This influx of annual pilgrims swells to a flood every twelve years, when the spiritual energy emanating from Prayaga Raja (Allahabad) becomes further concentrated at the time of the Kumbha Mela, when thousands of saints and sages and millions of faithful seekers and pilgrims converge on the banks of the Ganga to bask in this energy field. Twelve of these cycles culminate in a Maha Kumbha Mela, an extraordinary event that occurs every 144 years, as it does this year. The collective consciousness engendered by the special concentration of spiritual energy during a Maha Kumbha Mela brings a radical shift in the destiny of humankind. And this year, this event coincides with the dawn of the new millennium.

What is the origin of the Kumbha Mela? A story told in several of the Puranas reveals the origin of the Mela, and points to its significance in modern times.

Once during a time of material prosperity the higher virtues fell into decline, and as a result the elixir of life almost vanished from this earthly realm. All living beings and all aspects of nature became weak and pale. The Devas pleaded with the Creator to recharge creation with fresh vitality, but were told that the elixir of life now lay buried in the depths of the ocean. The Devas reported this to all living beings, and so it was that gods, demons, and humans of all races and faiths joined forces to find and recover the elixir. They set out to churn the entire ocean (which would cause the elixir to rise to the surface), and churn they did, laboring night and day. But to their dismay the first fruit of their labor was not the elixir they were seeking but a vial of poison so deadly that if it were released from its container it would scorch all creation. The search could not go on until this menace was removed, yet no one had the capacity or the wisdom to dispose of it except Shiva-who came forward and drank it at great risk to himself.

The churning resumed. But when the vessel containing the elixir finally appeared, everyone rushed for it, and to prevent it from falling into the hands of those who would keep it for themselves Dhanwantari, the primordial physician, snatched the vessel and fled. In maneuvering to escape, however, he dropped three drops of the elixir: one fell on the town of Ujjain, one on Nasik, and a third on Haridwar. At Prayaga Raja the crowd caught and overwhelmed Dhanwantari, and in the melee all of the elixir spilled out and disappeared as soon as it touched the ground.

Yet all was not lost. Because Prayaga Raja is a holy place, the elixir manifests its life-giving properties every twelve years when the Sun is in the House of Capricorn. And because the elixir was originally contained in a kumbha (vessel), and the land itself now serves as the vessel, this twelve-year gathering at Prayaga Raja every twelve years is called kumbha mela, "the spiritual gathering around the vessel."

This story reminds us that when we attempt to procure elixir we must be ready to deal with poison; we can benefit from gathering around the vessel of elixir only when we realize that poison and elixir go hand in hand. Achieving even the noblest goal entails some degree of pain. And because our natural tendency is to avoid pain, the one who takes it on for the sake of others becomes Shiva, the most auspicious and benevolent of beings.

Anyone with a scientific mind will regard this story as pure myth. Yet it is documented in the sacred literature and has been recited by the faithful down through the ages, inspiring pilgrims to pour into Allahabad every twelfth year when the spiritual energy there is believed to be especially intense. Whether this story is literally true or not, it has created a collective consciousness that has transformed Prayaga Raja into a sacred site. Through intense practice, by both the adepts and the multitude, during the kumbha mela the energy field is intensified to the point at which it has the power to transform individual consciousness.