Muslim Leader Shocked by Arrest of Shankaracharya

[Guest guest]

Incidentally, of the many voices that have been heard during the last

two days, it is only a Muslim savant who seems to have sensed the

enormity of the desecration. The Chairman of the Muslim Personal Law

Board, reacting to the arrest pointed out that the person of the

Sankaracharya is sacred; his body is untouchable; it has not been

touched by an alien hand since he took Sanyasa. And now he is being

touched by cops, lawyers and perhaps doctors. The Muslim savant

seemed to be aghast at the possibility. No Hindu leader seems to

have expressed the same sense of extreme desecration.

 

"Dr. J. K. Bajaj" <policy@v...>

Fri Nov 12, 2004 10:17 pm

India Desecrated

India Desecrated

 

The reigning Sankaracharya of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, Sri

Jayendra

Saraswati Swamigal, was arrested at midnight on November 11. It was

Deepawali day for him and the Indian people in the south; for the

north

it was the eve of Deepawali. When half the nation was celebrating and

the other half was preparing to celebrate the festival of lights,

one of

the brightest beacons of light for the nation was put behind bars.

One

of the greatest institutions of India that has stood for several

centuries as a bright symbol of the continuing authority of dharma on

this land has been desecrated.

 

The event was meant to be a slap in the face of all those Indians,

who

believe in dharma and the civilisational traditions of India. It is a

sad commentary on the state of India, that in spite of this great

desecration, the nation continued to behave as if nothing has

happened.

Except for token protests from certain foreseeable quarters, the

nation

has not stirred.

 

The reigning Sankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham is behind bars.

The illiterate cub reporters of various channels are having a field

day,

mouthing inanities against all that India has held sacred for

millennia.

Mr. N. Ram, that arch-enemy of Hinduism, is gleefully pontificating

about the majesty of law. That epitome of the superciliousness of

modern

educated Indians, the Congress spokesman, Mr. Abhishek Singhvi, is

pompously announcing the great dictum that the Sanakaracharya has not

only been arrested, he shall also be punished if found guilty at the

end

of the trial. The leader of the anti-Hindu atheistic movements, Sri

Karunanidhi, is saying that the occasion should be used for making

laws

restraining all saintly persons in general. We are watching all this,

celebrating our festivals, and continuing with our day-to-day

activities.

 

We, the Hindus, and our leaders, do not seem to have even

comprehended

the enormity of the desecration that has been perpetrated. The event

is

in a class with and perhaps much more far-reaching than the

desecration

of Haramandir Sahib during operation Blue Star. But, it goes to the

great credit of Sikhs that they did forcefully protest, cry, shout

and

mourn at that desecration. We seem to be doing none of that.

 

Incidentally, of the many voices that have been heard during the last

two days, it is only a Muslim savant who seems to have sensed the

enormity of the desecration. The Chairman of the Muslim Personal Law

Board, reacting to the arrest pointed out that the person of the

Sankaracharya is sacred; his body is untouchable; it has not been

touched by an alien hand since he took Sanyasa. And now he is being

touched by cops, lawyers and perhaps doctors. The Muslim savant

seemed

to be aghast at the possibility. No Hindu leader seems to have

expressed

the same sense of extreme desecration.

 

 

It seems that notwithstanding all our assertions about and hopes of

an

upsurge of Hinduism in the modern times, the nation continues to be

dormant. What are we going to do about it?

 

 

 

A brief note on the recent history of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham and the

Paramacharya's message on the eve of Indian Independence, conveying

his

hopes for an Independent India engaged in the recovery of Dharma have

been posted on the Current Affairs page of our website,

www.cpsindia.org.

 

-----------------

Dr. J. K. Bajaj

Centre for Policy Studies

27 Rajasekharan Street

Mylapore, Chennai - 600 004, and

60 North Avenue, New Delhi - 110 001

 

044-28474352, 28473802, 28472611 ®

011-23094444, 55394444, 22714144 ®

 

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