Maha Kumbh Mela

When Gopanna/Ramadasu wrote "Kaarunyalaya Bhaktavarada ninu Kannadi kaanupu Rama", for sure he was talking about experiencing Rama - our inner consciousness or Paramatma personified. It is not meant to be taken literally. 

When we had the darshan of Prabhu Shri Ram Lalla in Ayodhya, these lines of Ramadasu came to mind. Yes, yes. They are not meant to be taken literally but, the feeling and emotion one feels looking at Ram Lalla is such that you end up thinking that your sight has finally served it's purpose. I, for one, couldn't have asked for more in our entire Kumbh Mela yatra. It is like Mothers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati conspired with Mahadev to enable us with that amazing darshan of Prabhu Ram. 

There are many logistical details that one can wax eloquent about at the Kumbh Mela. The efficiency of the Yogi administration, the commitment of the all the personnel involved, the people in charge of cleanliness and the cleaning workforce, the elaborate arrangements hitherto unseen in an Indian event - so on and so forth. That will be an article on empirical and experiential (of convenience kind) details of the Maha Kumbh. Nay sayers be damned. All one can say is "Take a bow Modi and Yogi, what you have achieved is nothing short of a miracle" and leave it at that. 

What really one should be watching out for is the miracles that are constantly happening around as one navigates through the Maha Kumbh and the collateral visits to Kashi and Ayodhya. Our experience was divinely to say the least. If we do not strain our minds too much and just leave it to Mahadev, He will ensure that our experience gives us all the learning needed to set us on the path to Moksha. As we experienced the little acts of selfless help rendered by the normal people and by people with greater clout, we were humbled. Humbled because in that sea of devotion and spiritual vibrancy, Mahadev has not given up on us - even though our levels of faith were probably far lesser than those who were putting in far greater efforts despite significantly lesser means. Do means matter? Maybe not. Integrity of intention matters for sure. That's probably the reason we had such soul stirring experiences looking at Vishwanath, Maa Vishalakshi, Prabhu Shri Ram Lalla and the mountain of focus, Lord Hanuman. If I were to put into words the exact emotions that overcame me during each of those moments, both the language and skill would fail me. 

So, my advise to all those planning to visit the Maha Kumbh? Do not forget the purpose, keep the intent honest, be genuine and kind, switch off the mind from the gross and you will wonder how you landed in a beautiful place mentally. Luck? No, it's just Mahadev taking care when you are not trying to be too smart for your own good.

Har Har Mahadev. Jai Shree Ram.

Comments

Anonymous said…
The power is in the heart of the beholder?
Monday, February 03, 2025 12:49:00 AM
nirmoh said…
You could say that too
Monday, February 03, 2025 6:06:00 PM
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