The Divine Experience of Maha Kumbh Mela: A Journey of a Lifetime

 

Blog by Siddharth Paramhans - writing for a Better India

As I sit down to pen my thoughts about our recent visit to the Maha Kumbh Mela, I am filled with a sense of awe and reverence. The sheer magnitude of this spiritual gathering in this MAHA KUMBH at Prayagraj, which has taken place after 144 years, is a testament to the enduring power of faith and tradition. Our family, consisting of my wife Meera, son Sarang, younger brother Savyasachi, and I, embarked on a journey to experience the magic of Kumbh Mela, and what a journey it was!

The journey began on a chilly winter morning on 20^th Jan 2025, as we set off from our home in our car, ready to drive over 700 kilometers to reach our destination, Prayagraj. The excitement was palpable as we hit the road, with the anticipation of witnessing one of the largest human gatherings on the planet. We decided to break our journey at Lucknow, where we spent a comfortable night, preparing ourselves for the adventure that lay ahead.

The next morning on 21^st Jan 2025, we resumed our journey, we were struck by the excellent condition of the highways. The roads were wide, smooth, and well-maintained, making our car journey a pleasure. As we drove, the landscape outside our window changed, with the urban sprawl giving way to green and verdant fields. The scenery was a perfect accompaniment to our excitement, building up our anticipation for the experience that awaited us.

Finally, after hours of driving, we reached Prayagraj, the city that was once known as Allahabad. As we entered the city, we could feel the energy of the Kumbh Mela, with devotees and pilgrims thronging the streets. We made our way to the ISKCON Temple Guest House, which was our home for the next two days. The guest house was a newly built property, situated on the banks of the majestic Yamuna River. Our room was spacious and beautifully appointed, with a stunning view of the river. We spent some time freshening up and then stepped out to explore the city, taking in the sights and sounds of the Kumbh Mela.

The next morning on 22^nd Jan 2025, we had planned to take a boat ride to the Sangam Ghat, the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers, where we would take a holy dip. However, fate had other plans. At the last minute, we were informed that the boat ride had been canceled due to a visit by UP government ministers to the Sangam Ghat, and security concerns had taken precedence. We were disappointed, but we were determined to make the most of our experience. We decided to take a local conveyance to reach the Sangam Mela, and as we made our way through the crowded streets, we could feel the excitement building up.

The walk to the Sangam Ghat was long, almost 7-8 kilometers, but we were undeterred. We walked through the crowded streets, taking in the sights and sounds of the Kumbh Mela. The air was filled with the chanting of mantras, the beating of drums, and the smell of incense and flowers. We passed by stalls selling everything from spiritual literature to handicrafts, and the atmosphere was electric. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, we reached the Sangam Ghat, and the sight that greeted us took our breath away.

The Sangam Ghat was a sea of humanity, with millions of devotees gathered to take a holy dip in the Ganges. The atmosphere was surreal, with the sound of chanting and prayer filling the air. We made our way to the river, and as we took our first dip, we felt a sense of purification and renewal. The water was cold, but it was invigorating, and we felt our spirits lift. We spent some time at the Sangam Ghat, taking in the sights and sounds, and feeling grateful for the experience.

After our dip, we visited various Sadhu’s Pandals, which were a sight to behold. The Naga Sadhus, with their ash-smeared bodies and matted hair, were a fascinating sight, and we were struck by their devotion and dedication. The Sanyasis, with their simple robes and serene faces, exuded an aura of peace and tranquility. We spent some time interacting with them, learning about their way of life, and seeking their blessings.

As the day drew to a close, we made our way back to the ISKCON Temple Guest House, tired but exhilarated by our experience. We spent some time relaxing and reflecting on the day's events, and then, in the evening, we set off on our journey back home. The drive was long, but we were all smiles, still basking in the glow of our experience.

As I look back on our journey to the Maha Kumbh Mela, I am filled with our hearts with joy, wonder, and awe.

Siddharth Paramhans

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A Brief History of Kumbh Mela

The Kumbh Mela, one of the largest human gatherings on the planet, has a rich and fascinating history that dates back to ancient times. According to Hindu mythology, the Kumbh Mela originated from the Samudra Manthan, a churning of the ocean that produced a pot of nectar, known as the Amrit. The gods and demons fought over the Amrit, and during the battle, a few drops of the nectar fell to the earth at four different locations: Prayagraj, Nashik, Ujjain, and Haridwar. These locations are now the sites of the Kumbh Mela, which is held every 12 years in each of these cities. The Maha Kumbh Mela, which we attended, is held every 144 years and is considered the largest and most auspicious of all.

