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On February 27, Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned to social media to reflect on the Maha Kumbh’s conclusion, calling it a “Maha Yagya of unity.”
Prime Minister Modi praised the successful completion of the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, saying that India must now “unite and come together for the Maha Yagya of a Viksit Bharat.”
In his Maha Kumbh blog, he praised the efforts of the Centre, the state administration, and the people of Prayagraj for tirelessly serving pilgrims from all over the country during this big event that takes place every 144 years.
The Prime Minister writes,
“Maha Kumbh is over… Maha Yagya of unity is over. When the consciousness of a nation is awakened, when it breaks all the shackles of the mindset of hundreds of years of slavery and starts breathing in the air with a new consciousness, then a similar scene appears, as we saw in the Maha Kumbh of unity in Prayagraj since January 13.
On January 22, 2024, during the Praan Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, I spoke about patriotism through devotion to God. During the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, all the gods and goddesses gathered, saints and mahatmas gathered, children and old people gathered, women and youth gathered, and we witnessed the awakened consciousness of the country. This Maha Kumbh was a Maha Kumbh of unity, where the faith of 140 crore countrymen came together at one time through this one festival.
In this region of the holy city of Prayagraj, there is also the sacred area of unity, harmony and love, Shringverpur, where Lord Shri Ram and Nishadraj met. That incident of their meeting is also like the confluence of devotion and harmony in our history. This pilgrimage of Prayagraj still inspires us to have unity and harmony.
For the last 45 days, every day, I have seen how lakhs of people from every corner of the country are moving towards the banks of Sangam. The wave of sentiments of bathing at Sangam kept on increasing. Every devotee was in the mood for just one thing — ‘Snan’ (holy dip) at Sangam. The confluence of Maa Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati was filling every devotee with enthusiasm, energy and faith.
This Maha Kumbh event held in Prayagraj has become a subject of new study for management professionals of the modern era, for planning and policy experts. Today, there is no comparison to such a huge event in the entire world, there is no other example like this.
The whole world is surprised how such a large number of crores of people gathered on a river bank, at the Triveni Sangam. These crores of people had neither received a formal invitation nor any prior information about the time to arrive. People simply set out for the Maha Kumbh…and were blessed by taking a dip in the holy Sangam.
This Maha Kumbh event held in Prayagraj has become a subject of new study for management professionals of the modern era and for planning and policy experts. Today, there is no comparison to such a huge event in the entire world, there is no other example like this.
The whole world is surprised how such a large number of crores of people gathered on a river bank, at the Triveni Sangam. These crores of people had neither received a formal invitation nor any prior information about the time to arrive. People simply set out for the Maha Kumbh…and were blessed by taking a dip in the holy Sangam.
I cannot forget those pictures… I cannot forget those faces filled with immense joy and satisfaction after bathing. Be it women, elderly or disabled people, everyone did whatever they could to reach Sangam.
And it was very pleasing for me to see that today’s young generation of India reached Prayagraj in such large numbers. The youth of India coming forward to participate in the Maha Kumbh sends a very big message. This strengthens the belief that the young generation of India is the carrier of our values and culture and understands the responsibility of taking it forward and is also determined and dedicated towards it.
The number of people who reached Prayagraj for this Maha Kumbh has definitely set a new record. But in this Maha Kumbh, we also saw that those who could not reach Prayagraj also got emotionally involved in this event. Those who took the water of Triveni Tirtha with them while returning from Kumbh, a few drops of that water also gave the same virtue to millions of devotees as the Kumbh ‘snan’. The way so many people were welcomed in every village after returning from Kumbh, the way the whole society bowed their heads with respect to them, is unforgettable.
This is something that has never happened before in the last few decades. This is something that has laid a foundation for many centuries to come.
In Prayagraj, a much larger number of devotees arrived than was imagined. One reason for this was that the administration had also made this estimate based on the experiences of the previous Kumbh. But almost twice the population of America participated in the Maha Kumbh of unity and took a dip.
If people doing research in the spiritual field study this enthusiasm of crores of Indians, they will find that India, which is proud of its heritage, is now moving ahead with a new energy. I believe, this is the sound of the change of era, which is going to write a new future for India.
Friends,
This tradition of Maha Kumbh has been strengthening the national consciousness of India for thousands of years. In every Purna Kumbh, sages, saints and people used to deliberate on the conditions of society at that time for 45 days. In this churning, the country and the society used to get new guidelines.
