Royal Kirtan for the Final Royal Snan

[Guest guest]

Tall gulmohar trees (poinciana) are spreading their red and orange canopies

over the parade route for the Shahi Snan (Royal Bathing) at Singhasth Kumbha

Mela in Ujjain. It is known as Singhasth since Jupiter, (Brihaspati) has

entered into the Singh Rasi (Leo). May 4th was to be the final day and final

Snana in this Holy City also known as Avantipura.

 

Since the last snan day, we had our official position in the bathing procession

as Lokanatha Swami had been officially accepted as a Mahant. However, the

police concerned about the traffic, were trying to stop the sadhus from going

with their decorated jeeps in procession. Finally it was agreed to allow a

limited number of jeeps. Our Vaisnava Naga, Sri Hari Shankar, somehow

successfully got us permission to take our jeep.

 

This time with plenty of time, we made nice arrangements for Srila Prabhupada's

Vyasa Asana on top of the jeep. Now we had also purchased a beautifully jari

embroidered red velvet umbrella to place over the head of His Divine Grace. And

the jeep was very gorgeously decorated with yellow flowers. In the previous

snan, we had used a small hand held mike system, but now we purchased nice

speakers which we attached to the luggage rack on either side of the jeep so we

could have a powerful kirtan.

 

Unfortunately, somehow Lokanatha Maharaja was unable to come, but we had our

huge Sarvabhauma sitting in the front seat and he really looks like a Mahant.

Of the three Vaisnava groups of sadhus, our group was going last this time. So

when we got to where the procession was to begin, the second group was in

procession. By now some more devotees had come from Pune, Calcutta, Delhi and

other temples so we had a very large kirtana party. As all the Mahants were

passing by, they were smiling down and rocking in time with our kirtan sitting

high on their silver thrones. Devotees were jumping and spinning and the

thousands of pilgrims were being blessed.

 

Finally our group started and we got our place in the line. The entire route is

almost 5 kms. long and the whole way was thronged with thousands of pilgrims.

They all bowed their heads and stared in devotion at Srila Prabhupada regally

riding by. By the enthusiasm of the devotees, they began first to clap and then

join in chanting the Holy Names, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare

Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare!

 

The police were all smiles as by now they all knew us from our daily Harer Nama

Processions with the Padayatra Maharastra bullock cart. Everyone love to see

those huge horned Gujerati bulls, but today they couldn't come. Just that

morning one of the chief coordinators of our camp, Mahaman Prabhu, had arrived

from Vrindavan. He began leading the kirtan and within moments, everyone was

jumping and spinning in ecstasy. People were showering flowers from the

rooftops as the procession winds right through the middle of town.

 

As we finally reached the bathing place at Ramaghat, television cameras were

zooming in on Srila Prabhupada and then down to the devotees dancing and

swirling to the enchanting beat of the mrdangas. The extreme heat gave the

mrdangas a very sweet sound.

 

Then we left all our instruments and dashed to the ghats as they only permit

each group of sadhus a few minutes to bathe. I don't know what happenned to

anyone else, but as I started down the steps into the water, the crowd joyfully

grabbed me and pulled me into the river. Then they began chanting Hare Krishna

and pouring water over my head. Then they did the customary dunking under the

water three times. Then spontaneously everyone started chanting and rubbing me

down and giving me a royal bath.

 

Later Mahaman told us that when he went for bathing, some TV crew had pulled

him aside for a live enterview. Then they took him for darshan of a nearby

famous temple.

 

With difficulty I got free from the crowd to run back and find our jeep which

had gone quite aways ahead under the constant whistling of the police in their

attemps to keep the procession rolling. We chanted all the way back to our camp

and that was the end of Kumbha Mela 2004.

 

In service of Sri Sri Krishna Balaram,

Deena Bandhu dasa