Forty-eight hours ago, I left Akhand Param Dham, a kind of subsidiary of Nirajani Akhara (here Akhara means a spiritual academy), where I had stayed for three days. This is perhaps one of the hundred sites in the 10,000 acres of land covering the 2025 Prayagraj Maha Kumbh. However, the Kumbh has not left me! These feelings are similar to the experiences one gets after suddenly stopping and sitting down with eyes closed after spinning around for only a minute or two. Despite the body being no longer in motion, one feels giddy as if the surroundings are revolving in the opposite direction and turning up or down. Here are the following iconic images and thoughts that continue to emerge in and out of my Kumbh consciousness. 

• The sights of the ‘poor’ masses walking with their meager belongings balanced on their heads and hanging on their shoulders. They are the epitome of faith in Kumbh, a time immemorial tradition in Hindu religion. 

• Traffic congestion and crowd management have to be witnessed in order to be believed. Being amidst a crowd for a couple of minutes is one of the essential experiences of the Kumbh – it is the full and physical identification with fellow faithfuls. All caste distances and distinctions disappear! 

• The sight of a dusty atmosphere over the Kumbh site. Both banks of the Ganga River being sandy, thousands of pedestrians continuously walking on them and hundreds of vehicles driving over beat up the sand into superfine particles that rise up in the atmosphere and envelop the entire region. This is despite the fact that water tankers are continually spraying water on these temporary routes. 

• Persons like me from the US, not exposed to such a dusty atmosphere, are adversely affected sooner or later. In fact, I too became a victim. On the third evening, my problem started with a scratching throat which turned into coughing at night. However, during winter months, varied coughs and colds are in the air in most households in north India. It must be added that in the Kumbh region, numerous government clinics provided free medical consultation and dispensation of some medicines. 

• The iconic images of the devotees taking dips in the waters of the holy Ganga is another exercise in the collective reaffirmation in the Hindu heritage. It may be looked at as a kind of baptism – but more importantly, it is their renewing Hindu faith. Yes, on the 9th afternoon, I bathed in the holy Ganga and ritually dipped in the waters twice! It was my way of joining a symphony of bathers in the Ganga river- for me, it meant nothing more than that! 

• In essence, Kumbh is a spiritual convention – the only one of its kind in the entire world. Its 12-year cycle tells that any new spiritual siddhi, which also means the reversion of Einstein’s mass-energy equation – converting invisible energy into a visible mass, takes at least 12 years before it is shared with new disciples. There are no elements of showmanship and exhibitions which dominate the annual convention of scientific, industrial and commercial organizations.

• Certain so-called spiritual organizations had all the fanfare of lights and sounds, and digital advertisements. Their make-shift structures are both works of art and architecture. Some structures go up as high as 60’. They are put together in a day or two, and dismantled in couple of hours. They appear to be so solid, but they are mostly plastic sheets and bamboo support.

• There are sights and sounds of talks, musical programs and kirtans going on for 24 hours – some are welcomed, others jar the ears. The loudspeakers blare discourses and commentaries on scriptures. Just like in my mathematics meeting, people are generally seen sampling and attending lectures based on their catchy titles or names of well-known speakers. Likewise, people in the Kumbh walk in a meeting room, sit through a lecture, and walk out after a while. After all, Kumbh provides a spiritual buffet! 

• Personally, I happened to listen to two out of many discourses on the Shrimad Bhagvad (different from Bhagavad Gita) given every day in our campsite by Mahamandleshwar Swami Chitprakahanand, the current head of the Shakti Sadhana Dham based in Vrindavan. In fact, I did not listen to him speaking inside the 1000 capacity hall, but while sitting outside and writing a reflection! 

1. His narrative pulled me away from my reflection. His genius lay in connecting some aspects of Bhagwad stories with the current social and political events in India. His ideas resonated with my thinking. At the end, I briefly spoke with him. We look forward to his association with the American Hindu Association. 

1. Finally, the sights of long lines of langar/free food stand out. The food stalls were set up at staggered hours both inside and/or outside the campsites of most major spiritual organizations. By the way, there was no littering of any wasted food and plates – otherwise, a common sight in India. Incidentally, giving alms to beggars and feeding the hungry are popular acts of piety in Hinduism. 

That is all about the tangible nuggets of this MahaKumbh. 

(Kumbh Shriman) Satish C. Bhatnagar 

February 12, 2025 (Bathinda) 

• Hindu religious titles explained…
• Kumbh Shri- gone to 1 Kumbh. 
• Kumbh Shriman – gone to 2 Kumbhs 
• Kumbh Shiromani – gone to 3 kumbhs 
• Kumbh Ratna – gone to all 4 kumbhs 

Author Satish C. Bhatnagar, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Mathematical Sciences,  University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89154 Phone: 702-895-0383 Email: bhatnaga@unlv.nevada.edu
Adjunct Professor, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda (2019 –  ) UNLV Faculty Senate (2018 – 2021)

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