Know the connection of Kumbh Mela with China, why did Lord Shiva start running madly after Mohini?

New Delhi:The story of Mahakumbh is strange. A popular story regarding the organization of Kumbh festival is that in the fight between the gods and demons over the nectar obtained from the churning of the ocean, four drops of nectar from Kumbh fell on the earth, since then in Prayag, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik. Kumbh Mela started being organized. According to Bhagwat Purana, when all the gods including Indra became weak due to the curse of Maharishi Durvasa, the demons attacked the gods and defeated them.
Then all the gods together went to Lord Vishnu and narrated the whole story to him/her. Then Lord Vishnu advised him/her to churn the ocean of milk along with the demons. After this all the gods and demons together churned the ocean. When the pot filled with nectar came out, at the behest of the Gods, Indra’s son Jayant took the form of a crow and flew into the sky carrying the pot of nectar. After that, as per the orders of Daityaguru Shukracharya, the demons chased Jayant to take back the nectar and caught Jayant on the way. After this, the war between gods and demons continued for 1 day for Amrit Kumbh.

When Lord Vishnu ‘played’ by taking the form of Mohini

According to Padampuraan, Mohini is the only female incarnation of Lord Vishnu. In this, she is shown in such a feminine form which fascinates everyone. One forgets everything after being captivated by it. This incarnation is also mentioned in Mahabharata. At the time of Samudra Manthan, when the gods and demons had got nectar from the ocean, then the gods were afraid that the demons might become immortal after drinking the nectar. Then he/she went to Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu took the incarnation of Mohini and made the gods drink nectar and charmed the demons and prevented them from becoming immortal.

This is how the churning of the ocean took place, they ran away with the nectar pot

During the churning of the ocean, Lord Vishnu appeared in the form of Dhanvantari carrying the last gem, Amrit Kalash. When the demons ran away from Lord Dhanvantari with the nectar pot, Vishnu abandoned the form of Dhanvantari and took the form of a woman. The woman was so beautiful that she was named Mohini. Mohini took the nectar from the demons and went to the gods. She attracted the demons towards herself and started feeding nectar to the gods.

The head of the demon who understood the illusion of Vishnu was cut off and Rahu and Ketu became Rahu and Ketu.

A demon named Swarabhanu understood the trick of Vishnu in the form of Mohini and went to drink the nectar in the guise of a god. When Mohini came to know about this, she cut off Swarbhanu’s head with Sudarshan Chakra but by then the sip of nectar went down his/her throat and he/she became immortal and his/her head became famous by the name of Rahu and his/her torso by the name of Ketu. .

Why organize Mahakumbh instead of Kumbh?

It is said that during this war, some drops of Amrit Kalash fell at four places on earth. Out of which the first drop fell in Prayagraj, the second in Haridwar, the third in Ujjain and the fourth in Nashik. This is the reason why Kumbh Mela is organized at these four places. Kumbh means ‘nectar’ pot. It is believed that the 12 days of the gods are equal to 12 years on earth. That’s why Mahakumbh happens every 12 years.

Why was Lord Shankar enamored with Mohini’s form?

There is mention in Srimad Bhagwat about the Mohini form of Lord Vishnu and Lord Shankar being enamored with her. It is written in this-

O Anga, free yourself from the worship of the best gods.
Maya created by the gods gave birth to a broad hip. 30.
he/she is the degree of Rudra, the wonderful worker of Vishnu.
he/she, like a physician, lost the desire he/she had given back. 31.
The semen of Chalakanda and Magha flowed behind him/her.
They followed the scent of the herd like the leader of a flock of snowflakes. 32.

That is, O Maharaj! Then, freeing herself from both the arms of Shankar, the best among the gods, the Mohini created by Lord Vishnu ran away. As if defeated by his/her enemy Kamadeva, Mahadev also started running behind the illusive Mohini form of Vishnu who had a strange character. While chasing, like the elephant following Ritumati Hathini, Amoghavirya Mahadev lost control over his/her work.

Kumbh took place during the reign of Emperor Harshvardhan in the 7th century.

In Devdutt Patnaik’s book ‘The Man who was a Woman and Other Queer Tales from Hindu Lore Front Cover’, it is said that the oldest description of the beginning of the Kumbh Mela in history is found during the time of Emperor Harshvardhan in the seventh century. Hiuen Tsang, the famous Chinese pilgrim who came to India at that time, is said to have participated in the Kumbh at Prayag. Harsh had also organized religious councils in this Prayagraj. At the same time, Adi Guru Shankaracharya is given the credit for its beginning. Who started organizing Kumbh Mela to re-establish Sanatan Dharma throughout India.

Sun, Moon, Jupiter and Saturn play important roles in Aquarius.

Among all the planets, the role of Sun, Moon, Jupiter and Saturn is considered important in Aquarius. When there was a war going on between the gods and demons over the nectar pot, the moon saved the nectar from flowing in the tug of war, the Guru hid the pot. At the same time, Sun God saved the Kalash from bursting and Shani protected it from the anger of Indra. That is why, when the combination of these planets occurs in one zodiac sign, then the Kumbh Mela is organized.

It took 144 years to reach from Kumbh to Mahakumbh

Kumbh is organized every three years. Jupiter stays in one zodiac sign for a year and takes about 12 years to move to each zodiac sign. That is why Kumbh is organized at the same place every 12 years. Kumbh is held every three years at different places in the four designated places. Kumbh of Prayag has special significance. Mahakumbh is organized here after 144 years.

First the royal bath takes place, then the common people take a dip.

The first bath in the Kumbh Mela is led by saints, known as the Shahi Snan of the Kumbh and starts at 3 am. After the royal bath of the saints, common people are allowed to take bath in the holy river. According to Hindu mythology, it is believed that those who take a dip in the waters of these holy rivers become free from sin for eternity and attain salvation.

Kumbh Mela is included in the UNESCO list

The Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest gathering, has been included in UNESCO’s representative list of ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’. The Kumbh Mela is held on the dates when the nectar fell from the sacred pot into these rivers. Every year the dates are calculated according to the combination of the zodiacal positions of Jupiter, Sun and Moon.