BY AMELIA MATTHEWS
NORWALK, CA - Kumbh Mela was celebrated at the Excelsior High School grounds here on Oct 24 with fanfare and rituals.The celebration was a historic milestone as for the first time the Mela was held in the US under the official authority of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad – the apex organization which holds the...
NORWALK, CA - Kumbh Mela was celebrated at the Excelsior High School grounds here on Oct 24 with fanfare and rituals.The celebration was a historic milestone as for the first time the Mela was held in the US under the official authority of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad – the apex organization which holds the...
  |   |
Kumbh Mela in India.This year,the Kumbh Mela was held in Nasik, Maharastra from July through September. Organized by the Nithyananda University based in Montclair, the colorful celebrations kicked off in the afternoon with a Rudra Homa ceremony to bring rain to drought-hit California. The ceremony was performed largely by children whose third eye has been awakened. Following this there was a Grand Procession of deities in which a number of local temples participated by bringing their chief deities and joining the procession which went around the grounds. The deities were then immersed in a pool of water .Water brought from the river Godavari in Maharashtra which has been mentioned in Hindu scriptures and is the second longest river in India after the Ganges , was added to the kalasha which made the water sacred. The sacred water was then sprinkled on all devotees in attendance. The Maha Pancharathi launched the evening program with Shri Madhur Srivastav welcoming all to the celebration and informing the gathering that this was the fifth time the Mela has been celebrated in the US. He was encouraged by the fact that devotees not only from Southern California but also other cities like San Jose, Phoenix, Seattle, New York and Toronto had joined in the celebration .Introducing Paramahansa Nithyananda, he said he was the most watched spiritual leader on YouTube with over 19 million views and the author of more than 300 books published in 20 languages.
He invited special guests and keynote speakers Rajiv Malhotra and Stephen Knapp aka Shri Nanda Nandanadasa, to participate in the lamp lighting ceremony.
The highlight of the evening was a pre-recorded address by Paramahansa Nithyananda from India. With devotees listening in awe, he thanked Southern Californians for their tremendous support to the Mela going on to give a brief history of the Mela in India which is celebrated either in Hardwar, Nasik, Ujjain or Prayag once in three years depending on the alignment of stars. He called it the “ largest gathering of humanity” coming together to demonstrate and seek yogic powers. He blessed the celebrations as a means of preserving and advancing Hindu Dharma all over the world.
Another highlight enjoyed by the audience was the Third Eye Demo by children from the Gurukul. Introduced by Muktha Nithya Ananda the three girls, ranging from 10 to 15 years were triple blind folded and correctly read out messages written by random members of the audience. Muktha Nithya Ananda who is the Director of Program Development at the University, said the aim was to tap the highest potential of human beings and share this with the world. In the Kumbh Melas in India, sadhus demonstrate yogic powers that can be achieved by all of us. A cultural dance and music show was put up by the youth. Rajiv Malhotra autographed books authored by him. Free Sattvic food was provided to all in keeping with the tradition of the Kumbh Mela. Sattiv means not only vegetarian food, but fresh food rich in ‘Prana’ or life-force.
He invited special guests and keynote speakers Rajiv Malhotra and Stephen Knapp aka Shri Nanda Nandanadasa, to participate in the lamp lighting ceremony.
The highlight of the evening was a pre-recorded address by Paramahansa Nithyananda from India. With devotees listening in awe, he thanked Southern Californians for their tremendous support to the Mela going on to give a brief history of the Mela in India which is celebrated either in Hardwar, Nasik, Ujjain or Prayag once in three years depending on the alignment of stars. He called it the “ largest gathering of humanity” coming together to demonstrate and seek yogic powers. He blessed the celebrations as a means of preserving and advancing Hindu Dharma all over the world.
Another highlight enjoyed by the audience was the Third Eye Demo by children from the Gurukul. Introduced by Muktha Nithya Ananda the three girls, ranging from 10 to 15 years were triple blind folded and correctly read out messages written by random members of the audience. Muktha Nithya Ananda who is the Director of Program Development at the University, said the aim was to tap the highest potential of human beings and share this with the world. In the Kumbh Melas in India, sadhus demonstrate yogic powers that can be achieved by all of us. A cultural dance and music show was put up by the youth. Rajiv Malhotra autographed books authored by him. Free Sattvic food was provided to all in keeping with the tradition of the Kumbh Mela. Sattiv means not only vegetarian food, but fresh food rich in ‘Prana’ or life-force.
RSS Feed
