RE: ganges or Yamuna, how is gutter water transcendental?

[Guest guest]

Mahamantra Prabhuji,

 

Dandavats. Jaya Prabhupada!

 

Sorry to have taken so long with this, but before I even had

a chance to look for it, I came across that same verse I had mentioned

earlier about the transcendental purity of the Ganga:

 

> > > Sometimes it is said that once even gutter water

> > > flows into the Ganges, it too becomes the Ganges. But if I've been

> > > holding a misconception about this for so many years, I'd really be

> > > grateful if someone can authoritatively relieve me of my illusion.

Thanks.

> > Pamditji prabhu..Where is *that* said? I'm very curious to know if you have

> > any sloka's to that effect. Living as I do in Vrndavana, I do city

parikrama

> > quite regularly *almost daily*.

> > I see many people disregarding the runoff at Kesi ghata to bathe anyway,

but

> > other's go upstream to try to avoid the direct hit with the floating

stools.

> > This even though the water having come from Delhi undoubtedly *must* have

> > had some other contact with such stools from Delhi hutment colonies of

> > disrespectful hindu's and Muslims, christians etc.

> > Who's right?

 

In this issue, I'll go with the Siddhanta-rahasyam, text eight,

which is included as one of the SoDaza-granthAH (sixteen treatises) by

Vallabhacarya (by the way, these have recently been translated by James

Redington):

 

sevakAnAM yathA loke

vyavahAraH prasidhyati ||

tathA kAryaM samarpyaiva

sarveSAM brahmatA tataH || 7 ||

 

gaGgAtvaM sarva-doSANAM

guNa-doSAdivarNanA |

gaGAtvena nirUpyA syAt

tadvad atrApi caiva hi || 8 ||*

"One must dedicate oneself and one's belongings to ShrI KRSNa

just as, in everyday life, a servant puts himself entirely at the service

of his employer. Evrything that is dedicated to KRSNa becomes Divine in

nature in just the same way that all the waters, both those that were pure

and those that were impure, which enter the GangA become part of the

GangA and so share the sacred essence of the GangA; the recieving of

offerings by ShrI KRSNa is just like the receiving of waters by the GangA,

for in both cases the result is the same."*

 

 

This is of course only implicit evidence, but it's still pretty strong:

Vallabha also claims (in text one) that Lord Krishna personally spoke it

to him at midnight on Pavitra Ekadashi, in the month of Shravan, on the

bank of the Yamuna at Gokula, and his servant Damodara dasa is said to

have heard the Lord speak as well. :-)

In summary, the Siddhanta-rahasya says that initiation (which

Shri Govardhana-natha is said to have at that time ordered Vallabha to

offer others) purifies jivas of all five kinds of faults (viz., those born

of time, place, nature, association, and contact). Initiation is actually

atma-nivedanam. It's absolutely necessary, for Bhagavan will not accept

anything from those without any sponsor, while everyone must first offer

everything to the Lord. Whatever is so offered to the Lord becomes

nondifferent from the Lord, as all things flowing into the Ganga become

Ganga.**

 

 

* This translation is by Dr. Richard Barz, in his _The Bhakti Sect of

Vallabhacarya- (Faridabad: Thompson Press, 1976), pg. 18.

 

** Here is how the Hindi translator in my edition explains these verses:

"Just as without elaborating all the good and bad things which flow into

the Ganga (all are simply Ganga-ized [GaGgApan hI]--i.e., all) are thus

determined as the Ganga--in that exact same way, so is the self (once

having taken initiation). The essential thing is this--by contact with

Gangaji, all sorts of elements flowing into the Ganga become the Ganga; in

just that manner, all sorts of things (padArtha-s), upon being offered in

the dedication of one's self (Atma-nivedana), attain their innate quality

as spiritual existence (brahma-bhAva)."

 

Take it for what it's worth. I hope this helps somewhat. Hare

Krishna.

 

Your humble servant,

 

MDd