Importance of Makar Sankranti by Scientific , Cultural , Spiritual & Natural in our life !

Makar Sankranti, also known as Sankranti or Makara Sankrant, is one of the highly auspicious days in a Hindu calendar and the day is dedicated to the worship of Bhagwan Surya (Sun God). 

Makar Sankranti is the day when the sun enters into the zodiac Capricorn or Makara. It is also known as Uttarayana Punyakalam and heralds the arrival of spring season.

Information and Importance of Makar Sankranti

What is Makar Sankranti?

Makar Sankranti is an auspicious day based on the movement of the Sun (Surya). ‘Makar’ or ‘Makara’ refers to ‘Makara rashi’ – the zodiac corresponding to Capricorn. ‘Sankranti’ in Sanskrit means ‘to cross into’ or the day when sun enters from one zodiac sign to another. So Makar Sankranti is the day when the sun enters into the zodiac Capricorn. It is also known as Uttarayana Punyakalam or the entry of sun into the Northern Hemisphere. The six-month long Uttarayana begins on this day.

Makar Sankranti is usually observed on January 14 or January 15 

Usually the day of Hindu celebrations vary from year to year in English Calendar. Hindu calendar is based on the movement of the moon and therefore it is a lunar calendar. Hence the change in the date of various celebrations with corresponding English Calendar. But Makar Sankranti is based on solar movement and therefore it has almost a fixed date.

But depending on the movement of the sun from south to north Makar Sankranti date progresses i.e., a decade ago Makar Sankranti was observed on January 12 and later on 13. Now it is on 14 or 15. In future it will be observed on January 16.

Hindu God Worshipped on Makar Sankranti

God Surya is worshipped on the Makar Sankranti day and is a form of Nature Worship. Every living and non-living being merges with the Brahman and Sun is the Pratyaksha-Brahman or the Brahman that can be seen. 

How is Makar Sankranti Observed by Hindus?

A major spiritual event on the day is the bathing ritual at Sangam (confluence of Yamuna, Saraswati and Ganga) in Prayagraj and also in the famous bathing ghats on River Ganga. Taking a holy dip on the day is considered to cleanse sins committed and this will lead to Moksha (Salvation).

Uttarayana Punyakalam, the day time of Devas, begins with the Makar Sankranti and lasts for six months. This period is ideal for all kind of auspicious activities.

Makar Sankranti also heralds the arrival of spring.

Special food made from freshly harvested grains is consumed and shared on the day.

Makar Sankranti in Hindu Scriptures - Stories

One of the most important History is the death of Bhishma Pitamaha in the Mahabharata. Bhishma chose the Uttarayan period. (Bhisma had got a boon from his father that he will only die when he wishes.) It is believed that people who die during Uttarayana merges with the Brahman, thus ending the cycle of rebirth.

Legend also has it that God Vishnu buried Asuras on this day beneath the Mandara Mountain. It signifies the end of evil and the dawn of righteousness.

Another legend is that King Bhagiratha brought Ganga down into Patala on Makar Sankranti day. This was to get salvation to his ancestors who were cursed by Sage Kapila and turned into ashes. On this day millions of people take bath in the Ganges. Makar Sankranti is also an important bathing date during Kumbh Mela and Magh Mela.

Puranic History state that on Makar Sankranti day, Surya visits Bhagwan Shani. In Purana Shri Shani, is the son of Surya.

Makar Sankranti in Various Parts of India

Makar Sankranti is observed throughout Hindustan ( Bharat / India) by all communities but with slight variations in the festivities.

•In Bengal, Makar Sankranti is noted for the Ganga Sagar Mela, Tusu Puja and Pithey parban.

•Bhogali Bihu and Tusu Puja are celebrated on the occasion in Assam.

•Makar Mela is observed in Orissa.

•Ghughuti or Kale Kauva in Uttarakhand.

•Shishur Sankraat in Jammu and Kashmir.

•Tila Sankranti in Mithila region.

•Maghi in Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.

•In North Hindustan ( Bharat /India ) , it is the time of Lohri and Khichdi Parv.

•In Central Hindustan , it is Sankranti.

•In Tamil Nadu, Makar Sankranti is observed as Pongal. (four day festival).

•In Andhra Pradesh, it is known as Sankranthi. (four day festival).

•In Karnataka - Sankranti or Yellu Balla.

•In Maharashtra it is known as Makar Sankranti and Tilgul - famous for Bhogichi Bhaji.

•In Kerala, the famous Sabarimala Pilgrimage comes to an end with sighting of the Makaravilakku.

