Srila Prabhupada re Bathing in the Ganges and the seven sacred rivers of Bharata Bhumi
Gange cha Yamune chaiva Godavari Saraswati |
Narmade Sindhu Kaveri jalesmin sannidhim kuru ||
गंगा च यमुने चैव गोदावरी सरस्वती |
नर्मदे सिंधु कावेरी जलेस्मिन संनिधिम कुरु ||
Srila Prabhupāda: I’m spelling. V-i-j-a-y N-r-i-s-i-n-g-a G-a-r-h. Vijaya Nṛsiṁha Garh temple. This is near modern Visakhapatnam shipyard. There is a very great Indian shipyard, Visakhapatnam. Formerly it was not Visakhapatnam. So, near that, five miles away from that station there is that nice temple on the hill. So I think that the temple scenery may be there and Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s visiting that temple. And after that temple He came to the bank of river Godavari. Just like the river Ganges is very sacred river, similarly there are others, four other rivers. Yamuna, Godavari, Kṛṣṇa, Narmada, Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Narmada, and Kṛṣṇa. These five rivers are considered very sacred. So He came to the bank of Godavari and He took His bath and was sitting in a nice place underneath a tree and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa. In the meantime, He saw that a great procession was coming, and that should be the scenario of this… In that procession. Srila Prabhupada conversation with Hayagriva for Lod Chaitanya play – April 5,6, 1967 ~San Francisco, California
Immediately, moment after moment, you are getting pure water. Especially in India. In India there are so many nice rivers, Ganges, Yamunā, Godāvarī, Kāverī, Kṛṣṇā, Sindh. There are many rivers, all very nice water. In the Western countries, I have seen only one river very nice, in Montreal. What is that river? St. Lawrence, yes. All other rivers I have seen, they are very unclean, especially in Moscow, Hamburg. Oh, it is so dirty. So, in India the rivers are very clean, and people take pleasure in taking bath in rivers. If there is river, nobody will take bath at home. They will go all to the river. And it is very refreshing. That you know. So, this example is very nice, that if you go to the river, then your all purposes are served. But in the village, they are restricted that “This well is for this purpose, this well is this purpose.” It may be crowded. You have to wait for the opportunity. But the river is open. You can go there and have your business done very nicely.
. Srila Prabhupada lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam SB.2.3.1-4 – May 24, 1972 Los Angeles, California
Now, how the bhūmi or the land, gives us sufficient supply? Therefore there is arrangement of the river, nadī, nadyaḥ. And the stock of water is there in the ocean. It is practical. Just like you keep some stock of water according to your measurement. The stock of water is the ocean, because we require so much water. In India, it is said that “You are spending like water.” India is tropical country. They use profusely water. There are many rivers also. They take bath in the river, especially Ganges River. There are five very sacred rivers: the Ganges, Yamunā, Narmadā, Godāvarī, Kṛṣṇā. Big, big rivers there are. So tropical country there is sufficient supply of water, and you use it for cleanliness. Natural antiseptic water. Any septic, you simply wash with water, it will be antiseptic, natural. In India, even the poorest man who has no sufficient cloth, but he will daily wash the cloth twice. And it is tropical country, there is no difficulty. You wash and within five minutes it is dry. So, antiseptic. So, arrangement is so nicely made. Pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idam [Īśopaniṣad, Invocation]. Kṛṣṇa’s arrangement is very nice Srila
Prabhupada lecture SB 1.10.5 August 28, 1973 London, England
SRIMAD-BHAGAVATAM 9 CHAPTER 9 TEXT 12
yaj-jala-sparśa-mātreṇa
brahma-daṇḍa-hatā api
sagarātmajā divaṁ jagmuḥ
kevalaṁ deha-bhasmabhiḥ
TRANSLATION
Because the sons of Sagara Mahārāja had offended a great personality, the heat of their bodies had increased, and they were burnt to ashes. But simply by being sprinkled with water from the Ganges, all of them became eligible to go to the heavenly planets. What then is to be said of those who use the water of mother Ganges to worship her?
PURPORT
Mother Ganges is worshiped by the water of the Ganges: a devotee takes a little water from the Ganges and offers it back to the Ganges. When the devotee takes the water, mother Ganges does not lose anything, and when the water is offered back, mother Ganges does not increase, but in this way the worshiper of the Ganges is benefited. Similarly, a devotee of the Lord offers the Lord patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam—a leaf, flower, fruit or water—in great devotion, but everything, including the leaf, flower, fruit and water, belongs to the Lord, and therefore there is nothing to renounce or to accept. One must simply take advantage of the bhakti process because by following this process one does not lose anything but one gains the favor of the Supreme Person.