronavirus indeed did wonders on our rivers: some sections of Ganga are even said to have become fit for drinking!

It makes us realise that much more than the government intervention, it is the non-intervention of mankind that helps nature regain its magical prowess.

I've attached below a picture of the clean smiling Ganga!

Now the question which arises is that how could we ensure that our goddess continues to remain pure even after the lockdown gets lifted!

We can ensure this by limiting the chemicals that drain into the river. We should make efforts to channelize the wastes that factories emit to other dumping areas instead of letting them drain into the Ganges. Another solution would be to stop the diesel motorboats in a manner such that people depending on it for livelihood are not affected by providing them alternate sources of employment.

Whatever efforts we intend to take to maintain the sanctity of river Ganga, it would not be possible until people individually and collectively decide to keep it clean in their own distinct way by making sure that they don’t litter about in the banks of the river by throwing wastes or washing their clothes in the holy river.

On a final note, the river which has the stature of being worshipped as a mother in our culture should indeed be given its dignity and grandeur as a mother. Treat mother Ganga the way you treat your own mother!

आयु: पुमान् यश: स्वर्ग कीर्ति पुण्यं बलं श्रियं ।

पशु सुखं धनं धान्यं प्राप्नुयान्मातृ वन्दनात् ।।

This Sanskrit shloka implies that a man who serves mother truthfully will be blessed with long life, success, heaven, fame, Laxmi, wealth, cattle, food grain, and everything. In the same manner even river ganga deserves the same level of respect, honour and care as a mother as she supports the life of so many people who depend on her for their sustenance.