Prakat Divas is celebrated to commemorate the manifestation of God Kabir in 1398 C.E. in Kashi (Varanasi), India. It is celebrated on the full moon day of Jyestha (May – June) month of Hindu Calendar. Before the Barwala incident 2014, the occasion used to be celebrated by holding a 3-5 day long Paath/Satsang. Saint Rampal Ji Maharaj used to deliver Spiritual Sermons two times a day. The length of the Satsang used to be around 2-4 hours. The Satsang on this occasion used to be centered around the appearance and Lilas (divine play) of Kabir God.
After the Barwala incident, the occasion is celebrated by holding a 3-day long Path along with organizing a Grand Bhandara (communal meal). The whole world is invited to attend the last day of the Paath, i.e., the day of the manifestation of God Kabir. The first Mega Bhandara was organised in 2017 in Rohtak, Haryana where around 15 lakh people attended including both devotees and the general public. The Bhandara also includes Blood donation camps, Body donation camps and hundreds of dowry-free marriages. The location of the event changes every time. In 2019, it was celebrated at two locations: Rohtak, Haryana, and Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.
God Kabir’s Appearance in Kashi
In Jyestha month, Vikrami Samvat 1455 (1398 C.E.), on a full moon day, in Brahm-Muhurat (1 ½ hour before sunrise) Supreme God Kabir descended from Satlok, the Eternal Abode, acquiring a child form, enthroned on a lotus flower in the Lahartara pond in Kashi city. Sage Ashtanand, a disciple of Swami Ramananda had a routine to take bath in the pond followed by meditation at a nearby isolated place. That day, the sage noticed a light sphere travelling from the sky towards the pond. The radiance was so high that Ashtanand’s eyes were blinded by lustrous bright light. The whole area around became full of light. When he opened his eyes, he could not understand anything. Enthused Ashtanand rushed to his Guru Swami Ramanand to seek an interpretation of the extraordinary incidence. He asked Swami Ramanand if it was an achievement of his spiritual practice or a sight defect. Swami Ramanand replied that such signs occur when incarnations come from celestial regions for performing some special tasks. He added that the incarnation may enter a womb and take birth to complete assigned work because Swami Ramanand had only this much knowledge that no one, not even the incarnations, could take birth without a mother.
Niru and Nima were originally eminent brahmins named Gauri Shankar and Saraswati. They were famous in Varanasi for their selfless service to the poor and for delivering discourses to pilgrims. They were known for using spare money on Bhanḍara to needy people. Their generosity was hitting the income of fellow brahmins and aggrieved them. Muslims thought they were propagating Hindu religion and conversion was difficult. Muslims were sure that other brahmins will not support them, so they played a conspiracy and splashed lipped water in their house and forcibly fed to the couple. The Muslims voiced the couple’s conversion and the brahmins expelled them from the Hindu religion. Gauri Shankar was renamed as Noor Ali alias Niru and Saraswati as Niyamat alias Nima. Niru and Nima now had no source of income. They installed a handloom and started weaving clothes. Niru and Nima were not allowed to bathe in the Ganges, they started going to Lahartara pond that was filled from Holy Ganges’ backwater.
Like other days Niru and Nima left for Lahartara pond in Brahm Muhurt on that day. On the way, Nima was mourning that they were childless, and she prayed to Lord Shiva to bless them with a child. Niru consoled her and they reached the pond. As a daily routine, Nima bathed first, and later Niru did. Nima started washing the clothes and she observed a serpent kind of movement on a lotus flower. She cautiously watched and noticed an exceptionally beautiful child on petals of a lotus flower. Upon seeing the child unexpectedly, she shouted to Niru about the presence of a child. Niru thought that Nima has gone insane and sees a child everywhere. Nima re-emphasized the presence of a child. This time Niru looked attentively and found a child on the lotus flower. They brought the child to their home. The child was so exceptionally beautiful that many men and women of Kashi including the King came to see the child and were discussing that the child seemed to be the incarnation of God. Even the gods above were amazed and were saying that the child seemed to be the Incarnation of the Supreme God.