After this, the conditions and guidelines were reviewed in the Ardha Kumbh every 6 years. By the time of 12 Purna Kumbh, i.e. after an interval of 144 years, the guidelines and traditions that had become outdated were discarded, modernity was accepted and new traditions were created afresh by making changes according to the times.
In the Maha Kumbh held after 144 years, new messages were also given by the sages and saints, keeping in view the time and circumstances of that time. Now this time, such a complete Maha Kumbh held after 144 years has also given us the message of a new chapter in India’s development journey. This message is of a ‘Viksit Bharat’.
Just as in the Maha Kumbh of unity, every devotee, whether poor or rich, child or old, from the country or abroad, villager or city dweller, east or west, north or south, of any caste, of any ideology, all united for a Maha Yagya in the Maha Kumbh of unity. This unforgettable scene of one India, great India became a grand festival of self-confidence in crores of countrymen. Now, in the same way, we have to unite and come together for the Maha Yagya of a Viksit Bharat.
Friends,
Today I am also remembering the incident when as a child Shri Krishna showed the universe in his mouth to mother Yashoda. Similarly, in this Maha Kumbh, Indians and the world have seen the huge form of India’s power. Now we have to move forward with this self-confidence and dedication to fulfil the resolution of a Viksit Bharat.
This is one such power of India, about which our saints had awakened the spirit in every corner of the nation during the Bhakti movement. Be it Vivekananda or Sri Aurobindo, everyone had made us aware of this. Gandhiji also realised this during the freedom movement. If we had known the immense form of this power of India after independence and had channelised this power towards the welfare of all, then it would have become a great power for India to come out of the effects of slavery. But we could not do this then. Now I am satisfied, and happy that this power of the people is uniting for a Viksit Bharat.
From Vedas to Vivekananda and from Upanishads to satellites, India’s great traditions have shaped this nation. As a citizen, I wish that while remembering our ancestors and our sages with unconditional devotion, we should take new inspiration from this great Kumbh of unity and take new resolutions with us. Let us make the great mantra of unity our life mantra and dedicate ourselves to the service of God in the service of the nation and to the service of Shiva in the service of living beings.
Friends,
When I went to Kashi for the elections, my inner feelings were expressed in words, and I said — Maa Ganga has called me. There was also a sense of responsibility in this, regarding the purity and cleanliness of our mother rivers. At the confluence of Ganga-Yamuna-Saraswati in Prayagraj, my resolve has become stronger. Ganga ji, Yamuna ji, the cleanliness of our rivers is connected to our life journey. It is our responsibility that whether the river is small or big, considering every river as a symbol of a life-giving mother, we must celebrate river festival at our convenience. This Maha Kumbh of unity has inspired us to keep our rivers clean continuously and keep strengthening this campaign continuously.
I know, organising such a huge event was not easy. I pray to Maa Ganga… Maa Yamuna… Maa Saraswati… O Maa, if we have fallen short in our worship, please forgive us. If we have fallen short in serving the devotees, who are God to me, I seek forgiveness from the public as well.
Friends,
The responsibility of serving the crores of people who reached Prayag filled with devotion and became a part of this Maha Kumbh of unity has also been fulfilled only with the power of devotion. Being an MP from UP, I can proudly say that under the leadership of Yogi ji, the government, administration and the public together made this Maha Kumbh of unity a success. Be it the Centre or the state, there was no ruler, no administrator, everyone was a servant filled with devotion. Our sanitation workers, policemen, boatmen, drivers, food cooks, and everyone made this Maha Kumbh a success by working continuously with full devotion and service. Especially, the way the residents of Prayagraj have served the devotees in these 45 days, despite facing many difficulties, is incomparable. I express my gratitude and congratulations to all the residents of Prayagraj, the people of UP.
Friends,
Seeing the scenes of Maha Kumbh, the feelings that arose in my mind from the very beginning, which have become stronger in the last 45 days, my faith in the bright future of the nation has become stronger manifold.
The way 140 crore countrymen made the Maha Kumbh of unity in Prayagraj a great identity of today’s world is amazing. Impressed by the hard work, efforts and resolve of the countrymen, I will soon visit Shri Somnath, the first Jyotirlinga out of the twelve Jyotirlingas, and offer my Sankalp Pushp as a form of devotion and pray for every Indian.
The physical form of Maha Kumbh has attained completion on Maha Shivratri. But I am confident that like the uninterrupted flow of Maa Ganga, the flow of spiritual consciousness and unity of Maha Kumbh will continue to flow.”
Source: IANS
