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As per the Puranic story being discussed in this post Indra, after killing the demon called Vritra, acquired the brahmahatya dosha. His gulit was thereafter shared by women, earth, water and the trees.

The women as result started to have menses and they are from then on wards considered as being impure in those days of a month.

Now, water also shared Indra's guilt. So, all waters must also get impure during some days of say a month or the year. Now if it really so happens, then in those few days all pujas and other religious rites ( like sandhyavandanam etc) must be entirely stopped because without water its impossible to take bath, perform puja etc.

But, afaik, there are no such days in a year or a month when all religious rites stop due to such impurities that water has.

Question : On which days of a month/year does all water become impure as a result of sharing Indra's guilt of brahminicide?

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  • no one can share sins ... if trees and water too become impure then we should stop worship of god cos in daily rituals these two are mandatory to use.
    – Rakesh Joshi
    May 19, 2017 at 5:51
  • @RakeshJoshi So, that's exactly why i asked this Q..because i don't know when water becomes impure..so apparently something is wrong with the story.
    – Rickross
    May 19, 2017 at 6:01

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Here is my own partial answer.

As far as the rivers are concerned i know when they are considered as being impure. During the two Hindu months, Sravana and Bhadra, the rivers are considered as impure in the scriptures.

In two months, beginning with S'ravana all the rivers get their menstrual courses. [No one] should bathe in them, excluding the rivers which go to an ocean.

Katyayana Smriti, Chapter 10, Verse 5.

EDIT- The book Dharma Bindu quotes the Brahmanda Purana & gives the following days when the Mahanadis are considered impure.

Aadou karkatake sarvaa Maha Nadyoh rajasva - laah, Tridinantu chaturdhehni shuddhaasyurjaahnavi yadhaa | Chatram cha harat paadam Ardham harati paadukou, Yaaam heretripaadam tu sarvam harati dolikaa | Yescharyaallobha mohaadvaa gacchedyaana abhistuyah, Nishphalam tasya teertham tasmaadyaanaadi varjayet ||

The Maha Nadis are stated to be Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari,Tungabhadra, and Kaveri and during the first three days of Karkataka Rashi, these rivers are stated to be affected by menses and on the fourth day they attain Shuddi or Purity

But, this does not answer the question when all waters get impure.

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    I've heard this from elders too. For first 10 days when river ebbs after rains, we're not to bathe in them. Does that mean we should not bathe at all .. no, we can use water from lakes/wells etc. for that period. Also, I answered in another question, that when water took on sins, it does not mean all the time. just as women are only unclean on those 4 days, only water with bubbles is said to be unclean and avoided.
    – mar
    May 19, 2017 at 16:39
  • @ram I am also not saying that water gets impure all the time..but even if water is impure for 2/3 days then whats the workaround? Also, reagrding bubbles : i have read in Manu Smriti that achamana water should be free from bubbles that's all. And that is valid for all times and not during some particular days. Can u prove that the sins that water shared stay in its bubbles and not in the water itself all the time? Now, that does not make sense to me anyways.
    – Rickross
    May 19, 2017 at 17:05
  • like i mentioned in previous comment, it is the river water that gets impure those 10 days.. not well water or lakes etc. again, we should be allowed to use little bit of logic - when women shared curse, does it mean they are unclean all the time? similarly trees are not unclean all the time, only their sap is. we can think of any involuntary bodily discharge as unclean - just as periods for women, sap for trees, and bubbles for water. since they cannot control it, hence they are called 'cursed' during those times.. i don't know how to prove it, but it makes sense to me.
    – mar
    May 19, 2017 at 17:25
  • As far as the story goes water shared the guilt not only river waters..so forget about river waters..we usually don't fetch water for daily pujas from rivers ..what about the other waters? Even the waters from lakes, ponds etc will be impure and can't be used for some days..which are those days? that's basically what my Q is.. Also in those days how are we to perform the rituals etc without water ( pure water that is)..? @ram
    – Rickross
    May 20, 2017 at 4:35
  • like i said, from what i know, it's not 'when' when water is unclean, but 'why'. if water has bubbles, it is considered unclean, whether it is day 1 or day 30 or day 360, whether it is from rivers or wells. if it is from wells, and doesn't have bubbles, then it is considered clean. just like a woman is considered unclean ONLY when she has periods, and if her periods are delayed then she is not unclean i.e. it is not based on WHEN but WHY.. same for water, and for trees, as far as Indra's curse goes. In addition, rivers have those 10 days of 'periods' when ppl don't bathe in them.
    – mar
    May 20, 2017 at 5:35

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