’Need new dharma’: Now, Sanatana remark by Gujarat’s Hindu outfit sparks row

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Sep 14, 2023: The Swaminarayan Vadtal sect, a prominent Hindu outfit in Gujarat, sparked a row after one of its members highlighted the "need for a new dharma", taking a dig at ’Sanatana Dharma’.

 

“We need to remove the idols of gods and goddesses from temples. We need to create a new dharma," said Acharya Dinesh Prasad Swami, a saint of the Hindu outfit. The remark was made on August 28 and received immense backlash by ’Sanatana Dharma’ groups in Gujarat.

It led to the removal of murals that depicted Lord Hanuman kneeling with folded hands in front of Sahajanand Swami, a 19th century seer who was also the founder of the Swaminarayan sect.

Notably, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) remained silent on the matter, despite largely condemning Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remarks on ’Sanatana Dharma’.

Members of the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha, an outfit that follows ’Sanatana Dharma’, were upset to see Lord Hanuman kneel in front of anyone other than Lord Ram, as mentioned in Sanatan scriptures and Ramayana.

Tensions between the Swaminarayan sect and Sanatana Dharma groups have always prevailed. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel had to hold a meeting with the leaders of the Swaminarayan Vadtal sect and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leaders last week.

In a statement, the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha emphasised that all stakeholders agreed that the controversy needed to be put to rest in the larger interests of the Hindu religion. During a meeting on Monday, the outfit released a statement saying “With the blessings of Dwarka Pith Sankarachayrya and Acharya Rakesh Prasad Maharaj of Vadtal, all saints unanimously resolved to end the controversy."

In another incident, Bramhaswaroopdas, another saint of the Swaminarayan sect made derogatory remarks against the ’Kuldevi’ of the Leva Patel community, a sub-caste of the Patidars in Gujarat. "Maharaj sprinkled the water from his wet clothes on Kuldevi Khodiyar Mataji. That is how your Kuldevi became Satsangi," the saint allegedly said.

He also claimed that the goddess bows down to those adopting the Swaminarayan sect and went on to say, "Once you are converted to the Swaminarayan sect, you don’t need to believe in your Kuldevi or Kuldevta anymore. Swaminarayan bhagwan is supreme and above all.”

Demanding an apology for his remarks, devotees and saints in Gujarat’s Morbi submitted a memorandum to the District Collector on Tuesday.

Courtesy: India Today