The Kumbha-mela – Savouring Immortality

The kumbha, i.e., a pitcher or a pot, signifies pūrṇatva – completeness and mela refers to coming together or a conglomeration. In this sense, the kumbha-mela is an occasion for finding material fulfilment and spiritual upliftment at specific sacred spots.

One such place is at the confluence of the three holy rivers of Bhārata – the Gaṅgā, Yamunā, and Sarasvatī; this trinity of rivers has been revered in the Indian tradition from time immemorial, because of the material, emotional, and spiritual purposes they have served in the sub-continent. 

The three liquid media also can be seen as representations of the Śiva, Viṣṇu and Brahmā tattvas respectively. While the river Sarasvatī does not explicitly meet the other two rivers at the tīrtha- rāja Prayāga, it is thought to be implicitly present as gupta-gāminī – in spirit, as an invisible force.

In fact, as a geological reality, the river Sarasvatī today is actually a part of Gaṅgā, because, she joins river Alakanandā at Keśava-prayāga, who in turn joins Bhāgīrathī at Deva-prayāga, to flow further as Gaṅgā. The very word tīrtha comes from taraṇāt tīrtha ityāhuḥ - it is a ford which helps bridges here and hereafter.

The craving for immortality, i.e., amṛtatva is as old as humanity itself; in fact, it is an immortal quest! The purāṇas tell us that the devas and dānavas also craved amṛta and to attain it needed immense effort. While they put in equal efforts, they obtained unequal fruits! 

An important lesson to be learnt – it is not just the magnitude of the effort which matters, but also the nature of the people involved; intentions matter and not just the effort; the Divine does not want to make the āsuric forces permanent features on earth.

Thus, the amṛta which was churned out of immense effort was distributed to the deserving, i.e., to the devas, by Bhagavān Viṣṇu in his avatāra as Mohinī. While doing so, it is believed that a few drops of amṛta fell onto the earth in four places – Haridvāra, Prayāgarāja, Nāsikā (Nashik), and Ujjayinī in a particular combination of astral arrangement.

And thenceforth, bathing at these places, on such occasions will help people expiate their pāpas. The metaphor is clear – a person who possesses positive qualities can savour amṛta with the grace of the Divine.

Another story says that the drops that fell onto the earth was from the kumbha of amṛta that Garuḍa carried to liberate his mother from bondage. And thus, a dip in these sacred spots will help devotees get liberated from their earthly bindings.

The effort that millions put into attending the Kumbh Mela to savour the nectar of immortality is no less than the efforts of the devas and dānavas in the past; it is comparable to the challenges that Garuḍa faced in fetching amṛta from deva-loka. 

The Kumbh Mela of 2025 attracted people from across the country – some flew into Prayagaraj, some drove or arrived by train, and many walked long distances under challenging circumstances to savour the experience. They came there with complete devotion – not for a picnic or merriment. Their absolute commitment to the Divine and the cooperation they extended with the co-pilgrims was a sight to be seen and experienced! People from all strata of society took a dip, harbouring no feelings of superiority or inferiority – the mela was truly a national integrator.

Maunī amāvāsyā, the no moon day in the month of Māgha signifies a day when the entire Creation is silent – the sky is silent in the absence of the moon; the moon is said to influence the mind and in its absence, the mind is silent as well. And that is naturally the perfect day to take a dip at the holy confluence to bathe in the waters of immortality.

The Kumbha-mela is as much an emotional reality as a physical reality for the Hindus. We know from historical records as old as two thousand years. The kind of psychological comfort the mela has provided to crores of Hindus is immeasurable.

No other civilization has ever seen such an unbroken tradition of seeing Divinity in all forces of nature, submitting oneself to the Higher Reality, and seeking Spiritual Comfort with minimal material exuberance.

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