The golden history of Indian culture, which has been the source of knowledge flow across the world, due to which India has been decorated with the title of Vishwa-Guru. There are many types of worship methods in the religious rituals of Indian culture, one of which is Kumbh Snan. Mahakumbh will begin in Prayagraj with the first royal bath on Makar Sankranti 2025.
Sacred Textbook View
According to Matsya Purana, a war went on for 12 days between Asura (negative power) and Dev (positive power) to obtain immortality, which is equal to 12 years of the earth. It was decided to churn the ocean to obtain nectar. For which Vasuki Nag was used as rope, Mount Mandarachal was used as churning rod and the ocean was considered to be a pot (Kumbh). During the churning, Mount Mandarachal could not remain stable due to the speed of Vasuki Nag, so Bhagwan Vishnu himself incarnated in the form of Kurma (tortoise) and stabilised Mount Mandarachal on his back so that the churning could be done properly. The 14 divine gems that emerged from the churning of the ocean are as follows:- Lakshmi, Kaustubh Mani, Parijat (Kalpavriksha), Varuni (Sura), Dhanvantari Kalash, Moon, Kamdhenu Cow, Airavat elephant, Rambha, Seven-headed Horse, Vish(Poison) Vishnu’s bow Sharang, Conch, Nectar. Kumbh is organised regularly at the same places where a few drops fell from the Amrit Kalash. Those places are- Haridwar, Prayagraj, Nashik and Ujjain.
Samudra Manthan (churning of the ocean) is an act of Dhyan Yoga in which Ida and Pingala Nadi are balanced by Pranayam Yoga. This act awakens the Sushumna Nadi, which gives spiritual strength to the seeker.
Scientific View
According to astronomy, Jupiter completes its revolution around the Sun in a period of 12 years. Similarly, during the revolution, when Jupiter enters Taurus and the Sun enters Capricorn along with the Moon, then Kumbh festival is organized. The position of all these planets has been written in the religious scriptures as follows:
Makare Cha Divanathe Vrishrashigate Guru. Prayage Kumbhayogau Vai Maghmaase Vidhukshaye.
If we look at the Earth as per the map, then the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the Earth between the equator i.e. zero-degree latitude and 30-degree latitude mostly works in a vertical manner. As one moves towards the north, this force changes its direction. 11 degrees latitude is the place when the centrifugal force is completely vertical. Similarly, the place between zero degrees and 30 degrees latitude is considered very sacred because it is auspicious for yoga practice, because at certain times the confluence of cosmic energy can be felt at these places. The four places where Kumbh is organized are Haridwar, Prayagraj, Ujjain and Nashik. If these four places are seen on the map, then they are present between zero degrees and 30 degrees latitude.
Haridwar – 29.945°N. 78.163°E
Prayagraj – 25°26’09” N 81°50’47”E
Ujjain – 23 17°N. 75.78°E
Nashik – 19°59’51.0”N 73°47’23.3” E
The perpendicular effect of centrifugal force is mainly seen from the north direction.
Importance of Kumbh
According to Ayurveda, the human body is mainly made up of five elements. The human body is made up of 72 per cent Water, 12 per cent Earth, 6 per cent Air, 4 per cent Fire and 6 per cent Sky. The main reason for a human being to remain healthy is Water, which is present in the highest quantity in the body. According to the fluid science of physics, water has memory, the way you treat water, the same effect will be on the body because water is a good conductor. According to the ancient belief, if you do practice meditation in water during the 48-day mandal in Kumbh, then you can transform the psychological system through your energy system so that spiritual progress can be felt.
Wherever two water bodies meet with a special force, the churning of water starts. Which is very beneficial for the body at a specific time. Energy is transmitted from the confluence in the way at all the four places of Kumbh event. Ganga in Haridwar, Triveni Sangam of Ganga Yamuna Saraswati in Prayagraj, Shipra river in Ujjain, Godavari river in Nashik.
The entire universe along with this human body is a confluence of the five elements. Our solar system and the universe’s form over billions of years is based on only five elements. For this reason, it is believed that If one masters these five elements, then all things like health, well-being and prosperity can be attained through Bhut Shuddhi, a basic part of yoga. Basically, it is very impactful to use the energy generated by Kumbh Snan properly to purify the human physiology.
Narrative on Kumbh
Kumbh, an important part of the worship system of Indian Sanatan culture, has kept the entire Indian nation together. Devotees from all over India come to attend Kumbh Snan. About 40-50 crore devotees are expected to come to the Maha Kumbh event in Prayagraj. The government seems to be contributing fully in handling such a huge public event and is trying to provide every possible facility. But still, many political parties have often spread false narratives about the Kumbh event by conspiring and people with such trivial mentality will continue to do such things in the future as well. Indian cinema is also used extensively to convey all these ideas to the common people. Often in Indian films, a line on the Kumbh event is famous, “Two brothers were separated in the Kumbh fair.” Through this line, the negative effect of the gathering of devotees in Kumbh has been served to the society so that the image of the Kumbh event can be tarnished in the society and the society can be made to lose faith in Indian Sanatan Culture.
This time the Kumbh to be held at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj is a Mahakumbh, which has coincided after 144 years or after 12 full Kumbhs. In the Mahakumbh, a festival of culture inspired by the Vedic ideas of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,’ a large number of foreign devotees take a dip and perform spiritual rituals, but no religious and social organisation tries to convert them. Taking Vedic mantras like “Ekam Sad Vipra Bahudha Vadanti” as a basis, Indian culture teaches to become Narayan (Supreme human) from Man by establishing a connection with the supreme Almighty energy, but it also accepts that the path to reach that energy, i.e. the method of worship, can be different. It is necessary to connect the future young generation with such high thinking Indian sanatan culture so that the roots of the Indian nation are full of patriotism and through this work, India can become prosperous and regain the title of world leader.
