Mahakumbh Nagar:
Their barely-clad our bodies smeared in ash and lengthy hair in deadlocks, seers on the Maha Kumbh start every day at 4 am with a dip on the holy Sangam and a litany of rituals earlier than continuing to obtain the pilgrims visiting them.
Life within the ‘akhadas’ for these seers includes a bevy of customs — worship of their gurus, performing rituals corresponding to ‘yagya’, meditation and night prayers.
Relying on their following, most of their day is occupied by ‘satsang’, Bhagavad Gita ‘path (recital)’, singing ‘kirtan (hymns)’ and chanting mantras.
The remainder of the time is spent attending to the pilgrims, who go to them both out of curiosity or religion.
“The thought behind our lives isn’t having greed. We lead easy lives. Right here additionally, we get up at 4 am and go for a ‘snan (dip)’ on the Sangam,” Sawan Bharti, a seer from the Juna Akhada instructed PTI.
“As soon as we come again, we have now our rituals, we worship our gurus and gods, there are the yagya… There’s a sea of pilgrims who go to us to take ‘dhuni (ash)’. Within the evenings, we have now prayers after which we sleep by midnight,” he mentioned.
He added their routine was roughly the identical even in different places as properly.
“We’re in a sacred place and may take a shower on the Sangam. We additionally attend rituals when new seers are taking ‘diksha’,” Bharti mentioned.
He defined that every seer had a job (assigned job) associated to the akhadas — from arranging meals, procuring gadgets, cleansing the premises and getting ready for the rituals.
Akhadas are monastic establishments or sects that unite seers (ascetics) underneath particular non secular traditions and practices.
The Juna Akhada is without doubt one of the oldest and largest among the many 13 which can be part of the Maha Kumbh.
The 13 akhadas are divided into three teams — Sanyasi (Shaivite), Bairagi (Vaishnav) and Udaseen.
Every akhada is allotted particular time slots for sure rituals, making a vibrant environment full of processions that includes adorned elephants, horses and bands.
Mahant Vashishth from the Panchayati Akhada mentioned every of their prayers have been carried out in a ritualistic method.
“There are individuals from throughout the globe who’re nonetheless caught in ‘moh-maya’. We inform them about how spirituality can make them the trail of peace,” he mentioned.
“There are sermons, too. Even when the seers are resting, the yagya by no means stops as that’s the place the religion lies. The pilgrims come to take parts of the ash from the yagya,” he added.
Cheshna from the Sanyasini Shri Panh Dashnam Juna Akhada, a lady seer who took half within the diksha rituals of greater than 200 girls on Sunday, mentioned the choice to resign worldly life and embrace spirituality was pushed by awakening or transformative life occasions.
“I’ve been a ‘sanyasi’ for 11 years and that is my first Maha Kumbh,” she mentioned.
The mega-religious occasion, organised each 12 years, is being held in Prayagraj from January 13 and can proceed for 45 days. Greater than seven crore pilgrims have to this point taken a holy dip on the Sangam — the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the legendary Saraswati rivers.
Vidyanand Swami, a seer from the Panch Atal Akhada, mentioned he was answerable for the diksha rituals.
“Upon reaching the banks of the Ganga, the sanyasis are first given a ceremonial tub, following which they bear ‘mundan sanskar (tonsuring)’ with the permission of their respective gurus. After that, they’re adorned with the ‘janeu (sacred thread)’ and given one other tub within the Ganga to finish the ritual,” he mentioned.
“Following this, dozens of clergymen collectively carry out the purification ceremony for the sanyasis, accompanied by the chanting of Vedic mantras,” he instructed PTI.
In the course of the Amrit Snan, the akhadas maintain the privilege of taking the primary holy dip, and their bathing sequence is set by the Akhada Parishad, which allocates time slots primarily based on hierarchy.
Mounted on horses, with drums and cymbals, ash-smeared Naga sadhus carrying tridents and swords have been the primary to reach on the Triveni Sangam and take a holy dip through the sacred ‘Brahma Muhurta’.
As they plunged into the water, their cries reverberated throughout the realm, marking the start of Amrit Snan, believed to cleanse a lifetime of sin.
Mahakumbh Nagar Further District Justice of the Peace Vivek Chaturvedi mentioned, “Maha Kumbh is very well-known for its outstanding meeting of non secular ascetics — sadhus and ‘mahants’ — drawn from secluded retreats in forests, mountains and caves. As soon as astrologers decide the auspicious bathing second, often called ‘Kumbhayog’, the primary to immerse themselves are the Naga sadhus.”
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