“I Am the Taste of Water”

Abhaya Mudra Dasi

raso’ham apsu kaunteya prabhasmi shashi-suryayoh

pranavah sarva-vedeshu shabdah khe paurusham nrishu

“O, Arjuna, son of Queen Kunti: I am the taste of water. I am the light of both Surya and Shashi. I am the syllable AUM in all Vedic mantras. I am the sound in ether. I am ability in man.” (BG 7.8)

Shrila Prabhupada used to tell devotees in India, “You are sick because you do not drink sufficient water. Sicknesses originates in the stomach through stagnation and you must drink water to keep your stomachs clean.”

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These astonishing effects – and more – are obtained only by drinking the most common liquid on our planet, namely water. Raso‘ham apsu kaunteya. Water is so sacred that its very essence, its taste, represents Lord Krishna. But this is a taste missed by the average person who drinks all sorts of liquids like coffee, tea and juices but hardly remembers his intake water. We assume that all liquids are created equal without realizing that we can suffer dehydration if we do not drink water. Even if we drink the best quality of juices they would never equal the benefits that water provides. Pure water has specific qualities that other liquids simply do not have. One interesting reference to the amazing properties of water is found in Shrimad Bhagavatam. There is given the story of Indra suffering the reactions of killing the brahmana Vishvarupa:

“Although Indra was so powerful that he could neutralize the sinful reactions for killing a brahmana, he repentantly accepted the burden of these reactions with folded hands. He suffered for one year, and then to purify himself he distributed the reactions for this sinful killing among the earth, water, trees and women.” (SB 6.9.7)

“And in return for King Indra’s benediction that water would increase the volume of other substances with which it was mixed, water accepted one fourth of the sinful reactions. Therefore there are bubbles and foam in water. When one collects water, these should be avoided.” (SB 6.9.11)

Bhaktivedanta Purport: If water is mixed with milk, fruit juice or other similar substances, it increases their volume, and no one can understand which has increased. In return for this benediction, water accepted one fourth of Indra’s sinful reactions. These sinful reactions are visible in foam and bubbles. Therefore one should avoid foam and bubbles while collecting drinking water.”

So, the ability of water to become other liquids is a disguised curse as seen from the above example. Pure water is essential to our body, mind and soul. It has an ability to connect us with Shri Krishna. By consciously drinking water and remembering Lord Krishna we can become Krishna conscious. Drinking pure water is a process which has many beneficial side effects which have been detected in the molecular patterns that water forms. According to Japanese researcher Dr. Masaro Emoto, if we chant beneficial mantras over the water its molecules exhibit beautiful shapes. Drinking such water is purifying and uplifts the mind. But if we utter unpleasant words over a glass of water its molecules form discordant patterns and such water may harm whoever consumes it.

It is amazing that Bhagavad Gita and Shrimad Bhagavatam contain such profound and factual wisdom yet they are often seen by non-devotees as only poetic statements with no practical value. Still, Shri Krishna has explained in Bhagavad Gita so many ways to access Him through His manifestations in the world that surrounds us. By advancing in Krishna consciousness we will develop the analytical part of our minds as we pray to understand the depth of the simple statements spoken in Bhagavad Gita by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Shri Krishna.

Water is surely one of the manifestations of Shri Krishna. Our bodies are 75% water. Without water life is not possible. If we do not drink water we are constantly dehydrated despite consumption of other liquids. Without water the body will not be able to nourish the different tissues. It cannot absorb nutrients and it cannot flush the garbage which accumulates in the cells after food consumption. In this way dehydration manifests as different diseases. Eventually everything enters into the cellular level and alters one’s DNA. Purity of body and mind depends on water consumption. What is the Hare Krishna mahamantra to the mind and soul, water is to the body. Today people consume so many medicines as substitutes for the functions of purification which only water can perform. For health on all levels, all we need is to develop our taste for water. By developing this taste we also naturally develop God consciousness.

Good health is necessary in the performance of daily sadhana which leads us to Krishna Consciousness. On the contrary, chronic dehydration damages our brain cells. When they become dehydrated, many brain cells die. Unlike other cells in the body, new brain cells are not produced to replace the dying ones. Drinking minimally two liters of water daily is essential for our intelligence which in turn is important for understanding the nature of the Lord as He describes Himself in Bhagavad Gita. · (written 1 Nov. 2011)