In the year 2021, the holy Kumbh was organized in Haridwar, I stayed here for 10 days and every day I talked with the sadhus, ate food and took a bath in the Ganga with the sadhus. In these 10 days, I imbibed the Kumbh and pushed my conscious mind to refine myself. While staying in Kumbh, I did a lot of photoshoots and today I have brought some photos from that huge photoshoot in front of you again.
Let me tell you about Monday, it was probably the third day of Kumbh. According to the scheduled program, Mahamandaleshwar is going to come today during the day. Along with the Mahamandaleshwars, their religious army will come, which we generally call Sadhu Mahatma or Bhole's army. After waking up in the morning, I have prepared myself to live today's religious day. I am standing on the Naradmuni road, ready to bloom Brahma Kamal in the meadows of my mind.
After 8 o'clock in the morning, one after the other religious tableaux started flowing like the Ganges on the streets of Haridwar. The whole of Haridwar started resonating with the chants of “Har Har Mahadev” all around. I saw the Ganga dancing with this music and to tell you the truth, the old man inside me took a deep breath and closed his eyes and started meditating on the Ajna Chakra. I was oblivious to myself and my Brahmankaal which I was not allowing to bloom.
Religiosity and the inclusion of religion was flying on the road like the colors of Holi in which common people had surrendered. Conches were being blown…the sweet music had tied the sinful hearts of people in its sacred thread. The eyes of all of us had become moist even though we did not want it to, some people started dancing so much as if the energy had created a furore inside them. It is difficult to say whether people were dancing or remembering their sins and fighting with themselves and God for freedom from sins.
I am walking step by step with the Mahatmas, I consider myself a sheep in their herd and I am walking with them as if they are my shepherds. A Mahatma has taken off a garland of marigold flowers from his neck and put it around my neck. I am smiling from outside and crying bitterly from inside. As the convoy moves towards the Ganga, it becomes difficult for me to control myself.
A Mahatma of about 90 years jumped into the Ganga like a 15-year-old child. While I was fighting my internal conflict, this same Mahatma, standing on the bank, caught my hand and dipped me straight into the Ganga. As soon as my head went into the Ganga, tears started flowing from my eyes. I struggled to breathe, then the Mahatma pulled me out by my long hair. When I came out sobbing, I saw that nothing was the same outside.
I don't know what the Ganga river did to me or the Mahatma did something to me. I am feeling better. After a while I sat down on the bank of the Ganga and started remembering the incident that happened a while ago. I have lost my senses and am caught in a web of thoughts... Suddenly a man in white clothes comes and says something to me and disappears somewhere in the crowd.
Even today I remember his words as they are "Ganga herself has wiped your tears... now move ahead towards the sea".
This is my entry for #monomad challenge.
Disclaimer: This post is originally written in Hindi and I have used Google Translator to translate the Hindi text in English. All the photos have been clicked by me from Canon 77d and edited in lightroom. Post thumbnail created and edited in Adobe Photoshop