The Ganges, in the time of Mahaprabhu, was so glorious. The digvijay-pandit saw Mahaprabhu explaining the glories of the Ganges. He was asked by Mahaprabhu, "You praise the Ganges." In this age we are thinking the Ganges is coming from the Himalayas, but actually it is coming from the lotus feet of Narayan, and that Bhagirath birth was for rescuing the 60,000 forefathers.

drstaih svabhava janitair vapusas cha dosair
na prakrtatvam iha bhakta janasya pasyet
gangambhasam na khalu budbuda phena pankair
brahma dravatvam apagachchhati nira dharmaih

Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu told, you cannot dishonour or ignore the position of the Vaisnava. He may be in different ways disturbed by diseases. And the example given is the Ganges: so many dirty things are coming from the plain; from village to village to village she is going to the ocean, and in every village dirty things are going to the Ganges. Some pollution from every village is going to the Ganges, and the Ganges is carrying everything to the ocean. But Ganges water will never become contaminated. Budbuda phena pankair. So many things, so many unwanted things are mixing with Ganges water, but Ganges water will never be dirty. That was told by Rupa Goswami Prabhu. Because it is drava brahma: it is brahma in liquid form, coming down from Vaikuntha. The liquid form of brahma coming down: that is the Ganges, the divine form of the Ganges....

...When Mahaprabhu Chaitanyadev, after taking sannyas, was going to Vrindavan, in some intoxicated mood, with Krishna-prema, He could not understand what is what. And some of the boys, they were cowherd boys, they are seeing Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu, and they are looking at the sannyasis and telling "Hari Hari Hari, Haribol, Haribol!" And Mahaprabhu understood it was the influence of the Ganges. Nityananda Prabhu understood it was the influence of Ganges, that the boys are chanting 'Hare Krishna' Harinam, 'Haribol,' etc….

…And Mahaprabhu was always praising the Ganges. If anything happened, Mahaprabhu would order, "Go and bathe in the Ganges; you will be clean." That was the idea.

But we need faith; that is the main thing that I want to say. We are looking, we are crossing, we are eating, we are drinking etc., but if we have no faith behind, we will not get a good result. Some material result we will get, but a spiritual, perfect result we will not get. We must keep faith.

In young age I heard somewhere of the Thames in London, the Thames river. They are thinking of it like the Ganges; they are giving that position and respect. Everywhere something is representing the feelings of the Ganges. In many countries there is some glorious river. They are baptising with the water of the Thames; they are making Christians and giving the water of the Thames river. But the Ganges' super-glories we have heard, because Narayan, who is the creator of all -- at His lotus feet the Ganges is living, and from there comes down.

But we must believe it. That is good for us. No doubt sometimes we are losing to believe, but we will not lose with this spiritual idea. Spiritually, what is written in the Scriptures is all truthful, and it is all beneficial for us.