“In other words, to live as He would have us live, at one with Him and seeing nothing but Him anywhere, since when the ego was dissolved how could there be any other seeing than that of oneness? This I found to be the best way as shall the others, too, when-gradually, with the evolution of consciousness, we shall have transcended our egoistic limitations. (His eyes glisten in the light to the setting sun, as he continues in a moved voice) On that day the Promised Era of Ramrajya-the empire of the Lord-shall be inaugurated, and men shall realise the great debt they owed to those few who, in every age, have sung of the One and, staking their all for the One, have attained to the One to be able to win for mortals their divine heritage”. – Dilip Kumar Roy, “The Message of Kumbha”, in Kumbha: India’s Ageless Festival by Dilip Kumar Roy and Indira Devi, Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan, Bombay, 1955, p. 150
Maha Kumbh 2025, the magnificent mega festival celebrating the spiritual oneness of existence, has culminated on the auspicious day of Mahashivratri. Despite all attempts to vitiate the atmosphere and target the largest human congregation on Earth, the indomitable spirit of Sanatan Parampara stood strong. People continued to throng the sacred city of Prayagraj, and the final numbers clicked to more than sixty-five crore. This grand celebration has not only sprinkled the nectar of confidence and collectivity amongst all sections of society but also serves as a beacon of hope, proving that the spirit of the Kumbh Mela is unbreakable. Even though the forty-five-day Amrit period is over, the message of this eye- catching cultural and religious festivity must continue to resonate.
The tradition of Kumbh is not new for Bharat. People have been gathering to reconnect with the Sanatan Paramapara of Bharat since time immemorial. Maha Kumbha of 2025 has scripted a new chapter in history due to its scale and spread. Allsects of Bharat can come together and, with the help of administrative machinery, organise the largest gathering on Earth. This Kumbh has answered all attempts to delink various sects of Sanatan tradition from its roots by showcasing a beautiful tapestry of unity amidst diversity. The most significant message this Kumbh imparted was intellectual and psychological cleansing, besides spiritual rejuvenation, to wash away misunderstandings about each other. The apparent diversities of caste, rituals, languages and regions – all submerged and converged with the sense of oneness at the Triveni. It was not imposed uniformity as many pseudo-intellectuals tried to critique. On the contrary, it was a celebration of diversity while realising the inherent unity. If we have a will and belief in our roots, we can defy all divisive techniques.
The Kumbh Mela Kshetra displayed the perfect union of all sects of Bharat. Besides the traditional akharas –representing the different schools of religious practices, new avenues were explored in the Kumbh to solve contemporary challenges. Ek Thaila, Ek Thali brought in the environmental dimension. Netra Kumbh institutionalised the initiative, which started in 2019 by giving thousands of visually impaired people free medical facilities. When the world is grappling with various conflict zones, the Kiva ceremony that shows reverence to Mother Earth paved the way for finding the Sanatan solution to the perpetual wars. Samarasta Kumbh continued the deliberations on overcoming the challenges posed by caste-based discrimination. Buddhist and Janjati traditions made their presence felt through intellectual churning and wisdom. Originally, Kumbh was meant to churn on spiritual issues and their social and cultural dissemination. The Maha Kumbh 2025 has shown that Bharat means change with continuity. We continued the spiritual traditions but addressed the contemporary problems. The ascetic traditions and customs associated with the sacred bath continued while creating new infrastructure and employing AI technology to manage the crowd. Another lesson Bharat must cherish is experiencing continuity while adapting to change.
Different kinds of people with diverse expectations approached Prayagraj. All of them had unique experiences – both good and bad – in this endeavour. The administration of Uttar Pradesh – from political leadership to bureaucracy and the police personnel to cleanliness workers, the commoners of Prayagraj, countless volunteers, self-help groups, NGOs, etc played their role in ensuring the smooth management of divine celebration in the best possible way. Managing the supply chain and internal communication for more than six weeks was a gigantic task undertaken with team spirit. The economic transactions generated through this mega congregation are unthinkable and unaccountable by the Western standards of GDP. The religious activities of scale underscored the need to develop Dharmik parametres of wealth creation.
As the churning of the ocean gave poison along with nectar of immortality, which Bhagwan Shiva had to consume, we should also learn lessons from few negative incidents related to crowd management. The untoward incidents of damaging public property are not a good sign for a spiritual democracy like ours. We must introspect and address this mindset collectively. Kumbh was a choice, not a compulsion; hence, we must practice devotion, patience, and penance. Any form of aggression is against the spirit of Kumbh.
The Kumbh technically is over with the end of Magh Masam. It has provided us with enough fodder to churn in the form of stories, experiences, documentation, data collection and research till the next Kumbh at Nashik in 2027. The unprecedented display of unity, discipline and devotion to culture and nation should not end with the culmination of Kumbh. The Manthan for building new institutions to sustain the spiritual messages, inculcating environment-friendly lifestyle, finding solutions to our social and economic challenges with a Dharmik perspective and striving to give the destined message of harmony and balance to the entire world should continue even after the Maha Kumbh. The religious and cultural celebration at Prayagraj is over. However, the churning for spiritual, cultural, economic and political rejuvenation of Bharat for the welfare of humanity must continue.