The Enigmatic Naga Sadhus

As we walked through the crowded streets of the Kumbh Mela, we were struck by the sight of the Naga Sadhus, their bodies smeared with ash, their hair matted and unkempt. The Naga Sadhus are a mystical and enigmatic group of Hindu ascetics who have renounced worldly life and dedicated themselves to the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment. They are known for their intense spiritual practices, which include meditation, yoga, and austerity. The Naga Sadhus play a significant role in Hindu society, serving as spiritual guides, teachers, and guardians of ancient traditions. They are also known for their bravery and martial skills and have been involved in various battles and wars throughout Indian history.

The ISKCON Society

Our stay at the ISKCON Temple Guest House was a wonderful experience, and we were impressed by the warmth and hospitality of the ISKCON community. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is a spiritual organization that was founded in the 1960s by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The society is dedicated to the propagation of Krishna consciousness and the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita. ISKCON is known for its vibrant temples, its colorful festivals, and its emphasis on spiritual practices such as chanting, meditation, and devotional service. The society has a strong presence in India and around the world, and its members are known for their dedication, enthusiasm, and commitment to spiritual growth.

The ISKCON society, with its emphasis on Krishna consciousness and devotional service, provides a welcoming and supportive community for spiritual seekers from around the world. Our journey to the Kumbh Mela was a journey of discovery, a journey that deepened our understanding of Hinduism and its many traditions, and a journey that filled our hearts with full spiritual satisfaction that we wanted to have.

STOP Watching NEWS continuously,

Most of us at home - away from our offices & active work are trying to make best use of time by planning or doing many other activities those could be helpful in future.

How much you agree that your time would have been more productive if these news channels were not allowed ranting 24 hours repeated & similar news stories & useless debates.

Do you agree that these News Channels should be allowed just 60 minutes news telecast twice a day in morning and evening, like of earlier Doordarshan telecast? Temptation of seeing them is adding negativity, fear of unknown & loss of productive time which is high cost to all for these cooked up stories.

These news channels are doing roaring business at the cost of our valuable time spent on watching them - you will realize later that what a waste of our precious 21 days otherwise would have been an opportunity to add some new skill, or doing some productive work.

STOP Watching NEWS Continuously - limit them to 15-20 minutes / day that will give you information / data needed. And will add lot of PEACE OF MIND AND POSITIVITY, TRY TODAY.

Save your time for other productive work, choice to be made....
JAI HIND

See Happy

Siddharth Paramhans
#Covid19

Big opportunity in this Covid 19 pandemic  should not be undermined…

 Mankind was never threatened as much now, not even in World War -1 and World War -2. Corona Virus has suddenly engulfed entire world with severe health issues to economic downturn and subsequent many other hazards are expected. No air, No train, and No taxi – all stopped abruptly, everyone is forced to be inside their houses on minimal means, no cinema, no mall, no visit to friends, socialization, ceremonies all come to sudden halt. Is this nature hard wrath on human? It wants to teach lesson to set things in right which were going wrong.

Few days back we have been talking on Global warming, excessive fossil oil consumption, severe pollution in most cities of India & Asia. People were passively dying due to pollution related diseases, there numbers were only increasing, God knows where we would have gone…….. rough estimates that it would have been around over 4-6 million people in world dying due to respiratory diseases linked to polluted air. Equally the polluted water, other infectious diseases, stress related disorder due to over stretching around – list will be endless it is only to estimate that many million lives were already getting lost.  It was the rat race – aimlessly people were running around without thinking as where they were going.

Corona virus has made things halted; gave entire world a pause, and time to seriously introspect. Undoubtedly, it is time to fight with VIRUS first then set economy back on track before getting things back to normal, it will be taking time. However, it is important that world must see this all with BIG opportunity, take new initiatives, bring sharp changes. Can we fast stop using fossil oil for energy, find out BIG opportunities in new sources of solar & wind energy, non-polluting electrical vehicles, reduce unnecessary travel- build culture work from home, high level hygienic values reducing infectious diseases, focus on immunity & health needs. These all like setting new normal for everyone – these are the opportunity to seriously change the way we approach our life.