•In Gujarat and Rajasthan, it is known as Uttarayan and is noted for the kite flying event.

•It is an important bathing date during the famous Magh Mela and Kumbh Mela at Sangam (Prayag) in Prayagraj. 

Sun rays directly falls on the murti worshipped in certain temples on Makar Sankranti day. The most famous among them is the Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple near Bangalore in Karnataka.

Dahi Chura - an food prepared from rice flakes and yoghurt - is consumed on the day in many regions.

Jaggery, rice, sugarcane, sesame seeds and milk are the common food used on Sankranti in all regions. And Sesame especially helps in maintaining body heat during winter.

Residents of 10 villages located on the outskirts of Manali in Himachal Pradesh do not make any kind of noise for 42 days starting from Makar Sankranti.

In the 17th century, Makar Sankranti was around January 9 and in the 27th century, it will be around January 23.

Makara Sankranti is associated with Surya (Sun God), so the best way to start the day is by reciting the Gayatri Mantra.

It is believed that God Surya visits his son Bhagwan Shani on this day, irrespective of their difference in opinions. Therefore many people make it a point to visit their sons and buy them gifts. It is also a day to forgive past quarrels and start afresh.

Simple food is the order of the day and many people prepare ‘kichari’ on this day. Sweets and dishes made out of Sesame oil (Til) are served on this day. Sweets made out of Til is exchanged as mark of friendship. The symbolic meaning is to emulate the quality of Tilgul – to stick together even in adversity. Rice meal is the order of the day in Bihar, Jharkhand and is some parts of Uttar Pradesh.

Vitamin D is made by the body with sunlight 

Sesame seeds( til) have the highest calcium (975mg per 100g). Milk has 125mg only. The body is capable of storing vitamin D up to a year, and use the reserves.bLastly, the body is capable of getting its viatmin D reserves full with 3 full days of sunlight.

The best quality of sunlight is end of winter & beginning of summer.

Now join the dots, and see how wise our sages were of ancient India. They created a festival of flying kites where by our kids get excited to go in the open, under direct sunlight, throughout the day starting from early morning. And their mothers feed them homemade TIL laddoos.

Throughout Hindustan ( Bharat / India ) Makar Sankrati is in a way associated with harvest. So people pray for a good harvest on this day. Cows - which is an integral part of agriculture – is bathed and worshipped. 

Another important aspect is ‘Daan’ or Charity. Charity does not merely confirm to money but a person donates what he/she is able to like food, Moong Dal, rice, ghee, Til etc.

There is slight variation in the festivities in different states

In Maharashtra, sweets made out of Til dominate the day. The sweets are exchanged between friends and relatives. Married women in Maharashtra apply Haldi-Kumkum on each others forehead. Some houses invite married women and gifts are distributed. 

In Rajasthan, especially in Jaipur, the most important event is the kite flying.

In Gujarat, the important event is the kite flying. Elders also give gifts to family members on this day.

In Uttar Pradesh and people living along the banks of Ganga takes a dip in the river on this day and offer prayers to Sun God. 

Makar Sankranti is celebrated throughout Hindustan ( Bharat) in different names and in South Hindustan it is an important harvest festival . 

The prayer is dedicated to Surya Bhagavan – the sun god in Hindutva ( Hinduism ). The Makar Sankranti mantra and prayer is given below:

Makar Sankranti Mantra

ॐ घृणि: सूर्याय नम:

Om ghrini Suryaya Namah

The mantra should be chanted 108 times using a chandan mala.

Makar Sankranti Prayer

Aditya Hridaya mantra should be chanted on the day early morning.

How to chant Makar Sankranti Mantra and Prayer ?

The mantra and prayer should be chanted in the early morning along with sunrise. 

The person chanting the mantra should wear orange color clothes.

It is better to chant the mantra by looking at the rising sun.

Take a kalash fill it with water and put in some orange or red color flowers. This should be poured down looking at the rising sun.

The Science behind Makara Sankranti, Pongal, Lohri, Uttarayan, Maghi, Bihu & Khichdi : 

 Contrary to the popular belief, Makara Sankranti is not only a Hindu festival but actually a universal phenomenon because it is purely based on the science of astronomy & crop cycle which is not limited to any particular religion. Basically, it is a celebration of the “revival” of sunlight (solar energy & positivity) into our lives and it coincides with the harvest season as well.

