25 Million Pilgrims at Mauni Amavasya Snana (Part 2)

[Guest guest]

Our cooks are working practically without sleep. Sarva and I went at midnight

to see them and encourage them. They are from Vrindavan and so they are all

working very hard and shouting at the top of their lungs, "Jaya! Jaya! Sri

Radheeeeeeeeee Shyam!" Everyone is praising the prasad and the arrangements,

even very sophisticated members from Bombay. Rupa and his crew are doing a

wonderful job and the Padayatra devotees are doing a wonderful seva serving

prasad to devotees and guests.

 

Actually our prasad timings in the Devotee and Guest Prasad Pandal are 9am and

3pm, but practically prasad is going on continuously. Devotees are arriving at

all times, guests are arriving at all times, and all the young foreigners have

heard about our wonderful prasad. Our motto is service, so we try to satisfy

everyone. Even they come after 10 at night tired and hungry from walking a few

Kms as no cars are allowed now, we try to satisfy them. Everyone is praising

the organization and arrangements.

 

Meanwhile Atmaram from Spain met some journalist from Germany and he showed

them around the camp. They asked to see the 'other camp', so he walked them 2.5

kms down the road. He thought they might be hungry so he took them to Adri's

canteen where he has tables and chairs to teach the Indians western culture.

They didn't want anything, but he served himself a tiny plate from the buffet.

Adri came and looked at them with crossed eyes, then left and soon a devotee

appeared with a bill for Rs.100. Atmaram questioned him about it, but he was

very insistent so he paid. The journalists felt it was very low class and

reimbursed him.

 

Three congregation members wandered on down there one day. They were accustomed

to our free policy and so they sat down and took some prasad. Someone soon

appeared with a bill for Rs.150 and they pleaded they only had Rs.25 in their

pocket. He told them that they couldn't leave until they pay. Again they

emptied their pockets, but there was only Rs.25. They were told they couldn't

leave until they paid. Finally he agreed to let one go to bring some money, but

finally they got permission to call and one friend came down to bail them out

of captivity.

 

People are pouring in like millions of ants carrying their belongings on their

heads. No cars are moving on the road, just millions of pilgrims. It is really

amazing site. The barricading to make lines in front of the Prasad Pandal

finally snapped like tooth picks, so we just opened the big exit gate and let

everyone come in. It is really amazing. Devotees are sleeping anywhere they can

find a space. Our pandal is packed with pilgrims sleeping, underneath the

padayatra cart tent people are sleeping, in the Abhay Charan video tent people

are sleeping. The papers told that the auspicious time started at 3 pm on 23rd

so all night people are going to the Sangam. I woke up at 3 am and went out and

the street is packed but moving smoothly toward the pontoon bridges. It has to

be seen to believe.

 

One day before the main snan on Mauni Amavasya (24th) one mahant named

Ramananda Puri from the Niranjani Akhara came to visit us. We had met him at

the very beginning at the allottment office when we were trying to get our

plot. He told how he stayed with Srila Prabhupada in Vrindavan for 5 days. He

wanted a set of Srila Prabhupada's Bhagavatam in Hindi. We told we didn't have

one but could arange it. While were were talking, Sarvabhauma expressed his

sorrow at not being able to walk to the Sangam as he is grossly overweight.

Ramananda Puri asked if we had a tractor and we said yes. SO he said to bring

our tractor and trolley and we could come with their procession. (Since last

Mela, they don't allow elephants for fear of them going rampant and crushing

villagers so the mahants ride on thrones mounted on tractor trolleys.)

 

This was a chance of a lifetime to ride in the procession all by the mercy of

Prabhupada's books. So next morning we put some cloth around to decorate our

trolley and drove down to Niranjani Akhara. The police almost stopped us since

no vehicles are allowed but when they saw it was us they waved us on through to

the Niranjani camp. The mahant met us and gave us a couple of dozen garlands to

decorate our trolley.

