20th January 2010
Vasanta-Panchami

RE: Kumbha Mela (World’s Largest Holy Bathing Congregation)

Blessed Soul & Adorable Self,

You might have heard about the largest holy bathing congregation known as Kumbha Mela currently taking place in India in the city of Haridwār, some 250 km from Delhi. This message is intended to shed light on this event that will attract millions of devotees from within India and around the world to participate in a holy bathing ceremony.

Haridwār is the city where the river Gangā enters into the plains following its descent from the Himalayan heights. Haridwār literally means the doorway to the overlord. There are Sanskrit references hinting Haridwār to be made up of five distinct pilgrim sites. And there are variations in names among them due to the different times when the literature was compiled. The great historical text Mahābhārata lists five nearby holy sites: Gangā-dwār, Bilwa-xetra, Kushāvart, Nila-parvat, and Kankhal as the conglomerate to be considered as Haridwār. Herein the name Gangādwār actually means the door from which Gangā emerges or wherein Gangā arrives to spread out.

There is of course a special time period when such a momentous event takes place. Special planetary transits herald such a mass ritual cleansing. The current Mahā-kumbha or the great holy bathing ritual of Haridwār is explained by the following transliterated Sanskrit verse:

Padminī nāyake meshe kumbha-rāshi gate gurau
Gangā-dwāre bhaved yogah kumbha-nāmnā tadottamā

The verse outlines that when the Sun enters Aries and Jupiter is posited in Aquarius, the yoga that is effected in the holy place of Gangādwār (collectively implying Haridwār) is excellent for a holy dip. Kindly note that Kumbha means a pitcher, wherein wine of the mystic is stored. And is also the Sanskrit name for Aquarius. The zodiac Aquarius is hailed for imparting mystical character. Bathing in this elixir is akin to a refreshing restart, a rejuvenation that washes away many obstacles by effecting a subtle mental purification. In other words, during the defining moments of this holy bathing ceremony, motherly Gangā pours out a blessing with a deeper cleansing power.

Relating to the verse above, the Sun and Jupiter relationship happens only in April 2010. Thus the bathing congregation or Mela should commence later than it actually does. However, a time-honoured tradition superimposes additional holy bathing dates marking the entry of the Sun into Capricorn and lasting until the main bathing date in April when the Sun enters Aries. As you might know, this tradition is based on the calculations of a soli-lunar Vedic calendar referred to as Jyotisha.
Here are the main bathing dates in India for this current Kumbha Mela.

14 Jan – Sun enters Capricorn
15 Jan – New Moon
20 Jan - Honouring Goddess of Knowledge, Saraswati (Vasanta-Panchami)
30 Jan – Full Moon
12 Feb – Mahā-Shivaratri dedicated to Lord Shiva
15 Mar – New Moon on a Monday (Soma-vati Āmāvasyā)
16 Mar – Vedic New Year
24 Mar – Birth Anniversary of Lord Rāma (Rāma-navami)
30 Mar – Full Moon
14 Apr – Sun enters Aries

The dates in bold signify special days when mystics, monks, yogis, mendicants, and spiritual figureheads take their main bath through a collective procession based on their order or affiliation. These dates would therefore be most crowded, thereby making the bathing area less accessible to a visiting devotee.

I greet you with a divine embrace and wish you a holy experience if you are indeed planning to take a dip in the flowing grace of a chilled elixir.

Swami Vidyadhishananda