Much before contemporary scientists came up with their observations of solar system a few hundred years ago, scholars of ancient Bharat (10000 years ago) already knew that sun is the center of our celestial system and is the source of energy for all planets including our planet earth, which takes 365 days to revolve around the Sun. This complete cycle of 360 degree which is also called the solar calendar is divided into 12 phases or domains or zodiacs of 30 degree each (360/12=30) and each zodiac is associated with certain characteristic depending on the positions of earth & sun in relative to each other, which in turn also determines the season & radiation patterns.

Since the radiations are proportional to the amount of sunlight, an easier way to analyze the radiation pattern would be by tracing the amount of sunlight received each day, which again is proportional to the length of the day. If we plot this on a chart with sunlight on Y axis & dates on X axis, we will notice that the amount of sunlight varies in accordance with a sine wave, with the trough (lowest point) in the phase corresponding to late December and early January range.

In other words, it means the zodiac phases of the Sun from July to December witness decreasing sunlight, and after that, the subsequent zodiac phases witness increase in sunlight. For an “observer”, it looks like the Sun is on a downward journey between July to December and this downward journey suddenly changes to upward journey or northward movement in late december & early january. Since uttara means northward & aayana means movement in Sanskrit, this phenomenon of phase reversal from southward movement to northward movement of the sun is called “Uttara Ayana” or “Uttarayan” in short.

If the chart is divided into zodiacs, then we can notice that it is Makara which is the first among the series of phases witnessing an upward journey, and this trend continues with subsequent phases till peak summer. Hence the Makara phase holds such great significance in astronomy because it represents revival of sunlight & energy.

But if Makara is the name of a zodiac, then what does Sankranti mean? In Sanskrit, Sankranti means the entry of Sun into a zodiac phase. Whenever the Sun moves out of one zodiac phase & enter another zodiac phase, such transmigration of the Sun is called a Sankranti. Since we have 12 zodiacs in an year, there will be 12 Sankrantis each year. But as we saw how Makara is significant due to the revival of sunlight, the “Sankranti of Makara” (or transmigration of Sun into Makara) is celebrated as “Makara Sankranti”, which usually falls on 14th of January (or 15th on certain years).

Apart from the astronomical & solar significance, this co-incides with the harvest season as well, and is hence celebrated with lot of pomp and show by almost all communities througout India, albiet in different names & slightly varied traditions but the core logic is the same. It is celebrated as Lohri in Punjab, Uttarayan in Gujarat, Makara Sankranti or Makara Sankramana in Karnataka & Maharashtra, Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Khichdi in Bihar, Bihu in Assam. Almost all regions in India celebrate this festival, cutting across all castes & creed because it is nothing but a tradition to observe & celebrate the revival of solar energy in our lives. i.e Irrespective of our religion, we all benefit from solar energy.  Also, this coincides with the celebration of crop harvesting resulting in continuity of food supply which irrespective of our religion, is one of the most basic necessities of our lives.

Sugarcane or sugar should be offered as Prasad or bhog Thai Pongal, an agrarian festival, is one of the most important Tamil festivals and is observed in the Tamil Month Thai. Pongal date is January 14 & 15 . Pongal takes its name from the famous traditional Tamilian food of the same name and is dedicated to  God Surya or the Sun God. The festival is also known as Surya Pongal and Perum Pongal. The festival symbolically signifies prosperity.

Importance of Thai Pongal Or Surya Pongal

 Thai Pongal is an ancient Tamil festival and its roots can be traced back to the Sangam Period (200 B.C.). The festival is also referred as Makar Sankranti and is observed on the first day of the Tamil month Thai. It is the auspicious day when the Sun enters the Makara Rasi and heralds the arrival of the spring.

Importance of Pongal

Pongal is among the best known festivals and certainly one of the major festivals in Tamil Nadu, India. It is today observed by Tamilians around the world. It celebrates the harvest, especially the rice crop, and is considered to be an ancient form of thanksgiving. The festival is named after the rice pudding or Pongal prepared on the festival day. Pongal is an ancient festival and its origin can be traced back to the Sangam Era (200 BC – 300 AD).

The entire festival even today maintains the Hindu  practices and is untouched by external influences.

Thai Pongal is a four-day festival.

•The first day is Bhogi Pongal, it is observed on the last day of the Margazhi month.

•The second day is Pongal or Thai Pongal or Perum Pongal and is the most important day. 

•The third day is Mattu Pongal. 

•The fourth and final day of celebration is Kaanum Pongal.

How is Pongal Observed?

•Pongal is also essentially an agrarian festival. 

•For Pongal, houses are freshly painted, swept and cleared. 

