Introducing Anant Shri Vibhushit Mahamandaleshwar Swami Chidambaranand Saraswati Ji Maharaj, Shri Panchayati Akhara Mahanirvani, who devoted his whole life to Sanatan Dharma, means showing light to the sun. His outspoken voice, candor and fearless thoughts have guided many people and inspired them to move from darkness to light.
During an exclusive conversation with Rishabh Shukla, Managing Editor of ‘On the Dot’, Swami Chidambaranand Saraswati Ji Maharaj, while highlighting his life and spiritual journey, said that after leaving his home at the tender age of 11, he came to the Guru’s refuge. Here he got the privilege of serving his Guru Param Pujya Shri Swami Hariharanand Saraswati Ji Maharaj. Swami Chidambaranand Saraswati Ji Maharaj gave importance to service, spiritual practice and self-study during this period and after five years, he single-handedly took a pledge to propagate Sanatan Dharma and culture all over India and moved forward in this direction. At the global level, Swamiji connected a large number of people with Sanatan Dharma in America and Europe. After this ‘Chiddhyanam Ashram‘ was established in Mumbai.
Swami Chidambaranand Saraswati Ji Maharaj while talking about his ashram said that here every year we organize the biggest annual festival of Mumbai in which saints, sages etc. from all over the country participate. Apart from this, many Muslims and Christians desirous of ghar wapsi (conversion through Vedic method) were included in Sanatan Dharma with an open heart.
Swamiji further said, “The basic element of Sanatan Dharma should be made accessible to the people, so that the coming generation also gets the knowledge of the glorious Sanatan culture and for the spiritual development of the younger generation in today’s materialistic age. And with the aim to fulfill these objectives, we have been working diligently on social media for many years, as a result of which today people have become more vocal and aware about spirituality and our Sanatan Dharma. This change is pleasant and if I say that I am one of the strongest pillars in this change, it will not be an exaggeration (with giggles).”
How do you view Hinduism? What kinds of misconceptions are being propagated and created about the concept of Hindutva? Responding to these questions, Swami Chidambkaranand Ji Maharaj said, “Basically Hinduism talks about the peace of all, the welfare of the world. …‘सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः, सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु मा कश्चिद् दुःख भाग्भवेत’ means the essence of all our Vedas, Upanishads is that there should be peace everywhere on earth, water and sky, and may all live in happiness, may all be free from illness, may all be witnesses of auspiciousness and no one has to become a partaker of sorrow.
You will not find such thoughts in any culture of the world where there is a willingness of welfare and happiness for all… We are generous not only to human beings, but also to animals and birds….There is no restriction in our basic concept, the scope of Hindutva is not limited….we feed ants, fishes and all living beings. Sanatan Dharma teaches us not to eat animals but to feed them….Along with everyone’s welfare and peace, the other side is also that we reject those who try to harm and disrespect our Sanatan culture … We first gave a peace message to Ravana for his abominable actions but he didn’t improve his behavior. As a result Lord Ram killed him. Lord Krishna himself went to the Kauravas as a messenger of peace, but when they did not agree, Krishna did not hesitate to destroy those miscreants.
People made every effort to defame Hindutva and those who were doing so were speaking the language of heretics. But they cannot give a single instance where we have done injustice, riots, shed blood of innocent people in the name of ‘Dharma’. Whatever efforts are made to defame Hindutva, it has proved to be in vain and will continue to prove futile.”
‘What message do the contractors of Dharma want to convey to the people in the name of Dharma and how successful they are in this?’ In response to this question, Swami Chidambaranand ji Maharaj, expressing regret in the case of brutal murders in Udaipur and Amravati, said, “First of all we have to understand that ‘Dharma’ is not ‘mazhab’ …. ‘Dharma’ is not ‘religion’ …..
‘वेदप्रणिहितो धर्मो ह्यधर्मस्तद्विपर्यय:
वेदो नारायण: साक्षात् स्वयम्भूरिति शुश्रुम’
That is, the actions which have been prescribed by the Vedas are Dharma and those which have been forbidden are Adharma. The Vedas are the manifestations of God Himself… They are ‘His’ natural breathing and ‘His’ own light. Now it is natural to ask whether the brutal murders that took place in Udaipur, Amravati were written in the Vedas or does ‘Dharma’ allow it? If such acts are not related to the Vedas, then there is no ‘Dharma’ for the perpetrators of such condemnable incidents…. There is a need to understand the conceptual difference here. Our ‘Dharma’ talks about the interest of others, on the contrary, they are spreading their fundamentalist religious principles by slitting the throats of the innocent. If they believe that killing innocent by slitting their throats will save their religion, then a religion and sect armed with such thinking will be called barbaric. ‘Only our rule will be here and if those who oppose will get only death’ – this is the tendency of animals….this is not humanity, this is not ‘Dharma’. Therefore, people of such tendencies and such principles should be boycotted and punished at the administrative and social level so that the society and the country can be saved from this fanatical mentality.
