In Walden, certain facets of the physical world become symbolic because of the meaning that Thoreau attaches to them. Walden Pond, at the edge of which he lives, symbolizes the spiritual significance of nature. Every morning, Thoreau takes a bath in the pond and calls it a religious experience, reminding him of nature's endless capacity to renew life and stirring him to higher aspirations. He laments that the townspeople pump the pond's water into their houses to do their dishes, calling the water "as sacred as the Ganges," referencing the River Ganges in Indian which was believed to be holy.