Qazis came to name the child. They searched in the Quran and got the word ‘Kabir’. The Qazis searched repeatedly and found the same word ‘Kabir’. Qazis were hesitant to name a weaver’s child as Kabir. Then, God Kabir in the form of an infant said, “Qazis, My Name will be Kabir only.”
God Kabir in infant form did not take food for about 25 days. Nima became worried and started crying. Niru and Nima remembered Lord Shiva to help them. Lord Shiva came there in the guise of a Sadhu. The parents tried to put the child in Lord Shiva’s feet, but the child rose in the air. God Kabir in infant form conversed with Lord Shiv and asked him to advise the weaver couple to bring a maiden cow. Niru brought a maiden cow. Lord Shiva patted on the back of the maiden cow that then started giving milk. God Kabir drank that milk.
There are various other versions about appearing of child Kabir, but the above version is the only one supported by the Holy Vedas: –
The Vedas prove that Supreme God, whose one hair follicle has brightness of the combined light of millions of sun and moons, sits on the third Abode (R̥igveda 9-96-8). The Supreme God descends on earth in the form of a child. The Supreme God does not take birth from a mother’s womb (Yajurveda 40-8) and He drinks milk of a maiden cow (R̥igveda 9-1-9).
Another evidence is the Supreme God Kabir Himself. He says: –
Avadhu avigat se chal aaya, koi mera bhed marm nahin paya|tek||
Na mera janm na garbh basera balak ho dikhlaya|
Kashi nagar jal kamal par dera, tahan Julaahe ne paya ||
Maat Pita kachhu nahi mere, Na mere ghar daasi |
Julaha ko sut aan kahaya jagat karey meri hansi ||
Panch Tatv ka Dhadh nahi mera, Janu gyan apaara |
Sat Swaroopi naam Saheb ka, so hai naam Hamara ||
Agardip gagan gufa me tahan nij vastu saara |
Jyoti swaroopi alakh niranjan bhi dharta dhyan hamara ||
Haad chaam lahu nahi more, jane Satnaam upaasi |
Taaran taran abhay pad data, Mai hun Kabir Avinashi ||
(I have descended from Eternal Abode. No one understands my mystery.
I am not born dwelling in the womb. I manifested in the form of a child.
I appeared in Lahar Tara pond in Kashi city, wherein the weaver found me.
Neither do I have any mother or father, nor a wife.
The world ridicules me by calling me the son of a weaver.
My body is not made of the five elements. I have boundless knowledge.
I have the same name as the Supreme God.
Jyoti Swaroop whom you call Alakh Niranjan (the formless God), that Brahm also worships me.
My body is not formed of bone, flesh and blood. Only a worshipper who chants Satnaam knows correctly about me.
I, Eternal Kabir, am the giver of the way of worship that takes one to the fearless abode.)
Bhandara by Almighty Kabir in Kashi
God Kabir became famous for His spiritual knowledge and performed many miracles. Aggrieved Hindu and Muslim religious leaders of Kashi began to disgrace Him. Sheikh Taqi, a Muslim Pir, under a conspiracy, invited Sadhu-Saints across the country for a three-day religious Bhanḍara on behalf of God Kabir, and promised a generous gift of a gold coin and a precious blanket.
The night before the Bhandara, God Kabir reached His Eternal Abode, Satlok. Loading bags of all the cooked material and dry material on 0.9 million oxen, he descended from Satlok to earth in the form a ‘Banjara’ named Keshav. He even brought 0.9 million attendants with Him from Satlok. On the historic day of the Bhanḍara, God Kabir remained in His hut. His replica Keshav supervised all the arrangements of tents and delicious food. Approximately 1.8 million people took Bhanḍara over the course of three days. Everyone was given a gold coin and a precious blanket after each meal. Emperor Sikander Lodhi and his Muslim Pir, Sheikh Taqi also attended the Bhandara and were amazed by the magnitude of the event. Astonished Sikandar Lodhi went to God Kabir’s hut to pay his respect to God Kabir. He said that he had never seen an event of this magnitude before. God Kabir on the request of Emperor Sikander Lodhi accompanied him to the Bhandara and gave sermon on Eternal Truth. Millions of people took refuge of God Kabir by taking initiation from Him.
