Why have the rivers been called as life – giving in Indian mythology?
Answers
Explanation:
Water has always been held as sacred in all of the
world’s religions. The current major religions
(Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and
Buddhism) lend it great importance.
In Judaism from the earliest times, the immersion ritual was
symbol of regeneration and purity, a way of finding unity
with original perfection. Also in early Christian baptism,
the first act of a believer’s life was total immersion in and
then reemergence from water, which had an extremely
powerful meaning. Indeed it symbolized death and rebirth,
the elimination of impurity and the guarantee of eternal
life. Water is also one of the symbols used to represent
the Holy Spirit. In early Christian art, the source of life
surrounded by peacocks is the symbol of immortality. For
Jews and Christians alike, the excess water sent by God in
the Universal Flood was also a bringer of death. The Islamic
religion has largely remained confined to an arid geographical
area where water is considered a precious gift, divinely sent
and which should be carefully managed. For Muslims too,
ritual bathing is of great importance, because it gives a state
of purity back to the believer. Cleansing and purification
with water is scrupulously carried out before entering a
mosque. According to Islamic teachings, no one can own or
possess water since it is a divine gift. The Koran also states
that whosoever pollutes water will be severely punished.
According to Buddhism, water is a symbol of purity and in
the Buddhist new year it is celebrated in a special rite. The
Hindus, who also have a tradition of purifying immersion in
water, believe the waters of the river Ganges are sacred, and
although the river is currently polluted, they still believe in
its powers for spiritual regeneration. But all this attention to
water and belief in its intrinsic sacredness is actually much
older than that linked to the main world religions of today.
From prehistoric times, humans venerated
gods and goddesses of water, both agricultural
and funerary, often with characteristics in
common. For early humans the source of
all life was the Mother Goddess from whose
underground womb all living creatures were
born. This Goddess was the goddess of the
Earth or Nature itself, she who could give or
take life and renew herself in the eternal cycle
of seasons and water, from death to rebirth.
The first evidence we have of this cult goes back to the
Middle Paleolithic, which began about 100,000 years ago,
when humans started using triangular tombstone symbols
in stone (symbol of the female reproductive organs) and dug
little cups into the stone to collect rainwater, life-giving fluid.
From the upper Paleolithic on, or from 40,000 years ago,
humans produced stone sculptures and rock engravings of
animals and female figures. Whole vases or fragments found
by archaeologists near to water sources in areas that are
not easily accessible are evidence that these waters were
probably considered sacred or magic, or that they had
healing properties, if drunk in loco, perhaps also due to the
mirror effect they produced. During the Neolithic period,
alongside circular ditches found in caves, (perhaps linked to
agrarian or funerary cults), there is archaeological evidence
of ritual manifestations in the presence of water. These finds
are located in particular near underground water, springs, or
other very idiosyncratic or unique water sources, like those
that are gaseous, sulphureus, or those full of residue that
over time is transformed into stalactites and stalagmites.
Later, during the Bronze Age, men tended not to consider
still waters sacred so much as running water, a common
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- The Ganges is said to purify the soul of negative karma, corporeal sins, and even impurities from previous lives