Wood and Water

 Wood and Water

Hare Krishna, it is very interesting what it says in CC Madhya 15.134, there it says that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “In the age of Kali, Kṛiṣhṇa manifests Himself in two forms: wood and water. Thus, by giving the conditioned souls the possibility to see the wood and to bathe in the water, it helps them to liberate themselves. And in the next verse 135 it is said that “Lord Jagannātha is the Supreme Lord Himself in the form of wood, and the river Ganges is the Supreme Lord Himself in the form of water.

Meaning:

The Vedas order: sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma: Everything is the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supreme Brahman, Parambrahma. Parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktis tathedam akhilaṁ jagat: Everything is a manifestation of the energy of the Supreme Brahman. Since the energy and the source of the energy are identical, actually everything is Kṛiṣhṇa, Parambrahma. This is confirmed by Lord Kṛiṣhṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.4):

mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad avyakta-mūrtinā

mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ

«I, in My unmanifested form, am present in the whole universe. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them ».

Kṛiṣhṇa, in His impersonal form, is spread throughout the universe. As everything is a manifestation of the Lord's energy, the Lord can manifest through any energy. In the present age, the Lord manifests Himself through wood in the form of Lord Jagannātha, and through water in the form of the river Ganges. For this reason, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu ordered the two brothers, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya and Vidyā-vācaspati, to worship Lord Jagannātha and the Ganges River.

With love and trust I share these beautiful prayers to Mother Ganga:

Sri Ganga Stotram: Prayer to Mother Ganga, By Adi Sankaracharya

1) Oh goddess Ganga! You are the divine river of heaven. You are the one who saves us from the three worlds. You are pure and restless. You adorn the head of Lord Shiva. Oh mother! may my mind always rest on your lotus feet.

2) Mother Bhagirathi! You give happiness to everyone. The meaning of your holy waters is praised in the Vedas. I am ignorant and I am not able to understand its importance. Oh Devi, you are full of mercy. Please protect me.

3) Oh Devi! Your waters are as sacred as Sri Hari's charanamrita. Your waves are white like snow, the moon and pearls. Please wash away all my sins and help me cross the ocean of samsara.

4) Oh, Mother !, those who participate in your pure waters, undoubtedly reach the highest state. O Mother Ganga, Yama, the Lord of death cannot harm your devotees.

5) Oh, Jahnavi! Your waters that flow through the Himalayas make them even more beautiful. You are the mother of Bhishma and the daughter of the sage Jahnu. You are the savior of the one who falls from his path, and that is why you are venerated in the three worlds.

6) Oh, Mother! You fulfill all the wishes of your devotees. Those who bow down to you don't have to suffer. Oh, Ganga! You are anxious to merge with the ocean, like a young man eager to meet his beloved.

7) Oh, Mother! Those who bathe in your waters do not have to be born again. Oh, Jahnavi! You are in the highest esteem. You destroy the sins of your devotees and save them from hell.

8) Oh, Jahnavi! You are full of compassion. You purify your devotees with your holy waters. Your feet are adorned with the crown jewels of Indra. Those who seek refuge in you get the blessing of happiness.

9) O Bhagavati! Take away my illnesses, sadness, difficulties, sins and bad attitudes. You are the essence of the three worlds and you are like a necklace around the Earth. Or Devi! You are the only refuge of mine in Samsara.

10) Oh, Bargain! Those who seek happiness adore you. You are the source of happiness for Alakapuri and the source of eternal bliss. Those who reside on its banks are as privileged as those who live on Vaikuntha.

11) Oh Devi! It is better to live in your waters, like turtles or fish, or on your shores like a poor chandala, than to live far from you like a rich king.

12) Oh, Goddess of the Universe! Purify us! O daughter of Jahnu muni! Whoever recites this Ganga Stotram every day certainly achieves success.

13) People who have devotion to Mother Ganga always achieve happiness and achieve liberation. This beautiful and lyrical Gangastuti is a source of supreme happiness.

14) This prayer, Sri Ganga Stotram, written by Sri Adi Shankaracharya, Lord Siva's devotee, purifies us and fulfills all our wishes.

Hare Krishna, this youtube link is a beautiful Artika or worship of Mother Ganga in Varanasi.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An0e4v5Rb3w

Hare Krishna if you put on youtube to look for this link, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d20NhSifd7A

You will get the Ratha yatra of Puri, filmed by a TV in the USA, very beautiful.