It is said that even those saints and sages who live in divine isolation, high in the Himalayas, engaged only in meditation and austerities, emerge from the mountains to attend the Kumbha

It is according to scientific and astrological methods that the place and date of each Kumbha Mela is determined. When the planets, sun and moon line up in a particular way, there is an incredible positive charge in the atmosphere of one of the Kumbha locations. This positive charge affects the water, the air and the entire atmosphere, such that simply being at that special place, and taking a bath in the holy water, is exceptionally conducive to spiritual growth, and to physical and emotional well-being.

Maha Kumbha Mela – Allahabad 2001

The five weeks spent in the holy land of Prayag Raj, on the banks of the Triveni Sangam, were a time of puja, a time of prayer, a time of satsang, a time of darshan, and a time of holy baths and solemn sankalpa.

Every morning began with sacred meditation and universal prayers. This was followed by a special Shiv Abhishek, puja and yagna ceremony.The days were spent listening to the satsang of visiting saints, wandering through the mela grounds, having "Kumbha Darshan", or practicing one's own personal meditation/sadhana. Each evening, at sundown, we gathered for divine aarti on the holy banks of the Triveni Sangam – the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati.

During the course of one month, all four H.H. Shankaracharyas from the four main Shankaracharya Maths came and graced our camp with their presence and their words. Additionally, our camp was graced by the presence and the blessings of H.H. the Dalai Lama.

Maha Kumbha Mela – Haridwar 1998:

From April 5 to April 13, a most unique spiritual experience occurred in the lap of the Himalayas, along the banks of Holy Mother Ganga. During the auspicious time of the last Kumbha Mela of the millennium, Pujya Sant Shri Rameshbhai Oza (Bhaishri) delivered an awe-inspiring and soul-stirring rendition of Shrimad Bhagwat Katha at Parmarth Niketan Ashram. Through his song, discourse and divine presence, Pujya Bhaishri effortlessly transformed Rishikesh into the timeless, lush, rolling hills of Mathura, Dwarka, and Vrindavan. Parmarth Niketan Ashram the ashram of which Pujya Shri Swami Chidanand Saraswati (Muniji) is president became a land filled with song, dance and divine lila. Days were spent absorbed in Katha; sunset found us gathered at the banks of Mother Ganga, under the Darshan of Lord Shiva, performing an Aarti that can only be described as magical; evenings were spent on Parmarth Niketan's new Dyan Ghat - a historical landmark of size and sublime beauty - dancing, singing or simply basking in the night air as it swept off the waters of Gangaji and across our smiling faces.

Left: Pujya Sant Rameshbhai Oza (Bhaishri) delivers divine Shrimad Bhagwat Katha at Parmarth Niketan Ashram during Kumbha Mela

Right: Pujya Swamiji Gurusharnanandji Maharaj graces Kumbha Mela celebrations with his divine presence, and he is given a souvenir picture of Lord Krishna.

Left: Pujya Sant Morari Bapu, Pujya Bhaishri, Pujya Swamiji and H.H. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan Sahib lead puja on the banks of the Ganges.

Right: The Madhvani family - the generous sponsors of Pujya Bhaishri's katha - perform Ganga Aarti

For almost two weeks conch shells blared, drums played, and spirits soared as tens of thousands of people (from every corner of the Earth) reveled together in the glory of Lord Krishna.

Pujya Sant Morari Bapu, Pujya Shankaracharyaji, Shri Ramanandacharyaji, Shri Vishnu Ashramji, M.M. Shri Swami Satyamitranandaji, Shri M.M. Swami Mangalanandaji, President of All India Sadhu Samaj, Swami Harinarayananandji, Maulana Vahiduddin Khan Sahib, Shri Devi Prasad Bapu, Shri Amardas Bapu, Shri Ram Das Bapu, Shri Dayaram Bapu, and so many other Pujya saints all came and graced the time with their holy presences.

Pujya Bhaishri's Katha was miraculous. He has truly been sent by God to awaken people's souls to the true purpose of life on Earth. As he makes us laugh, the joy brings light to our sorrow; as he makes us cry, the tears wash away our impurities; as he fills our ears with divine song, we can hear the call of God. Our bodies may remain on the Earth and of the Earth, but our spirits are carried to Heaven - softly, gently, but surely - on the wings of his voice.

Left: Pujya Swamiji and Pujya Morari Bapu meet and discuss how to bring greater spirituality to the world

Right: Pujya Bhaishri blesses Pujya Swamiji with tilak on the opening day of the Shrimad Bhagwat Katha.

Left: The Hinduja family - renowned for their prominence and magnanimity - visit Parmarth Niketan during the auspicious and glorious time of Kumbha Mela.

So, we sat, in the lap of the Himalayas, on the banks of Holy Mother Ganga, listening to one of the world's greatest saints sing the word of God.

Then, on April 14, after our souls and spirits had been opened to the sweet, omnipresence of God, there was a special Ganga snan and puja. This day was the special, auspicious occasion of the main Kumbha snan. We awoke early for 5:00 am prayers, then we gathered on the cool, marble steps of the Ganga ghat, as Pujya Swamiji and Pujya Bhaishri led us in sober Ganga Puja. We offered our sincere and humble thanks to the Mother who gave us life and then graciously brought us back to Her banks to hear the song of God.