Magh Purnima Snan

[Guest guest]

It was a very long week. Most of the devotees were gone and the camp and the

crowds as well. Most of the camps were packing up and it was beginning to look

like a disaster area. We all felt sad, although I think we'll all be glad to

get out of the sand.

 

The crowds were down also. We still maintained our Harer Nama party, but we

would leave the main roads where all the big camps are gone or there are just

skeletons of their pandals. Behind are all the kalpavasis who take a vow to

live for one month on the bank of the Ganga. We went through their camps and

would stop for a while and men, women, and children would come running to take

darshan of Nitai Gaursundar and Srila Prabhupada. We distributed quite a few

books also.

 

Our Food for Life was still running at a slower speed. The few pilgrims and

kalpa vasis were very grateful as all the other food distribution camps have

packed up and gone. We insisted on running it even on small scale just for this

reason. At night we just distributed burn-your-finger-hot halevah every night

in front of the camp instead of the pandal. We had a huge line, but as there

were no crowds it was quite orderly.

 

We were visited by HH Jayadvaita Swami and HH Bhakti Purusottam Swami for two

days. They gave very nice lectures and came on Harer Nama with us. After they

left then Smita Krishna Maharaj also came to enliven us.

 

On the 6th Nityananda Trayodasi, we had an ecstatic Abhishek at noon of Sri Sri

Nitai Gaursundara. There was a large pot of saffron milk, lots of yogurt and

honey. Then there were also five or six pots of different fruit juices. We had

set up the snan patra right in front of the Deity cart and hundreds of people

crowded in to get darshan, there was nothing else going on in the Mela. The

cart was gorgeously decorated with flowers. Nityananda, Nitayananda, Nityananda

Raaaaam! kirtan was boisterously going on.

 

Then there was arati and an ekadasi feast. I knew that the next day many more

people would come so we saved the main feast for the 7th. That way more people

could get Lord Nityananda's mercy.

 

Sure enough again devotees and guests began pouring in. Our devotee camp which

was almost deserted was again packing up. Rupa Raghunatha brought about 70

devotees and guests from London headed by Sruti Dharma Prabhu. Again our camp

came alive. Everybody commented on how nice Lord Nityananda's feast was,

everything cooked in pure ghee and plenty of sweet rice and paneer subji for

all.

 

We again took the Harer Nama Party to Dashashvamedha Ghat and Veni Madhava

Mandir as many new devotees had not seen them before. One very nice devotee

from Bhubaneshvar led such an ecstatic kirtan circumambulating Veni Madhav and

Adi Madhav that I thought everyone in Allahabad would flee there houses

thinking there was an earthquake.

 

As I mentioned before, we got permission to have our procession on the Magh

Purnima Snan. We must have had 300 devotees in our procession, especially with

all the London Devotees and guests. We had a big red triangular shaped flag

with Gaudiya tilak and Hare Krishna in Sanskrit in the front. Then our big blue

banner with many devotees carrying colored flags in the nice breeze that came

up that morning. The police escorted us the whole way as lakhs of people were

amazed to see these huge Gujerati Bulls pulling Their Lordships. Everyone was

joyfully smiling and calling Hare Krishna.

 

When we approached the Sangam, I was shocked to see the sea of humanity. I

didn't think that this would be such a big snan. Four or five police on horses

came to clear the path in front of our procession. When we reached, everyone

quickly changed into their gamshas and ran to take bath in the Sangam. Some

devotees remained to distribute books and I saw Prabhupada's Gita in many

people's hands. Even we took the Padayatra bulls for bath. Probably the only

animals to take bath at the Sangam in Kumbha Mela as now the nagas' elephants

are prohibited. These are very special bulls!

 

I wasn't planning on taking bath as my health had deteriorated with a serious

case of bronchitis in the last 3 days. I haven't even been out with the kirtan

party. I rode on the cart at Gaura Nitai's lotus feet. But when we got there, I

thought if I die in a cough fit in the Sangam what the heck! As soon as I took

my bath, I felt much better and now my health is much improved.

 

Then we started our kirtan again and when everyone gathered back, we started

our procession again led by the mounted police. Again thousands of pilgrims

were astonished. I wanted to be on another pontoon bridge to see the scene on

ours as the rath slowly made its way across the bridge and back to our camp.

This procession was a fitting end to our successful preaching at Kumbha Mela.

 

In the afternoon we had a huge feast cooked with pure ghee to finish off our

camp at Kumbha Mela. This feast was mainly sponsored by the Narendra Singal of

Giridhari Lal and Sons, our tent contractor. Sarvabhauma told him that we're

going to cut something from your bill anyway, so might as well sponsor the

feast and get some punya! The devotees from London also partly sponsored the

feast, even though they had already left to visit Chitrakoot. Everyone was

greatly pleased, and there was plenty of prasad for all. In the evening we

finished off our Prasad distribution with pure ghee halevah. And it was all

over.

