<p>It's in Therigatha:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>[The Brahman:]<br />
Punnika, surely you know.<br />
You're asking one doing skillful kamma<br />
&amp; warding off evil.<br />
Whoever, young or old, does evil kamma<br />
is, through water ablution,<br />
from evil kamma set free.</p>
<p>[Punnika:]<br />
Who taught you this<br />
— the ignorant to the ignorant —<br />
'One, through water ablution,<br />
is from evil kamma set free?'<br />
<strong>In that case, they'd all go to heaven:<br />
all the frogs, turtles,<br />
serpents, crocodiles,<br />
&amp; anything else that lives in the water.</strong><br />
Sheep-butchers, pork-butchers,<br />
fishermen, trappers,<br />
thieves, executioners,<br />
&amp; any other evil doers,<br />
would, through water ablution,<br />
be from evil kamma set free.<br />
<a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/thig/thig.12.01.than.html" rel="noreferrer">Therigatha 12.1</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Another related sutta:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The Buddha said to Sangarava:</p>
<p>“Is it really true, brahmin, that you practice purification by water,
believing in purification by water; that you live committed to the
practice of immersing yourself in water at dawn and dusk?”</p>
<p>“Yes, Master Gotama.”</p>
<p>“But brahmin, for what reason do you practice purification by water?”</p>
<p>“It’s because, Master Gotama, whatever bad deeds I’ve done during the
day I wash off by bathing at dusk; and whatever bad deeds I’ve done
during the night, I wash off by bathing at dawn. That’s the reason why
I practice purification by water.”</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“The teaching is a lake with shores of ethics, brahmin,<br />
unclouded, praised by the fine to the good.<br />
There the knowledge-masters go to bathe,<br />
and cross to the far shore without getting wet.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>When he had spoken, Saṅgārava said to the Buddha:</p>
<p>“Excellent, Master Gotama! Excellent! … From this day forth, may
Master Gotama remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge
for life.”<br />
<a href="https://suttacentral.net/sn7.21/en/sujato" rel="noreferrer">SN 7.21</a></p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-04-04T12:02:09.117Z
thank you sir..
Dhamma Dhatu
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-04-04T08:31:48.640Z
2022-04-04T08:37:21.060Z
2022-04-04T08:37:21.060Z
ruben2020
<p>Is there are sutta in which the Buddha says if bathing in Ganges River could purify beings; then the fish, turtles, crocodiles, etc, would be purified?</p>

<reference-request><pali-canon><sutras>
Looking for sutta about purification of fish, turtles, etc
# Looking for sutta about purification of fish, turtles, etc

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-04-04)

Is there are sutta in which the Buddha says if bathing in Ganges River could purify beings; then the fish, turtles, crocodiles, etc, would be purified?

**Tags:** reference-request, pali-canon, sutras


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2022-04-04. Score: 6 | Accepted answer

It's in Therigatha:

> [The Brahman:]  
> Punnika, surely you know.  
> You're asking one doing skillful kamma  
> & warding off evil.  
> Whoever, young or old, does evil kamma  
> is, through water ablution,  
> from evil kamma set free.
>
> [Punnika:]  
> Who taught you this  
> — the ignorant to the ignorant —  
> 'One, through water ablution,  
> is from evil kamma set free?'  
> **In that case, they'd all go to heaven:  
> all the frogs, turtles,  
> serpents, crocodiles,  
> & anything else that lives in the water.**  
> Sheep-butchers, pork-butchers,  
> fishermen, trappers,  
> thieves, executioners,  
> & any other evil doers,  
> would, through water ablution,  
> be from evil kamma set free.  
> [Therigatha 12.1](https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/thig/thig.12.01.than.html)

Another related sutta:

> The Buddha said to Sangarava:
>
> “Is it really true, brahmin, that you practice purification by water,
> believing in purification by water; that you live committed to the
> practice of immersing yourself in water at dawn and dusk?”
>
> “Yes, Master Gotama.”
>
> “But brahmin, for what reason do you practice purification by water?”
>
> “It’s because, Master Gotama, whatever bad deeds I’ve done during the
> day I wash off by bathing at dusk; and whatever bad deeds I’ve done
> during the night, I wash off by bathing at dawn. That’s the reason why
> I practice purification by water.”
>
> > “The teaching is a lake with shores of ethics, brahmin,  
> > unclouded, praised by the fine to the good.  
> > There the knowledge-masters go to bathe,  
> > and cross to the far shore without getting wet.”
>
> When he had spoken, Saṅgārava said to the Buddha:
>
> “Excellent, Master Gotama! Excellent! … From this day forth, may
> Master Gotama remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge
> for life.”  
> [SN 7.21](https://suttacentral.net/sn7.21/en/sujato)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: thank you sir..  

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