As I write, the largest religious gathering in the world is
going on: the Kumbha Mela, a Hindu festival held in one
of 4 different locations every 3 years, coming around in its most auspicious
variation only every 12 years when it centers near Allahabad. This
gathering/festival/crush of humanity is estimated to draw around 100
million participants over the month and a half of the festivities. 100
million. Take 1/3 the population of the United States to the same church potluck
and you get the idea.
The gathering is taking place at the convergence of 3
rivers: the Ganges, the Yamuna and what is often called “the
mythical Saraswati”. Mythical, as in you can’t see it. But here is
why that “mythical” river is so important: it is one of the sources of
inspiration for the Rig Veda, one of the
oldest religious texts in the entire world. The people writing down the Rig
Veda apparently lived along the banks of the then-not-so-mythical Saraswati,
(recognized as a goddess) which is described in the scriptures as “the best of
mothers, the best of rivers, the best of goddesses.” Over time, though, the river dried up and got the cool
“mythical” status.
The origins of the Kumbha Mela are described in the Hindu
sacred texts known as the Puranas. In a long
battle between demigods and demons over a pot containing the nectar of
immortality, some drops of the nectar fell out onto 4 spots on earth – the four
spots where the Kumbha Mela is now held in a rotating cycle. People gather at
the Kumbha Mela to pray and sit at the feet of holy men and see processions and
watch a lot, but mainly they gather to take a dip in the water.
The pictures you may see of naked holy men covered in ash bathing
in what is actually some darn dirty water may not bring the Christian rite of baptism
directly to mind, but maybe it should. Theologically speaking, what happens at
Kumbha Mela is similar to the Christian sacrament: both are thought to bring
with them a profound blessing - after stepping into the water made holy by the
presence of the divine, sins are wiped clean and the spirit is renewed.
This year’s Kumbha Mela continues until March 10. After
that, many of the holy men and women generally live far away from the likes of
you and me will return to the serenity of their reclusive abodes, returning to
join the regular crush of humanity only when Kumbha Mela once again comes
around.
1st Image retrieved from http://vedicodyssey.com/spiritualadventures/tag/travel-highlights-in-india/
2nd Image retrieved from http://hinduism.about.com/b/2013/01/15/maha-kumbh-mela-2013-begins.htm
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