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Varanasi, or Kashi, is a city where spirituality flows in every street and the touch of faith is felt at every step. Devotees who come here visit temples, take dips in the Ganges ghats, and wish to carry the sanctity of this holy land back home. Kashi, the city of Shiva, is also called the city of liberation (moksha) because people from all over the country and abroad come here to gain knowledge, attain salvation, and purify their souls. But there is also a belief here that it is considered inauspicious to take wet soil or Ganges water from the Kashi home. Why is this said? Is there any spiritual reason behind it, or is it just a folk belief? To find the answers to these questions, we explored the beliefs associated with the traditions of Kashi. Let's find out why you shouldn't take Ganges water or wet soil from the Kashi home…

Kashi, the City of Liberation
Many ashrams for liberation (moksha) are established in Kashi, where people come in the last stages of their lives and stay until their death. This is the place where every soul attains liberation. You must have heard about Manikarnika Ghat in Kashi, where hundreds of cremations take place every day. Therefore, the soil and the Ganges water there are believed to be touched by souls. That is why bringing Ganges water from Kashi home is considered inauspicious, and it is believed to hurt the house.

The Sin of Separating from the Abode of Liberation
It is believed that a person who takes Ganges water from the city of Shiva also takes many embodied beings living in the water with them, thus incurring the sin of separating those beings from the abode of liberation, because these beings also come there for liberation. In Kashi, not only humans but also many other creatures arrive, who live in the sky, the Ganges water, or the soil of Kashi. Separating anything from Kashi disrupts the cycle of death and rebirth for that being. This rule applies to all of Kashi.

Flow of Souls and Tantric Energy
Along with living beings, many souls also reside in these places. Also, many tantric rituals and liberation ceremonies are performed here. Here, Aghoris continuously awaken the powers of the cremation grounds, which remain dormant in Kashi only out of reverence for God. It is believed that the Ganga water and soil here retain a flow of spiritual and tantric energy, which can affect the atmosphere of a home.

Ganga water is not kept at home:
The Ganga water of Kashi is a symbol of liberation. Taking it away from Kashi and keeping it at home is considered a great sin, as it is believed to be like putting liberated souls back into bondage. Even the bacteria and germs in the Ganga water attain liberation upon reaching Kashi; confining them in bottles or containers is tantamount to snatching away their salvation. Whoever dies in Kashi attains liberation, and the Ganga water of Kashi is also a part of that liberation; therefore, it is not considered appropriate to take it outside of Kashi. In Kashi, after cremation at the ghats, the ashes are immersed in the Ganga, which completes the liberation of the deceased soul. This Ganga water is connected to liberated souls, so keeping it at home is not considered auspicious.

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