Hydrological secret in Ganesha worship
by Jayasree Saranathan on 21 Sep 2018 11 Comments

Has anyone wondered why the famous shloka on Sri Ganesha, starting “Gajananam Bhuta Ga?adi Sevitam,” talks about the food for Ganesha in the very next line before anything else? This food is not even the popular ‘modak’ usually offered to Ganesha. It is “Kapittha Jambu Phalasara” – the core or essence of the fruits of wood apple and jamun. These two fruits are of an odd variety and not exactly sweet. But their trees must have been found in plenty at some time in the past, known from the fact that our country is part of ‘Jambu-dveepa’ – the vast land of jambu trees. An investigation into the origins of the offering of these two fruits to Ganesha gives some surprising but well-thought out ways of our sages in preserving the knowledge of the water sources; yes, you read it right, water sources.

 

Ganesha and water sources have an intimate connection. The present generation can only think of water in the immersion ceremony of Ganesha idols marking the end of the festival. But old timers would recall Ganesha idols installed near water ways. Wherever there was a water body, say, a pond or a tank and however small it may be, one could find Ganesha kept under a tree near the water body. In most locations, it was the peepal tree grown naturally near the water way. This was a common sight in south India where the temple culture didn’t suffer ruination like in the north, where foreign invasions had wiped off most temples. Unfortunately, today, most water-bodies have been made into habitations, but Ganesha temples have survived within buildings. The shloka on the offering of kapittha and jambu fruits is the last reminder of the water-connection with Ganesha worship. 

 

The uniqueness of these two fruits is that they grow in places where there is underground water. They are called “Jalanadi” – water-veins. South India is particularly crisscrossed with a network of underground passages, perhaps formed by the oozing lava at the time of the formation of the Deccan Plateau. These passages are filled with rain water during the rainy season. At places where water runs for most part of the year, certain trees are found to grow near them. Approximately 50 such trees identified by our sages were recorded by Varahamihira in his book, Brihad Samhita (chapter 54). Where the water flow is abundant and near the surface, ant hills are formed and trees such as Kapittha and Jumbu grow in specific distance and direction from the Jalanadi and the anthills.

 

Identification of the Jalanadi by means of trees is not unique to South India alone, as the original idea of these trees was given by none other than sage Sarasvata, according to Varahamihira. From a narration found in Mahabharata (Shalya parva - 49) it is known that this sage was born and had lived near the river Sarasvati. Once there was a drought for twelve consecutive years, making all sages leave the region of river Sarasvati. But Sarasvata had stayed back and survived through the drought and kept up his Vedic practices.

 

This narration shows that Sarasvati was a rain-fed river and not sustained by the snow-clad Himalayan Mountains. The drought for 12 years had made the river bed go dry, but sage Sarasvata had managed to draw water from the underground channels of the river by means of the presence of certain trees. Whatever he had discovered was passed on for generations and finally recorded in Brihad Samhita in 98 verses.

 

According to Sarasvata, if there is a naturally grown Jambu tree, there will be water at a distance of 4-1/2 feet to the north of it, and the water will be running at a depth of 12 feet. If an ant-hill is found to the east of the Jambu tree, water source is to the south of the ant-hill at 12 feet depth. In the case of Kapittha tree, one must look for a snake hole 10-1/2 feet to the south of it. If there is one, it means water is available in the northern direction of the hole.

 

In this way, underground water sources were identified by means of certain trees. Our ancestors had naturally thought it fit to safeguard these ‘markers’ (trees) by assigning some divine importance to them. Kapittha and Jambu were made the offerings for Lord Ganesha. He was given a home under the peepal, banyan and neem trees, as they are first-rate markers for water sources. Plenty of water can be found near these trees. One can find them near the tanks of old temples like the famous Mariamman Teppakulam in Madurai. Though built in the 17th century, it is said that the seven foot high Mukkuruny Vinayaka, now housed in the Meenakshi temple, was found while digging this tank. This reiterates the view that this murti of Ganesha was installed long ago in that region as it was found to hold a water vein. Most of the old temples of Ganesha have legends connected with water. 

 

In this backdrop, the episode of Arjuna giving water to Bhishma on the arrow bed, by shooting an arrow at the ground, looks very much part of the knowledge of Jalanadi. Mahabharata describes that the arrow shot by Arjuna standing on his chariot hit the ground on the south of where Bhishma was lying and from that a jet of water came out. Perhaps he had located the water source from a ‘marker’ tree which acquired his name as ‘Arjuna’ (terminalia arjuna) after this episode! Sarasvata says that an ant-hill found to the north of the Arjuna tree is the indicator for water to the west of the ant-hill at a depth of 21 feet. Perhaps during his circumambulations around Bhishma before shooting his arrow, Arjuna had observed the surrounding areas for the tree and anthill.

 

When will we realise the secret behind these trees? When will we realise that installing deities like Ganesha and Snakes under the trees and near ant-hills has a superior wisdom running through them?

 

The protection of the trees and also the anthill are vital for identifying the Jalanadi. The practice of sprinkling milk on anthills where snakes reside can perhaps be traced to an ecological reason. In summer the Jalanadis would dry up, thereby making the underground dwelling of the snakes hot enough to drive them out. When people regularly worship the snakes in the anthill by offering milk in the holes, the snake dwellings would remain cool in summer also. This makes the snakes remain in their dwellings and not venture out, posing a threat to the people.

