Maha Kumbh Mela is a stupendous gathering of millions of people from all sections of humanity every twelve years at one of these places - Prayag (Allahabad), Haridwar, Nasik or Ujjain.
This gathering is called Kumbh Mela (fair) because although the major thrust of the Kumbh Mela is spiritual, the temporary city that is set up to accommodate pilgrims is brightly lit and resembles a fairground.
There is a very interesting story about why Maha Kumbh is held. It was part of my Blog on the mythological origins of Rahu and Ketu. That story is the foundation of why Kumbh Mela is held. Here it is once again.
Eons ago, the gods and demons realized that the ocean had a lot of good things concealed underwater. Untold wealth and divine creatures were hidden there, but most importantly there was that divine nectar Amrit which had the power to make them immortal and keep them forever young. This was the ultimate prize and the irresistible desire to win it brought these perennial enemies together.
They wanted to stir the ocean and force it to relinquish its treasures. For this purpose they took a mountain called Meru and used it as a churn. A churn requires a rope to work so they used Shesh Nag, the mythical snake that forms the cradle of Lord Vishnu to turn it.
The churning began and soon all sorts of wealth began to emerge. Horses and elephants with extraordinary powers, all sorts of divine gems, trees with magical qualities all made their appearance. The most wanted nectar Amrit however still eluded them. So they tried some more and then the most poisonous venom came out of ocean and it was so powerful that it could destroy the universe by its fumes. Lord Shiva at that time swallowed this poison and saved the world from certain death. He did not allow it to reach his stomach but kept it in his throat, which turned blue. It is because of this that one of the names of Lord Shiva is Neel Kanth, or one with blue throat.
The churning continued and finally the Amrit Kumbh, (pitcher of nectar) emerged. As soon as that happened, the gods and the demons forgot their newfound friendship and made a grab for the pitcher. The churning stopped and a battle began.
In the melee that followed, Jayant, the son of the king of gods saw the opportunity to steal the Kumbh and made away with it. The demons gave determined chase. Jayant kept running for twelve years and during this time visited Prayag, Haridwar, Nasik and Ujjain and probably took refuge there. Some drops of Amrit spilled out of the pitcher and fell in these places. These places became sanctified and to celebrate the event a Mela is held every twelve years.
Finally the demons got hold of fugitive Jayant and a battle began between the two factions.
Both sides were equally powerful and would have annihilated each but for wily Lord Vishnu who made his appearance in the form of a woman of most surpassing beauty and allure. So attractive was she, that for a moment everybody forgot about fighting and had only one thought in his mind - have her at any cost!
That most gorgeous woman addressed the motley crowd and pointed out to them the fallacy of their ways. If they kept fighting and the pitcher broke, then that will be the end of it. So she told the gods and the demons to segregate and form a line so she could distribute Amrit equally to everyone.
Here was a rare case of beauty and brains talking in tandem so everyone agreed. They formed a long line with the gods occupying the first half and the demons the second. Now the farthest thing from wily Lord Vishnu’s mind was equal distribution of Amrit. It was his plan to give it only to gods. Once that was done the demons couldn’t do anything as gods would have become immortal by then.
This gathering is called Kumbh Mela (fair) because although the major thrust of the Kumbh Mela is spiritual, the temporary city that is set up to accommodate pilgrims is brightly lit and resembles a fairground.
There is a very interesting story about why Maha Kumbh is held. It was part of my Blog on the mythological origins of Rahu and Ketu. That story is the foundation of why Kumbh Mela is held. Here it is once again.
Eons ago, the gods and demons realized that the ocean had a lot of good things concealed underwater. Untold wealth and divine creatures were hidden there, but most importantly there was that divine nectar Amrit which had the power to make them immortal and keep them forever young. This was the ultimate prize and the irresistible desire to win it brought these perennial enemies together.
They wanted to stir the ocean and force it to relinquish its treasures. For this purpose they took a mountain called Meru and used it as a churn. A churn requires a rope to work so they used Shesh Nag, the mythical snake that forms the cradle of Lord Vishnu to turn it.
The churning began and soon all sorts of wealth began to emerge. Horses and elephants with extraordinary powers, all sorts of divine gems, trees with magical qualities all made their appearance. The most wanted nectar Amrit however still eluded them. So they tried some more and then the most poisonous venom came out of ocean and it was so powerful that it could destroy the universe by its fumes. Lord Shiva at that time swallowed this poison and saved the world from certain death. He did not allow it to reach his stomach but kept it in his throat, which turned blue. It is because of this that one of the names of Lord Shiva is Neel Kanth, or one with blue throat.
The churning continued and finally the Amrit Kumbh, (pitcher of nectar) emerged. As soon as that happened, the gods and the demons forgot their newfound friendship and made a grab for the pitcher. The churning stopped and a battle began.
In the melee that followed, Jayant, the son of the king of gods saw the opportunity to steal the Kumbh and made away with it. The demons gave determined chase. Jayant kept running for twelve years and during this time visited Prayag, Haridwar, Nasik and Ujjain and probably took refuge there. Some drops of Amrit spilled out of the pitcher and fell in these places. These places became sanctified and to celebrate the event a Mela is held every twelve years.
Finally the demons got hold of fugitive Jayant and a battle began between the two factions.
Both sides were equally powerful and would have annihilated each but for wily Lord Vishnu who made his appearance in the form of a woman of most surpassing beauty and allure. So attractive was she, that for a moment everybody forgot about fighting and had only one thought in his mind - have her at any cost!
That most gorgeous woman addressed the motley crowd and pointed out to them the fallacy of their ways. If they kept fighting and the pitcher broke, then that will be the end of it. So she told the gods and the demons to segregate and form a line so she could distribute Amrit equally to everyone.
Here was a rare case of beauty and brains talking in tandem so everyone agreed. They formed a long line with the gods occupying the first half and the demons the second. Now the farthest thing from wily Lord Vishnu’s mind was equal distribution of Amrit. It was his plan to give it only to gods. Once that was done the demons couldn’t do anything as gods would have become immortal by then.
Rajiv Sethi
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