•Doorways are marked with kumkum, turmeric and sandalwood paste. 

•Colorful garlands of flowers and mango leaves are hung on the doors. 

•The courtyard in front of each home is decorated with Pongal kolams – designs in white rice powder bordered with red clay.

•On the day, people worship the Sun God (Lord Surya or Suryan). 

•Fresh farm products including sugarcane, turmeric, and coconut are arranged on plantain leaves and kept near the kolam.

•Offerings are made to God Surya, God Ganesha, and other gods.

•Domesticated animals are bathed, a new rope is tied and they are given fresh food and sweets.

Cooking of Pongal

The most important event of the day is the cooking of Pongal dish, which is done during the auspicious moment when the Thai month begins. The Pongal is prepared in a fresh earthen vessel, which is adorned with flowers, turmeric leaves, and roots.

 The first prepared Pongal on the day is offered to Surya and each of its auspicious ingredients has a symbolic meaning. Milk and rice are the signs of prosperity, sugarcane of sweetness and turmeric augurs the good things to come.

Why is Pongal Cooked and Offered?

On Pongal and Sankranti day, cooking a sweet rice preparation is must for Hindus in South Hindustan, especially in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and parts of Karnataka. Pongal, or sometimes referred as Pongali, is prepared using fresh farm produce, sugarcane, rice, dal, jaggery, grapes, dry fruits, sugar, and milk. All these ingredients are cooked in a pot in the open and allowed to boil over. The cooking of the Pongal dish signifies plenty and prosperity for the year ahead.

This first preparation is offered to God Surya or the Sun God as Naivedya – It is a sort of thanksgiving to Surya whose energy is used to cultivate the food that we eat.

Farmers observe this ritual for a good harvest in the coming season.

Talk about Pongal festival and the first thing that comes to mind is the boiling over of the cooking rice and lentils, known as pongal dish. This pongal dish is offered to Lord Surya, who is Pratyaksha Brahman – the visible God. For a prosperous and peaceful year, on the Pongal day, Lord Surya (the Sun God) is worshipped after the birth of Thai Month. Pujas and rituals on the day are dedicated to the Sun God.

How to Perform Pongal Puja?

Surya Puja is performed outside the house after sunrise on the Pongal day. Some people invite priests to perform Surya Narayana Puja on the day.

All pujas are performed after sunrise on the first day of Thai month.

Drawing of Pongal Kolam

The place chosen to perform the puja is thoroughly cleaned and a Surya Kolam is drawn - a Kolam with the face of God Surya. People also draw sugarcane, peacock, boiling pongal pot etc in or around the Surya Kolam.

The Pongal Puja

•The pongal and other dishes specially prepared for the day are offered to Surya.

•For many people, cooking of pongal itself is an offering and they perform it outside with a tripod of sugarcane – three sugarcane sticks erected like an uncovered tent.

•The pongal pot is tied with turmeric plant.

•Apart from the pongal and other dishes, some people also offer fruits, vegetables, produce from recent harvest, sugarcane, coconut, betel leaves, betel nut and flowers.

•All the fruits, vegetables, flowers and pongal dish are kept on the Surya kolam and a lamp is lit and prayers are offered to Surya.

Prayers Chanted on Pongal

Aditya Hridayam or Surya Ashtotaram or Gayatri mantra is recited. Or you can simply mediate and say some simple prayers.

After The Pongal Puja

After the prayers, some water and flowers are sprinkled on the kolam and pongal dish. You can also sprinkle some uncooked rice mixed with turmeric (akshata).

After final prayers, the pongal, other dishes and fruits are distributed.

Looking at Sun’s reflection in water

In some regions, there is a ritual to look at the Sun’s reflection in a vessel filled with water. Some communities add turmeric and kumkum to the water and look at this reflection. Another unique ritual is to look at sun through the gaps of fingers.

Puja After Sunset

After sunset special prayers are offered to God Surya. This includes chanting of any shloka dedicated to the sun god.

Ever wondered why is sugarcane an indispensable part of Pongal? Sugarcane symbolizes sweetness and happiness. But there is also a story associated with Shiva for the widespread use of sugarcane during Pongal.  

 It is said that on a Perum Pongal day,  Mahadev Shiva performed the miracle of feeding sugarcane to a stone image of an elephant in the Madurai Meenakshi Temple. Mahadev Shiva is known as Bhagwan Sundareshwar in Meenakshi temple and there is a stone carving based on the event in the temple.

