On Thursday, the four Shankaracharyas will not attend the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22. And two of them backed the construction of the temple while voicing their opposition to the rituals, according to the sources.
The questions are raised on the BJP on the absence of Shankaracharyas from the mega event. Moreover, the Shankaracharyas asserted that their decision not to attend the ceremony is neither a rejection of reverence of Lord Ram nor ‘anti-Modi’.
Who are the Shankaracharyas?
Shankaracharyas are the head of the four principal monasteries or peethams or mathas that were established in eight centuries by the Hindu saint Adi Shankaracharya, who set up four mathas or peethams in the North, South, East, and West, held by the realized men, who would be called as Shankaracharya.
The four mathas are Govardhan Math (Puri, Odisha), Dwarka Sharada Peetham (Dwarka, Gujarat), Jyotish Math (Joshimath, Uttarakhand), and Sringeri Sharada Peetham (Sringeri, Karnataka). The ashramas are situated in the four cardinal directions and are the highest pilgrim destinations in India.
Shankaracharyas to skip Temple’s Consecration
The issue first came into the limelight after Swami Nischalanand Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of Puri Govardhan Math said that they would skip the rituals being followed for the “Pran-Pratistha” (consecration), as they are against the scriptures.
After a video went viral on social media, Swami Nischalanand Saraswati said that he had no aversion to the Ram temple in Ayodhya. He said, “If Maryada Purushottam Ram is to be honoured, then it should be following the scriptures…There should be respect and worship as per the scriptures…What will I do by going to that program?”
After some time, Swami Avimukhteshwaranand Saraswati said the rituals of the temple were not being followed as per the shastras. He further stated that the consecration was being held before the completion of the temple construction, which he believed went against religious scriptures. Moreover, the Shankaracharya of Dwarka and Sringeri later clarified that they fully supported the temple construction, despite initially deciding to skip the event.
Reason behind the support of 2 Shankaracharyas
Swami Sadananda Saraswati of Dwarka and Swami Bharati Teerth of Sringeri later expressed their support for the construction of Ram temple. The initial statements about not attending were misconstrued or taken out of context. They might have simply meant that they wouldn’t participate in the consecration ceremony but remained supportive of the overall temple construction, and the support for the Ram Janmabhoomi, the report said.
Furthermore, Swami Sadananda Saraswati of Dwarka clarified his initial decision to skip the ceremony. He stated his support for the Ram temple construction and would visit Ayodhya for darshan later. Likewise, Swami Bharati Teerth of Sringeri also emphasized his long-term support of the temple and expressed his hope that the temple would bring unity and harmony to the nation. This decision of these two Shankaracharyas was welcomed by the BJP govt and Hindu organizations. However, some critics accused them of compromising their religious principles.
Potential Impact on the Consecration
The absence of four prominent Shankaracharya could be perceived as a sign of dissent within Hinduism regarding the handling of the consecration. While some people might interpret their absence as a lack of divine blessing on the consecration. Besides, the two supporting Shankaracharyas either build a good image or mitigate some negative interpretations.
Overall, the actual impact could be different or multi-faceted, as the situation is complex and evolving into the interplay of religious devotion, political considerations, and community dynamics within the Hindu community.
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