LIFE LESSONS FROM KUMBH

 

I am not an overtly religious person, but when the greatest religious congregation on planet is taking place just 200 Km away from home, going to the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj to take a dip in the sacred Ganges on the occasion of Maha Kumbh was the most natural thing to do. We chose three days in between two important Amrit Snans, to avoid the mad rush but enjoyed our stay thoroughly. We would walk in the sand to observe the variety of sadhus and sanyasins and absorb the atmosphere and it did not take long to realize why so many people are staying in tents for weeks together in this chilly winter and doing kalpavas. Kumbh is a symbol of faith of millions of devotees since time immemorial. This is the holy Sangam where faith meets history and Sanatan Hindu Sanskriti paints the cultural kaleidoscope of Bharat.

History 

Kumbh has a mention in Vedic manuscripts and the importance of Prayag, because of Kumbh is mentioned in the hymns or 'richas' of  Rig Veda. Atharva Veda mentions the 'Amrit Kalash' spilling Amrit in four places where Kumbh is held and the 'swasti vachan' uttered by seers in Kumbh are hymns from Yajur Veda. Kumbh is the pitcher that spilled the Amrit and hence the name.

Hiuen Tsang or Xuanzang visited Prayag in 644 CE and wrote about Kumbh in his Si-Yu-Ki where more than 500000 people gathered and Raja Harshavardhana helped in organizing it. Abu Fazl of the Muggal court of Akbar documented Kumbh Mela in his Ain-i-Akbari and wrote that alms given on this occasion ensured richness and prosperity in the next life. Mark Twain visited the Kumbh in 1895 and was mesmerized by the religeous gathering. British journalist Sir Sydney James Mark Low described the 1906 Kumbh and the significance of Magh Mela.

 

Even today you can find what you seek. A Sadhu generously offered me his chillum, an earthen pipe to smoke a wide variety of intoxicants, and one breath full sent my head into stratosphere switching on a thousand bulb chandelier inside my head for the next 5 minutes! There were many who stayed back with him, but I kept exploring the various colours of our culture.

I have, in one of my previous blogs, written about the Kumbh Mela that was held in 2019. That was Ardh Kumbh and was attended by almost 200 million. If you have not read it, then please click: https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8750887136313953221/3742068849669316841

The one this year is Maha Kumbh, an unique celestial configuration that occurs once in 144 years! More than 500 million people have already visited the Mela and taken a holy dip and two busy weeks are still left for it to end!

 

In one of the gatherings, a sadhu, whose name I could not find out, was delivering a very profound and soulful lecture on what stops us from leading a happy life. He was young and he spoke Queen’s English to translate what he was saying in Hindi, because there were quite a few foreigners in that gathering. To some from Latin America he effortlessly conversed in Spanish too! So, this is what he said that evening:

What stops us from living a happy life?

1. The person you talk to also has a high opinion of themselves, just like you do

Always remember that the person you are speaking to has their own views and their own reasons. Every person you speak to fights a battle you know nothing about. So always make it a point to respect other people. 

 

2.  Happiness is a result of a well-organized life.

Joy, success, and happiness are a result of a well-organized life. This concept maintains that in order to reach these sensations and state, you need to do things. On the contrary, if your goal is to reach these side effects, you most probably never will do so, since happiness and success aren't things that you just get.

 

3. How can anyone help you if you are not doing anything yourself?

A person is defined by their action, words are impalpable. You can't expect help from others, without having had made the effort yourself. For example, if you just tell people you are going to write a text book, you can't expect to get help if you haven't begun the process yourself. But when you finally decide to write a chapter and show it to other authors, whom you think are worthy co-authors, you will find many people who are ready to support you. 

 

4. Hard feelings disappear when you become successful.

Grudges tend to form because we are unsatisfied with ourselves. When we hold a grudge against someone, we think that the only person who can fix it is the person we are upset at. But if you say to yourself 'my success outshined my grudges’, you can start by doing what you love, and work to become successful at it. At that moment, you will notice all your grudges disappear. 

