HINDU RITUALS AND ROUTINES - Part 85

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HINDU RITUALS AND ROUTINES - WHY DO WE FOLLOW THOSE?

 

Kumbh Mela Kumbha (Kumbha means pot) Mela is a sacred Hindu pilgrimage that takes place at the following four locations of India

Prayag (near the city of Allahabad , in the state of Uttar Pradesh) at the confluence of three rivers Ganga ( Ganges ), Yamuna and Saraswati

Haridwar (in the state of Uttar Pradesh) where the river Ganga enters the plains from Himalayas

Ujjain (in Madhya Pradesh), on the banks of Ksipra river, and

Nasik (in Maharashtra) on the banks of Godavari river.

The pilgrimage occurs four times every twelve years, once at each of the four locations. Each twelve-year cycle includes the Maha (great) Kumbha Mela at Prayag, attended by millions of people, making it the largest pilgrimage gathering around the world. Kumbh Mela (especially the Maha Kumbh Mela) is the most sacred of all the pilgrimages. Thousands of holy men and women (monks, saints and sadhus) attend, and the auspiciousness of the festival is in part attributable to this. The sadhus are seen clad in saffron sheets with plenty of ashes and powder dabbed on their skin per the requirements of ancient traditions. Some called nanga sanyasis or 'Digambars (sky-clad)' may often be seen without any clothes even in severe winter, generally considered to live an extreme lifestyle. This tends to attract a lot of western attention as it is seemingly in contrast to a generally conservative social modesty practised in the country.

Kumbh Mela is attended by millions of people on a single day. The major event of the festival is a ritual bath at the banks of the rivers in each town. Other activities include religious discussions, devotional singing, mass feeding of holy men and women and the poor, and religious assemblies where doctrines are debated and standardized. Kumbh Mela derives its name from the AmritaKumbha (Pot of Nectar) described in the ancient Vedic scripture "Çrémad-Bhägavatam". In Sanskrit language, the word Kumbha means 'pot or pitcher’. Mela means 'festival'. Thus Kumbh Mela literally means festival of the pot, that is, the pot of nectar. The origin of the Kumbh Mela can be traced to the mythological story of the Sagar Manthan or 'Churning of the Ocean' that is described in the ancient Vedic text of "Çrémad-Bhägavatam". The story of Sagar Manthan relates how, many millions of years ago in the heavenly planets of this universe, the devas (demigods) and the asuras (demons) were engaged in a fierce battle for supremacy. Due to a curse of the great sage Durväsä Muni, the demigods had lost all their influence and strength and had been defeated by the asuras. Then the demigods approached Lord Vishnu, the preserver of the universe, and appealed to him to bestow on them the boon of immortality. Lord Vishnu suggested that the demigods and demons work together to churn the ocean of milk to produce the nectar of immortality, which could be distributed equally among them. The Gods promised the demons that in lieu of their help to churn the ocean, they would divide the treasure alternately. The Lord had no intention of giving the nectar to the demons, because they were crooked and troublesome, and to distribute the nectar to such persons would be unwise. So he advised the demigods to break their promise as soon as they got the nectar. Such an act was immoral, yet a perfect one in view of the terrible nature of the demons who could eternally unleash havoc on everyone if they became immortal. Lord Vishnu always protects the righteous demigods, and He wanted to stop the demons from expanding

their influence all over the creation. Following the advice of Lord Vishnu, the demigods approached the leaders of the demons, and an agreement was reached. All of them began to churn the ocean of milk. In this churning, many beautiful things and creatures came out. Last of all appeared a very wonderful male person named Dhanvantari who carried the amrita-kumbha, a jug filled to the brim with nectar. At the sight of the jug of nectar, a fighting ensued between the demons and demigods for its possession. Amidst this battle, Jayanta, the son of Lord Indra (the king of the demigods), ran away with the pitcher toward the heavenly planets. The demons followed him there, and the fierce fighting continued for twelve days. Though the demigods ultimately managed to get the pot of nectar with the help of Lord Vishnu, yet some of the nectar spilled during this struggle and fell on four places on earth. Following the scriptures, these four places are recognized to be: Nasika, in Maharashtra; Ujjain , in Madhya Pradesh; and Haridwar and Allahabad , in Uttar Pradesh. Therefore, these places are considered holy by the Hindus and have become important pilgrim spots. Therefore these four locations are considered holy by the Hindus and they observe the Kumbh Mela at these four locations to commemorate this legend of the Amrita-Kumbh and take a bath in the adjoining rivers. In Nashik it is held on the banks of the River Godavari, River Ganga in Haridwar, River Shipra in Ujjain and the confluence of the three rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati at Allahabad or Prayag (ancient name) in India. The Purna Kumbh or Maha Kumbh, the biggest and the most auspicious fair, is held once every 12 years in one particular place and every fourth year on all the four places by rotation. Around 60 million people is said to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela, making it the largest gathering anywhere in the world. The most important ritual of the Kumbh Mela is the ceremonial dip in the water. At Nasik , the pilgrims bathe in the Godavari River ; at Ujjain , in the River Shipra; at Haridwar, in the River Ganges; and at Allahabad , in the confluence of the rivers Ganges , Yamunä, and Sarasvati. The pious Hindus believe that simply taking a bath in the holy waters of these places frees them and their ancestors back to the eighty-eighth generation from their past sins (karma). They hold that taking bath makes them and their ancestors eligible for liberation from the cycle of birth and death and ensures their salvation. Of course a pure lifestyle is also to be maintained after taking bath, otherwise nothing comes of this ritual. The ritual of bathing is carried out in the open and ideally on the banks of a river or stream with complete submergence of the body under water. Afterwards, an oblation is made to the sun god. The new moon day is held to be the most auspicious day for the ritual bath at Kumbh.

Kumbh Mela in India is attended by pilgrims coming from all walks of life. Many of these people often travel long distances to come to these places, tolerating many physical discomforts such as sleeping in the open air in near freezing weather. They willingly bear these difficulties just to have the chance of taking a bath in the sacred river at Kumbh Mela. The fair, however, is incomplete without the presence of the ascetics and sadhus. The Nagas, Urdhwavahurs, Parivrajakas, Shirshasins and Kalpvasis are a common sight at Kumbh Mela. These holy men or sadhus initiate the ritual bath at Kumbh Mela. Many of the devout Hindus assembled at Kumbh touch their feet and listen to them in the hope of gaining spiritual knowledge. This is followed by the collective dip in the holy waters. After the bath, the

pilgrims wear new clothes and move to the riverbanks to perform puja. The Puranas mention that a day in heaven equals one year on earth. So, to commemorate the auspicious shedding of the nectar on earth, festivals, or 'mela's, are held at each of these sites once every twelve years. Even today millions of people congregate in these places to by bathing in the holy rivers (that is believed to grant immortality to the bather) and drinking the sacred water as nectar, or 'amrita'. dil se,

Bharath.Krishna

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