Lifted by the spirit
In his previous column, our Vasthu Sastra expert mentioned he would be participating in one of the world's largest spiritual gatherings. Here's his report on the amazing experience.
IT was an incredible sight: hundreds of naked holy men, their bodies smeared with ash, their long hair and beards matted, charging into the Ganges River in India.
An even more incredible sight: more than 10 million people on the banks of the holy river, waiting their turn to take a dip and come away spiritually enlightened..
And – more amazement, personally, anyway! – this writer was a part of that crowd. I jumped into the confluence of waters from the rivers of Ganges and Yamuna and of the mythical underground waterway Saraswathi at 4am (Indian time) and read out the 38 names of readers who had asked me to carry out this ritual on their behalf.
The day was Jan 19. The place was Allahabad. And the occasion was the one I mentioned in my previous column: the peak of the Ardh Kumbh Mela festival, the world's largest gathering of Hindus, which began on Jan 3 and which will conclude on Feb 26.
More amazing incidents and facts that I saw and experienced:
Despite the millions dipping themselves to cleanse their sins and purify their souls, the Ganges remained clean, contrary to earlier foreign news reports that had said it was polluted. I filled a bottle with the water and tasted it; I found it to be clear and clean tasting, like piped water.
According to believers, mixing even a small quantity of water from the river with ordinary water makes the ordinary water “Ganges water” with all of the river water's healing and holy properties. Also, Ganges water does not stink if stored for several days. And, although the weather was cold – minus 6°C after sunset – the water remained lukewarm.
And, despite the crowd, the feeling was mystical and blissful. It was fascinating to see the devotion showed by all those millions of pilgrims, young and old, from all over the world. There was no rushing or pushing and shoving, people conducted themselves with discipline. We're talking about 70 million people behaving well – that truly is amazing
Meeting a holy man
A festive mood prevailed along the river bank as pilgrims chanted mantras, sang devotional hymns like Hare Hare Ganga (Long Live the Ganges River), lit oil lamps, released flowers into the water or sat shaving their heads bald before their ceremonial dip.
Besides the river's holy and mystical attributes, the other attraction at this auspicious festival is the opportunity to seek blessings from the thousands of monks, spiritual gurus, living saints and masters that attend.
The Naga Babas, better known as Naga sadhu (naked holy men), are especially sought after as this is the only time they emerge from their remote dwelling places around India. Naga sadhus renounce all earthly pleasures in their attempt to attain spiritual enlightenment. While these hermits usually shun all contact with the outside world, at this festival, they are quite hospitable.
I met one such naked philosopher sitting in one of the 50,000 tents lining the riverbank and came away with great admiration for his simple life. It might be devoid of comforts and sensual pleasures but that meant it was also free of materialism and all the negativity that entails.
His nakedness was the extreme expression of the idea of having no possessions. Sometimes, he seemed to fall into rather provocative poses but the point of his nudity had nothing to do with eroticism; rather, it showed that he was beyond sexuality.
The moment he made an eye contact with me, he invited me to sit beside him before a small fire over which he was boiling some tea with milk and, in the process offering darshan (blessing) to devotees coming to him. For devotees, receiving the darshan is a way of tapping into the divine energy of such spiritual leaders.
Women, who are forbidden to look at the holy men directly, joined the line with their heads bowed down and sought his blessing by touching his feet. Women who are experiencing bad karma, however, are allowed to take a brief glance at the sadhus as it is said that holy men can partially take on an individual's karma. This is because sadhus are regarded as representatives of the gods and are highly respected.
The simple life
The fortysomething Naga Baba, who only spoke Hindi, later took some ash from the fire pit and marked my forehead to indicate a spiritual initiation and offered me milk. He then asked if I could buy some firewood and I obliged.
He shared the hut with two older men who had also committed their lives to the attainment of enlightenment and the exploration of the inner light. They, too, were naked and longhaired and their bodies were covered with ash. All three sat on tiger and deerskins and one of them had painted his forehead.
The men practice celibacy, some form of yoga and bodily mortification and live in the mountains, aloof from society. The sadhus only eat fruit and drink only milk; fasting is a regular practice. They do not work and depend on offerings of food from devotees who recognise them as powerful holy men.
Some of these holy men resort to severe forms of behaviour – like standing on one leg or keeping one arm raised or not speaking, all for between 12 and 20 years! – to attain self-realisation.
According to the sadhu I spoke to, the inner light is the core of one's consciousness and it is identical with (or a part of) the absolute cosmic consciousness, though that is unknowable to the ordinary human mind.
Records show that there are over five million sadhus in India.
The Ardh Kumbh Mela (or Half Grand Pitcher) celebration is undoubtedly the most important gathering in the lives of the sadhus.
It is held in Allahabad, Ujjian, Haridwar and Nasik, in 12-year cycles, alternating is such a way that about every three years, an Ardh Kumbh Mela takes place.
The 12-year cycle is related to the movement of the planet Jupiter through the zodiac when it enters Aquarius, the most auspicious occasion. Its exact date is also determined by lunar cycles but the final decision on the date the festival begins rests with the Naga Babas.
This year's Ardh Kumbh Mela has, to date, attracted over 75 million seekers of spiritual enlightenment so far. And it still has weeks to go!
The Maha (or Grand) Kumbh Mela, the mother of all religious festivals, will take place in January 2010 in Allahabad.
