ganges or Yamuna, how is gutter water transcendental?

[Guest guest]

> > That the verse is especially spoken about the Ganga is interesting, as

> > we all know (while bathing) what we unavoidably see on the rocks right

> > near the ganga at Mayapura so this verse, while not condoning the

> > aparadhas and bad bahavior of the dvipada pasus, gives some solace to

> > the minds of sad devotees who are forced to witness it.

>

> More on this unsavory topic. Passing stool near to a river or body of

> water is forbidden by sastra. However, that passing stool near the bank of

> the Ganges was common practice at the time of Lord Caitanya and may have

> been done by Sanatana Goswami is suggested by the following.

>

>

> Sanatana replied, "There is no danger. The Nawab has gone to the south. If

> he returns, tell him that Sanatana went to pass stool near the bank of the

> Ganges and that as soon as he saw the Ganges, he jumped in.

>

> >>> Ref. VedaBase => Madhya 20.10-11

 

Just a suggestion.

 

The Ganges stretches for thousands of miles through the subcontinent. For

many of these thousands of miles there are no inhabitants. So one may ask,

1. How far is it considered that the bank of the river extends (how far is

near?), and 2. is there indeed any harm in passing in a remote and

uninhabited part of the Ganga (at a respectable distance)? One has to pass

somewhere. One is also not supposed to pass in the shadow of a tree. In the

full sun often found in open areas by the Ganga an estool can be dried and

quite inoffensive in a day. For a travelling sadhu, it makes sense to pass

in a place where he can easily take bath afterwards.

 

Discretion and practicality are the key. To pass in a place where pilgrims

congregate and may be inconvenienced is of course to be avoided.

 

Does that make sense?

 

Of course for a village, a proper arrangement is required also.

 

Your servant

Samba das

[Guest guest]

> He daily disposed of these by sending them outside of Vraja.

 

Hopefully, he didn't engage Brijabasis to carry his pots.

 

pcd

[Guest guest]

From Srimad Bhagavatam, 4.21.31, purport:

 

"In India, one can actually see that a person who takes a bath

in the Ganges waters daily is almost free from all kinds of diseases. A

very respectable brahmana in Calcutta never took a doctor's medicine. Even

though he sometimes felt sick, he would not accept medicine from the

physician but would simply drink Ganges water, and he was always cured

within a very short time. The glories of Ganges water are known to Indians

and to ourselves also. The River Ganges flows by Calcutta. Sometimes

within the water there are many stools and other dirty things which are

washed away from neighboring mills and factories, but still thousands of

men take baths in the Ganges water, and they are very healthy as well as

spiritually inclined. That is the effect of Ganges water. The Ganges is

glorified because it emanates from the toes of the lotus feet of the

Lord."