INDIA, April 6, 2025 (India Currents, by Samyukta Shrivatsa): On one fateful Wednesday night in January, I texted a friend words I never thought I would say: “I just decided to go to Maha Kumbh. I’m leaving tomorrow”. As a chronically over-working PhD student, my connection to my Indian Hindu roots was limited to saying a quick prayer and putting a streak of vibhuti (sacred ash) on my forehead before an important exam or a dicey meeting with my advisor. I will probably never be able to explain what led me to pack two sets of clothes in my Stanford backpack and embark on a once-in-a-lifetime journey along 650 million others who were answering the same call—to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela, the largest gathering of humanity ever. However, the journey there and the ritual dip at the Triveni Sangam – the sacred confluence of the rivers Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati – proved to be a profoundly transformative experience that I will always be grateful for.

In the cold, foggy hour of Brahma Muhurtam, just before sunrise, I finally took the same dip that generations of my ancestors have taken, believing it frees one from the cycle of rebirth, washes away sins and grants spiritual liberation. I had so many things I meant to ask for. In the short moments I spent in the water, however, I couldn’t think of anything beyond how amazing it was to be in those waters, carried down over centuries from the Gangotri glacier in the Himalayas, touching millions of lives and inspiring generations of scholars, artists, and storytellers. Beyond the sacred dip itself, my experience at the Kumbh Mela revealed something deeper – the collective unity we are always a part of and the need to pause to embrace it. Amidst the dazzling strangeness and endless sights, the moments I felt most connected were those spent sharing simple roadside meals with fellow travelers – prasada or ritual offerings made to a Deity, distributed freely and generously to every passerby.

More at source.
https://indiacurrents.com/one-among-650-million-my-experience-at-the-2025-maha-kumbh-mela/

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