This shock has given an opportunity to rethink more effective ways.

Organization leadership must assert heavily with the changing needs. Optimization of available resources, cutting cost of unviable efforts & activities, all these will be required to restart business and gradually build momentum. Everyone cooperation and support are enviable restart; organizations will have to take decision in best long terms interest of business for survival whether it is small or big it doesn’t matter. Corona pandemic has taken many lives and expected that many more will go in coming days, our best homage / tribute to resting souls will be that we learn fast, we change fast and adopt the new normal.

See happy

Siddharth Paramhans

#Covid19 #Corona #India #Delhi #Gurgaon

India with 1.30- 1.40 Bn population mostly unskilled, are we sitting on BIG problem?

When you see so many videos with thousands people moving here and there aimlessly on road what comes to your mind?
Do they have some work to do?
Do they have some skill which is useful to country and can they be productive force?
Do our country need so much of large population today?

Will these large population that we feel happy at time will be of any value for tomorrow?
What they will be doing in future except consuming resources and being burden on country .....just think......

Do we need more people for farming? Tractors & large farming equipment can do so much easily the work of thousands labourers. I think we don't need so many people for farming, this is the reason millions of people from rural places have migrated to urban cities in search of the petty jobs.

Jobs in cities are also shrinking due to automation, digitalisation and more so in future by artificial intelligence which will consume opportunities of many more jobs at faster rate - lot of jobs will further shrink. Imagine the situation in coming times - very few jobs in cities, very low earning opportunities in rural areas and very large number of population around 1.30-140 BN people and growing at faster rate. They all need food to eat, they all need medical facilities, and other things of consumption. On the fringe site - even we need more jails to accommodate many violators, more courts, more judges to settle disputes - these are all the cost and burden on country on every place from maintaining law & order to medical facilities and to food, everything that we can think at this time....

What these unskilled people will do? There number continued to increase as these poor knows not much, but yes they know well how to produce more, how to add new illiterate population, and how to make the situation more complex - the work done in best way by most of them. Let us think.....do anyone has answer ..?

We need to contain / flatten this population blast sooner than we think- I see people listen to our leadership and if they focus and appeal to these people to reduce further blast of population, we can bring some productive changes fast in next 20 Years in our country. We need more population which is educated, skilled, can be self sustaining and not burden on our country.

Lets convince our decision making authorities / our government / our politicians both in power as well in opposition - to initiate some NOBEL SCHEMEs to give incentives-to-the- family-who-has-only-one-child-either-a-girl-or-a-boy. This means right from the beginning the first child is born, education, skill training of high standard, marriage and even livelihood will be supported by the government.... or some fixed financial support. This will be the positive incentive to not produce 2nd, child - you see from now in next 20 Years every child will be educated, skilled and will do positive contribution to India as he / she will completely own her. Equally there must be serious discouragement if any one has 2nd child - parents all rights should be taken away including voting rights / cut in salary / high taxes etc. - so this balancing act could be possible solution to control current grave situation.

I look forward to expand this thoughts so that we really see shining India in next 20 YEARS....with educated and prosperous population rather then helpless crowd that we often see.

See Happy!
Siddharth Paramhans

#PMO #NarendraModi Ji #shiningIndia #India #Delhi #Covid19

GURUGRAM or GREENGRAM By Siddharth Paramhans, Gurgaon

Wait of monsoon is over, with beginning of July rains have already started. Trees around you display sweet melody if you listen to them, observe them and feel them – they sing song loudly with the season leaving that scratchy June heat away.

This Sunday was very special here at Sector 55 Gurgaon -  today at #Raahagiri we have our chief guest Haryana Chief Minister Shri Manohar Lal Khattar ji along with some other prominent personalities like Ved Prakash Vaidik a senior journalist and social worker, Ward 30 Corporator Mahesh Dayma – like every Sunday at Raahagiri entire route was blocked for the motorist and people were free to roam, act, do various activities, running, cycling, yoga, could play and sing etc.  

VRAKSHAYE an organization initiated a program of tree adoption means planting and taking care of the tree till it grows.  Khattar ji spoke to support the plantation program and take up plantation of 30 Lacs tree by students and he appealed each student to plant one tree this season and then monitor that it survives and grow. To encourage and motivate, student will get rewards and support from the government. Trust we see this add on government support and people efforts will make huge change to expanding greenery around in highly concretized city Gurugram.

