Mahakumbh – Day 3 / Exhilaration

“Exhilaration”

I spent my Uttarayan at the nearby Dasashwamedh ghat. Not by design but simply because my body refused to take my spirit on the 9km long walk that I’d been doing for the two past two days.

And that’s where I experienced exhilaration – albeit second-hand.

The feeling was palpable through the smiles and twinkles in everyone’s eyes. (Couldn’t take too many photos as everyone was in some state of undress.) These were all locals of Prayagraj. They were all here at this ghat for the Ganga snan on Sankranti – one of the six important snan days of the Maha Kumbh.

Someone mentioned that this is the spot at which Brahma performed the first yagna – so this is where Gangajal is collected for offering to Shivji. Many locals had therefore chosen to perform the Ganga snan here while outsiders went on to the Sangam.

I stood and watched from
various vantage points. Sat at the top of the steps for a panoramic view. And later went down to the water.

A panda had set up his business of applying artsy tilak on the foreheads of just-bathed devotees. A cleaner was cleaning up the offerings of flowers and diyas.

Everyone shivered as they took off their scarves and sweaters and stepped into the water. But everyone, without exception, had a joyous grin when they came up for a breath between their many immersions and made eye contact with their family members.

A woman stood half immersed jn the water and was offering gangajal to the planets. A man had just stepped out of the water and was performing a small arti with diya and agarbatti. Both were drenched, but in their puja they seemed oblivious of the cold.

The sight that I loved the most: A frail old man being held by hand for the Ganga snan and then taken carefully back up the ghat steps. What a moment for the old man … how satisfied he must feel that he got to see the once-in-144-years Kumbh. And what a moment for the son, feeling the gratitude for being able to do this special seva for his father on this ocassion.

Yes, that they think this way is merely my projection – but these are based on my million enriching conversations with similar people.

The latest example is a conversation just this afternoon.

I was sitting at a cabana and got drawn into a conversation with two 50-60 year old men. As we chatted about politics and philosophy, I got the tragic news from a dear friend: her uncle who was visiting the Kumbh along with some holy men, had passed away in Prayagraj this morning. In the flow of the conversation I mentioned this to the two strangers. And one of them said: “the uncle must be a very holy man. Because today is Uttarayan and even Bhishma pitama waited for this auspicious day to give up his praan.”

This IS how everyone thinks and engages with spiritual ideology as a matter of routine.

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I notice that families are doing so much for each other here. The middle-aged are doing both ‘santan ki seva’ as well ‘ ‘pujniyon ki seva’. Wholeheartedly. I looked out for bickering and arguments – considering the mixing of all age groups … but found ZERO in the past 3 days.

I have seen NO MAIDS or Nannies or helpers. Not for the thousand clothes that must be dried after the snan and not for the little brats that must be held on to lest they run off and get lost forever. The mothers and fathers are doing it all.

The people I’ve seen are neither poverty stricken nor are they wealthy. They have enough.

Just enough to share with each other. But not enough to believe that others will want to grab their wealth. Enough that they feel in control of their lives and not enough to be controlled by what they own.

They weren’t afraid of losing their belongings there – on the other hand I was petrified by my overthinking.

It is ironical that on every parameter of development designed in the world I come from, I and most of the people I know would score better than all the people I saw today.

Yet I am the one feeling sorely underprivileged today.

Maybe it is because I am no longer simple and can no longer find exhilaration in simple things

All this ‘development’ has corrupted my mind forever!

🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

jm / wovensouls.com