- Monday, November 25, 2024
One of the Shanakaracharyas said the event was being made a splendid one due to the upcoming national elections.
By: Shubham Ghosh
FOUR Shankaracharyas, top spiritual leaders of Sanatan Hindu Dharma, have decided against attending the consecration ceremony at the much awaited Ram Temple in the north Indian holy town of Ayodhya on January 22. Three of them nevertheless backed the grand ceremony which will witness participation by millions, including prime minister Narendra Modi, even while voicing reservations over the rituals being followed.
The opposition has targeted the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the absence of revered spiritual leaders from the consecration ceremony. The Shankaracharyas, however, said their reluctance to take part in the event was neither a rejection of reverence for Lord Rama nor are they against PM Modi.
The opposition Indian National Congress, which has refused to take part in the ceremony, called it the BJP’s political project.
Read: Modi begins ‘special ritual’ 11 days ahead of Ram Mandir inauguration: ‘I am fortunate…’
The Shankaracharyas head the four main monasteries that were set up by eighth-century Hindu saint Adi Shankara, who was a follower of Hinduism’s tradition of Advaita Vedanta. The four monasteries are located in the four corners of the country — Joshimath in the northern state of Uttarakhand; Puri in the eastern state of Odisha; Sringeri in the southern state of Karnataka and Dwarka in the western state of Gujarat. They are among the most revered pilgrim centres of India.
Read: Ram Mandir: Passengers dressed as Lord Ram, Hanuman board flight to Ayodhya; WATCH
The issue first came to the fore when Swami Nischalanand Saraswati, Shankaracharya of Govardhan Math in Puri said he would skip the Ram temple consecration ceremony a miss alleging the rituals that are being followed were in alignment with the scriptures.
In an undated video that went viral on social media, the Shankaracharya said he was “conscious of the dignity of his position” even though he stressed that he had “no aversion” to the Ram temple, a report by India Today said.
“If maryada purushottam Ram is to be honoured, then it should be in accordance with the scriptures… I will not protest, but I will not go either… It is a matter of happiness. There should be respect and worship as per the scriptures… What will I do by going to that programme?” he asked.
Shankaracharya Nischalananda Saraswati also expressed his unhappiness over the lavishness of the event and felt it was being transformed into a political show.
“It’s because of the upcoming general elections the event is being made so splendid. It’s not appropriate to sit outside a temple, when prime minister Narendra Modi would be unveiling the idol,” he was quoted as saying by the Times of India.
Speaking at an ashram in Raipur in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh earlier this month, he said he would not attend the event.
His sentiments were echoed by Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati of Jyotir Math in Joshimath days later. He also said that the rituals for the temple’s inauguration were not being followed as per the shastras (scriptures).
The seers were also not impressed with a controversial remark made by Champat Rai, general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust which is overseeing the temple’s construction. He said in a recent interview that the Ramanand tradution will be followed at the temple, adding that it belongs to the Vaishnavite Ramanand sect and not the Sanyasis, not to Shaiva or Shakta sect.
चंपत राय को शंकराचार्य का करारा जवाब #rammandirnews https://t.co/NA9IM9rZi5 via @YouTube
— Ram Dutt Tripathi (@Ramdutttripathi) January 9, 2024
Shankaracharya Nishchalananda Saraswati asked Rai not to diminish his stature while holding an important position of power, The Wire reported.
Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati was also impressed by Rai’s remarks and called for his removal from the trust since he is not from the Ramanand community, The Week reported.
The Shankaracharya of Sringeri in the south, meanwhile, clarified that media reports suggesting he is not pleased about the consecration ceremony are not true and a “false propaganda by the ill-wishers of our Dharma”.
The Sringeri Math, however, has not clarified whether the Shankaracharya would attend the ceremony, though some media reports claimed he would be skipping owing to “prior engagements”.
However, the math said it was a “matter of joy” for all believers that after nearly 500 years, idol-installation ceremony was being held in the temple on the occasion of the sacred Ayodhya on Pushya Shukla Dvadashi that falls on January 22, another Week report said.
The fourth Shankaracharya, Swami Sadanand Saraswati of Shardapeeth in Dwarka in Gujarat, was also set to skip the ceremony owing to its link to controversies and “anti-religious forces”.
“Worshipping is prohibited if a religious place is involved in a controversy and anti-religious forces overpower it,” Sadanand Saraswati told reporters at his ashram in Gujarat on Friday (12), a Telegraph report said.
“The Ram temple movement has been going on for the last 500 years, and we had wanted it (the disputed land) handed over to Hindus. We visit Ayodhya for a spiritual power that exists there.
“But we fail to get that spiritual power when anti-religious elements take over such an area. The symbols of our culture should remain with spiritual people for the sake of their purity,” he said, according to the report.
