Udupi Pejawar Mutt seer Sri Vishwesha Tirtha Swamiji on Sunday said that the Bhagavad Gita does not propagate inequality as claimed by some progressive people. Instead, it advocates equality. It is not the Gita that should be burnt but the ignorance of these progressive people that should be removed, he said.
Speaking at the Hindu Samajotsava organised to commemorate the golden jubilee celebrations of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) here, the swamiji said, “More than westerners, our own people who have been influenced by western thoughts are causing damage to society.” The Gita has put all professions and professionals on an equal footing, he said.
Sri Vishwesha Tirtha regretted that no one speaks against religious conversion of Hindus that has been taking place for years; but they only speak against reconversion to Hinduism. If reconversion is bad, so is conversion, he said and declared that reconversion would continue unabated. Those returning to Hinduism would get equal status, he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari D. Veerendra Heggade said that Sri Vishwesha Tirtha and he (Mr. Heggade) are associated with the VHP since its birth. They have seen tremendous social change brought in by the parishad. VHP has been able to remove inequality among Hindus and usher in oneness; differences among Hindu leaders have been set aside, he pointed out.
Mr. Heggade said that the mindset that one is being oppressed or victimised among Hindus only indicated one’s weakness. Due to the tremendous social changes in the last five decades, Hindus have become united and have grown stronger and there is no need to talk about vengeance now, he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Responding to reports that 4,000 policemen were posted for security, Mr. Heggade said that such a development is an insult to the community. One has to ensure such things do not repeat in future, he said.
In her keynote address, Sadhvi Balika Saraswati said tat India is a Hindu Raashtra and reconversion would go on. If Hindus are aggrieved by cow slaughter, they are the ones to be blamed for selling cows to slaughterhouses, she said. The Sadhvi also talked about self-protection of Hindu women against attacks by others. A number of religious heads, including Charukeerti Bhattaraka Swamiji of Moodbidri, and VHP regional president M.B. Puranik, Samajotsava president Ganesh Rao and working president Vijay Vittalnath Shetty, were present.
‘Those influenced by western thoughts causing damage to society’
‘No one speaks against religious conversion of Hindus’