Maha Kumbh

 

ONCE in 144 years, India, that is, Bharat, occupies the centrestage of humanity’s attention as it hosts the auspicious ‘Maha Kumbh Mela’. Those living today are among the lucky sets of people to have this opportunity to witness ‘Maha Kumbh’. Those at the venue -- Prayagraj -- of the world’s largest gathering of humans are the luckiest to be taking holy dip at the confluence of the holy rivers Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati. It deserves to be recognised as one of the most important events in the collective cultural calendar of the humans.

 

The ‘Kumbh’ congregation holds a special significance in Indian cultural context and history. ‘Ardh Kumbh’ is organised every six years, ‘Kumbh Mela’ every 12 years, and ‘Maha Kumbh’ every 144 years. Given the evolution of Indian civilisation, great significance is attached to rivers that bless humans with water for agriculture, drinking, industry. That the ‘Kumbh Melas’ are organised at the banks of holy rivers speaks volumes about refined ancient Indian thinking that acknowledged the ‘living presence’ of rivers. But, the ‘Kumbh Melas’ do not reflect thinking about rivers only. One must understand how intricately the pursuit of knowledge was ingrained in the ancient Bharatiya civilisation. After a certain stage of human evolution, in Indian sub-continent, a common thread of culture ran through the beads of pursuits of excellence in science, linguistics, mathematics, medicine, sculpture, architecture, chemistry, cosmology, arts, commerce, philosophy etc.

 

However, the scholars in all these spread across different geographical contours of the culturally unified nation felt the need for periodic exchange of wisdom. In ancient India, the temples became the centres of organised thinking, idea exchange, and guidance for refining human existence. The study in cosmology found that humans shared the universal grain. So emerged the scientific understanding of the impact of celestial bodies on humans. Based on this understanding and scientific calculations, humans set their agricultural practices, recitation of mantras in which was encoded collective wisdom. It reflected deeper understanding of the bond between climate and sustainable practices. Each generation of sages and scholars kept adding to the rich repository of knowledge, and wanted to transform it into wisdom through healthy debate and exchange. ‘Kumbh Mela’ organised in accordance with the rare celestial permutations and combinations offered that opportunity.

 

Thus, ‘Kumbh Melas’ became gatherings of human beings in search of higher understanding of the universe. Through several thousands of ‘Kumbh’ and several hundreds of ‘Maha Kumbh’, the tradition of exchange between different paths of understanding is alive, albeit under the umbrella of spiritual congregation. Today, it has assumed the form of the world’s largest gathering of humans. People from different countries visit India to witness how the periodically organised event reinvigorates the Indian cultural identity. Also, these events provide a big boost to inclusive economy. In modern times, for the sake of better arrangements, organising committees etc are made and the Governments take up the responsibility to monitor the preparations. However, the tradition of ‘Kumbh’ evolved with collective ownership of responsibility. ‘Kumbh Melas’ constitute a significant driving force of practical implementation of the cherished ideal of ‘unity in diversity’. Such a diversity of practice, tradition, language, beliefs is on display at the ‘Kumbh Melas’ but there is no conflict. For, everyone shares the understanding of common roots. Truly, it is a celebration of the noblest of the human ideals and the deepest cultural harmony.