 

Since the night before a heavy wind is blowing. Niranjani Akhara is second in

the procession which starts at 5 am. We're to leave around 6. I went outside to

watch. The first Akhara is starting. There are dozens of sadhus dressed in

orange, with orange turbans in front. Many of them carry huge velvet flags with

gold embroidered ensignias. There are hundreds of other small colorful flags

that are rippling in the strong wind. Behind these are hundreds of naked Naga

Babas smeared with ash. Then the mahants riding on their silver thrones in the

tactor trolleys.

 

Finally we get our turn. Our trolley is bringing up the rear. Ahead of us is

one Japanese lady yogi who sat in samadhi in an underground cave for 3 days

with a few of her followers sitting around her. Millions of people are behind

barricades watching the spectacle and mounted police are shooing them out of

the road and making sure one akhara doesn't meet the other as there have been

fights due to rivarly.

 

Since few days the temperature at night has warmed up considerably, but now

this wind is making it quite cold. The sun is just rising as we start.

Sarvabhauma is so huge, people think he's a big mahant and are making prananms

to us. Everyone is shouting, "Ganga Meiya ki Jaya!" We rode in the royal

procession down to the Sangam. They have a small section fenced off only for

the Akharas while most of the area is for pilgrims who appear just like so many

millions of ants. At the end the all the tractors now race to the Sangam. All

the sadhus run shouting into the water.

 

The water is so cold. And then you get out of the water and the wind is

blowing. The sun is a huge orange ball glowing through the dust raised by the

wind to the east. Bathing is so exhilarating. Ganga carries so much sand with

her that it is hardly calf deep water, but after walking some distance there is

water up to the thighs in one place. You have to sit to dip completely under.

When you get out the wind makes you shiver like a leaf. We're completely dry by

the time we reach our tractor because of the wind. The police and mahants who

control the posssession are anxious to get us out as each group has 40 min. at

the Sangam. Next is coming the biggest and most fearful Juna Akhara who are

enemies of the Nirajani Akhara.

 

Finally all the procession is on the pontoon bridge. What a sight with all the

red flags blowing in the brisk breeze. We're at the last so we can see the Juna

Akhara come. First huge flags come with orange sadhus. Behind are literally

thousands of naked Naga Babas. The police have cleared the sadhus' snana area

of all stray pilgrims, it is mysteriously empty while everywhere else you can

hardly see a free space. Satisfied that everything is clear, thousands of Naga

Babas charge pell mell waving their arms in the air, shaking their tridents,

dancing and shouting, "Har! Har! Mahadeeeeeeeev!" Then we're on to the pontoon

bridge which is quite low and out of the wind. We finally stop shivering.

Recognizing us people are shouting Hare Krishna!.

 

When I got back it was almost 11 am time to take out our Harer Nam procession.

No time even to eat. Almost everyone has gone on his own, but still I got a

hundred devotees together including Vrindavan Chandra De, Prabhupada's youngest

son and Prabhupada's granddaughter. We cannot take the rath today as only

pedestrians are permitted on the pontoon bridges.

 

Near our camp is bridge no. 8 which is not on a main road, but still thousands

of people have found their way there. We come almost to a dead stop as it is

like a funnel. I know once we get on the bridge it will be alright. It is a

tight squeeze, we're playing the kartals over our head. Finally we are pushed

through and then easily we cross and parade down to the Sangam. Everyone takes

bath and I watch the clothes belongings, then someone comes back and gives me a

gamcha and I go for my second snana. When everyone is back we go very easily

back with Harer Nam to our camp arriving just in time for hot prasadam which is

welcome after the cold snan in the wind. Everyone is joyful and happy. 25

million people took bath with hardly an incident.

 

In the evening the Gaura Arti is packed with Lokanatha Maharaj leading and

hundreds of pilgrims throwing their hands in the air and dancing. Such a huge

rush through the camp it is astonishing. Members are giving away blankets and

jackets to all the devotees. Kumbha Mela Ki Jaya. We're here in the sand, sky

and the sun til Feb 8th so come join the nectar.

 

In service to Sri Sri Krishna Balaram,

Deena Bandhu dasa