Thats what the french call the water....Latin name aqua and Greek hudor....call it what you want to ,water will remain what it is...one of the five basic elements of which we are made and something you cant do without.....these thoughts were swimming in my mind when i went dipped myself in the majestic pol of a hotel in Jaiselmer this weekend.. gentle ripples that swept all over me soothed not just my body but also my soul. No doubt for ages all great civilisations like Greeks,Romans,Incas worshiped water in some form or the other. In fact in Rigveda it is said
"Ganga Cha Yamuna Chaiva Godavari Saraswati,
Narmada Sindhu Kaveri Jalesmin Sannidhim Kuru"
Narmada Sindhu Kaveri Jalesmin Sannidhim Kuru"
meaning, `In this water, I invoke the presence of divine waters from the rivers Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Saraswati, Narmada, Sindhu and Kaveri. These rivers are considered as goddesses and I pray to them for considering me for their blessings.`The river Ganga, as the mythology goes used to live in the heaven with the gods. King Bhagirath and his ancestors prayed for her to make the earth her abode as this was the price they had to pay as penance for disturbing the meditating sage Kapil. Ganga finally obliged and cascaded from her heavenly abode above. But such was the might of the river that she started flooding earth.Lord Shiva had to be beckoned to save the humble mortals ,he obliged and it is said that he contained ganges on his matted locks!!!! Stories like the one written above are aplenty,not just in our country but in all other nations. Our ancestors knew the importance of water and immortalised it in many interesting stories all of which depict water as an immortal goddess. So next time you are lazing around in a pool in that four way stretch ADIDAS or a Nike swim suit,think of the amazing healing properties of water and even more amazing tales that has been spun around it!!!
