After Kashi Darshan, Steve Jobs' Widow Laurene Powell To Attend Maha Kumbh

Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, has arrived in Prayagraj to participate in the Maha Kumbh Mela. The 61-year-old American businesswoman also visited the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi and is set to take a dip in the holy river at Prayagraj. A devoted follower of Swami Kailashnand Giri, the Acharya Mahamandleshwar of Niranjini Akhara, Laurene reached the spiritual camp on Saturday, 11 January, accompanied by a 40-member team. She will stay in Kumbh and is also planning to take a dip in Ganga. The 61-year-old American businesswoman has been given the Hindu name of 'Kamala' by the Niranjani Akhara, the revered organisation.

At the temple in Varanasi, Laurene Powell Jobs worshipped Baba Kashi Vishwanath, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, and performed 'jalabhishek' (offering water to a deity). She wore a pink suit and a white dupatta wrapped on her head at the temple and several policemen were deployed for her security.

Swami Kailashanand explained that according to temple tradition, no one other than a Hindu can touch the Shivling, which is why she prayed from outside the sanctum.

"I am an Acharya, and it is my duty to uphold traditions, principles, and conduct," he explained to news agency Asian News International.

According to Swami Kailashanand Giri, Kamala is deeply interested in Sanatan Dharma. “I have given her the name of Kamala according to my gotra. She treats me like her father and I also give her the same love of a daughter,” he said. She will participate in two major Amrit (royal) Snan here, which include Makar Sankranti on January 14 and Mauni Amavasya on January 29 after which she will leave from Prayagraj. 

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Significance of Kumbh Mela

The Kumbh Mela is held every 12 years, at the completion of the revolution of Jupiter. 

The Sanskrit word kumbh means pitcher, or pot. The story goes that when Devas (gods) and Asuras (loosely translated as demons) churned the ocean, Dhanvantri emerged carrying a pitcher of amrita, or the elixir of immortality. To make sure the Asuras don’t get it, Indra’s son, Jayant, ran off with the pot. The Sun, his son Shani, Brihaspati (the planet Jupiter), and the Moon went along to protect him and the pot.

As Jayant ran, the amrita spilt at four spots: Haridwar, Prayagraj, Ujjain, and Nashik-Trimbakeshwar. He ran for 12 days, and as one day of the Devas is equal to one year of humans, Kumbh Mela is celebrated at these locations every 12 years, based on the relative positions of the Sun, the Moon, and Jupiter.