GANGA AND HER 8 CHILDREN

      In the story of the Mahabharata, there are things that are well known but not well understood. The story starts with the King Shantanu , who  wanted to marry Ganga and she had a condition. She will marry him but when children are born, he cannot ask him any questions. He agreed and they got married and then she had a child . She took it to the river Ganga and drowned it. He could not understand , but said nothing. Then she had second nd third and then 7th and she drowned them one by one after their birth. Shantanu was frustrated ,When the 8th  child was born, he questioned her behavior and then she left him . This last child is none other than BHISHMA This whole story does not make a sense for us mortal and there must be a hidden meaning to the story . I will try to tell that meaning , This is ot my interpretation, but the one given by Paramhans  Yoganand.

    The Brahman is vast and limitless and we call it PARABRAHM. It is infinite  and so it cannot be divided . So, it splits in to 2 . One is SPIRIT and the other is NATURE or matter . We call it PURUSH and PRAKRUTI . In the beginning of the universe, the PARABRAHMA splits in to these 2 elements . Shantanu represents Parabrahm and then the part of the CONSCIOUSNESS OR PURUSHA OR SPRIT is what is GNAGA in the story . The nature is Satyavati. The supreme consciousness is the governing inelegance . There are 3 bodies for the universe . One is Physical - STHUL SHARIR, then SUBTLE or SUKSHAM SHARAIR and then the KARAN OR CAUSAL SHARIR OR BODY. 

  In past I have given the example of of electricity, which may be the closest that I can think of. The electricity is needed for the light bulb to give light , electricity is needed to start the fan, electricity is needed to start AC and same electricity is needed for heat and to produce heat. The electricity does not PRODUCE heater light or cold air . The electricity does not work on computer or dial or start phone . But without the electricity these instruments will not work

  So the same is true of consciousness . Without the consciousness shedding the light on the entire universe, they will not work. The 3 bodies at micro level and their parallels macrocosm has 3  corresponding universes. So in all and all there are 6 things , which need governing inelegances and thay rea submerged and so theses children are drowned . The KUTHAST CHAITANYA -has to shine in everything - and that is reflected CHIATANYA or consciousness and that is called ABHAS CHAITAINYA . This is the seventh child.

  The  presence of ABHAS CHAITANYA when combines with mind- intellect in an individual person - body it creates' I' ness and that is AHANKAR . This is the 8th child - the  PITAMAH BHISHMA.