The traditional and perennial symbolism of the Kumbh Mela

From the point of view of the spiritual quest it is obvious: When one undertakes the quest, the higher and lower tendencies within us, the Devas and Asuras tug either way at one's ego, rotating it back and forth and churning up the subconscious.

- RAVI KANDAMATH

The divine nature of flowing water has been a theme recognised by all traditions since the beginning of time and found at the heart of all of the religious traditions. It speaks most directly to the universal and uncoloured bursting forth of Life underlying them all. In the Hindu tradition, the perennial river is the goddess Ganga (River Ganges)-coming down from the heavens through the penance of a renunciate king to the Great Lord Shiva.

It sustains the subcontinent where most of the world today live. At Prayag, at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the subterranean Saraswati, the great and holy Maha Kumbh Mela this year is poised to draw millions.

The Kumbh Mela, the largest religious gathering in the world (over 120 million pilgrims), is held in four locations along the Ganges. The mela has a tradition traced back to time itself. The dates of celebrations are calculated according to the astral positions of the Sun, the Moon and Jupiter in the firmament. The belief is that at these spots the Lord Maha Vishnu, who sustains the universe, in his form of the enticing Mohini, spilt the Holy Grail containing the nectar of immortality.

The Maha Kumbh Mela this year is especially significant as it last took place 144 years ago and as the Puranic texts state: "Those who bathe in the bright waters of the Ganga where they meet the dark waters of the Yamuna and the transcendent flow of Saraswati under the watch of Sun, Moon and Jupiter during the month of Magha [around January/February of the Gregorian Calendar] will not be reborn, even in thousands of years" ―the fulfilment of the objective that is considered to be life's purpose by most in the Dharmic religions.