A storm is gathering along the banks of the river Ganges. Emergency calls of ‘dharma yuddha’ are ringing across the akharas of naga sadhus, who have been asked to stand up now to protect the ‘sanatan dharma’ – Hindu religion.
The militant naga sadhus have been tasked with “restoring the lost glory of the religion” that can allegedly be harmed by followers of certain deified figures, like Sai Baba of Shirdi.
Entangled with the war cry is the ‘honour’ of a Shankaracharya who feels Sai Baba is certainly not an incarnation of God. To buttress this view of the Shankaracharya across the Hindu matrix, the akhara leaders have asked all the naga sadhus to assemble in Prayag (Allahabad) and Haridwar. Their target will be to formulate a strategy on “demolishing the belief that Sai Baba was a God.”
The naga sadhus are believed to be in a state of meditation (tapasya) round the year, except during the Shahi Snan in Kumbh. But now they have been asked to take a break from asceticism and get ready for a war to save the religion.
There are about two lakh naga sadhus in the country. Observers say in case the naga sadhus take to the streets, it could be a major law and order problem.
It all began recently when Shankaracharya of Dwarka Peeth, Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati, objected to the worship of 19th-century religious figure Sai Baba by the Hindus. Swami Swaroopanand had said Sai Baba of Shirdi was a Muslim and Hindus should not worship him. He had also claimed that Sai Baba was declared a Hindu avatar by those who have been trying to weaken the Hindu religion.
All of it irked hundreds and thousands of Sai Baba’s followers who are now gunning for the Shankaracharya. Swami Swaroopanand’s effigies were burnt, and there have been allegations that his stance will promote enmity between the communities.
Caught in the middle of it is BJP leader and Union minister Uma Bharti, who had supported worshipping Sai Baba. Bharti had even said in Haridwar that she sees the “bhagwat satta” (presence of God) in Sai Baba, much to the chagrin of the Shankaracharya and his supporters.
Read More: India Today