 

This goes to show that our ancestors had evolved methods of worship keeping in mind the psychology of the people. Today, none of the trees mentioned by Sarasvata are found in abundance and no waterways are identifiable due to the destruction of these trees. At least now we must look around and rebuild Nature as she once existed.

 

The author is a researcher, writer and astrologer with a Ph.D. in Astrology. Her research areas include Indology, Hindu Epics, Tamil Sangam literature and Astro-meteorology.

http://indsamachar.com/hydrological-secret-in-ganesha-worship/

User Comments Post a Comment
This will be of scant interest to Indians, but North Australia (with the same monsoon climate as South India) has a similar tradition.

Indigenous people knew that a certain species of paperbark tree growing on the fringe of a beach, signaled water threeor four metres beneath it.

Further inland, ghost gums (Eucalyptus Papuana) grew above the underground water system. As we traveled further inland onto the high country (Stone Country), Banyan trees acted as markers for water as deep underground as fifty metres. Invariably, hidden cave entrances enabled access to the water.

Extending this logic, every tree and plant in North Australia tells me what kind of soil it grows in, the soil's moisture retention qualities, depth of subsoil, presence of rock, and the nature of ground water (for wells). More broadly, this indicates the land's capacity for productive management, road construction, and flood vulnerability. One tree species even marks optimal flood levels.

Sadly, this is knowledge that is dying out. Yet this method enables me to survey land use over hundreds of hectares in an hour or so, whereas a soil survey with his 100 M x 100 M square auger soil sampling takes weeks, with accuracy of less than one hundred metres.

So... which was the superior method? The ancient practice? or modern science?
Tony Ryan
September 21, 2018
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This is a very interesting article indeed
Iravat
September 21, 2018
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Fascinating!

Please share with us more of her such research.
Krishen Kak
September 21, 2018
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In the course of my study of the geography of ancient Bharatha I tried to identify the real Jambu Tree. Some said it was the eugenia jambolana or the "naaga pazham" or "nerele hannu". Others said other things. Then It occured to me that the sthala vrksham or sacred tree of the Thiruvaanaikaaval kshethram in Thiruchirapally must be the right species as the name of the Eshwara here is Jambukeshwara, and the temple is as old as memory! This tree is the Venn Naaval, or the syzygium samarangense, whose white fruit are delicate, fragrant, juicy and slightly sweet. There is a rose-red variety too, but it is the white one which is sacred here.

The sthala puranams more often than not give reliable leads to the understanding of much of our forgotten knowledge.
Chandra Ravikumar
September 21, 2018
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Tony Ryan poses a question - which is superior, ancient practice or modern science?. His question, throws up a few other questions. (1) Is it logical to assume that all that is ancient is not scientific. (2).whether all that is modern only is scientific and superior? (3).is it logical to assume that Indians have scant interest (4).whether the term 'Indian', in this context, includes Hindus?
To assume all that is ancient and all that is hindu is not logically tenable. By using the term "Indian", he has arbitrarily assumed that all Hindus too, are showing scant interest. Perhaps, Indian Christians like Tony, may not be interested, but to assume that millions of Hindus are having scant interest in this subject in question, is not correct. Whether it is a matter of interest or not, the citizens will decide, and not just one person or a group of individuals who wish to deride all that is ancient.
Tony compares ancient India with Australia, a comparison which appears to give the impression that, if it is Hindu tradition, it is unscientific and if it is western it is scientifically superior.
Throwing up questions as Tony does, is a clever trick indulged in, mostly by journalists, and not by scientists,and logicians. What citizens expect is specific answers to the questions posed,and not a guess work. Instead of being ambiguous with questions, Tony must make his stand clear and specifically state whether only modern science is scientific and ancient Hindu tradition is not. Why is Tony not making his intentions clear?
Panikkath krishnanunni
September 21, 2018
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@ Panikkath krishnanunni

Come, come, if the Tony Ryan whose comment above you critique is the one at http://www.tonyryan.com.au/home/about-tony-2/ , then he is a White Australian and a great man indeed.
It does not behove us Indians to find fault with his sweeping generalisation about us!
Bharati
September 21, 2018
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Dear @chandraravikumar, can you get a picture of the tree you mention and post it to me at the email given above.

And can you consider a piece on the subject?
Thanks
Editor
September 21, 2018
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Very interesting
Ajai
September 21, 2018
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Dear Sh Chandraravikumarji, could you please post a picture of the tree you mention, to me at the email ssg2144@gmail.com


Thanks
Sampuran
September 22, 2018
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Thank you, Jayasree Saranathan, for this fascinating write-up. Yes, I recite the shloka everyday but didn't think too much about the Kapiththa -Jambu phala. Now I wonder why and when the modaka gained pride of place in the naivedya for Ganapati....
Vinita
September 22, 2018
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It is this knowledge of life and the environment that makes our religious rituals an evolved practice and the religion itself to be considered as sanatana dharma. And thanks to Tony Ryan for bringing the indigenous australian connection to light. I understand the native americans too had a close association with nature. Now think who ruined it all? And this question is particularly directed at those who continue to reel under the white man's burden!
P M Ravindran
September 22, 2018
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