Water — the elixir of life

Sai R Vaidyanathan

As summer advances, temperatures have started going up. Hot teas and soups have given way to cool sherbets and ‘lassi’. But the time-honoured panacea for a parched throat remains a glass of cool water.

Double attack

On the 10th day of the Mahabharat war at Kurukshetra, grandsire Bhishma fell to the combined attack of Panchal prince Shikhandi and Pandava Arjuna.

Lying on the bed of arrows, Bhishma felt thirsty. So he told Arjuna to do the needful.

Arjuna shot the Parjanya missile into the ground and water gushed out. After drinking it, Bhishma was satisfied. A pond exists today at the place Arjuna shot the missile. It is renowned as Bhishmakund.

Lost in the woods

One day, 11th century saint Ramanujacharya was passing through a forest.

A little later, he felt lost. So he prayed to Lord Vishnu.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a fowler and his wife. “Where are you going, son?” asked the fowler’s wife.

“To Kanchi. But I have lost my way,” Ramanuja replied.

“Don’t worry. We will take you there,” the fowler said.

They went some distance towards the south and reached a tank. As the fowler’s wife asked for water, Ramanuja fetched some water from the tank.

After drinking it, she asked for some more water. By the time Ramanuja brought it, the couple had disappeared. When he looked around, he could see buildings in the city of Kanchi. That made him realise that the couple was none other than Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi.

The journey uphill

As instructed by Lord Rama, Goddess Vaishnavi went to Trikuta hills in Jammu to meditate. Many devotees began to flock to her.

One day, she decided to meditate alone in a cave. As she made the way up the hill, the hot sun made her feel thirsty. So she took out her bow and shot an arrow into the ground.

The top soil cracked and a spring emerged. With its water, Vaishnavi satisfied her thirst. This place became famous as Ban Ganga.

On her way further, her feet sank deep into wet mud. That place is known as Charan Paduka. Finally, she reached the cave called Adh Kunwari and meditated there for nine months.

Teaching a lesson

Going to Mecca, Guru Nanak and Mardana stopped near Takshshila in Pakistan. As the hot sun had dried Mardana’s throat, Guru Nanak told him to seek water from a dervish, Wali Qandhari, who lived on a hilltop. But the dervish refused the plea of Mardana three times. So, Guru Nanak told Mardana to lift a stone slab nearby. When Mardana did so, water gushed out.

On the hilltop, Wali Qandhari noticed that his well was emptying fast. Realising that Guru Nanak was behind it, he rolled a boulder down the hill to crush Guru Nanak and Mardana. But the Guru held the boulder back with his palm (punja). The place became known as Punja Sahib and is located in Attock district.

The author can be contacted at author.sai@gmail.com