Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati said in Maha Kumbh About Yogi Adityanath

Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati of Jyotishpeeth in Uttarakhand, one of the four major Peethas of Sanatan Dharma established by Adi Shankaracharya, is currently in Maha Kumbh. His Dharma Sansad is going on in Sector-12 here, in which, after discussing various issues related to Sanatan Dharma and culture, including cow protection, resolutions are also being passed, which have been named as Paramadesh. Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati was also talked to about various aspects of Sanatan Dharma and some controversies that arose in Maha Kumbh. Here are some excerpts from the detailed conversation.

What is religion or Sanatan Dharma?

Religion has been introduced to give height to human life contrary to its nature. Human nature is like water, which rolls downwards. One has to make efforts to rise up. That effort is called Dharma. Which is called Sanatan because it always exists.

What are the objectives of Sanatan Dharma?

Man does not need any effort to go down in life, whereas effort is needed to rise high. When we rise high, we get happiness and when we fall down, we get sorrow. The purpose of religion is to prevent us from falling and help us to rise up.

What is the meaning of salvation in Sanatan Dharma?

Salvation is to get freedom from the cycle of birth and death. In Sanatan Dharma, it is believed that according to the deeds, the living being has to take birth in different species and has to suffer happiness and sorrow. The living being keeps wandering to enjoy the fruits of the deeds done while living in the body. Liberation from this wandering is salvation.

Are deities and God the same? What is the meaning of deity?

Donation leads to deity. We have wishes and desires in our mind. These wishes or desires are of various types. The power that fulfills the good wishes in these wishes or desires is the deity, while God controls the universe. God is present in everything. Brahma is that from whom everything is, in whom everything is contained. In this way, different forms of the same power are addressed with different terminology.

Are rituals also religion?

Rituals are religion. Like a fruit, it has a peel and a seed. The peel is not eaten, but remains with it to protect the pulp. In the same way, religion actually resides in our conscience, but we protect it through the external cover. When we come to such a holy place (Mahakumbh), do sacrifice and penance, follow the rules, keep company with saints, then our inner mind becomes more spiritual. Our external actions, our deeds, get support from them to the inner self, so they also have importance.

How to differentiate between customs and orthodoxy?

Orthodoxy grows on its own. Rituals are started by a particular person. There are Ritikavyas, which are started by someone at different times and people start following their footsteps. For example, our Shankaracharya came two and a half thousand years ago, whom people are following even today. Other great men also came like Madhvacharya, Vallabhacharya, Nimbarkacharya, Ramanujacharya etc. They left such an impression that people are not able to forget them and are following them.

What is the difference between fast and festival?

Vrat means a resolution, devotion that now we will do this. Decision on some matter. Festival means celebration. At the time of a festival, the bhajans, bhandaras etc. that we do while observing a fast is a festival.

Crores of people are gathering for bathing in Maha Kumbh. Do sins really get washed away by bathing?

Water has different kinds of power. The water of our house has the power to wash our body. Similarly, the holy water of rivers like Ganga has the power to wash away the dirt of the mind.

It is said that God does everything, so does he also do the same wrong things that we do? If he is God, why does he do wrong or make others do wrong?

God does everything, but what has God done that he has given us a little divinity as well. By considering ourselves a little bit of God, we do things as per our wish. Whatever we do as per our wish, we have to suffer the consequences. Whatever is controlled by God, we do not have to suffer the consequences.

Just like there is a Pope in Christianity, is there any one person in Hinduism too, whose words everyone follows?

They have a structure. They also have many sects. The Pope is the leader of one sect. The Pope leads the whole world. There are many religious leaders under him as well. We do not have such a structure, but our principle is universal, eternal, that is why we are called supreme. We do not have such a structure that someone is below us, so we are supreme.

Harsha Richaria’s case is in the headlines, how do you see it?

It is wrong to start such a tradition. This is the result of a distorted mentality. In Maha Kumbh, beauty of heart should be seen, not the beauty of the face. It is not right to give a place on the royal chariot of saints and mahatmas to someone who has not yet decided whether he wants to get married or take the initiation of sannyas. It would have been fine even if he had participated as a devotee, but making him sit on the royal chariot wearing saffron clothes is completely wrong.

You have given the form of ‘Dharam Sansad’ to ‘Gau Sansad’, why?

Cows are being slaughtered in the country and the state. Cows are being slaughtered on the roads. Gorakshanath Peethadheeshwar is the CM, but cows are being slaughtered under his rule. We have to think about this. In the 2027 assembly elections, we will bring new people to power. We will bet on a new party or a new leader in the elections. We will not support the current government in the 2027 elections. We will support the one who stops cow slaughter.