Kumbh and the unbroken flow of life

The literal meaning of the word ‘Kumbh’ is earthen pot. The Kumbh referred to in connection to the Kumbh Mela is the pot of Amrit, or elixir of immortality.

Great civilizations have always come up on the banks of rivers. The most obvious reasons for this was the easy availability of potable water. The waterways also facilitated transport for commodities, as well as a way of transport of ideas. No civilization which is stagnant can survive for long periods of time. In ancient times, exchange of thoughts could happen only by the physical mingling of the thinkers. Present modes of travel were operational in those days.

Creation is made up of different combinations of the Five Elements: Air, Water, Earth, Fire and Space. Of these, water has the property of being tangible as well as mobile. A human body mass is more of water than anything else, however obese a figure may appear to the naked eye. Two thirds of the Earth’s surface is also water.

Humans were—and still are—dependent on the good behaviour of water. The rivers had to flow obstacle free within their beds. The slightest increase or decrease in the water levels could end in the disaster of floods or the drying out of a drought. The correct amount of water had to be evaporated and sent down again as rains. The economies of places were heavily dependent on water.

The geography, and consequently, the history of that period became entangled with the course of water. For example, the ancient poem “Shilapadikaaram” says that Madurai became landlocked in later years. Once a spectre of what happens if the melting Arctic and Antarctic ice, increased the volume of the oceans and inundated much of the coastal land is something very real.

The sacrifices on the river Nile, which made the waters red, the annual four days of flooding, were and are, an inherent part of Egyptian culture. The holiest of holy for Sanatanis, the Kailas Mansarovar, the “mind born lake” in the Himalayas, is the place where Goddess Parvati has Her daily bath. Literally with just a narrow strip of land in between, lies the Ravan Haranga, where Ravan’s blood fell as he chopped off all his nine heads as an offering to Shiva. The waters of this lake are so poisonous that no life form grows in it. The local people warn outsiders that just a spoonful of this water will throw normal digestion into chaos for months. Even merely touching these waters burn the skin, probably due to a high sulphur content in it.

There were great gatherings of poets and philosophers on the banks of the Ganges, a river which has so many nuances for India. The great rivers of what is modern China, the waterways of America, Europe etc., are bases for literature, philosophy and of course, trade.

In our ancient practices there are five types of snanams or baths. They correspond to the five koshams of existence. These koshams are the five sheaths of the body.

The literal meaning of the word “Kumbh” is earthen pot. The Kumbh referred to in connection to the Kumbh Mela is the pot of Amrit, or elixir of immortality. It was only with the joint effort of both the Suras and Asuras, that the Ocean of Milk on which Shri Maha Vishnu rests on His serpentine bed, Shri Sheshnaga, was churned. Like modern property fights are sadly in vogue between family members, the Suras and Asuras were traditional enemies. Their surly cooperation was for the limited purpose of getting Amrit. Under their Guru, Shukracharya, the Asuras already had access to the Mritasanjeevani mantra, an incantation which could bring the dead back to life.

The Suras were not so lucky. When Shri Dhanwantari, the God of Medicine rose from the ocean with the golden vessel of Amrit, there was a rush of claimants, reminding us of extremely well-to-do people rushing up with the eagerness of starving refugees to the wedding buffet. In the scuffle that followed, a few drops of Amrit fell in Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik. These are the venues of the Kumbh Melas.

Unlike the wild and often self-defeating generosity of Shiva, Maha Vishnu was sagacious in all His activity. His interest was to preserve Brahma’s Creation. Taking on the ravishing avatar or incarnation of Mohini, Maha Vishnu charmed the Asuras into agreeing that She, Mohini would be in charge of serving the Amrit. With the exception of Rahu and Ketu, the Amrit was all finished by the Suras.

The Maha Kumbh Mela takes place once in 12 years. This is because Jupiter, the planet signifying Maha Vishnu takes 12 years to orbit around the Sun. Esoteric changes are expected to happen even in temples where it is mandatory to check the efficacy of the daily, monthly and yearly rituals once in a “Vyazha Vattom” (one cycle of Jupiter).

The greatest activity of the Kumbha Mela is the ritual bath on the full moon day. The chief of the akhadas lead lakhs of devotees for a communal bath. A bath is the simplest of all cleansing rituals. Our country has so many strands of beliefs, thoughts and philosophies. For example, though it may be unpalatable for purists, it is only the Kaulacharam of worship that still has 64 Upacharams (rituals), while many have whittled down theirs to a bare minimum of five (Panchopacharam).

This ritualistic bath of the Kumbha Mela is called a Yoga Snanam. There are followers of the Shaiva (pertaining to Shiva ), Shakteya ( pertaining to Devi ), Vaishnava (pertaining to Maha Vishnu ) sects. The earlier ones of Shourya (pertaining to the Sun ), Ganapatya (pertaining to Ganapati) and Kaumarya (pertaining to Muruga) have been absorbed into the three sects in vogue now.

All these sects come together in a celebration which culminates in a bath. Many Kerala temples have an annual or bi-annual festival called “araat”. The deities are given a ritualistic bath by the priests of the temples. Hundreds of devotees throng the land around these water bodies, whether it is the sea, river, pond or man-made temple tank. These devotees also take a dip in the water along with their beloved deities. It is believed that when the physical idols enter the water, it becomes consecrated or holy water. We on earth, devotees and deities, are always enveloped in the common blanket of the atmosphere. Yet when held in the wet hug of water, the connection feels more immediate. There are no caste barriers in this mass bath.

It is the aim of every Sanatani to realize God. A human birth is considered most conducive for this. The heads of the akhadas are generally people who have spent decades in search of truth. The Amrit, which lies dormant in the shape of a downward facing lotus, at the crown of every human being becomes active, when that Kundalini Shakti lying curled up at the base of the spine becomes active. A bath alongside these practitioners of great spiritual exercises, makes this process of awakening easier.

In our ancient practices there are five types of snanams or baths. They correspond to the five koshams of existence. These koshams are the five sheaths of the body, going from the physical one, Annamayakosham to the most subtle of all, the Anandamayakosham, the place of Sat-Chit-Anandam or Eternal Bliss.

• Prithvi Snanam: This is the bath with earth. This is for the Annamayakosham, the physical body, needing food for growth.
• Jala Snanam: Bath with water. This corresponds to the Pranamayakosham.
• Agni Snanam: Bath with fire. This corresponds to the Manomayakosham or that of the mind.
• Soorya Snanam: Bath in the sun. This corresponds to Vijnanamayakosham or intellect. Ancient sages are said to get nourishment from the sun and can exist for years without food and water.
• Mantra Snanam: Bath with mantras. That which is obtained by “mananam” is mantra. This corresponds to the Anandamaya Kosham.
  The bath at the Kumbh Mela is considered to be cleansing in every way, a bath which results in complete positivity. It is this belief which has sustained devotees from the time of India’s philosopher saint Shri Adi Shankara to the present day. This unbroken flow of life is what makes the Sanatan Dharma endure up to now and survive long into the future despite pessimists incessantly foretelling the end of this Living Faith in robust existence, since time immemorial.

Thiruvathira Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi was born the XII Princess of the erstwhile royal family of Travancore.