करंट टॉपिक्स

KUMBH – A Festival Without a Beginning

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
Spread the love

KUMBH is a spiritual experience, a part of an ongoing exercise dating back to the days of the yore when Devas & Daityas churned the ocean. Like the faith it originates from, Sanatan, the KUMBH’s origins are lost in antiquity.

Balbir Punj

Before we understand the legend called KUMBH, let us recall the famous quote of American writer Mark Twain (1835-1910), who said, “Varanasi is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together”. What Mark Twain says about Varanasi fits the KUMBH even better.

Undoubtedly, the KUMBH is the most significant human assembly in the world. But surprisingly, it has no agenda – political, commercial or personal. No animals are sacrificed. It’s a bloodless celebration of the universal brotherhood, a tribute to Mother Nature by her grateful children. Its scale is massive, but the event is simple – a dip and a prayer.

Millions of rich and poor waits for no invitation, for there is none. Spurred by some innate energy, they converge at Sangam from all over the globe. They don’t expect any Government subsidy. The rulers may or may not extend a helping hand in making the infrastructural arrangements. It doesn’t affect the pilgrims’ enthusiasm either way.

There is no recommended dress, fixed prayer, or time for worship. Devotees customise their prayers. Many pray silently, mumble something to themselves, or say it loud enough to be heard. The phenomenon of KUMBH – the longest-living tradition – has survived over aeons – because it isn’t a part of any organised religion and has no hierarchy and central authority to regulate individual conduct. Devotees are free to deal with their maker how they choose to, on their terms.

The divisions of sects, nationalities, regions, languages… dissolve seamlessly in the swirling waters of Triveni, underlining the ultimate truth – the entire universe is one, wired to a shared power House – the divine. Some inconvenience is inevitable in such a large gathering. The devotees willingly face all the discomfort with equanimity and without complaining.

They are here sans all the motivations – power, ambition, greed… that usually make humans work for or against someone. They are here for bliss and aren’t disappointed.

What’s KUMBH? A phenomenon beyond description. It can be felt but not explained. The cyclical event is a manifestation of an ancient philosophy, evolving and updating all the time, ever in pursuit of the truth. It’s to underline man’s relationship with the rest of the universe, from the seas to the Sun & the stars.

The basic premise underlying the KUMBH is that the fate and future of humans and the rest of the offspring of Mother Earth – rivers, mountains, bio-diversity, and even extraterrestrial bodies – are – entwined and irreversibly fused. Man is a part of mother nature, NOT its master, something many creeds like to believe in. This tradition is termed SANATAN – an exercise in self-discovery or self-realisation, never static, but constantly evolving & renewing – and still steeped in antiquity. It has no beginning or an end – and is now packaged as ‘Hindutva’. The phenomenon called KUMBH pre-dates the usage of the popular term ‘Hindu’.

KUMBH is a spiritual experience, a part of an ongoing exercise dating back to the days of the yore when Devas & Daityas churned the ocean. Like the faith it originates from, Sanatan, the KUMBH’s origins are lost in antiquity.

The statistics about KUMBH: over 400 million people and the corresponding mind-boggling logistics leave the rest of the world shocked. However, the most remarkable part of this awe-inspiring show is that it connects humanity with the rest of the universe- something no other creed even pretends to do. The celestial bodies and humans work together. It’s a unique cosmic configuration when the Sun enters Capricorn (Makar), and Jupiter (Brihaspati) enters Aquarius (Kumbh). The result is a sacred alignment of divine energies, underlining unservable human ties with the Cosmos and its physical and spiritual cascading effects on the universe.

KUMBH transcends all barriers – between man and man, nature and man, and between our planet Earth and the rest of the universe. It underlines the reality that ‘WE’ are part of a larger cosmic plan, and our existence is intrinsically linked to the rest of the universe-spanning the planets.

January 22, 2025

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *