Kumbha Mela 2001 : Picture of the Day |
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| Questions and Answers on the Maha Kumbh Mela Question 2 :
How can you create an elevated consciousness in a
crowded, noisy place? Regardless of how spiritual the vibrations, the crowds and problems
of sanitation alone‹not to mention food and water‹would seem to make meditation
impossible. I also hear some sects of sadhus fight over the right to bathe in the river
first, and these fights often become quite violent. What to make of this? |
It is very
difficult to create an elevated consciousness in a crowded, noisy place. But please
remember, the crowded, noisy places are normally where purely sectarian leaders of
Hinduism have their camps. They are the maha-mandaleshvaras (the great lords of the
religious circle) and there is a strict hierarchy among them. Yet their status is
constantly being challenged by others, and they defend their position by exhibiting their
power, charisma, and wealth. This is what causes the fights among the various sects of
sadhus.
What goes on in this "downtown" area of the pilgrimage site is similar to what
goes on during the primaries in an election year in the United States, where the
presidential candidates must prove their popularity. Certainly if you stay in this area
you will be assaulted by the noise of competing loudspeakers, parades, and even violent
brawls among the various factions. If you don't join one of these camps and don't insist
on bathing in the Ganga with a maha-mandaleshvara whose position in the hierarchy is being
challenged by some other group, you will be free from the worst of the noise and crowds.
All along the Ganga, away from "downtown," there are beautiful and peaceful
places where you can do your meditation and contemplate on the purpose and meaning of life
without being disturbed. Yet the very presence of such crowds in the vicinity makes
healthy food, clean water, and sanitation obvious problems. For this reason it is best to
join a well-organized group, one that is there for spiritual, not religious/political,
purposes and which has established a reliable system for providing meals, water, and
sanitation services. Then you will be free to concentrate on your meditation and on
becoming a part of the collective consciousness that coalesces here on this grand
occasion.
Article provided by the Himalayan Institute's online
newspaper, The Kumbha Mela Times. To get your free subscription to this
online newspaper, see http://www.HimalayanInstitute.org.
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