While discussing with Shri Ved Prakshji’s the idea of GREENGRAM emerged, it’s really motivating, it is like vision – and if every resident of Gurgaon just decides to grow 1-2 tree GURUGRAM will be GREENGRAM sooner. We must start this now in this rainy season with planting of as many trees as possible, keep them alive by monitoring them and grow like we grow our own children. It’s not far that we will be living in a modern environment friendly city GREENGRAM. We need this to talk to more people, motivate them to expand the chain of greenery around, take advantage of this rainy season – so that by end of the year we have grown up sapling.

Environment pollution, more vehicles on road, & construction activities will go on so the level of pollution, we will have more health problems from pollutions emerging but will have to fight with GREENGRAM only the proven mantra. This excites me trust you too! Let’s do ONE tree planting this week, I have done one today….

Rejoicing walking in rains….... Siddharth Paramhans

Morning at 5.30 am going for morning walk has become the part of our lives, getting morning dosages of fresh oxygen in peace and tranquility is something we always enjoy. Moreover, there are hardly people on road and very few vehicle releasing carbon monoxide, every day we look for this beautiful spell. You look at blue sky around with bright morning sun rays emerging in front with rising sun all are great sights to rejoice – with mild-sweating is always great start of the summer days with lot of positivity.

 

Last Thursday 8^th Jun’17 was very special – Meera my wife and me both as normal routine hardly walked for 2 KM in sector 55, Gurgaon, we normally go for walk at 4.50 KM track every day. While we were enjoying, morning walk we realize drizzling of small droplets from open sky with perceptible change in weather from Jun summer morning to cool breezy weather and mist in air around you. Intensity of rains were increasing –  were expecting it is going to rain heavily today this morning.

Mind was telling me few options – like go to friends in nearby colony, wait for rains to stop under some tree around since it is an open track or continue walking in rains. Weather was suddenly becoming cool; sight was blurring with water on eye lashes – just imagine a beautiful feeling. Let’s continue walking today in rain were the deep feeling– and let’s rejoice in rain walk don’t miss this opportunity. We decided to complete our morning walking in rains – it was really fun one can only feel.

I was unable to recall if we walked in last many years in rains except few old memories of childhood. I remember as children, out of the many activities in rain we used to enjoy the most taking bath under the hosepipe from roofs of building when accumulated roof water will give you such a great pleasure in spite of knowing that it was not a clean water. Those moments were most unforgettable as these were time you nearly a part of nature with all freedom or no fear. Many other thoughts were also crossing while we continued to walk in rains.

Severity of rains continued to be high – our clothes were completely wet; I was little apprehensive that my mobile phone will get damage – so was trying to protect. It was 25 minutes’ walk while returning back in full rains – but we continued…. It was an amazing experience deep in our memories now. Observing narrowly the nature, open sky, rain drops coming down on your face, wetting you completely all an experience – trees over overjoying, birds looking for their shelters in rains or rejoicing– and many more observations in RAIN WALK more so when you get them summer.

Once we reached home after completing our 4 KM walk – we were feeling so fresh, so light, more so all time we were in present and our heart & mind were both rejoicing to start a beautiful day. Life will always recall 8^th Jun a day that gave us difference in our life.

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Blissful journey! ......... by Siddharth Paramhans

"Silicon Valley" ……

I heard this name many times from my SON and his desire to explore his career over there. Sarang has joined UCLA some time back through a tough entrance competition. We decided to visit Los Angeles whenever he completes his masters and spend some time together.

Dream Big these will come true..

He spent 2 years doing his masters in business management & finally a moment came for which we were waiting. His name was announced from the dais "Sarang Paramhans" and he appeared confidently in black rob on stage to receive MBA degree from UCLA dean Olian. I could feel the level of enthusiasm in him and the energy flowing in crowd cheering the moment  shouting and clapping for some time …it was really the BIG moment in his life with many dreams and a satisfying feeling of having graduated from the TOP business school in USA. Why should not it be? .. …you have worked very hard, cleared many hurdles, burnt many sleepless nights and then this success which you can own.

