Panchdhuni sadhana for controlof senses begins at Magh Mela

Prayagraj: The sacred Panchdhuni (Panchagni Tap) Sadhana commenced on Friday at Tapasvi Nagar in the Magh Mela area of Prayagraj, marking the beginning of an intense spiritual discipline that will continue uninterrupted for nearly three months.With the start of the ritual, the Magh Mela area was enveloped in a deeply spiritual ambience as hundreds of saints and ascetics immersed themselves in rigorous penance.Saints from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana and several other states gathered at Khak Chowk in the Mela area, where they set up camps ahead of the commencement of the ritual. The Panchdhuni Tap began ahead of Vasant Panchami, when the intensity of the penance is set to deepen further.Mahantmandaleshwar Sant Shriram Santosh Das of Ayodhya said that the Panchdhuni Sadhana begins from Vasant Panchami and continues till Ganga Dussehra and follows a three-year-long discipline. He explained that during the sadhana fires are lit in four directions and saints perform penance while chanting the guru mantra between 12 noon and 3 pm amid the blazing flames.He added that this year, preparations were made to conduct nearly 1,000 Panchdhuni rituals during the Magh Mela. Special arrangements were put in place by the saints to ensure uninterrupted observance of the ritual, including the arrangement of eight truckloads of wood for the sacred fires.Sant Anjani Das Maharaj said that each course of Dhuni Sadhana lasts for three years, and the complete spiritual journey spans 18 years. Under the leadership of the Akhil Bharatiya Shri Panch Terah Bhai Tyagi Akhada, more than 4,000 saints and ascetics performed Panchdhuni Sadhana in recent years.As part of the ritual, fires are lit in all four directions, with saints seated at the centre performing deep lighting, water offerings, akshat, flowers, fragrance and havan, followed by the invocation of Agnidev through Vedic chants. From 12 noon to 3 pm, saints meditate on Agnidev while continuously chanting the guru mantra. The objective of the sadhana is to attain control over the senses and spiritual purification.