Thread by @almightykarthik

Hiya All wonderful ppl, there's something tht has been bothering me since long & I really wanted to get a closure to it. Here's what I found in my research and have strung together a theory or rather my understanding of the issue. Would love to hear ur thoughts on this.

I know this is fairly long, but request u to give it a read.

Without further ado, here's wht was bothering me. Why does taking a dip in river Ganga is believed to wash away one's sins? If tht is the case, how come ppl who're taking dip in Ganga today still r miserable?

Is this only our deep-rooted belief or is there a scientific proof supporting this 'belief'?

I was confused on where to start, then heard a tale where Maa Parvati asks the exact same Q to Mahadev. As an answer Mahadev explained tht ppl do not hv the faith and simply..
@vihanaary

doing the motion of taking a dip in Ganga. Maa Shakti asks for clarification and Mahadev narrates an incident. He talks abt a leper who's waiting for someone to carry him to Ganga, so tht he can take a dip and wash away his sins. But he had a curse on him,

@PiousPrabhakar

tht whosoever touched him, will take over his sins. He was advised to tell this anyone who wants to help, if he tries to trick someone then his sins will double. He's been seeking help, but everytime he shares the condition, ppl back away.

@Aabhas24

Finally, a robber comes along with an intention of getting some loot 4m the gathered crow. When he crosses the leper and heard his plea, he's forced to think back on his own action. Guilt rises in him and he decides to do away with being a robber by taking a dip in Ganga.

He offers to help the leper, but he reminds of the curse to which the robber replies, 'R u mad? We're going to Ganga for holy dip, wouldn't my sins be washed away even I take on ur sins?' This Mahadev said is wht was lacking in other ppl who refused to help the leper,

none considered or had faith tht their sins will be washed away & were only afraid of more sin.

There are couple of things in this story tht got me started to get my answer.

@Piyu_Nair

Puzzle 1 - wht makes Ganga such a unique river. Though, I did not get a clear answer apart 4m some 'Xfactor', wht I learned is tht this 'Xfactor' helps rejuvenate river Ganga, which in turn helps the river have whopping 25% more oxygen than any other river.

So, tht's puzzle 1 solved - uniqueness of Ganga. Pls refer to this webpage for more info (npr.org/templates/stor…)

Puzzle 2 - belief abt washing away one's sin. Now, what does sin mean? Naturally, when we talk abt sin, am referring to ppl who've high emotional quotient.

The ability to feel lot, and thus naturally it raises Guilt in a person's conscious whenever they perceive any wrong doing on their part (as per Collins dictionary - collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/…). This in turn causes anxiety, tht creates stress and then depression.

In short, such feeling disrupts a person's ability to think clearly leading to miserable life.

What does science prescribe as a remedy then, The American Institute of Stress Management (cos they've solution to everything 😋) prescribes to 'Take a Deep Breathe'

(stress.org/take-a-deep-br…)

What does taking a deep breathe do, it increases oxygen circulation in our body, which in turn relaxes our brain (mind/conscious) and help manage anxiety & stress.

Dr. Herbert Benson introduced the age old Eastern tradition of breathing experience to West with his book 'The Relaxation Response' (more on the benefits here - stress.org/take-a-deep-br…).

@Vyasonmukh

Conclusion -

1) High concentration of Oxygen in Ganga helps one to relax the brain (mind/conscious), for this, one need to have complete faith, which means no doubt or inhibition abt the process. Thus, making the body ready to receive surplus oxygen -

which one can normally achieve via continues practice of deep-breathing - from Ganga.

2) So, does this mean ur sins r actually washed away? Nope, my belief, it makes ppl accept wht has happened and move forward, thus leading to atonement for wrong doing and live a peaceful life

3) It's not working nowadays, cos wht used to cause guilt in ppl earlier has become norm today. E.g., ppl considered even lying as a sin in old days, however nowadays, lying has become second-nature. We don't even think abt it. Thus, my belief it's does not work today.

Do let me know ur thoughts and if I erred somewhere in my reasoning. Thanks for being patient and reading it through. 🙏🏻

जय माँ गँगे!

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sorry for missing to tag u ppl earlier. Pls do give the thread a read & share ur opinion.