Bathing in these rivers during the Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela is considered an endeavor of great merit, cleansing both body and spirit. The Allahabad and Haridwar
(Har Dwar) festivals are routinely attended by five million or more pilgrims (13 million visited Allahabad in 1977 and over 18 million in 1989) thus the Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela is the largest religious gathering in the world. It may also be the oldest
Two traditions are in circulation regarding the origin and timing of the festival: one that stems from ancient texts known as the Puranas, and the other that connects it with astrological considerations. According to the Puranic epic, the gods and demons had churned the milky ocean at the beginning of time in order to gather various divine treasures including a jar containing a potion of immortality. As the jar emerged from the ocean the gods and demons began a terrific battle for its possession. During the battle, which according to some legends the gods won by trickery, four drops of the precious potion fell to earth. These places became the sites of the four Kumbha Mela festivals. The astrological tradition (ascribed to a lost Puranic text and not traceable in extant editions) seems to stem from a very ancient festival called the Kumbha Parva, which occurred at Hardwar every twelfth year when Jupiter was in Aquarius and the sun entered Aries
The object of performing a vrat is as varied as the human desire, and may include gaining back lost health & wealth, begetting offspring’s, praying for divine help and assistance during difficult period in one’s life or thanking for ones prosperity and good luck. In ancient India, vrat played a significant role in the life of individuals, and it continues to be a popular practice amongst Indians even today
According to the ancient Indian scriptures,
Brahma, the creator, creates and destroys the universe cyclically. The life of Brahma is 120 divine years called
Mahakalpa
Every day he creates 14 Manus one by one and they create and control the world. So there are fourteen Manus in one divine day called Kalpa of Brahma
The life of each Manu is called Manvantara and it has 71 eras of four quarters. Each quarter has four Yugas - Krita or Satya, Treta, Dvapara and Kali. The following are the complete calculations of Vedic units of time and periods
The Vedic Units of Time – Micro level
The time taken to tear apart the softest petals of a lotus is called 'TRUTI'
100 Trutis make 1 Lub
30 Lub make 1 Nimesh
27 Nimesh make 1 Guru Akshar
10 Guru Akshar Make 1 Pran
6 pran Vighatika make 1 Ghatika or Dand
60 Ghati make 1 day and night
That means, in a day and night, there are 17,49,60,000,00 Trutis Thus, according to Western science, there are 86,400 seconds in a day and night, whereas in Indian science, a day and night consists of 17,49,60,000,00 Trutis
According to another system, the division of time is
1 day or 24 hours = 60 Ghatis
1 Ghati = 60 Vighati (also called Pala or Kala)
1 Vighati = 60 Lipta or (also called Vipala or Vikala)
1 Lipta = 60 Vilipta
1 Vilipta = 60 Para
1 Para = 60 Tatpara
As a lot of charts made in the olden days mention the birth time in Ghatis and Vighatis the following is the conversion to remember:
5 Ghatis = 2 hours
5 Vighati = 2 minutes
Another system of time at micro level is
60 Tatparas = 1 Paras
60 Paras = 1 Vilipta
60 Vilipta = 1 Lipta
60 Lipta = 1 Ghatika (Dand)
60 Ghatika = 1 Day & Night).
Therefore, it is clear that there are 46,65,60,000,00 Tatparas in a day and night.
The Vedic Units of Time – Macro level
SATYUG 4,32,000 YEARS X 4 = 17,28,000 YEARS
TRETA 4,32,000 YEARS X 3 = 12,96,000 YEARS
DWAPAR 4,32,000 YEARS X 2 = 8,64,000 YEARS
KALIYUG 4,32,000 YEARS X 1 = 4,32,000 YEARS
1 MAHAYUGA (GRAND TOTAL OF ALL THE YUGAS) = 4,320,000 YEARS
71 MAHAYUGA = 43,20,000X71 = 1 MANVANTARA
1 MANVANTARA = 30,6720,000 YEARS
14 MANVANTARA = 4,294,080,000 YEARS (There are 14 Manvantara s).
The earth remains submerged in the water for the period of 8,64,000 years i.e. half the number of Satyug, before the start of each Manvantara , it also remains submerged in the water for the same number of years, i.e. 8,64,000 years, after the completion of each Manvantara
So in 14 Manvantara s the number of years
17,28,000 x 15 = 2,59,20,000
(Number of year in Satyug)
+ 14 Manvantara = 42,9,40,80,000
1 Kalpa = 43,2,0000000 years or 4.32 Billion years
The Present Age of Cosmos according to the Vedic System
One day & night of Brahma = 4,320,000 Mahayugaa x 100 = 4,320,00,000 years
Since the one moment in the life of Brahma is considered to be of our 100years, therefore the life of Brahma in 100 years will be
4,32,00,00,000 x 360 x 100 = 1,555,200,000,000 years
There are 14 Manvantara s altogether. The present period is passing through the seventh Manvantara called Vaivasvata Manvantara.
