Save rivers, stop building dams! – Shankaracharya Swami Vasudevananda Saraswati, Jyotish Peeth
Nadi Samvad (Dialogue on Rivers) organised in the MahaKumbh Mela
Prayagraj – Rives like Ganga and others are still polluted, despite administrative and social efforts to implement countermeasures. Numerous places of pilgrimage have a scarcity of water. Sadhus, saints and sannyasis cannot perform ritualistic dips, meditation, penance, religious and other rituals there. It is essential to keep the flow of Ganga and other rives natural, pure and unimpeded, else they will get polluted. Despite this, dams are being built on rivers. Therefore, both the government and society are responsible for the pollution of the rivers. To save the Ganga and other rivers, construction of dams and reservoirs should be stopped, along with a ban on the production and use of plastic asserted Shankaracharya Jagadguru Swami Vasudevananda Saraswati of Jyotish Peeth here.
He was speaking at the ‘Nadi Samvad’ program organised on 20th of January 2025 at the MahaKumbh. Sadguru (Dr) Charudatta Pingale (National Guide, HJS), Neera Mishra (Yamuna river conservationist, Draupadi Trust, Delhi), Mahamandleshwar Mahadev Babaji and other dignitaries were present on stage. This program was organized on the initiative of Deputy Inspector General of Police of Uttar Pradesh Mr Jugal Kishore Tiwari.
The best way to save rivers is to instill the spiritual importance of rivers in the minds of Hindus through education on Dharma! – Sadguru (Dr) Charudatta Pingale
While guiding the attendees on the occasion, Sadguru (Dr) Charudatta Pingale said, “Mother Ganga is the spiritual and physical lifeline of India. The existence of the Ganga is always of supreme importance to us. For She is an integral part of the Sanatan Hindu culture and provides salvation by freeing us from sins. It is necessary to save not only the Ganga river, but all the rivers. This needs to be taught to the common man through Dharmik education, and the government should create such a system. It is necessary for Hindus to education on Dharma and make every effort to save the Ganga. There are many Hindu pilgrimage sites and temples located on the banks of the Ganga. Therefore, the Ganga river is very important for every Hindu to perform self purification, meditation, and penance. The spiritual importance of rivers and the need to save them should be taught in schools. Making the banks of the Ganga free from alcohol and meat is a necessary measure for the purification of the river. The best way to save the Ganga is for the government, administration and every section of the society to continue contributing to this. We should not pollute the rivers, and if anyone is doing so, we should stop them.”