 

The next day it was hard to keep from crying as Sri Sri Nitai Gaursundara left

our camp. Padayatra was back on the road again. They were passing out the back

side of the Mela through the town called Jhunsi. Smita Krishna Maharaj decided

to join them on their ten day trip to Varanasi, along with Sachi Dulal from New

Zealand and his 8 year-old daughter Yasomati, the only female member of

Padayatra in the last five years. The rest of the girls in our camp were very

envious.

 

We walked past the ruins of the many camps that had been there, now with only a

handful of devotees in the kirtan party. They hadn't watered the roads except

where our camp was and it was very windy. Dust was blowing everywhere getting

in your eyes, nose, and between your teeth. They finally reached the main

highway and we paid our obeisances and walked slowly and sadly back to what was

left of our camp. We had to put our chadar over our whole face as it was easy

to see through the thin cloth in the bright sunlight.

 

There is a Hindi saying that says always leave the Mela at its height. Now I

can see why. When it's over it's really a let down as nothing is left. That

huge city of tents that was the biggest city in the world for a night was

dissolving into the sand. But one thing was nice, it was quiet. No more

bhajans, or some yajna chanting, Ras Leela, or lecture. At it's height, Kumbha

Mela is 24 hr sound...

 

Still we had a wonderful ending tonight. Sanak Sanatan's inlaws are here so we

took them for darshan at Dashashvamedha Ghat and Veni Madhava Mandir. At Veni

Madhava, the old pujari, Omkara Giri told us the story of the Deity.

 

In the Treta Yuga, there was a demon name Gaja Karna who performed severe

penances and got the benediction that he could get what ever he wanted. So he

immediately wanted to take over the universe. So he kicked out Indra and all

the demigods and set himself up as the king of the universe.

 

The demigods went to Narada who promised to get rid of the demon. Narada went

there and chanted the name of Narayana which infuriated Gaja Karna. He was

ready to kill Narada, when Narada began to sing a verse that praised Gaja

Karna, but really was praise of the Lord. Omkara Giri sang the verse but I

can't remember it. So Gaja Karna decided to let Narada stay in his kingdom.

 

Narada was watching Gaja Karna and trying to think of a way to finish him off.

He noticed that he was suffering from eczema on one of his legs which was

always itching. Narada told him that if you go to the Earth at the place called

Prayag in the month of Magh and bathe at the Sangam of Ganga, Jamuna, and

Saravati then this disease will be cured.

 

And so going there in Magh and bathing, his disease was cured. Now he saw these

three grand rivers and thought it would be nice to take these to his kingdom.

So he just drank them up completely. The whole area became a desert and

everyone prayed to the Lord to save them. At that time Madhava appeared and

with His chakra he severed the head of Gaja Karna from his body.

 

But by then, he had already full digested Sarasvati, so she was gone. Yamuna

was flowing in his veins and had become blue. Ganga was in his belly and had

become yellow. When he died, then Ganga and Yamuna appeared, but Sarasvati was

finished. Then Prayag prayed to the Lord not to leave him, as some other demon

might come to again trouble them. Madhava promised to never leave and stays

there in the form of Veni Madhava, Veni being the personified Triveni. He told

that no one will get the full fruit of his bath at the Sangam without taking

darshan of Veni Madhava.

 

>From there we went to the newly remodeled Rupa Gaudiya Matha. It's brand new

temple spires are really something to see. When we were there a young man

approached me and in the course of the conversation he answered one of the

questions that has been bothering us since the beginning of the Mela. He said

that originally in 1931, the Gaudiya Matha had been in a rented house in

somewhere called South Malaka, and it was there that our Prabhupada was

initiated in 1933. They then moved the Deities to the present temple in 1934

where they were again installed by the lotus hand of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta.

 

We queried him as to the whereabouts of that house and told us that near the

city station there is a place called South Malaka. There there is a famous

Hanuman Mandir. You go straight and on one side is a park, and the other side a

homeopathic store. That store is the house.

 

So we were off and exactly like he said, we found the park and the store. We

were struck by the very quaint stately nature of the house that was obviously

from another area. It had very old decorations on it and was quite dark except

for the one corner where the small homeopathic shop was. We were amused to see

the sign saying Dr. Ista Deva Bannerji (Ista Deva is the name of the Padyatra

in charge.

 

We entered and saw what I rightly guessed was the son of Dr. Ista Deva. Within

a few moments a very warm looking Bengali gentleman appeared who was of course

the father. He was thoroughly delighted to see us and told us that the room we

were standing in was the very place where Prabhupada took his vows. He then

showed us his bedroom and pointed to the imitation fireplace and said that that

is where Mahaprabhu and Radha Krishna were staying before. In 1934 when he was

a young lad, they had been taken by bullock cart, mind you by bullock cart.

There were only 4 or 5 cars in all of Allahabad at that time. They were taken

by bullock cart to the new temple.

 

His manner was quite pleasing and we left feeling that our journey had been

very successful. We returned to the ruins of our camp where soon all the tents

are going to disappear and there will only be sun, sky, and sand. Kumbha Mela

2001 ki Jaya! If you missed this one, don't miss the next!

 

In service to Sri Sri Krishna Balaram,

Deena Bandhu dasa