If Ganga is coming from heaven, then why is it drying up?

From: Krishna Dhan Das

River Ganges originated from karana ocean (Vamana deva pastime). Does river ganges till receives that water?

If yes, then how do ecologists say that if pollution and melting of ice caps continues with same pace ganges is going to dry by 2050? If no, then is it that ganga receiving water from Karana ocean is one time event? (it challenges the purity of ganges) Please clarify.

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So, the connection between the higher levels of existence are themselves subtle. And therefore, the connection between them and here is also subtle.
Although when we talk about in a conversational tone, or when we depict it in a diagrammatical mode, we may depict it very simplistically. For example, we may say that heaven is up. But you know, the earth is round.
So, up for America and up for India are opposite. So, where exactly is up here? So, that up is not in a simplistic geographical sense. Actually, in the Bhagavatam cosmology, there is a vertical dimension.
And that vertical dimension is determined by karmic qualifications. So, we may show it in a normal vertical sense in a diagram, but the whole concept is much more subtle. And similarly, if we show the spiritual world, we show the spiritual world just like a geographical continuation of the same terrain that is the material world.
Here is the material world and there is the spiritual world. It’s as if it is a simple continuity. It’s not a simple continuity.
They are radically of different natures. But that radically different nature cannot be represented in a diagram or even spoken in a conversation. So, that is why we show first of all the higher realms are subtle.
And similarly, the connection of the higher realms with the lower realms is also subtle. So, when we say that the Ganga comes from the higher planets to the lower planets, it’s not literally because in the higher planets, the higher planets are subtle, then even the things over there are also subtle. We may see Indra and Somras, but Somras or even the food of Indra, if Indra’s body himself is invisible, then even the food that he eats is also invisible.
It’s not visible to us. So, normally when we depict, we depict everything in a very simplistic way. But actually, the reality is quite complicated over there.
And similarly, when we talk about even these oceans, you know, there is this, the salt water ocean and the milk ocean. So, they are not gross substances like what we talk about. They are subtle counterparts, subtle equivalents of these gross substances.
In the higher planets, just as the body is subtle, so even the milk is subtle, even the curd is subtle, even the honey is subtle. So, like that, these oceans are also very subtle matter. So, when we talk about Ganga being there, actually, what is referred to, it’s not that some water from the heavens falls over there, although we show that in a video also.
The idea is that the same mercy of the Lord that is available, coming down from the whole in the universe, which is caused by Mahatma Mandeva’s foot, that is coming down through the heavenly planets, through the earth. So, now, in every region of the universe that it comes, it will take on a particular nature that is suitable to that universe. So, when it comes within the earthly realm, actually, it will manifest as the kind of water that we see over here.
When it is the heavenly realm, it will be a different kind of water, what we see over there. So, the two are different. And when you talk about continuity, yes, the same manifestation is flowing down over here.
But it is not that the same water exactly is flowing over it. That water would not even be visible over here. It will just entirely remain the same.
And normally, any manifestation of the divine in matter, it generally, when it is in the material world, it follows the material laws. I mean, even the deity is spiritual. But if somebody does try to desecrate the deity, the deity will get damaged.
Now, the transcendence of the deity is because Krishna is manifesting through the deity. It is not that the transcendence of the deity is dependent on the material perfection of the deity. Krishna can choose to manifest, Krishna can choose to unmanifest.
So, similarly, Ganga Devi is a person. And that person, she is a separate goddess. And for example, now, Indira is the head of Svargaloka.
Now, there is no intrinsic connection between Indira and Svargaloka. Whoever is the head of Svargaloka will be called as Indira. And that person will change.
So, in that sense, that relationship of Indira with his kingdom is like the relationship of the soul with the body. It will keep changing. Although the body does not remain the same, the Svargaloka remains the same.
However, the relationship between Ganga Devi and Ganga is not like that. Ganga Devi is a person, a female goddess. And she also manifests as the river Ganga.
So, both are non-different. But when she manifests in a particular realm, she will manifest according to the qualities of that, according to the qualities and nature of that realm. And when it manifests in that realm, then the material, it will normally obey the material laws.
So, if it gets polluted, then that means we are causing the pollution. So, the transcendence of Ganga Devi is not seen by, say, Ganga remaining ever-flowing, even when the water is sort of taken away by other things. It is irrigated away.
Dams are built or there is no rainfall. So, Ganga Devi, whenever any such sacred manifestation manifests in this world, it follows the normal material laws. Prasad is transcendental.
But if I put salt instead of sugar in prasad, in sweet rice, it is not going because prasad is going to taste sweet. It is going to taste odd at that. Similarly, if instead of, in a river, if instead of putting water, somebody puts a pollutant, effluents and pollutants over there, then that is going to have an effect.
So, that way, the pollution of the Ganga, as devotees, we see it as manifesting the sinful mentality, the callous mentality of people over here because of which they are polluting even a sacred manifestation of the law. So, the purifying potency of Ganga remains at a spiritual level. But at a material level, if the water is polluted, if somebody bathes in it, the person may get some diseases.
The person may get affected by that. And then accordingly, we have to adjust our situation. We may not take a full bath.
We just take a sprinkle, a few drops of water, whatever. So, we as devotees work at both levels. We see at the transcendental level, just like with the deities, we see at the transcendental level, Krishna is never affected.
But we see that the Goswamis and others, when Vrindavan was being desecrated, they arranged to take the deities to Jaipur. Similarly, we also try to protect the Ganga or the Jamuna for that matter, when she is being degraded in terms of material perspective. By the same time, the spiritual reality remains unaffected.
So, we have to see at both levels. At the material level, we have to do what is required. Just like prasad, if something is not cooked nicely, still we may think this is prasad and we will take it for our purification.
By the same time, we will also try to cook prasad as nicely as possible so that people can take it joyfully, people can get attracted. So, we will accept Ganga Devi in whatever condition she is. We know that she still has a purifying potency.
By the same time, you want Ganga Devi to be maintained in a pristine condition so that people can also become attracted to bathing in a very purified light. And we can also get purified again without having to have any material negative So, if the Aishwarya Kaliyuga reverses, the reverse becomes unmanifest, then will we not get the mercy? Yes, in a sense that if we show the lord that we do not want him, we do not want his mercy, then the lord will say fine. So, in that sense, it is like there are so many holy places which have become lost.
Some holy places are no longer manifest now or are described in the scriptures, even what to speak of. In the time of Chaitanya Mahapuru, Radhakund and Radha Shyamkund were not there. That means the people in between who came to the pilgrimages, they would not get the benefit of bathing in Radhakund Shyamkund.
But now we are getting it. So, that means that the spiritual manifestations exist on a spiritual level. The manifestations of the lord, they continue to exist on a spiritual level.
But at a material level, they may become unmanifest. So, that depends on how the people take care of those manifesting or refuse to take care. And the lord accordingly reciprocates by manifesting or choosing not to manifest.
Okay. Thank you very much.