Ganga water doesn’t allow bacteria to grow in it: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Talking about the massive crowds at Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Ravi Shankar said it was due to faith
Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has said that the River Ganga water “purifies itself” and bacteria cannot grow in it.
Recently, there was controversy after the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) report said that faecal bacteria has been found in the Sangam water in which millions have taken a dip during the Maha Kumbh Mela that concluded on Wednesday (February 26) in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj.
Also read: Yogi trashes CPCB report of faecal bacteria in Sangam water as ‘propaganda’
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had hit out at the CPCB report. A furious Adityanath told the Uttar Pradesh Assembly that the Sangam water was not only fit for a dip but also for drinking. He branded the CPCB report as “fake” and “propaganda” to malign the religious event.
Ravi Shankar's views on Ganga
Sharing his views on the row of faecal bacteria on Ganga water, Ravi Shankar defended the quality of the water citing experiments by scientists.
Also read: NGT issues notice to UP govt over open defecation at Maha Kumbh
"Scientists have come up with experiments on Ganga water, saying how it is the most robust water which purifies itself and does not allow bacteria to grow in it. There could be issues, but the quality of the water, as per scientists, is something very amazing and authenticates what our belief has been for millenniums," Ravi Shankar, the founder of Art of Living Foundation, told India Today on Wednesday.
Ravi Shankar on massive crowds at Maha Kumbh
Maha Kumbh Mela, which witnessed over 66 crore people, according to the Uttar Pradesh government, also saw a stampede in which 30 devotees died on January 29.
Talking about the massive crowds at Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Ravi Shankar said it was due to faith.
"I see only three things that are the driving force for crores of devotees - faith, faith, faith. It is the devotion of people that is driving them. The festival is deeply ingrained in the psyche of India," he opined.
Also, he said a holy dip in the Ganga can “uplift one’s spirit to higher consciousness”. "A dip can bring you back to your true nature. Taking a holy dip is a way to uplift one's spirit to higher consciousness, forgiving the past and forgetting the past and coming to the present."