Sarang is a confident man full of passion of doing great things. His desire to work to solve some big problem which people face, brings him in challenging position and where he clearly defines  the purpose of his life. I wish him succeeding in his life one day by contributing to society significantly.

Born to win..

Sarang was born on 2nd Oct, thus  coincidently shared his birthday with great personalities like Mahatma Gandhi the 'father of the nation'(India) as well Lal Bahdur Shastri our earlier prime minister who was a great leader. Incidentally the day Sarang was born was also the most auspicious 'Dusshera' festival hence there was double happiness in our family due to this coincidence, we were truly blessed! My father Dr. Ram Krishna Paramhans did Dusshera Puja first at home and then celebrated this occasion with family. Sarang always has been the most ideal, very sincere in his studies and most affectionate to everyone around him.

Time has grown fast studying at different cities and moving up levels in life Sarang passed his engineering degree in Computer Science from MIT, Manipal and taking up campus placement with Aditi Technology at Bangalore his career was full of ups & down, achievements and laurels. While working for Aditi technology he ventured out and took sabbatical to start new project on developing a mobile enabled IT process to help patients find best doctors around & fix appointment. Though he started this project quite well and was progressing very well, he dropped this project to take up GMAT for his next academic project of doing his management course from US around silicon valley which he did successfully. His upbringing in many Indian cities like Lucknow, Pune, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Manipur and Bangalore came very useful which is helping him thinking Globally.

Time Spend at LA

It was great time with family at Los Angeles (LA) with our children, my daughter "Shagun" reached LA from London  while we travelled from Delhi to reach LA on 9th June considering 10th Jun was his convocation. Sarang was staying in a rented apartment along with his two other colleagues and every one's family reached there to celebrate this occasion - it was like a large family of 10-12 people staying together. One can imagine fun and involvement, cooking together, eating together and sharing, all were some very unique experience of this Los Angeles visit.

Los Angeles county with population of over 10 Mn is the largest county in USA. One can see most rich & famous people around LA in Hollywood. We visited Hollywood city for a day, some of the TOP studios like 21st Century Fox, Paramount pictures, Sony etc have their production base in Hollywood , all these were happy moments as we had only seen them in pictures and now seeing around us. These studios, film shootings sites and other infrastructure were really great experiences and opportunity.  We also took  few frames with HOLLYWOOD sign see commonly. 

Near Hollywood you can also visit "Griffith Observatory"  sitting on South facing slop of Mount Hollywood in Los Angeles Griffith park. It command view of the Los Angeles Basin, including downtown Los Angeles - observatory is the most popular tourists attraction with excellent view to Hollywood Sign an extensive array of space and science - related displays.  Since the observatory's opening in 1935, admission has been free, in accordance with the benefactor's will, after whom the observatory is named – Colonel Griffith.

Many large academic institutions including UCLA where Sarang did his MBA were worth visiting palaces. These are some big institutes both in quality and number of student those study over there. The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public research university in the Westwood district of Los Angeles, California, United States. It became the Southern Branch of the University of California in 1919, making it the second-oldest undergraduate campus of the ten-campus system after the original University of California campus in Berkeley (1873).  

Another most interesting place that we thoroughly enjoyed was the Beverly Hills,  is a city in California's Los Angeles County. Home to many Hollywood stars, it features the upscale shopping street of Rodeo Drive. The expansive Beverly Gardens Park has fountains and rose gardens, plus an illuminated Beverly Hills sign. Besides Malibu and Santa Monica piers were other very beautiful places that we visited. Home of many a film or television star, lies west of it moving around there always builds some sense of larger purpose. You really find lot of famous name plates, big names those you admire and lot many emerging business trends.

Meeting with some  Krishna devotees at Rodeo Drive were some of the most happy moments at LA, specially chanting Hare Krishna and dancing at Rodeo Drive streets made us feel that we were their with the sprit of India and were thoroughly enjoying.

We were very happy to find Hindu Temple near Malibu in the Santa Monica Mountains. It was a pleasant long drive to reach with beautiful mountain sites on both side of roads. One will truly relaxed once being there and feeling of great accomplishment. God Venkateswara temple was built in 1981 in South Indian style and one of the famous temple in California. After spending considerable time with family and few photographs we returned back to LA, and felt very blissful day.

This was an eventful & blissful journey that culminated in making a dream come true though opening up new challenges and desires to fulfil in life.