One Manvantara consists of 71 Mahayugas, out of which 27 Mahayugas have already passed. We are passing through the first phase of the Kali Yuga which itself is the third Yuga of the 28th Mahayugaa and which has come after the passing of Satya Yuga, Treta and Dwapar Yuga
The time period of Manvantara (exclusive period, when the earth is submerged in water, in the beginning and in the end) = 306,720,000 years
1) Multiplying these years by 6 = 30,67,20,000 x 6 (Because we are in the midst of 7th Manvantara , of the Svetvaaraah Kalpa and 6 Manvantara s have already passed) = 1,8,0,300,000 years.
The time period of Pralaya consists of 17,28,000 years since 7 Pralayas have passed, after the end of 6th Kalpa and before the beginning of 7th Kalpa, so 17,28,000x 7 = 12,096,000 years.
Adding we have:
1,840,300,000 + 120 96 000 + 1,852,396,000 years Therefore, after 1,85,24,16,000 years of the present Kalpa the'Vaivasvata Manvantara' has started
2) 27 Mahayugas with each Mahayuga consisting of 43,20,000 years. 43,20,000 x 27 = 116,640,000 years have passed
Total = 1,96,90,56,000 years
3) Now the time period of Kali Yuga in the 28th Yuga =
Time period of Satya Yuga = 17,28,000
Time period of Treta = 12,96,000
Time period of Dwapar = 8,64,000
TOTAL = 38,88,000 years.
Since all the above three Yugas have already passed, it means that after 38,88,000 years, Kali Yuga came into existence
4) Kali Yuga started on Bhadrapada, Krishnapaksha -13th day, in Vyatipaat yoga at midnight, in the Aashlesha Nakshatra and the age of the Kali Yuga has been fixed as 5101 years as till date that is Vikram Samvat 2057 = Shaka 1922 = 2000 AD.
Sum of all the three Yugs = the Sum of 27 Mahayugas and Manvantara + the time period of Kali Yuga till date
Kalpa consist of 4,32,00,00,000 years and out of these 1,97,29,49,101 years have passed. Therefore, the earth's existence, according to the calculations devised by our ancient sages, comes up to 1,97,29,49,101 years till date
It is interesting to note that according to scientific calculations, the age of the cosmos is estimated between 15 and 20 billion years – very similar to the Indian calculations
The Ancient Traditional Indian Knowledge syatem has given the idea of the smallest and the largest measure of time
1 Krati = 34,000th of a second
1 Truti = 300th of a second
2 Truti = 1 Luv
2 Luv = 1 Kshana
30 Kshana = 1 Vipal
60 Vipal = 1 Pal
60 Pal = 1 Ghadi (24 minutes)
2.5 Gadhi = 1 Hora (1 hour)
24 Hora = 1 Divas (1 day)
7 Divas = 1 saptaah (1 week)
4 Saptaah = 1 Mãsa (1 month)
2 Mãsa = 1 Ritu (1 season)
6 Ritu = 1 Varsh (1 year)
100 Varsh = 1 Shataabda (1 century)
10 Shataabda = 1 sahasraabda
432 Sahasraabda = 1 Yug (Kaliyug)
2 Yug = 1 Dwaaparyug
3 Yug = 1 Tretaayug
4 Yug = 1 Krutayug
10 Yug = 1 Mahaayug (4,320,000 years)
1000 Mahaayug = 1 Kalpa
1 Kalpa = 4.32 billion years
The study of Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela is essential the study of the Pilgrim-Holy Men relationship and the growth and development of the participating religious institutions and organizations along with their followers
The Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela, is a riverside festival held four times every twelve years, rotating between Allahabad at the confluence of the rivers Ganga (Ganges), Jamuna (Yamuna) and the mythical Saraswati, Nasik on the river Godavari (Gomati), Ujjain on the river (kshipra), and Haridwar (Har Dwar) on the river Ganga (Ganges)