62/ 100 Water Bottle Dog
Saving Some Holiness for Later
I am always fascinated by the way that there are often similarities with cultures and religions that have such very different origins. For instance, despite Hinduism and Christianity evolving at very different times, and in completely different geographical locations, there are some interesting similarities. For example, as well as immaculate births, battles between good and evil and strong mother / child bonding they both see water as a holy or mystical substance that can be used during religious practices.
Christians can make pilgrimages to Lourdes , in France, to collect water from the holy spring that is said to have emerged during a time when a local girl had visions of the Virgin Mary in a grotto. People like to bathe in the water and bottle it to take home as a healing potion of sorts. Christians also collect water from the Jordan river, where Jesus was baptised, and from churches all over the world where it is used for blessings. I was splashed with holy water as a baby when I was Christened before I even knew about religion and had the chance to object.
Because the water is said to have been blessed by one means or another, followers of Christ believe it has mystical healing powers and can be used for making blessings, purifying objects (including the soul, although that’s not an object I suppose) and they keep it for spiritual protection. Given that it is often contained within a nice plastic bottle in the shape of the Virgin Mary it probably has some value as a souvenir too – you can prove to your friends that you were actually there and really did complete your pilgrimage. Although you can apparently buy it on eBay so it all depends upon your adherence to Jesus’s teachings about honesty, and also the honesty of the seller.
Hindu people don’t believe in the Virgin Mary, but they have their own source of holy water – the river Ganges. For Hindus the Ganges isn’t merely a 2500 km long body of water, she is the Goddess Ganga the divine mother descended from the heavens to Earth to purify and bless humanity.
The story of how the river came into being is, like so many stories about the Hindu Gods, quite exciting.
Long ago, there was a wise and powerful king named Bhagiratha, from the solar dynasty. His ancestors had been cursed and reduced to ashes, and their souls were trapped in suffering. The only way to free them was for the holy river Ganga, who flowed in the heavens, to descend to Earth and purify their remains.
So Bhagiratha began a long and intense penance. He stood still in prayer for years, meditating with such devotion that the gods finally took notice.
The creator god Brahma appeared before him and agreed to send Ganga down — but there was a problem. Ganga was so powerful, her descent could shatter the Earth. To prevent this, Bhagiratha had to please Lord Shiva, the great god of destruction and transformation. Again, he meditated deeply, and Shiva finally agreed to help.
When Ganga came thundering down from the heavens, Shiva caught her in his thick matted hair, breaking her fall and allowing her to flow gently down to Earth through his locks. From there, she followed Bhagiratha across the plains, until she reached the place where his ancestors’ ashes lay — and with her sacred waters, she freed their souls, granting them peace and liberation.
Needless to say, for the people of India the (heavily polluted) water that flows through their country has many great powers and is the reason so many of them make the long journey to Varanasi to bathe in the river. And, just like Christians, why not take a bit back home with you in one of the many plastic containers you can purchase right there on the banks of the river itself. Some of them are in the shape of gods and goddesses, however the most popular ones seemed to be the more capacious multi-litre jerry cans.
You can also buy bottled Ganges water on eBay too.
Here’s something we saw on our travels and that I found absolutely fascinating. Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II of Jaipur had to visit Britain in 1902. He was so worried about the anti-purifying effects of traveling over the sea that he commissioned 2 silver urns, each holding 4000 litres of water from the Ganges, so that he could maintain his spiritual health on his trip.
