LAKSHMI MOHANANANDA

ALTHOUGH it was a cold winter day in Prayagraj, the divine waters of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati, which merged together as one, felt warm and soothing on my skin like the Mother embracing a child in Her loving arms.

As I approached my Guru Mohanji in the water with complete faith in Him, we locked eyes and He gave me the most beautiful, unforgettable smile. I stood in front of Him, yearning for freedom and to become purified to attain my beloved Narayana.

Mohanji lovingly poured the water on me like showers of blessings. In that moment it felt like I was standing in front of Bhagawan Shiva Himself, receiving an unlimited outpouring of His abundant grace, compassion and blessings.

In the words of my Guru Mohanji, “the Maha Kumbh Mela represents a sacred portal where people unite to celebrate divine energy and collective consciousness”.

It is a time to dissolve boundaries, lose superficial identities, pretentions and completely merge into the eternal flow of life. The Kumbh Mela is said to be associated with the Kumbh (pot) of Amrit (nectar of immortality), which arose from Samudra Manthan i.e., the churning of the cosmic ocean.

The Kumbh Mela is celebrated every six years in either one of the four sacred locations in India namely Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik and Ujjain where the divine Amrit is said to have fell on earth.

The Maha Kumbh Mela or Purna (complete) Kumbh happens every 12 years whereas this once in a lifetime Maha Kumbh Mela in 2025 occurred after 144 years during a rare planetary alignment of the Sun, Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn and represents the 12-year cycle occurring 12 times, i.e., 144 years.

This year the Maha Kumbh Mela happening in Prayagraj began on January 13 during Paush Poornima, and concludes on February 26 on the auspicious day of Maha Shivaratri. Approximately 400 million people are said to take a holy dip or snan at the Triveni Sangam, a sacred confluence where the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers converge symbolising a divine portal of purity, love and wisdom. It is believed that taking a dip in these sacred waters during this auspicious time can cleanse karma, rejuvenate the spirit and bring about inner harmony and profound transformation.

Mohanji narrated a beautiful story of respect, selflessness and humility where Adi Shankaracharya told the greats saints of the Himalayas to share their spiritual power with all those people who are eligible, as repayment because the saints utilise earth for their sadhana to attain these powers.

Hence, during Kumbh Mela, the great saints from far and wide and from the Himalayas walk to the Ganga to deliver their sacred power, some very powerful saints without a name or even fame, come to immerse themselves in the Ganga sharing their spiritual power and those seekers who have emptied themselves and have a soul yearning to attain liberation are called to receive that power. In my opinion, Maha Kumbh Mela is a sacred journey or pilgrimage of the soul’s yearning to become purified and merge with God.

This year, Mohanji Foundation created a Mohanji village at the heart of Kumbh Mela, which is just a 2-minute walk to the Ganga and a kilometre downstream of Triveni Sangam. The Mohanji village is the epitome of Mohanji’s teachings of love, kindness, purity and non-violence. Spiritual seekers can book to stay at the Mohanji village in either the cottages or tent accommodation and experience the blissful Maha Kumbh.

One is greeted by a beautiful Shirdi Sai Baba temple at the entrance of the village, with a sacred Shiva linga and homa site for conducting poojas. There is a satsang hall, canteen and also a purely vegan café on site. The atmosphere of the Mohanji village is that of love and unity whereby seekers from around the world have gathered together for this once in a lifetime experience. There are various accommodations available at the Kumbh mela however I recommend the Mohanji village because I personally stayed there, one can check out mohanji.org for more information.

With tears in my eyes, I count myself greatly blessed to have such a compassionate Guru as Mohanji whom has given himself completely to serving this world and guiding us spiritual seekers towards liberation. The only reason I ever heard about Kumbh Mela was because of Mohanji.

In 2019, I attended Kumbh Mela with Mohanji in Prayagraj and received my spiritual name Lakshmi directly from Mohanji just before my dip. The spiritual name and guidance of the Guru served as a bridge connecting me deeper to my true self. Major transformations happened in my life since then, with various highs and lows and some very, painful experiences but everything given by the Guru is parsad for the purpose of awakening the seeker and pushing him or her to the next level.

Amidst the millions of people, we were well taken care off and the dips with Mohanji were nothing short of priceless. A moment of peace and serene as Mohanji poured the water on every single participant equally, giving immense love to everyone. If possible then do travel to Prayagraj to experience this once in a lifetime Maha Kumbh, but if not then utilise this auspicious time to meditate and connect to the divine energy of the Maha Kumbh from your heart centre, feeling the divine waters pouring over you, releasing painful baggage and negativity emotions as a form of self-purification and embracing the union with the ultimate Supreme Consciousness. You are deeply loved by the Divine as you are.

Sholane Surjoo, spiritually known as Lakshmi Mohanananda, of Ladysmith, shared the precious moments of her time with spiritual master and humanitarian Mohanji at the Maha Kumbh Mela. In 2023, she served a term as the president of Mohanji Foundation South Africa and currently serves as a member on the Mohanji Foundation country council for South Africa. She is an academic and science lecturer at North West University.

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.

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