Can Durga or Ganesh idols be buried instead of discharging in running water?

[vgane]

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A new step by the Green lobby to bury the idols..However will it get the support of our Hindu religious heads! What do sastras say?

[h=1]In green move, Durga idols to be buried[/h]Keshav Agarwal,TNN | Oct 3, 2014
PILIBHIT: Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Clean India campaign, some devotees in Pilibhit district have undertaken to bury Durga idols instead of immersing them in rivers or canals.

The move, which is aimed at keeping water bodies free from contamination, came about after the PM's call, and also fervent appeals issued by the district police administration.

Police said a total of 28 places within the district have given an undertaking that they would not submerge the idols in water bodies on Friday and Saturday. More are expected to follow suit.

Moti Ranjan Rai, a resident of Bengali village Naujaliah under Madhotanda police station, said his village had a long tradition of immersing the Durga idol into Sharda river, but accepting social responsibility in national interest, the villagers have now decided to immerse the idol in a pond situated in the village.

Likewise, another villager, Heera Lal, of Dilawarpur village and the president of Dura Puja Samiti, said members of his committee had this year buried the idol near a canal, abandoning the old tradition of immersing it in the river.

Ram Prakash, a villager from Chanduia and the president of an NGO, Jan Kalyan Samiti, said breaking from tradition, villagers this year decided to enshrine the idol in a temple this year instead of immersing it.

ASP Udai Shankar Singh told TOI that the police administration had succeeded in getting the active cooperation of people in response to an appeal to not immerse the idols of Goddess Durga in rivers or canals.

However, religious heads, quoting ancient scriptures, said the idols or the remains of any ritual ceremony should be discharged only in running water especially in rivers.

A renowned Vastu expert in Pilibhit, Shyama Jeevan Goswami, said that Shakti, in the form of Goddess Laxmi, had originated from sea water at the time of 'Sagar Manathan' (churning of sea) striven by gods and demons in ancient time and therefore all the idols of Shakti should be discharged only in the water of sea or river.

Another religious head, Pandit Dinesh Chandra Joshi from Brahmpuri, Haridwar, claimed that the ancient religious traditions were based on the directives of scriptures, which were clear that religious material should only be immersed in holy rivers. These norms should not be debated, he added. However, police and locals have welcomed the break from tradition and expressed hope that it continues in coming years.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bareilly/In-green-move-Durga-idols-to-be-buried/articleshow/44239650.cms?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=timesofindia

 

[prasad1]

Vganeji,
I like the post, and I am with the green movement, But sometimes we take things to the extreme. In the name of modernism now Durga instead of Killing Mahishasuran, she blesses him, that is little too far.
I believe we have to accept changes, but I lament the demise of some colorful events. Similarly the visarjan of moorties made of unbaked clay in India used to one of such events. Then we started using pains and plastic garlands then the equation got changed.

Another religious head, Pandit Dinesh Chandra Joshi from Brahmpuri, Haridwar, claimed that the ancient religious traditions were based on the directives of scriptures, which were clear that religious material should only be immersed in holy rivers. These norms should not be debated, he added. However, police and locals have welcomed the break from tradition and expressed hope that it continues in coming years.

That is a bunch of hooey. You can find any explanation you want as long as you find the right scriptures. So that is no justification at all.
May be we should not make idols of Unbaked mud, instead make an idol and bring it out during puja and then store it till next time. Reuse the same morties.

 

[sangom]

Vganeji,
I like the post, and I am with the green movement, But sometimes we take things to the extreme. In the name of modernism now Durga instead of Killing Mahishasuran, she blesses him, that is little too far.
I believe we have to accept changes, but I lament the demise of some colorful events. Similarly the visarjan of moorties made of unbaked clay in India used to one of such events. Then we started using pains and plastic garlands then the equation got changed.


That is a bunch of hooey. You can find any explanation you want as long as you find the right scriptures. So that is no justification at all.
May be we should not make idols of Unbaked mud, instead make an idol and bring it out during puja and then store it till next time. Reuse the same morties.

I am not familiar with the Durga immersion custom. But I have read somewhere that the Ganesh festival on a community scale was started by Tilak under strange circumstances. In 1895 or so, Plague broke out in Poona and, as it spread rapidly, the British Collector, out of fear, started an offer of money (Rs.2/= or so in those days!) for anyone bringing the dead body of a rat. The government also banned all public assembly of persons (today's section 144). Tilak rose in revolt and started the community Ganesh worship then, so that people were reminded that killing the rat, the vehicle for Ganesha, is a sin and also, the government could not stop people coming in large numbers to worship Ganpathy in the pandals!

That was how today's modern Giant-sized Ganpatis came into vogue, as time passed. Before this 'reform' by Tilak, Ganesha used to be worshipped as small murthi made of unbaked clay, by the family members themselves and this idol used to be immersed in the well water in each house or in community wells (and not in ponds because the people used the ponds, etc., for cleaning themselves after defecating. I have seen this old type of Ganesh worship in my younger days.

 

[prasad1]

This repeated tens of thousands in every river, and lakes in all north east and other areas of India. This has been going on for centuries. I understand it is polluting the water source. If we recycle the moorties, some of those artists will loose their livelihood. I am apprehensive about burring Moorties.

 

[P.J.]

Idol immersion and possible solutions

Idol immersion and possible solutions

This issue was discussed in detail in various forums and media


Since the main issue around water pollution has got to do with the idol immersion ritual, several people are now suggesting a slight variation of this ritual to avoid water pollution. These include:

1. Immersing the idol in a water tank constructed by the government, instead of directly into natural water bodies.
2. Using only a natural clay idol and immersing it either in the tank or in a bucket of water at home.
3. Immersing a 'betel nut' which symbolises the idol and reusing the same idol every year.
4. If one is using a PoP idol, simply sprinkling a few drops of water on it as a symbolic immersion and donating the idol to be recycled for the following year.

Appropriate Management of 'nirmalya':

Along with the idol, there are several accessories used during the worship which are collectively referred to as 'nirmalya'. These include flowers, fruits, coconuts, cloth, incense, camphor etc. Further, many people create elaborate temples out of thermocole to houwe their idols. Until some years ago, all these were also immersed along with the idols.
In Pune, the municipal corporation has successfully convinced people not to immerse the 'nirmalya' into the water. Instead, they have installed large bins shaped as traditional pots or 'kalashes' to recieve this nirmalya. While this is a good first step, the appropriate management of the nirmalya is still crucial considering the volumes that are collected every year.
This is a sensitive issue since it involves the sentiments of the worshippers.

Possible solutions:

1. Avoiding the use of non biodegradable material such as thermocole altogether.
2. Composting all bio degradable material.
3. Distributing food itmes such as coconuts and fruits among the poor.
4. Recycling flowers to make hand made paper or dried flower products.



The Environmental Impact of Ganesh Chaturthi ? Welcome to the eCoexist network!

Idol immersion pollutes Ganga - The Times of India

Eco-friendly ways to immerse Ganpati
Possible solutions

 

[9868836164]

We offer pooja to clay idol of Lord Ganesa and immersein a bucket of water praying well. When dissolves we pour the water near the plant. As far as the nirmalya is concerned, we distribute the edible items. The flowers we put in a flowerpot which has mud so that they become fertilisers after sometime.

 

[P.J.]

We offer pooja to clay idol of Lord Ganesa and immersein a bucket of water praying well. When dissolves we pour the water near the plant. As far as the nirmalya is concerned, we distribute the edible items. The flowers we put in a flowerpot which has mud so that they become fertilisers after sometime.

The discussions and suggested solutions are not for devotees like you!!