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Lord Shiva, Hanuman & an FIR — Why Gujarat’s Brahmo Samaj is upset with the Swaminarayan sect

Last month, a video of Prabodh Swami leader Anand Sagar Swami’s satsang in Boston went viral. This led to Gujarat Brahmo Samaj accusing him of insulting Hindu god Shiva.

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New Delhi: Sadhus and religious leaders from various factions of Gujarat’s Swaminarayan sect have been finding themselves in trouble. From saying “Hanuman is no god” to allegedly implying sectarian leader Prabodh Swami’s supremacy over the Hindu god Shiva, their alleged statements against Hindu deities have irked another religious organisation — the Brahmo Samaj — ThePrint has learnt.

The Brahmo Samaj in Gujarat has lodged a series of police complaints for “hurting religious sentiments”, a leader of the organisation told ThePrint. 

An FIR has been registered in one such case, said Milan Shukla, another leader from the organisation.

“We have come across many such videos where leaders from the Swaminarayan sect have made objectionable comments about Hindu Gods during their pravachan (sermon). We have given written complaints in two or three cases and one of them was even converted into an FIR after we sat on a dharna,” Shukla told ThePrint.

The FIR in question is against Anand Sagar Swami, a leader of Prabodh Swami faction. Turned into a First Information Report (FIR) on 9 September, the complaint accuses him of “hurting sentiments of Hindu religion & Sanatan Dharma by deliberately making comments insulting Hindu god Shiva”.

The comments in question were allegedly made at a satsang (prayer meeting) in Boston last month. Addressing the meeting, Anand Sagar allegedly quoted the Hindu god Shiva as having told a discipline of the sect that his “piety/good deeds were not enough to see the holy image of Prabodh Swami”, the faction’s leader.

Anand Sagar Swami, who has since apologised for his remark, has been booked under Section 295-A of the Indian Penal Code (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings) for “hurting sentiments of Hindu religion & Sanatan Dharm by deliberately making comments insulting Hindu god Shiva”.

ThePrint has a copy of the complaint as well as the FIR.

Rajkot Police’s B-Division Police Station, where the FIR is registered, didn’t respond to ThePrint’s questions about the case and the investigation.

Brahmo Samaj has given written complaints to the police in many such cases, Shukla told ThePrint, but didn’t specify if the organisation had made a complaint in a specific case where a swami of the Bhuj Swaminarayan temple, Aksharmuni Das, had said “Hanumanji is no god”.

The Swaminarayan sect has many followers across major cities and towns in Gujarat. It has also become popular among the Patidar community in the state. It is believed to have originated under Sahajanand Swami & now has many factions.


Also Read: Hindutva and idea that ‘Hindus are in danger’ were born in Bengal


The controversy 

Addressing a satsang in Boston last month, Anand Sagar Swami allegedly narrated a story about how a youth named Nishit, studying at ‘Atmiya Dham’, one of the centres of this faction, run by Sokhda Swaminarayan sect in Gujarat’s Anand district, met the Hindu God Shiva.

“On the orders of Prabodh Swami, Nishit went towards the main gate. The gate was closed and Shiva was standing outside it,” Anand Sagar is alleged to have said. “Nishit [said it was] just as we see in pictures — Shiva had a jata, a snake (naag) was wrapped [around him] and he wore a rudraksha with trishul in his hand. Nishit prayed and said, ‘Come inside, as you’ve reached till here, you can do the darshan of Prabodh Swami’.”

“To that, Shiva said, ‘My good deeds/piety is not [so much that] that I can have the darshan of Prabodh Swami. But I’m very fortunate to have your [Nishit’s] darshan.’ After this, Shiva touched Nishit’s feet and left,” he said.

The comments led to calls for apology from religious leaders across Gujarat. As protests escalated, Anand Sagar Swami apologised via a video statement and said remarks were aimed at acknowledging a young man’s devotion. “I’ve made a mistake. I apologise to all Shiva devotees,” he said in the video, which ThePrint has seen.

Brahmo Samaj leader Shukla, quoted above, believes an apology is insufficient.

“The accused may have apologised, but the investigation is underway. We’ll ensure that a chargesheet is filed.”

In a video he shared on Instagram, Nautam Swami, the president of the Vadtal Satsang Sabha, a faction of the Swaminarayan sect based in Gujarat’s Kheda district, called Anand Sagar Swami’s statement a “blot on the entire Hindu community”.

“To increase the glory of his guru, he has tarnished Lord Shiva’s name. Such a statement tarnishes the Swaminarayan sect,” he said.

ThePrint reached him, but he refused to comment on the other complaints against the Swaminarayan sect’s leaders.

Hanuman is no god’ 

Anand Sagar isn’t the only one facing such allegations.

video put out by local media purportedly in September shows Aksharmuni Das of Bhuj Swaminarayan temple as saying: “Hanumanji is no god, but he served god and pleased Lord Ram with his ‘bhakti’ so much that he was made equally worshippable”.

Aksharmuni Das was allegedly answering a question.

In the video, which ThePrint has seen, He gives the example of Hindu sages Shuka, Sankadik, and Narad to say that like Hanuman, they could all be worshipped but can’t be called gods. He adds that they are devotees of gods, and, therefore, saints. Likewise, “Hanuman is a sant, but we cannot call him a god,” says Aksharmuni Das.

ThePrint reached out to the Bhuj Swaminarayan Temple via email. This story will be updated if and when a response is received.

This copy has been updated to remove a reference to the Brahmo Samaj that has its roots in 19th century Bengal.

(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)


Also read: Satanic Verses to Kaali—religion-arts binary isn’t real. Hurt sentiments staged in 3 ways


 

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