Ram Madhav writes on Maha Kumbh: India’s religious unity in variety

Some armchair intellectuals tried to seek out methods to criticise the Kumbh Mela. No one claims that there have been no lapses. Two tragedies result in a painful lack of lives. However the best way the central and state administrations carried out the duty of managing thousands and thousands deserves reward. We hosted ministers from a number of international locations the place folks of Indian origin (PIO) stay in giant numbers. For them, such crowds had been unimaginable. One minister commented that the inhabitants equal to that of his complete nation was in entrance of him. It was fascinating for a lot of of them but in addition intimidating to some. A few of them discovered good city administration classes within the preparations made by the administration. Prayagraj is a metropolis of 1.4 million folks. It took many pilgrims from all around the world each hour throughout Kumbh. But, the civic administration didn’t collapse. That proves the environment friendly administration of the occasion.

One columnist bemoaned that Kumbh Mela was symbolic of the codification of Hinduism and the destruction of its spirit of variety. Taking a holy dip in sacred waters exists in each stream of Hinduism. Therefore describing the identical at Prayagraj as “performative” or “compulsory” and accusing it of the Semitisation of Hinduism is ill-informed. Hinduism is pluralist and numerous. But it surely all the time had an inherent streak of unity. Hinduism represents “unity in variety”. It stood for the concept of sarv panth samaadar — equal respect for all methods of worship. However, within the Bhagavad Gita, via Bhagwan Krishna, it additionally known as upon folks to “sarv dharmaan parityajya, maam ekam sharanam vraja” (go away all spiritual doctrines apart and simply discover solace in Me). Events just like the Kumbh Mela had been designed to advertise each the religious ideas. Prayagraj was replete with gurus from lots of of various religion traditions. Therefore, the fear that the range of Hinduism is threatened is unfounded. The good sages of yore had additionally emphasised the religious oneness of the nationwide society. Melas and pilgrimages are supposed to promote that concept of innate unity.

Adi Shankara, one of many biggest sages of Hinduism, established 4 mutts (Hindu monasteries) in 4 corners of India to carry a semblance of unity among the many numerous Hindu sects who worshipped deities like Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti, Ganesha and Surya. He propagated Advaita Vedanta, a non-dualistic philosophy emphasising the oneness of the person soul and divine spirit (atman and brahman). Just like the Kumbh Mela, Adi Shankara’s Advaita Vedanta too was not an effort to destroy the range in Hindu spiritual practices. His teachings offered a framework to reconcile numerous beliefs and practices, together with these of the Buddhists and Sanatanis.

It was that unity which one witnessed on the Kumbh Mela. PM Modi summed this up fantastically: “At this Ekta ka Maha kumbh, each pilgrim, whether or not wealthy or poor, younger or previous, from villages or cities, from India or overseas, from the East or the West, from the North or the South, no matter caste, creed and beliefs, got here collectively. This was an embodiment of the imaginative and prescient of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat that crammed confidence in crores of individuals”.

Huge spiritual congregations are identified in Islam and Christianity as effectively. For the Shias, the annual multi-day Arba’in pilgrimage to the shrine of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Prophet Mohammad and the third Shia imam, is an enormous spiritual affair. This pilgrimage marks the martyrdom of Husayn and takes place yearly at Karbala in Iraq. An estimated 20 million folks attend the pilgrimage. Equally essential and a comparatively smaller pilgrimage for the Muslims is the Haj to Mecca, which brings three to 4 million followers from all around the world to the holy metropolis. For the Christians too, festivals like Semana Santa in Spain and Sinulog within the Philippines entice thousands and thousands of followers.

Kumbh Mela is undoubtedly a lot larger and extra inclusive than many of those festivals. Importantly, as PM Modi identified, it has now acquired the stature of a “international event”. It attracts folks of all religions and several other nations. It might be the time for the PM to contemplate handing over the administration of future Kumbh Melas to a nationwide physique in order that its international stature may be additional enhanced and Indian religious traditions are showcased earlier than the world in a becoming method.

The author, president, India Basis, is with the BJP. Views are private