The tragedy that struck the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj, in which several were killed and injured, has put the focus on Mauni Amavasya. It is believed that, on this auspicious day, a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam (confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati) during the Kumbh Mela will cleanse one of all past sins and lead them to salvation.
The word Mauni is derived from ‘Maun’ or silence in Hindi, whereas Amavasya is the day when no moon is visible. This is alternatively known as the Maghi Amavasya, with Magh being the 11th month of the Hindu lunar calendar.
According to Vedic astrology, the alignment of the Sun and Moon in Capricorn during the Magh month makes Mauni Amavasya a spiritually potent day. Capricorn is the 10th zodiac sign, which is associated with strong solar energy.
Astrologically, today the angular distance of the Moon from the sun is 12 degrees, before conjunction or syzygy. The latter is the term used when sun and the moon are in a straight line.
The Amavasya date of Magh month started on January 28 at 7:35pm and will end on January 29 at 6:05pm.
While there are 12 Amavasyas in a year, this one—the second one after the winter solstice—is of special significance because of the practice of maun. The observance of silence is to enable one to turn inwards. It is an absence of the sounds of life, death, of the cacophony of living. It is an opportunity to enhance one’s spirituality.
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On this day, there is a tradition of bathing in holy rivers, reading the scriptures and making donations of sesame seeds, sesame ladoos, sesame oil, gooseberries, and clothes. Apart from this, it is also an important day to pray for ancestors. There is also a prescribed way of bathing—with the water first being poured on the head. Many people fast on the day and abstain from disputes and physical relations.
While bathing in holy rivers is a tradition followed on any Amavasya, a dip in the Triveni Sangam is of special significance because of its stature as the holiest of all confluences in Hinduism. Its significance is also enhanced by the fact that this is a Mahakumbh that has come after 144 years—that is, after 12 Mahakumbhs which happen every 12 years.
Among the many beliefs about this special day is that the waters of the Sangam turn into nectar on this day. The devout not only bathe today but take dips throughout the Magha month to get rid of the burden of accumulated sins of many lives.
In 2013 and 2019, a team of scientists from Banaras Hindu University, Moti Lal Nehru Medical College Prayagraj and King George’s Medical University in Lucknow, took samples of the water from six days of the shahi snans and concluded that the microbial load was the highest on these days because of the large number of bathers. Interestingly, one conclusion made by the team was that bacteria from various people from all over the world mixed in the Ganga seemed to provide the power to fight diseases! The logic was that due to the flow and spread of water, the layer of bacteria becomes thin or inactive. In such a situation, instead of infecting the people bathing there, the bacteria works to increase their immunity—the mild effect of the bacteria has the same impact as a vaccine.
After the catastrophe that occurred in the wee hours of Wednesday at the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj, saints are now saying that bathing in any river gives the same benefits. Some have also said that bathing in ‘thought’ without an actual dip also brings the same benefits as a snan. However, the fact is that the Mauni Amavasya snan was heavily publicised by the UP government in the run-up to the preparations for the Mahakumbh. The administration also had an idea that 10 crore people could turn up on the day. Thus, what happened at the Mahakumbh and why, will require some answers.
