‘Injustice done to Shankaracharya’: Congress on Prayagraj Mela Authority notice row

New Delhi, Jan 20 (IANS) After Swami Avimukteshwaranand was served a notice by the Prayagraj Mela Authority questioning his use of the title ‘Shankaracharya’ – a designation traditionally associated with the highest spiritual leaders of Sanatana Dharma and seeking clarification on the legitimacy of the title, leaders from the Congress and the Samajwadi Party on Tuesday said that injustice had been done to the Shankaracharya.

Speaking to IANS, Congress leader Udit Raj criticised the action and accused the government of targeting those who do not align with its views.

“Injustice has been done to the Shankaracharya. This government behaves in such a way that whether it is a saint or any other individual, if they do not act according to its wishes, they are mistreated, assaulted, falsely implicated in cases, and humiliated. I strongly condemn what has happened to Swami Avimukteshwaranand in Prayagraj,” he said.

Echoing similar sentiments, Samajwadi Party MP Sanatan Pandey said that his party firmly opposes the action taken by the Prayagraj Mela Authority.

Meanwhile, according to Mela Authority officials, the notice refers to a Supreme Court order and states that Swami Avimukteshwaranand is not recognised as the Shankaracharya of the Jyotirmath.

It questions the basis for ‘appropriating’ the title ‘Shankaracharya’ and also asked him to submit a response within 24 hours.

The notice cites the case titled ‘3010/2020 Jagat Guru Shankaracharya Jyotishpeeth P.S.S.N. Saraswati versus Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati’, which pertains to a long-standing legal dispute over the rightful Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math (Jyotish Peeth).

The case involves rival claims by P.S.S.N. Saraswati, also known as Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati, and Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati, with both sides contesting each other’s eligibility and the validity of appointments.

The dispute has its roots in historical disagreements and has required scrutiny by trial courts, High Courts and the Supreme Court, particularly on matters related to injunctions and eligibility.

Both Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati (P.S.S.N. Saraswati) and Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati, a disciple of Swami Shantanand Saraswati, have laid claim to the spiritual headship of Jyotir Math, located at Badrinath.

In October 2022, the Supreme Court stayed the coronation of Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati as the new Shankaracharya of the Jyotir math in Uttarakhand.

Hindu scholars point out that traditionally, a peeth is not expected to remain without a Shankaracharya.

The title ‘Shankaracharya’ is commonly used for the heads of monasteries, or mutts, that follow the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism.

Adi Shankaracharya established four principal mutts across the country — the Jyotish Peeth at Badrikashram (Badrinath) in the north, Sharada Peeth at Dwarka in the west, Govardhan Peetha at Puri in the east, and the Sringeri Sharada Peetham in the Chikkamagalur district of Karnataka in the south.

The issuance of the notice also comes against the backdrop of a recent clash between the disciples of Swami Avimukteshwaranand and the Magh Mela administration during the Mauni Amavasya bathing festival.

During the incident, the spiritual leader alleged that police personnel stopped him and his followers from taking a holy dip in the Ganga on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya.

Following this, Swami Avimukteshwaranand sat on a protest outside his camp, abstaining from food and water, and demanded an apology from senior officials of the mela administration and the police.

Mela Officer Rishiraj, however, claimed that supporters of the seer had allegedly broken barricades on a pontoon bridge that was reserved for emergency services.

District Magistrate Manish Verma said that similar questions regarding the status of the Jyotish Peeth Shankaracharya had been raised during the 2022 Magh Mela as well, after which legal opinion was sought by the then mela officer.

–IANS

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