Yamuna river

This essay written by David L. Haaberman is about the pollution of the Yamuna River located in India, this river has become so polluted with industrial and human waste that it is becoming no longer a safe source to use. Yamuna is viewed as a source worshiped by Hindu religion because it is named after a goddess of selfless love and is believed to be a prerequisite to heaven, as well free of sin. It is explained that rituals are being lost from all this pollution because the water is no longer safe to use. The river is a victim of the utilitarian perspective due to it being used as a source to carry away wastes instead of sins. Haaberman first begins with a quick history lesson on Hindu religion, he familiarizes us with the many different names and powers of these gods or goddesses that are worshiped by the landscapes they form. All these landscapes are considered to make up Kresna. Simply he explains that the entire visible world is the body of god, known as Kresna; The trees are the hair on his body, the rocks are his bones, the rivers are veins and arteries. Yamuna is the main focus of the many identities worshiped to make up Kresna because of the change in this rivers use. She’s shown by the author in constructing a portrait of her, primarily using a poem to show the conflicts between religion and utilitarian perspectives. This river is used to carry away waste which makes it impossible for the religious groups to use this water because its unsafe for example skin disease and even chemical burns from use of this water have happened. Rituals are being lost as well as the beauty and purity is replaced with a black vial substance that carries a stinky must along with it. Water so pure it is considered to be comparable to a mothers milk is channeled into canals where it beauty and purity from the mountains is replaced with poisonous waste and its flow is significantly reduced. “River of Love in An Age of Pollution” basically paints the portrait this