Kabir Prakat Divas – Bhandara 2017, 2018, 2019
Saint Rampal Ji Maharaj follows the footprints of God Kabir. He organizes Bhandara at the auspicious occasion of Kabir Prakaṭ Divas every year. The grand Bhandara is attended by millions of people.
A 3-day long Paaṭh is performed which concludes on the Kabir Prakaṭ Divas. Everyone from all over the world irrespective of religion, caste, colour etc is invited to attend the mega event. Preparations begin a month in advance. Thousands of volunteers help in the preparation of the mega event.
Blood donation camps, body donation camps, and hundreds of dowry-free marriages are also organised. There are strict security arrangements in place and drones are also used for monitoring. In 2017 and 2018, the Bhanḍara was organized at Rohtak district in Haryana, India, and in 2019, it was organized at Rohtak in Haryana and Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, India to accommodate the huge inflow of devotees. After Kashi Bhandara, these are the world’s largest Bhandaras of this magnitude.
Kabir Prakat Divas – Bhandara Rohtak 2017
A mega Bhandara was held at the Pashu Mela Ground, Rohtak, Haryana, India on 9th June 2017 on the 620th Kabir Prakat Divas. Devotees and the general public attended from all over India especially Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh etc, and other countries like Nepal, Pakistan, Dubai, Malaysia, Italy, Belgium, England, Australia, U.S.A, Canada etc.
Tents were installed in 30 acres of land with separate arrangements for women and men. A huge quantity of Prasad along with laddus and jalebis was prepared with 1000 Kgs of pure desi ghee for about 2.2 million people. 10,000 volunteers served for making 12,000 chapattis and pooris per hour. Thousands of volunteers helped the police and administration to park the cars and buses and maintain security. People set a unique example of discipline. One hundred and one (101) dowry-free marriages were performed by reciting Asurnikandan Ramaini (a seventeen-minute prayer in the voice of Saint Rampal Ji Maharaj) in just 17 minutes without any ostentation or extravagance.
Kabir Prakat Divas – Bhandara Rohtak 2018
In 2018, the 621st Kabir Prakat Divas Bhandara was organized on 28th June 2018 at Pashu Mela Ground Rohtak, Haryana, India. Approximately 2.2 million devotees from various states and countries including Nepal, Pakistan, Dubai, Qatar, Malaysia, Belgium, Italy, England, Australia, U.S.A and Canada etc attended the Bhandara. Thirty thousand volunteers converged and rendered their services a month in advance. Twenty one thousand quintals of Boondi Prasad was prepared.
220 Dowry-free marriages were performed including a couple from Thailand. 2000 units of blood were donated voluntarily. The program drew the attention of various newspapers and news channels.
Kabir Prakat Divas – Bhandara Rohtak 2019
In 2019, the 622nd Kabir Prakat Divas Bhandara was held on 17thJune 2019 at two places in India in anticipation of the huge influx of devotees.
One Mega Bhandara was organised on 17th June 2019 at the Pashu Mela Ground in Rohtak, Haryana, India. At Rohtak, the attendees were from North and Western parts of India such as Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar pradesh etc and other countries of the world including Nepal, Pakistan, Dubai, Qatar, Malaysia, Belgium, Italy, England, Australia, U.S.A etc. The preparations started a month ago. Waterproof tents were installed in 30 acres of land. 101 dowry-free marriages were performed. Thousands of volunteers for sanitization and security, 600 mobile toilets, 100 CCTV cameras, a team of doctors from Delhi and Rohtak with 10 Ambulances, 3 first aid centers, and four fire brigades were deployed.
The Second Mega Bhandara was organized at Tehsil Panagar, District Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India on 17th June 2019. For the first time, the local people witnessed such a large-scale Bhandara and this mega-event made its way into several news channels and newspapers. According to a local flour mill owner, he received an order of 900 metric tons of flour. 251 dowry-free marriages (Ramaini) took place. 4285 units of blood from blood donation by devotees were given to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College Jabalpur and 7810 body donation forms were voluntarily filled by the followers of Saint Rampal Ji Maharaj. At Jabalpur, the devotees came from the rest of Uttar Pradesh, central, eastern, and southern India.