 

5. Do you want to see your biggest enemy? Look in the mirror!

Most people tend to fight other people's demons, but in reality, they should be fighting their own. The only enemy we really have is ourselves. You can't get out of this situation without breaking the barriers that don't let you grow and develop. Each of us exists in very strict boundaries that society has created. We take these rules for granted and believe them to be true. But in doing so, we lose a lot of our energy. In addition, we fail to realize that we are fighting with ourselves, and unfortunately, the last enemy we will ever encounter is ourselves. 

 

6. Look for the right path instead of the straight and easy path.

Bear in mind that the right path may not always be straight and almost certainly will not appear to be easy either. While we sometimes wish and hope that life is smooth sailing, it's not always as simple as a straight line. Consider this example: Imagine that you are on the 30th floor and you need to go down. The fastest way is to go through the window. But the wiser choice will be to take the elevator or the stairs.

 

7. A goal sharpens the vision. Set a goal.

Our attention is limited. This means that our minds only begin to notice the things that we need. This is what usually happens when we set a goal. Setting a goal is very much like setting the focus on a camera. If you set it wrong, you won't see what you really need.  If the goal is big and complex, then break it down into smaller and less intimidating goals. Eventually you will achieve the bigger goal.

 

8. If you want to prove something to someone, it means that you live for that person.

Searching for happiness? Stop trying to prove that you are right. Why attempt to change someone's opinion about something? Is their opinion more important than yours that you need to put in the effort to change it? If you live your life for yourself there is no point in trying to prove anything to anyone. 

 

9. The ability to love and accept loneliness is a sign of an emotionally mature person.

We do the best things when we are alone. The people who can't stand being alone are the ones that hate themselves. They often think that being with a crowd will make them feel better. But a person who is mentally mature uses their alone time for self-development and to collect information they can later share with others. Communication is not only taking, but also giving something that might be interesting to other people. 

 

10. Happiness is when what you WANT, CAN, and MUST do are the same thing.

People are generally torn in different directions. They feel that they must, but don't want to or they want to, but are unable to do so. But all a person truly needs to do is to develop themselves, everything else is extra. The things you want to do should be regulated by the things you must do, and what you can do is a force that moves the entire system. Focusing on these three directions will help you sort your goals and values properly. 

 

Did I understand everything this sadhu said? May be not; but a few things became crystal clear. There is a lot more to life than what we are leading today. Happiness is within us and all we have to do is search it. It is not in material things, it is not in people, and neither is it in places. It is with us, all the time, and we are running away from it by trying to search it everywhere else.

 

We enjoyed 3 days in Kumbh. The mela parisar is vast and it is fun to walk for miles together meeting and assimilating India in all her glorious colours and different variety. From Sadhus who have never uttered a word in this millennium to those who can converse in more than 10 Indian and foreign languages you meet them all. Their looks, their attire, if they have one, their ornaments and fashion accessories, and their choice of food, drink and smoke all differ. Some belong to the pre-historic era while some were equipped with computers, AI, smartphones and WiFi

 

It feels sad to see people doing strange things to their body in the name of religion. Perhaps I am not spiritually evolved enough to understand how burying oneself up to the neck in the ground can please the Maker. He/She surely gave us the human body for a better purpose! But, these freaks are exceptions. The majority of humanity that has gathered here is flowing like the Ganga herself, with the spirit of divinity, faith and complete surrender. When you see people bringing their parents on their shoulder, just like their children, for the holy dip, you realize what family values mean to us Indians. No one is complaining of crowding, no one is going hungry or thirsty, no one is bothered about the long walk to the river and back, and there are no travel agents, no priests and pandas, no forced donations or authorized prasad dealers.

If you fail to make a trip to Kumbh you will certainly not miss salvation and mokshya, but you will definitely miss the opportunity to see how happy, contended and blissful India is, despite what the media would like you to believe.

 

Mission Kumbh accomplished!!