Written by London Swaminathan
Date: 17 July 2017
Time uploaded in London-21-37
Post No. 4090
Pictures shown here are taken from various sources such as Facebook friends, Books, Google and newspapers; thanks.
India is the land of mighty rivers, and Ganga is the holiest of all those rivers. Ganga’s sister stream Yamuna is also worshipped because of Lord Krishna’s association with the river. Their banks are dotted with temples and shrines and thousands upon thousands worship daily the sacred streams. The principal centres of worship on the Ganges are Gangotri, the source of the Ganges in the mountain; Haridwar, where she forsakes her mountain home; Triveni Sangam (Allahabad) where she joins water with Yamuna (Jumna) and the mythical stream, the Sarasvati; Benares (Varanasi), the holiest city for the Hindus; and Sagar Island, where she mingles with the ocean.
According to the Greek geographer Strabo (64 BCE to 24 CE), Hindus worshipped Jupiter Pluvius, the River Ganges, and the gods of the country. This Jupiter Pluvius was Indra (Strabo 15-1-69). This shows Ganges was worshipped by the Hindus 2000 years ago which was noted by a Greek writer.
The day of Ganga’s supposed descent on earth, the tenth of the light half of Jeshth (June), and the day of the full moon or Kartik (October) are observed as festivals in her honour by all Hindus.
Water Power!
“Take away, O Waters, whatsoever is wicked in me, what I have done by violence or curse, and untruth” is a Vedic prayer repeated often today (Rig Veda 1-22-3)
So strong is the popular belief in the sanctity of the river that both in private life as well as in the law-courts people often give up cherished claims if their opponents deny them when holding Ganges water in their hands or swearing by the Ganges.
In the Mahabharata it is said that the “Gita comprises all the Sastras, i.e.sacred writings, Hari (Vishnu) all the gods and the Ganges all the Sacred places”.
In addition to the Ganges there are many others which are regarded as sacred by the Hindus. River Narmada also considered sacred for burning dead bodies on its banks.
Hindu River Marathon!
To follow the course of any river on foot is considered a highly meritorious act. A pilgrim, for example, sets out from the source of Ganges at Gangotri and walks by the left bank of the river to its mouth, at Ganga sagara; then turning round, he proceeds by the right side back to Gangotri, when he departed. This takes six years to accomplish. In the same way a pilgrim starts from the source of Narmada, a peak on the Vindhya Mountains, and walks to the mouth near Broach and back. This takes three years. The rivers Godavari and Krishna require only two years for the same process. Of course, the merit accumulated is in proportion to the time occupied in pilgrimage and the sacredness of the ground traversed.
Romans and Persians
Romans and Persians did something like a river worship in the olden days.
Gen.Sleeman points out that among the Romans and ancient Persians rivers were propiated by sacrifices. When Vitellius crossed the Euphrates with the Roman legions to put Tiridates on the throne of Armenia, he propiated the river by the scrfice of a hog, a ram and a bull. Tiridates himself sacrificed a horse. Tacitus does not praise the river god, but the stream itself.
Plato makes Socrates condemn Homer for making Achilles behave disrespectfully towards the river Xanthus in offering to fight him (illiad 20-73); and towards the river Spercheus, another acknowledged god, in presenting to the dead body of Patroclus the locks of his hair which he had promised to the river (Iliad 23-14—53)
Hindu customs such as worshipping a river and giving hair to god, prevailed in those places 2000 years ago. But the beauty of Hinduism is that these customs prevail in India with the same fervour, but in other countries it has gone into the history books.
–Subham–
Tamil and Vedas 