New Delhi: The ‘humiliation’ allegedly meted out to Swami Avimukteshwarananda Saraswati, the forty sixth head or “Shankaracharya” of the Jyotirmath in Uttarakhand, by the Uttar Pradesh authorities on Mauni Amavasya has not solely divided the saint fraternity but in addition the BJP authorities within the state.

Swami Avimukteshwarananda has alleged the Yogi Adityanath authorities prevented him from taking a holy dip on the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj on Mauni Amavasya Sunday, an auspicious new moon day, and mistreated his associates, a declare denied by the district administration.

Indignant over the alleged mistreatment, the Shankaracharya has been sitting on a dharna on the banks of the Sangam since Mauni Amavasya and has introduced that he is not going to take the holy dip on Basant Panchami.  

Swami Avimukteshwarananda additionally hit out at Yogi Adityanath, stating that he’s undeserving of being known as a Hindu. “We name him Akbar and Aurangzeb. It is a man who helps demolishing temples,” he advised mediapersons.  

The difficulty escalated additional after the UP CM on Thursday issued a stern warning in opposition to “Kaal Nemi-like forces”. With out taking anybody’s identify, the chief minister mentioned that beneath the pretext of dharma, these forces are “conspiring to weaken” it. He then cautioned the followers of Sanatan Dharma to be vigilant in opposition to them.

“Ek yogi ke liye, sanyasi ke liye, sant ke liye, dharm aur rashtra se badhkar kuchh nahin ho sakta. Uski vyaktigat property kuchh nahi hoti hai, dharm aur rashtra hello uska swabhiman hai. Aise kayi Kalnemi honge jo dharma ki aad mein Sanatan Dharm ko kamzor karne ki saazish rach rahe honge. Humein unse sawadhan hona hoga, satarka rehna hoga,” Adityanath mentioned throughout a pran pratishtha ceremony in Haryana.

(For a yogi, a renunciate, a saint, nothing will be better than dharma and the nation. He has no private property; dharma and the nation alone are his self-respect. There could also be many such Kālnemis who, beneath the guise of dharma, are plotting to weaken the Sanatan Dharma. We should stay cautious and vigilant in opposition to them.”

Kaal Nemi, a determine from the Ramayana, was a demon who disguised himself as a sage in an try and mislead Hanuman as he was flying to carry the Sanjeevani herb from the Himalayas for Lakshman.

Hours after that assertion, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya got here out in help of Swami Avimukteshwarananda.

Conveying a message of restraint and respect, Maurya referred to the Shankaracharya as “bhagwan Shankaracharya” and mentioned that disrespect to any revered saint, acharya or Shankaracharya is totally unacceptable. 

Responding to media queries, Maurya mentioned if any occasion of disrespect or insult involves gentle, an inquiry can be carried out, and motion can be taken in opposition to these discovered responsible.

“We bow on the ft of the Shankaracharya and request him to take the holy dip. The matter ought to finish right here. Whoever has carried out something (incorrect), an enquiry can be carried out. Any revered saint, acharya or Shankaracharya shouldn’t be disrespected. If anybody has carried out it, then motion can be taken after an enquiry. First, I pay obeisance on the ft of revered Shankaracharya ji and request him to finish his protest and take the holy dip.”

Earlier than Maurya, Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Sunil Bhalara had additionally acknowledged that insulting the Shankaracharya was akin to insulting the Sanatan Dharma. “In Prayagraj, officers with a demonic mindset humiliated Sanatan by grabbing the shikha of Shankaracharya’s disciples. I need to inform CM Yogi Adityanath to take motion in opposition to such officers,” he mentioned.

The Uttar Pradesh BJP can also be caught in a bind. “The statements made by Yogi ji and Keshav Maurya ji have created a way of confusion amongst occasion leaders as to take care of the difficulty. It’s extensively recognized that the 2 leaders belong to totally different camps, however that is the primary time they have overtly clashed on a problem. The state unit appears to be divided as soon as once more into two factions,” mentioned a senior occasion chief.

The controversy refuses to die because the Magh Mela Authority has additionally issued a discover questioning Swami Avimukteshwarananda’s continued use of the title Shankaracharya. It additionally sought a proof on why he makes use of the title regardless of the 2022 Supreme Courtroom keep on his coronation.

Even because the Shankaracharya acquired help from Maurya, a number of saints in addition to the All India Akhara Parishad, backed Yogi Adityanath, stating that there isn’t any shahi snan throughout the Magh Mela; due to this fact, Avimukteshwarananda mustn’t have insisted on performing one.

To this point, the BJP  has not formally reacted on the matter. The Opposition Samajwadi Celebration has accused the Uttar Pradesh authorities of focusing on the seer and politicising sacred rituals. 

The Shankaracharya and his followers have claimed that the UP authorities’s motion is motivated as a result of it has come following Swami Avimukteshwarananda’s criticism of the state authorities and the chief minister. 

Swami Avimukteshwarananda has additionally acquired help from the Congress, which has claimed that the Yogi Adityanath authorities focused the Hindu seer as he had, on a number of events, criticised selections of the BJP—together with the consecration ceremony of a “half-built” Ram Temple in Ayodhya, mismanagement of the Kumbh Mela, and our bodies discovered floating within the Ganga throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)

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Additionally Learn: Avimukteshwaranand: Seer who skipped Ram Temple consecration, ‘expelled’ Rahul & is now mad at Yogi govt

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