Laurene Powell Jobs Assumes New Spiritual Identity At Maha Kumbh, Fails To Take Holy Dip Due To Illness
The widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs developed skin allergies on the second day of the festival. Her spiritual guru, Swami Kailashanand Giri of Niranjani Akhara, said she will take the holy dip after recovery
‘Kamla’ – this is the new spiritual identity embraced by Laurene Powell Jobs, wife of the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, during her visit to the Maha Kumbh 2025 in Prayagraj.
Laurene, however, failed to take a holy dip as part of her initiation ceremony due to illness from various skin allergies. Her spiritual guru, Swami Kailashanand Giri, Mahamandaleshwar of Niranjani Akhara, said she will take the holy dip once she recovers.
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“Kamla has developed some skin allergies due to the crowd and unfamiliar environment. She is presently resting and will take the holy dip later," he said.
Kailashanand said arrangements will be made for her to take the holy dip on her own later. “She is simple, and this kind of environment is new to her. She is very sensitive and is currently resting in the camp," he said.
Calling her one of his most obedient disciples, he expressed deep affection, likening her to a daughter. “She is very curious and wants to know everything about Sanatan Dharma. It is a blessing that we have such a rich religion that fascinates even those unfamiliar with it. Kamla has actively participated in all traditional rituals, including yagya, havan, abhishek, and other religious ceremonies," he said.
During her time at the Maha Kumbh, Kamla has embraced the practice of kalpvas, an ancient Hindu spiritual discipline deeply rooted in tradition. It is mentioned in scriptures like the Mahabharata and involves a month of austerity, beginning on Paush Purnima and culminating on Maghi Purnima.
Participants, known as kalpvasis, renounce worldly comforts to reside in temporary tents near the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and mythical Sarasvati rivers. They dedicate themselves to spiritual practices such as daily holy dips, prayer, meditation, attending spiritual discourses, and listening to devotional music.
This disciplined lifestyle focuses on inner purification and spiritual enlightenment, stressing on simplicity and devotion.
Taking on the spiritual name ‘Kamla’, Laurene plans to spend 17 days immersed in the grand congregation, which is expected to draw an estimated 40 crore participants over a period of two months. Before joining this massive event, she formally received the ‘gotra’ of her guru, who considers her as his spiritual daughter.
This marks her second visit to India; on her first trip, she visited the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi on January 11. Accompanied by her guru, she strictly adhered to temple protocols during her visit. Non-Hindus are not permitted to touch the shivling, and Kamla observed this rule by viewing it from outside the sanctum and offering her prayers.
Laurene is the founder of the investment and advocacy firm, Emerson Collective, and is the owner of The Atlantic, which has a net worth of over $15 billion, as per Forbes. Her late husband, Steve Jobs, shared a spiritual connection with India having visited the country in the mid-1970s. He travelled to Neem Karoli Baba’s Kainchi Ashram in Uttarakhand with his friend and future Apple employee Daniel Kottke, seeking spiritual guidance.
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