Prayagraj: Dattatreya, a Slovenian who has been coming to Prayagraj for the last 30 years, arrived for the Maha Kumbh four days ago. He said he comes here for inner peace and 'Amrit Tatva' (or food of immortality).
Known as Andrzej in his country, Dattatreya, a graphic designer by profession, said his named was given by Guru Mahamandleshwar Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda, whom he had met when he came to India for the first time in 1993. At that time, he was under immense stress and had come to India with his friend from Slovenia. Upon learning about Indian culture and religion, he started getting energized.
"After coming here and I get the feeling of 'Amrit Tatva' within myself and this keeps me energized," he said.
Studying Indian philosophy helped to manage stress
Sharing his journey with ETV Bharat, Dattatreya said in the past he used to be under a lot of stress and there was a time when he had gone into acute depression. After this, he came to India with a friend and met Mahamandleshwar Paramhans Swami Maheshwaranand.
He was immensely influenced by the saint and started discovering positive changes in his life. The foremost change was that he was able to manage his stress. After this, he studied Indian culture and philosophy.
Dattatreya, who has come to Maha Kumbh to meet the saints of Shri Niranjani Akhara, said after learning about Indian culture, there were positive changes within him. "Sanatan dharma can be understood from within and not from outside. Without delving into Sanatan dharma one can never understand it nor Indian culture or civilization," he explained.
To him, 'Amrit Tatva' means listening to sermons from religious gurus and contemplating on them. "When you come to the Maha Kumbh and meditate then you experience inner bliss. I have been coming to India for the last 30 years for this inner bliss," he said.
According to Dattatreya meditation is the only medium through which stress and depression can be addressed. He said that Sanatan dharma shows the way into your own self and feel the existence of God.
Frank visiting Kumbh for first time
Another Slovenian, Frank, has come to India for the first time. He said that he is impressed by Indian culture and civilization so much that he has changed his name to Ramanand. "I've come to Kumbh Mela for the first time and this is a wonderful experience. One gets an opportunity to listen and understand the discourses of spiritual heads and sages from a single destination. A lot of positive energy can be experienced here," he said.
Bollywood stars expected at Kumbh
Several Bollywood celebrities are expected to arrive in Kumbh Mela. These include veteran artists like Anupam Kher, Jackie Shroff, Sunil Shetty, Alia Bhatt, Rajpal Yadav, Ashutosh Rana, Vivek Oberoi, Manoj Tiwari and Ravi Kishan. These stars will stay at the ashram of Kailashananda Giri, Chidananda Muni ji of Paramarth Ashram and Swami Sahajanand.
This apart, Shankar Mahadevan, Mohit Chauhan, Kailash Kher, Hariharan, Shaan Mukherjee, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Kavita Seth, Rishabh Rikhiram, Shovana Narayan, Dr. L Subramaniam, Bikram Ghosh, Malini Awasthi and many other artists will also come to perform here.
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