Secondly I will say in very clear words that India was a slave for 1400 years, even during that time of slavery no one could defeat our courage, even today no force can create fear in us…. In spite of seeing countless deaths during the time of independence, our Sanatan culture is strong and is inspiring people to move towards the light of knowledge. Even at the present time, we are raising our voice against many atrocities… Those who say wrong and those who do are being boycotted. We are constantly fighting a war against the unrighteous for the establishment of Dharma with courage. Our awareness and awakening is the biggest victory for Hindutva and the country.”
When asked the question that it has been going on for years to make mockery of Hindu gods and goddesses, make objectionable remarks on them… be it painter MF Hussain or self-proclaimed comedians, in which direction is the country moving and what is the root of this sick mentality? Swami Chidambaranand Ji Maharaj said, “Speaking about the root, more than the damage done to our country by 1400 years of subjugation was due to the greed and ill-conceived thinking of our governments and leaders formed after independence. After 1947 the majority of Hindus were harassed, history was fragmented, by tearing apart our glorious history, they called the Mughals great …. After this, the trend of religious hysteria and political appeasement in the name of minorities promoted these things… By conspiring against the majority, they were made negligible, Sant Samaj was propagated corruptly. Through Film, art, literature and almost every medium, the center of every faith of Sanatan Dharma was attacked. Not only deities but also saints, stories, history, Ramayana, Mahabharata, pilgrimage sites were insulted and destroyed…. Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas were shown as wicked and Shudras as victims. The government was yours as soon as India became independent, then how did you allow the Shudras to be oppressed? Over the years, only in the name of Dalit oppression, poison was mixed in the society. Our Sanatan culture says that our Lord Ram visited Shabari’s hut and ate half-eaten (tasted) berries. Many such stories were suppressed. We were prevented from being vocal, subdued, as a result of which the rebels were encouraged to humiliate Sanatan Dharma. Such people were not only given a free hand by the then government machinery, but such wrongdoers were rewarded and honored. Times changed after 2014. There was a change in the governance system. Today people are getting vocal. This change is undoubtedly positive.”
Sanatan Dharma gives complete freedom to its followers to ask questions, but today this freedom is being used by some people suffering from Hinduphobia to fulfill their agenda. Is there any antidote to this slow poison spreading in the country? Responding to this question, Swamiji said, “People of the Left ideology propagated roti, kapada, makan (Food, clothes, house) in such a way that people forgot to live their life. The biggest disadvantage of this was that we distanced ourselves from our religious texts. Hinduism was described as opium and most of the Hindus tried to avoid it. On the contrary, Muslims and Christians remained attached to their scriptures. ‘Dharma’ is not an intoxicant… ‘Dharma’ does not make us sleep but awakens us. According to our scriptures, ‘Dharma’ is vision. Without ‘Dharma’ one cannot differentiate between right and wrong. There is an answer to every question in our Sanatan Dharma. You ask your questions…. We do not have any problem with people suffering from Hindu phobia… you are sick… you should understand Sanatan Dharma for its treatment…You will get a logical answer to your every doubt, every question. Actually we need to improve the education system of sanskars. Teach children to read religious texts. Make them aware of Sanatan Dharma.”
What kind of changes are needed in the country? Sharing his views on this question, Swami Chidambaranand Ji Maharaj said, “A wave of change has been seen since 2014… This change is positive, people are waking up but their numbers should increase. Our country has democracy, not monarchy. Cornerstones of democracy include inclusiveness, equality, citizenship, consent of the governed, voting rights.…the people who have faith in our ‘Dharma’ have to choose the right government. That governance system will have to be established every time which makes the voice vocal for Sanatan Dharma. ‘Jagran’ is the biggest medium to save oneself and the country. It is necessary to propagate Sanatan Dharma through education, art, literature, film, TV, radio. During a program organized in Lucknow, a person asked me what is the reason for love jihad….Has the modern education system destroyed our sanskars so they get ready for marriage anywhere? Responding to this, I told them that if our girls are falling prey to love jihad or converting because of the education system, then why don’t Muslim girls studying in the same school-college get swayed?
You have to stop blaming others for your mistakes and children will have to give religious rites from childhood. Wherever we see heretical conduct, we must have the courage to retaliate against it. I would say this to the countrymen that understand the truth, do not get misled….do not get confused…if any disturbing thing comes to the fore, investigate it, test it and believe it only after knowing the complete truth. If country and religion are to be saved then awareness is necessary. Best wishes.”
