This year’s Simhastha Kumbh at Ujjain was promoted as Green Simhastha, reports SONAL SRIVASTAVA. The month-long mela concluded on May 21
Cleanliness is moksha from dirt,” declares a hoarding outside the camp of Niranjani Akhada Ashram near the Kshipra River at the Simhastha Kumbh site in Ujjain. The hoarding depicts a sadhu in Padamasana posture, in dhyana mudra with a smile on his face. This year’s Simhastha was promoted as ‘Green Simhastha.’ Thousands of trees were planted, hundreds of toilets were built and roads were being swept regularly. There were several hoardings at the mela venue carrying messages promoting environment conservation.A signboard reads, Kitni pavan hai yeh nadiyan, chahe Ganga ho ya Yamuna, khule main shauch na karen, shauchalaya ka prayog karen — ‘How pure are our rivers, whether Ganga or Yamuna, so don’t defecate in the open, use toilets.’ Thousands of people flock to the Juna Akhada camp near Mullapura crossing in Ujjain. Just before the Kumbh started, Juna Akhada mahamandaleshwar, Avdheshanand Giri mentored a brainstorming session on preserving the panchamahabhutas:earth, fire,water,air and space.“The river takes prana from trees and lakes.The flow and quantity of water in the river should be maintained.This can be done through trees.We should create harmonious existence for our rivers.We have had deforestation on a large scale. So we have to plant more trees to offset that.We are all interconnected;even in one gram of soil you will find millions of living organisms. Go for organic farming. Excessive use of chemical fertilisers has led to sleep disorders,” he says.
Shift In Attitude
His concern is shared by Swami Chidanand Saraswati of Parmarth Niketan ashram, Rishikesh. He says, “This time, they brought Narmada’s water to Kshipra,so that people can take the dip. We don’t want rented Kshipra,we need real Kshipra flowing freely.If the tributaries are clean, then rivers will be clean. Civic bodies of all cities should treat sewage before it falls into the river. The treated water shouldn’t be allowed to flow back into the river; it should be used for watering plants. All sadhus and gurus should come together. If we all work together — then a lot can be achieved!” Swamiji suggests that every shivalaya or temple should build a shauchalaya, toilet. This, he says, will bring a much-needed shift in our attitude. Temples and religions can act as catalysts in conserving biodiversity and protection of environment.Panchamahabhutas play a major role in pujas and sadhanas in Sanatana Dharma.“ All five elements are worshipped as devas,so that a person’s consciousness remains pure and the five elements can be conserved,” says Swami Muktananda Giri of Niranjani Akhada,Haridwar. He adds,“There are not many people who understand shastras and their philosophy. Nowhere is it written in shastras that throw flowers and puja samigri in the river. Shastras say leave it in a place where it’s not trampled on. Flowers used in puja and other such religious paraphernalia could be collected in a ditch to make compost that can be used in plants.” For Muktananda Giriji, the best sadhana is the worship of prakriti or nature. He calls it pancha deva upasana. “Ganesh personifies the earth;He represents solid substance; to worship Ganesh is to worship earth. Shiva symbolises jal tattva. Tej or agni is worshipped as Shakti or Durga. Surya represents vayu. Akash is the space between two molecules, it is present everywhere,and hence,space is represented by Vishnu, who is referred to as Viraat Purush in shastras. So pancha tattva and panch deva form the core of sadhana in Sanatana Dharma,” explains Muktananda Giri,tying his dreadlocks in a bun.
His akhada is one of the seven main Shaiva akharas in Simhastha. Some sadhus went through environmental awareness programmes before participating in the kumbh.“There should be separate ghats and tanks for immersing idols and for asthi visarjan, mortal remains,” says mahamandaleshwar Swami Hansraj Udasi of Hari Sewa Dham Udasin Ashram,Bhilwara.Later, once the kund becomes full, these remains should be taken out and buried with a little bit of salt just like the saints who take samadhi are buried, he says. The State government should plant more trees than those they have cleared for the kumbh, he says. Udasiji’s ashram is associated with Udasin Akhada of which Guru Nanak Dev’s son Shri Chanda ji was a leading exponent. The freshly minted Kinnar Akhada used e-rickshaws and horsedrawn carriages in their pehswai or procession.“ Kumbh makes you believe in rivers once again. Kshipra had turned into a gutter.It should be preserved right from where it starts,” says the flamboyant mahamandaleshwar of Kinnar Akhada, Lakshmi Narayan Tripathi, as she gets ready to give darshan to her disciples. “We cleaned the Gandharva Ghat. In the akhada’s kitchen, we are not using disposables, we are using thalis,” elaborates Kinnar akhada’s patron acharya,Rishi Ajay Das,while talking about the efforts that the young akhada made to keep Simhastha green. Qaid Johar, a Bohra Muslim who sells photos of Mahakals and other Hindu gods for a living,sums up the Green Simhastha.“At least five thousand trees were planted in our area, but now the onus is on us to preserve the trees and take good care of them,” he says. Even though he is Muslim, Johar has firm faith in the power of Mahakal.■
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