Ganga Dasshara – 8

That {stream (pravah)} which leads one to, and makes one attain “The Bhagwat-padam” (Feet of God/(in highest sense) status of Lord)… is GANGA. 🙏🏻

There is always a spiritual meaning attached to every word we speak. To every proper noun we know. And so naming a child or naming a place has always a special meaning in Indian culture. The name is/was decided depending upon the characteristics of a person or place. Let’s say that a fearless person was named Abhay or Nirbhay and the one believed to be given by God was named Devang. The place was given a name Haridwar as that is the gateway to Himalayas where one finds himself, His Hari or take the case of Ganga.

“GAMYATE PRAPYATE BHAGWAD PADAM YEN SA GANGA”.

While writing these blogs, have continuously had this feeling of Maa Ganga being near to me and making me write. I always ended my day with a question ‘What will I write tomorrow?’ But every next morning, I am blessed with a thought or idea which helps me write. I find this, Her novel way to coax me to write. I generally dont feel so while writing. But this time She is making me write and am feeling happy trying to find things and writing about Her. I feel as if am moving closer to Her with every blog I write. The divine within me is Happy and enjoying to it’s full during these last 8 days. Friends, Brothers helping me out is, nothing but, Her way of standing with me strongly in their form. Am grateful to Maa Ganga for Her love, warmth and affection.

Coming back to the meaning of Ganga. She helps me to realise the Divine within. My teacher and my Mentor, Param Pujaniya Pandurang Shatriji always talks about Maa Ganga and explains the above meaning in His own way. He expounds the deeper meaning in His regular pravachans given on every Sunday, at Shreemad Bhagwad Geeta Pathshala, Madhavbaug, Charni Road, Mumbai.

The following is the gist of my understanding from His pravachans and my readings (Any mistake is purely mine and I apologise for it)

There are two streams running inside every Human body.

One is that of blood (rakt pravah) and the other is that of thought (vichar pravah). The circulation of blood keeps me alive physically. It provides me the energy to survive.

The flow of thought keeps me alert and creative. I try to find out the reasons behind the various beautiful phenomenon taking place in the Universe. We can feel one whereas witness the other.

But both these streams can make us deviate from our path of self realisation or realising the God within us.

The ‘Rakt Pravah’ can give me strength and make me muscular and arrogant.

The ‘Vichar Pravah’ can make me think but excess of thoughts might make me stubborn and dry.

So there has to be a third stream flowing within. And that is the stream of Love (Prem Pravah). This is the Ganga within our body.

It is She, who strikes a balance between the two and leads me to self realisation or finding my God.

If ‘Rakt Pravah’ is Yamuna, ‘Vichar Pravah’ is ‘Saraswati’, then the ‘Prem Pravah’ is ‘Ganga’. Our body is an embodiment of all these 3 pravah’s. So the Prayagraaj or the Sangam is within us.

What does one think while sitting on the banks of Maa Ganga?

What should one think while taking a dip in the ‘Patit Pavani’ Ganga?

If one can realise the flow of Maa Ganga within self, then we find ourselves standing near the Feet of the Lord.

If one introspects the thoughts shared above, sincerely and honestly, why would She not wash away my sins? SHE WILL AND SHE SHOULD is my conviction.

After this, if my hands move closer to Her in a cup shape and pick Her up and bring Her to my mouth, it will deliver me from all the thirst of the cycle of life and death.

After this, the dip will enlighten me and take me onto the path of self realisation and finding God.

My journey is that of fulfillment and longing to meet Her again and again and again…

Namami Gange!