Apart from sugarcane some of the other essentials during Pongal are turmeric tufts, koorai poo, Aavaram poo, banana leaves and mango leaves. Koorai poo is believed to keep evil away and so it is placed in front of houses. 

The neck of the Ponga panai (the vessel in which Pongal is prepared) is tied with fresh turmeric leaves. In some places, fresh tender green leaves of ginger are also used. The green leaves symbolize prosperity. 

Kite flying is a major activity during Makar Sankranti and Uttarayan. The story of origin of Kite flying is associated with Bhagavan Sri Ram. The story happens when Bhagavan Sri Ram was a kid. Hanuman too plays an important role in the story. It is mentioned in the Bala Kanda of Ramcharitmanas.

One day during their childhood, Bhagavan Sri Ram and his brothers were playing by flying kites. The kite of Bhagavan Sri Ram was breathtakingly beautiful and it soared into the sky. It went so high that it left earth and reached heaven.

In heaven, the kite was spotted by the wife of Jayant. Jayant was the son of Indra, the king of Devas. She was enamored by the kite and wanted to know to whom the beautiful kite belonged. She was also puzzled as to who on earth had the power to fly a kite so high that it reached heaven. She caught the kite and kept it with her thinking that the owner of the kite would definitely come to get it.

On earth, child Sri Ram was worried, as he could not locate his kite. He then summoned Bal Hanuman (child Hanuman) and asked him to bring back his kite. Pavan Putra Hanuman flew up into the sky and soon disappeared. Searching for the kite, he reached heaven and spotted the kite with Jayant’s wife.

She wanted to know to whom the kite belonged. Hanuman told her that the kite belonged to Bhagavan Sri Ram. She then wanted to have darshan of Bhagavan. Hanuman went back to Sri Ram and told what had happened in heaven. Bhagavan Sri Ram told Hanuman that she could have darshan of him in future in Chitrakoot. When Hanuman delivered the message, she returned the kite. This incident took place during Makar Sankranti. From that day onwards, people started flying kites during Makar Sankranti.

International Kite Day started in Bharat , where it takes place in the northwestern state of Gujarat, and is most widely celebrated in the city of Ahmedabad. The festival is known as Uttarayan in the Hindi language, and it is also called Makar Sakranti in parts of India. It celebrates the changing of the seasons from winter to summer, as well the upcoming harvest of winter crops. People come from countries all over the world to celebrate. The kites that are associated with the festival symbolize the spirit of gods awakening after their winter sleep.

Kite flying was originally done by royalty and the wealthy in Bharat ; at one time kings hired trained flyers to fly kites for them. Today people of all classes and backgrounds fly kites in Hindustan ( Bharat / India) . Many people make kites weeks in advance of the festival, and kites get flown on the weeks surrounding the festival as well. The most common kites are simple, being made of lightweight colored paper with bamboo frames. Besides traditional kites, some have Bollywood stars or social messages on them. Kite strings are often covered with a mixture of rice and ground glass, which helps with "kite fighting". This is a game that takes place during the festival when flyers try to cut each other's strings and knock down their kites. For this reason many people have extra kites as backups, just in case their kite is taken down.

Although the biggest event is at the riverfront in Ahmedabad, people fly kites from the roofs of their homes throughout the rest of the city, as well as throughout the rest of the state. In fact, rooftop gathering with family and friends while flying kites is one of the biggest parts of the day. The eating of traditional Indian food is also an important part of the festival. Common foods include undhiyu—which is a winter vegetable medley, sweets such as jalebi and chikki, and til laddoo, which is a sweet sesame seed brittle. During the day performers put on acrobat shows, and at night illuminated kites fill the air; these lighted kites are called tukkals. Fireworks also fill the night sky. Although this is an Indian festival, Hindu temples in the United States also often celebrate the day as well, and as it is known as an "international" festival, it can be celebrated by anyone.

It is believed that kites came from Shangdong, an eastern province of China; they were spread to Bharat by traders, who brought them to Korea, and then across Asia. Different styles of kites, as well as different cultural purposes for flying them, came about in different locations. Early kites were often made with bamboo, and covered with silk and paper. In 1295 CE, European explorer Marco Polo documented kites and how to fly them. By the sixteenth century, books and literature had publicized kites as children's toys, which helped them gain in popularity. Eventually kites began being used for science. In 1749 Scottish meteorologist Alexander Wilson measured air temperature at 3,000 feet with a thermometer attached to a kite. Benjamin Franklin used a kite to prove lightning is electricity in 1752. The Wright brothers used kites for research when they were building the first airplane in the late 1800s. In the first half of the twentieth century, new kite designs began taking flight, such as the diamond kite, tetrahedral kite, flexible kite, sled kite, and parafoil kite. Starting in the 1950s, NASA began using kites for spaceship recovery. Over the years kites have also been used for surveillance during war. The American Kitefliers Association was formed in 1964.

