THOUSANDS TAKE PART IN
SANTHIGIRI’S POORNAKUMBHA MELA
Sep 20: Seeking absolution from karmic
bondages, and praying for universal well-being, thousands of devotees from
different corners of the country took part in the PoornaKumbha Mela at
Santhigiri Ashram.In the Kumbhamela procession held in the evening, devotees
clad in pure white attires and wearing saffron sashes across their shoulders,
went round the spiritual zone of the ashram carrying decorated earthen pots,
filled with perfumes and medicinal concoctions, on their heads. It is believed
that the ritual would cleanse the karmic impurities of the self, and of the
world at large.The procession, accompanied by traditional percussion ensembles,
decorated parasols, burning incense, and devotees chanting prayers, ended with
the earthen pots or kumbhas being submitted at the Lotus
Parnasala late in the evening.The earthenpots, clad in yellow cloth, signify
the fragility and transience of material life while the perfume and
medicine signify purity and virtuousness. The ritual is performed after
observing strict austerities for eleven days.Devotees clad in pure white goes
round the spiritual zone of the ashram carrying kumbhams.
One
of the most holy annual spiritual rituals of the ashram, the PoornaKumbha Mela
is celebrated here since 1973, the year of the supreme spiritual ascension of
the ashram’s founder Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru.The day also marked the end
of ‘Navapoojitham’, the 86th birthday celebrations of the Guru.
Prof. John Kurakar
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