That was November 12, 2004; entire nation was soaking in Deepavali light. But, on the same morning a news struck like a thunderbolt! Seer of Kanchi~Kamakoti Peetham SriSri Jayendra Sarawati Swamiji was arrested!! For once we thought, ‘it will not be true’; in the next moment we were praying to God, ‘let this not be true’. But merciless fact was the tragedy had indeed taken place! That sacred seer who wished good for all was arrested in connection with a murder case. But our mind never accepted the cruel myth that ‘Jayendra Saraswatiji had someone killed’! Those who arrested could arrest the physical body of the seer; but could they arrest the mind of us and those who were like us!?
When we went through all the available details of the incident after bringing the personality of Sri Sri Jayendra Sarawati Swamiji to our mind – we came to the firm conclusion that it was a conspiracy hatched to destroy Kanchi Peetham. A cry in protest against the dreadful deceit on truth and righteousness was needed from some quarter. Coinciding with this incident, there was a congregation in Sringeri of all seers of Shankaracharya Peethas of this region. We were of the belief and had huge hopes – that the seers who would congregate there would certainly condemn the arrest of Kanchi Shankaracharya; that there will be an uprising in the society as a result; that it will entail voices of protest from other saints; that a wave of peaceful protest would engulf the entire nation and that there will be an end to the grave injustice being played on Sri Sri Jayendra Sarawatiji!
But what transpired there was completely different! While the public meeting was underway, we received an instruction “No one should speak in support of Kanchi seer!” We did not find it digestible when it sought to curtail our voice in support of a brother Peetha when it was being unjustly hounded; we did not find it worthy of acceptance and did not feel it was required to be adhered to. Then it was informed to us that similar instruction was circulated to all the Peethadhipathis there; we could see its effect at the meeting; no one raised his voice in support of Kanchi seer! The one who’s august presence was there at the podium – who was essentially required to raise his voice even if each one among the rest chose to keep quite, too did not break silence on this important issue; but we could not suppress our voice!
When it was our turn to speak we vocally condemned the arrest of Kanchi seer in unequivocal terms; we warned the political class, “Saffron is nothing but fire; place your hand there and you will be burnt to ashes!”. There was palpable response from the audience; the crowd which had gathered there supported the condemnation of arrest in one voice! But the spin-doctors behind the instructions were immensely hurt; as a result, we became their ‘target’ from that day!
Just imagine: it would have been a different story if the group of Shankaracharyas who had congregated there had condemned the injustice on Sri Sri Jayendra Saraswatiji in one voice!
It would have ignited the fire of protest among the community of seers and of people! If the seers stand up in unison, no power on this earth can stop them! The raging surge of saffron tsunami would have swept away the wicked political conspirators! The power of unity of a people inspired with Guru-Shakti would have exorcised the forces of evil politicians who were behind the conspiracy! But alas, the situation was such that each Guru present there had to be asked the question, “Oh Guru, what stifled your voice?”! In this background, this article has been named as “What did we – contemporary pontiffs – give to Sri Sri Jayendra Saraswati Swamiji who sacrificed everything?”
We are of the firm view that the predecessor Seer of Kanchi, who had administered the oath of celibacy to Sri Sri Jayendra Saraswati Swamiji, was God in the guise of a human; you cannot compare truthful living-spiritual attainments and teachings of that great soul with any other seer in the recent times! While continuing the efforts in religion and spirituality from where the earlier see had left, Jayendra Saraswatiji extended the benevolent deeds in newer areas in the society.From University to hospitals worthy of universal emulation, from a series of Veda Pathashalas to playing mediation to the tangle of Ayodhya dispute – the service the seer rendered to society are awe-inspiring!
In this background, when there is an accusation against such a noble soul, the inquiry should start from the point that ‘he is innocent’; that is what the past of Sri Sri Jayendra Saraswati till date establish; it is a well-known fact that he has been continuously serving the society well; there is no trace of anything evil there! So, the inquiry should start from the presumption that ‘the seer is innocent’; those who attribute evilness should provide solid evidences. This is the just method.
But things did not happen this way in Sri Sri’s instance! As though waiting for the accusation against the seer, police swung into action and treated Sri Sri like a convict; media too projected His Holiness like a convict; it was left to the seer to prove his innocence.
In the legal system resembling maddening maze of death, after going through the hell-like pain for nine years, Kanchi Seer established innocence of HisHoliness in the court of law; but media failed to inform this to the public properly while the police and executive authorities who committed grave and unpardonable injustice to the innocent seer never apologized or repented for their atrocities! Sri Sri Jayendra Saraswatiji who was subjected to scores of accusations and difficulties without reason never became their ordinary self again!
Like Bhishma Pitamah who was lying on a bed of thorns, the seer was subjected to the thorn-pricks of false accusations all over the body, swallowed all the pain to distribute flowers all around, has attained immortality now; the sacred seer has been liberated from the pains which we have subjected him to; it is natural for ascetics to welcome death with a smiling face; mortality of the body is not a retreat for the seer!
But, for the nation??
Departing of a senior seer who has been known pioneer in social service in our times is the sunset of goodness for the society! It is a bad day of tough luck for the nation!
The sentence called life does not get completed without the full stop called death! Saints don’t die; they just get liberated! Hence more than the separation of the seer what worries us more is the way we treated him while he was alive! That fault can never be made good by any effort! That will be recorded as an irreparable mistake in the history of this nation. Even if half of those who are eulogizing the seer now had raised their voice of support during that time….. ?
A prayer to God at the end:
Be kind enough to send the kind-hearted philanthropists like Seer Jayendra Sarawati for sure; but before that bless our contemporaries with the vision to look at the truth and kindness , to help others look at him with equanimity…
~*~
Way to Wisdom:
- Relations between Kanchi Peetham and SriRamachandrapuraMatha has always been good. When Kanchi Seer visited SriBharathi Svasthya Mandira at Mujungavu, Kasaragod on 6th November 1998:
- In the following presentation you can look at the importance given by the media when the seer was acquitted as compared to the coverage given when there were allegations :(Courtsey: HinduismNow.ORG Link)
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