Water as Sacred Purification

Matthew 3:13-17

“Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. But John tried to deter him, saying, 'I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?' Jesus replied, 'Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.' As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'”

Baptism as initiatory rite

Leviticus 15:16-18

“When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean till evening. Any fabric or leather that has semen on it must be washed with water, and it will be unclean till evening. When a man lies with a woman and there is an emission of semen, both must bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.”

Mikveh (ritual immersion) for purification

Quran 5:6

“O you who have believed, when you intend to pray, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janabah, purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself, or you have contacted women and do not find water, then seek high ground and wipe your faces and hands with it.”

Wudu and Ghusl as ablutions before prayer

Mahabharata 3:85.95

“The waters of the Ganga are sacred, for they flowed from the matted hair of Shiva himself. To bathe in the Ganga at Varanasi washes away all sins and grants liberation. The river is the Mother of all India, and her waters sanctify all who touch them.”

Ganga as divine purifier

Guru Granth Sahib 728

“The Guru prepared the Amrit, sweetened water stirred with a sword, making the initiated into the Khalsa. By drinking this holy nectar, the follower is reborn into a new life of righteousness and becomes a disciple of the Eternal One.”

Amrit (nectar) initiation for Khalsa

Homer's Odyssey

“The Greeks purified themselves in the waters of sacred springs and rivers before approaching the temples of the gods. Lustral water, blessed and drawn from holy sources, was sprinkled upon the faithful as they entered sanctuaries to commune with the divine.”

Lustral water in Greek worship