Kumbh Holy baurm Ocean of Knowledge
Besides typically symbolising the religio-cultural ethos of the people of this country, the Kumbh Mela reflects our close relationship with water. In fact, the Hindu way of life is largely aqua-centric. Water is an integral part of all rituals. Rivers and mountains are venerated as mothers and fathers. Indian mythology attaches a lot of importance to snan or bath, which is an essential component of the daily ritual of personal cleanliness. A bath is mandatory for participation in any important religious occasion or festival. But the physical bath is incomplete in itself for it is only the outer manifestation of its real meaning- which is. to bathe in the ocean of knowledge. So Kumbh melas are, in fact, symbolic rituals that remind us that knowledge is an important too to attain enlightenment. Words like snatak and nishnat have been derived from the word snan and used to refer to those who have taken a dip or bathed in the sagar of knowledge. Knowledge is essential for improving one's self and ulti mately attaining salvation. Though there is no concept of salvation in the Vedas we get a clear concept of the emancipation of the soul and beatitude in the Upanishads. With the passage of time snan lost its real import and slowly became nothing more than a mechanical ritual. Self-styled spiritual leaders advocated taking a bath at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and invisible Saraswati during the Kumbh to achieve salvation. Siddha tantrics, Nathpanthis and poets like Kabir, however, stressed that the physical bath itself was immaterial; what was far more important was inner cleansing. Another important feature of the Kumbh Mela is the time interval. The Kumbh - takes place every 12 years at different times at Hardwar, Prayag, Ujjain and Nasik, the places where amrit the elixir of life that emerged from the churning of the ocean - splashed out of the pitcher and fell on earth. In the ensuing tussle between the devas and asuras to take possession of it, a fierce war was fought which lasted 12 days. During this period the Moon did not let the amrit fall from the kumbh (pitcher), the Sun did not let the pitcher crack or break, Jupiter protected it from demons and Saturn saved it from the rapacious Jayant. These four planets responsible for saving the amrit-kumbh are an integral part of this festival. The Kumbh at Nasik begins when the Sun and Jupiter are in the Leo sign, on a full moon day. Similarly, the timing of the Kumbh melas at Prayag, Hardwar and Ujjain are related to specific planetary configurations. Astrologers have deduced by working backwards that the Mahabharata war broke ber 18, 3060 B.C. and lasted 18 days up to December 6. Bhishma, who was blessed with a boon to choose the time of his death ichcha mrityu, waited up to January 14 for the Sun to enter the tropic of Capricorn beforeout on Novem ber 18, 3060 B.C. and lasted 18 days up to December 6. Bhishma, who was blessed with a boon to choose the time of his death ichcha mrityu, waited up to January 14 for the Sun to enter the tropic of Capricorn before haking off his mortal coils The earliest record of the Kumbh Mela is Chinese trav eller Hieun Tsang's account of it (629-45 A.D.). During Samudragupta's reign, the Kumbh Mela was a major event. According to Hieun Tsang up to two-and-a-half lakh people assembled on the occasion and Harshavardhan donated all his belongings at the Kumbh. The last Kumbh at Prayag evoked great interest worldwide. According to Hindu mythology seven brothers from Prayag went to different parts of the world and established seven Prayags. Prague is believed to be one of them, according to the indigenous history of the Slovaks. The Kumbh Mela basically symbolises the community's emotional unity just as the pitcher (kumbh) containing the elixir of life (amrit) symbolises the importance of love and amity.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Sudhanshu Ranjan views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Sudhanshu Ranjan and Speaking Tree ,Times of India
Kumbh Holy baurm Ocean of Knowledge
Besides typically symbolising the religio-cultural ethos of the people of this country, the Kumbh Mela reflects our close relationship with water. In fact, the Hindu way of life is largely aqua-centric. Water is an integral part of all rituals. Rivers and mountains are venerated as mothers and fathers. Indian mythology attaches a lot of importance to snan or bath, which is an essential component of the daily ritual of personal cleanliness. A bath is mandatory for participation in any important religious occasion or festival. But the physical bath is incomplete in itself for it is only the outer manifestation of its real meaning- which is. to bathe in the ocean of knowledge. So Kumbh melas are, in fact, symbolic rituals that remind us that knowledge is an important too to attain enlightenment. Words like snatak and nishnat have been derived from the word snan and used to refer to those who have taken a dip or bathed in the sagar of knowledge. Knowledge is essential for improving one's self and ulti mately attaining salvation. Though there is no concept of salvation in the Vedas we get a clear concept of the emancipation of the soul and beatitude in the Upanishads. With the passage of time snan lost its real import and slowly became nothing more than a mechanical ritual. Self-styled spiritual leaders advocated taking a bath at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and invisible Saraswati during the Kumbh to achieve salvation. Siddha tantrics, Nathpanthis and poets like Kabir, however, stressed that the physical bath itself was immaterial; what was far more important was inner cleansing. Another important feature of the Kumbh Mela is the time interval. The Kumbh - takes place every 12 years at different times at Hardwar, Prayag, Ujjain and Nasik, the places where amrit the elixir of life that emerged from the churning of the ocean - splashed out of the pitcher and fell on earth. In the ensuing tussle between the devas and asuras to take possession of it, a fierce war was fought which lasted 12 days. During this period the Moon did not let the amrit fall from the kumbh (pitcher), the Sun did not let the pitcher crack or break, Jupiter protected it from demons and Saturn saved it from the rapacious Jayant. These four planets responsible for saving the amrit-kumbh are an integral part of this festival. The Kumbh at Nasik begins when the Sun and Jupiter are in the Leo sign, on a full moon day. Similarly, the timing of the Kumbh melas at Prayag, Hardwar and Ujjain are related to specific planetary configurations. Astrologers have deduced by working backwards that the Mahabharata war broke ber 18, 3060 B.C. and lasted 18 days up to December 6. Bhishma, who was blessed with a boon to choose the time of his death ichcha mrityu, waited up to January 14 for the Sun to enter the tropic of Capricorn beforeout on Novem ber 18, 3060 B.C. and lasted 18 days up to December 6. Bhishma, who was blessed with a boon to choose the time of his death ichcha mrityu, waited up to January 14 for the Sun to enter the tropic of Capricorn before haking off his mortal coils The earliest record of the Kumbh Mela is Chinese trav eller Hieun Tsang's account of it (629-45 A.D.). During Samudragupta's reign, the Kumbh Mela was a major event. According to Hieun Tsang up to two-and-a-half lakh people assembled on the occasion and Harshavardhan donated all his belongings at the Kumbh. The last Kumbh at Prayag evoked great interest worldwide. According to Hindu mythology seven brothers from Prayag went to different parts of the world and established seven Prayags. Prague is believed to be one of them, according to the indigenous history of the Slovaks. The Kumbh Mela basically symbolises the community's emotional unity just as the pitcher (kumbh) containing the elixir of life (amrit) symbolises the importance of love and amity.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Sudhanshu Ranjan views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Sudhanshu Ranjan and Speaking Tree ,Times of India