Shankaracharya exercises his prophetic mission

By M L Satyan

Coimbatore, Aug 1, 2024: A few days ago, I watched a YouTube video uploaded by AAA YouTube channel of Ajit Anjum.

In this video the news reporter is interviewing Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand. He came across to me as a courageous person who is sincere to his call. His life can pose a challenge to all religious leaders.

Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati is the Shankaracharya of the Jyotish Peeth in Uttarakhand. He was made the new Shankaracharya of Jyotish Peeth after the death of Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati. Shankaracharya is a commonly used title of heads of monasteries called mutts in the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism. Avimukteshwaranand took diksha from Swami Swaroopanand in 2006. He is the 46th Shankaracharya of Jyotish Peeth.

In January 2023, when Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, months after he took charge as the Shankaracharya of Jyotish Peeth in Uttarakhand, spoke up about the perils of climate change and approached the Supreme Court through a public interest litigation pertaining to land subsidence incidents in Joshi Math.

In recent weeks, the 55-year-old sage has stirred a row by alleging that 228 kilos of gold have gone missing from the Kedarnath temple in Uttarakhand, terming it the “gold scam.”

“There is a gold scam in Kedarnath; why is that issue not raised? After doing a scam there, now Kedarnath will be built in Delhi? And then there will be another scam. 228 kg of gold is missing from Kedarnath; no inquiry has started. Who is responsible for this?” Swami Avimukteshwaranand asked.

He criticised the construction of a replica Kedarnath Temple in Delhi, arguing that the original temple belongs to the Himalayas. These accusations have stirred massive controversy and him back into the spotlight.

This January, when the Shankaracharya objected to the unveiling of an incomplete Ram temple in Ayodhya and declined an invitation to the consecration ceremony, he made it equally clear that religious pontiffs mattered in national affairs in a democratic state. He maintained that inaugurating a half-constructed temple was against dharma.

During his recent visit to Mumbai, where among other things he attended the Ambani family wedding, the Shankaracharya also visited Matoshri, the home of Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray.

“We all are Hindu and followers of Sanatan Dharma. We believe in sin and virtue. Trust betrayal is the biggest betrayal, which has happened with Uddhav Thackeray. Many people have pain about it. I told him the pain of our mind will not go away till he becomes chief minister again,” Swami Avimukteshwaranand told the media after the meeting.

Before being appointed Shankaracharya in September 2022, Swami Avimukteshwaranand had actively opposed the demolition of scores of decades-old temples during the construction of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi.

In 2019, he attempted to field a candidate against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Varanasi Lok Sabha election. In this general election, he successfully fielded a candidate under the ‘Cow alliance.’ No wonder Swami Avimukteshwaranand is being increasingly seen as taking anti-BJP positions.

Criticising BJP policies and consistent participation in the political discourse is fuelling the perception that Swami Avimukteshwaranand has transformed into being a staunch supporter of the Opposition. He clarified that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not his ‘enemy’. “I always advise him for his benefit. I will also tell him if he does something wrong,” declared Avimukteshwaranand.

Analysts point out that Swami Avimukteshwaranand is being bold and open to activism as he essays a dynamic role in both the religious and political space, unlike Shankaracharyas of the past who were mostly against political activism and reluctant to air their views. (Courtesy: India Today, July 22, 2024)

To me, Swami Avimukteshwaranand is a living prophet. His life and examples must be considered as inspiration and lesson by the leaders of the Indian Church (of various groups). The church leaders also must read and re-read the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea and Amos and understand how they challenged the corrupt rulers of their time and spoke on behalf of the oppressed people. Here are some samples:

“The Lord has an accusation to bring against this land… There is no faithfulness or love in the land…The people make promises and break them; they lie, murder, steal, and commit adultery. Crimes increase and there is one murder after another.” (Hosea 4:1-2).

“Listen to this, you that trample on the needy and try to destroy the poor of the country. You say to yourselves, “We can hardly wait for the holy days to be over so that we can sell our corn. When will the Sabbath end, so that we can start selling again? Then we can overcharge, use false measures and tamper with the scales to cheat our customers. We will find a poor man who cannot pay his debts, not even the price of a pair of sandals, and we will buy him as a slave.” (Amos 8:4-6).

John the Baptist had the guts to challenge Herod on his illegal relationship with his brother’s wife (Mt.14:1-5). And Jesus always challenged the exploitative hierarchical structure, corrupt rulers, officials and priests. He knew very well that he had to pay a heavy price – death on the cross. Yet, he never ceased to be a prophet.

Pope Francis has been exercising his prophetic role by speaking against the corrupt systems within the church as well as outside the church. He has been constantly giving a call to the clergy to follow the incarnational leadership with the smell of the sheep. He has been setting up new trends from the time he assumed the office of papacy. His simple living, dynamic preachings and writings have constantly challenged the Vatican officials and many Cardinals, Arch/bishops and the clergy of European counties and USA.

The bitter reality today is that the church leaders live like three monkeys – not actually seeing the widespread injustice prevalent in every sector; not willing to hear the cries of the victims of exploitation and oppression; and lacking courage to speak against the vision-less politicians who lead the country towards disaster. It is high time for the church leaders to introspect and start exercising their prophetic ministry.