International Kite Day is being observed today ! It has always been observed annually on January 14th.

Sanatana Hindu Dharma Tirtha (Pilgrimages)

The Kumbh Mela is believed to be the largest religious congregation in the world. It is held at the confluence of the Ganga, the Yamuna and the Saraswati (Sangam) in Prayagraj and on the banks of the river Godavari, Shipra and Ganga in Nashik, Ujjain and Haridwar respectively, periodically once in twelve years. Such a Kumbh Mela is called Purna Kumbh. 

Kumbh Mela significance

Kumbh Mela finds a mention in UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Purna Kumbh takes place once in twelve years while the Ardha (half) Kumbh takes place between two Purna Kumbh (i.e. once in six years in Prayagraj and Haridwar). And the Maha Kumbh is held once in 144 years.

 Kumbh Mela in Haridwar will span over four months. It takes place during the spring season which roughly stretches from mid-January to April. The first bathing (Snan -a dip in the Holy Ganga) will take place on the Maha Shivratri. The other two dates for the holy bathing are Chaitra Amavasya and Mesha Sankranti.

Why Kumbh Melas are Good for the Planet :-

Kumbh Melas are spiritual congregations which unite mankind under one banner of faith and devotion. But that is only the tip of the iceberg.

Kumbh Melas have been happening on the planet for thousands of years. The stone inscriptions of different akhadas refer to more than 1000 Kumbh Melas. Times have changed, technologies have changed, yet one thing about the Kumbh Melas remains: they are the epicenters of cosmic energy.

Every enlightened being that has happened on the planet, or is happening on the planet, attends the Kumbh Mela. One enlightened being is equivalent in energy to nine million people. The Kumbh Mela is the time and the place where all the enlightened masters’ energies are centered to bless and heal the entire planet.

According to the hundreds of experiments by Dr Masaru Emoto, our thoughts and emotions have a distinct effect on our environment. Dr Emoto exposed many samples of the same water to people carrying different emotions and thoughts; some with anger, violence, pain and some with love, gratitude, joy. The effect of the thoughts on the water is unmistakable. It has been proved, beyond all doubt, that thoughts affect water, and hence anything that is fluid. If one person’s thoughts can affect one glass of water, then the effect of millions of sadhus, devotees and enlightened beings on the sacred rivers can not even be imagined.

Deities energised by enlightened masters who have left the body are immersed in water throughout the snaan period of the Kumbh Mela. The healing power of this water is immense. Not only the water, the entire space or kshetra becomes vibrant with their energy.

This water, sanctified by these positive energies, becomes amrit or nectar. ‘Kumbh’ is the place where the nectar happens. Kumbh Mela is the place where amrit is distributed. The best possibilities of a human being become available in the Kumbh Melas by partaking of this amrit.

Followers of Hinduism of all paths, paramparas (traditions), sects and castes unite under one banner of devotion in the Kumbh Melas. The Kumbh Mela is attended by all sadhus and gurus, of all paths. All the major belief sects, sampradayas of Hinduism: Ganapathya – Ganapathi worshippers, Kumara – Skanda worshippers, Shakta – Devi worshippers, Shaiva – Shiva worshippers, Saura – Surya worshippers, Vaisnava – Vishnu worshippers, and Guru – the worshippers of the Guru. The gods of all the traditions are brought here. Also, all the other traditions, Ramakrishna Mission, Chinmaya Mission and many other missions representing their gods and gurus also take part in the Kumbh Mela.

The dust from the feet of many great enlightened masters and sages is found in this land. Masters like Shankara, Gnanasambandar, Ramanuja, Swami Narayan, Vivekananda, Kapil Muni, Paramahamsa Yogananda, Sri Rama and Sri Krishna walked there.

The Kumbh Mela is not just a gathering of humanity, it is a grand spiritual festival. It is the place and the time when human beings can visualize and actualize their highest possibilities of achieving the Ultimate. Not only enlightenment, even the path to enlightenment leads to bliss and liberation. A Kumbh Mela is a microcosm of all the dimensions of Hinduism, giving the world an opportunity to explore the higher Self Mission. 

SantoshKumar B Pandey at 2.10PM.