Ways To Cross The River
There are a few ways to cross this river. It is important to note that as mentioned in the description of the river, only those souls who have sinned have to cross this river. The souls with good deeds or good karma do not travel on the path through which the Vaitarna River flows.
- The person who commits good deeds in his life and does not have to cross this river.
- A sinner who has done certain meritorious deeds can get a boat to cross the river after travelling on the terrible way of Yama for some time. These deeds include donating a cow, food, wealth or any sacrifice etc.
- It is said that even though a person is a sinner, if he is following a real spiritual guru, the sinner can cross the river holding his Guru's hand.
- If the sinner cannot cross using the above two methods, he has to wait many years till it is decided that he will cross or the servants of Yama drag him through the river.
- The descendents of the sinful soul can help him cross the river by chanting the name "Shree Gurudev Datta". This is the chant for the Hindu god Dattatreya.
Read more about this topic: Vaitarna River
Famous quotes containing the words ways, cross and/or river:
“New ways I go, a new speech comes to me; weary I grow, like all creators, of the old tongues. My spirit no longer wants to walk on worn soles.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“Things have dropped from me. I have outlived certain desires; I have lost friends, some by death ... others through sheer inability to cross the street.”
—Virginia Woolf (1882–1941)
“It is impossible to step into the same river twice.”
—Heraclitus (c. 535–475 B.C.)