‘Administration can’t decide who is Shankaracharya’, says Swami Sadanand Saraswati:Dwarka Sharda Peeth Shankaracharya express anger over stopping saints from Ganga Snan during Magh Mela

As the tug of war between the Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and the Prayagraj’s Magh Mela administration intensified. Religious circle around the country have reacted sharply to the alleged mistreatment of Shankaracharya during the Magh Mela.
Dwarka Sharda Peeth Shankaracharya Swami Sadanand Saraswati said unequivocally that no administration has the authority to decide who is or is not a Shankaracharya. ‘Shankaracharya tradition is Guru–disciple based’ Addressing the renovation ceremony of the Muktanand Sanskrit Pathshala in Narsinghpur on Saturday, Swami Sadanand Saraswati said the Shankaracharya tradition is rooted in the guru–disciple lineage, not in administrative orders. He stated that Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati was formally anointed at the Sringeri Peeth, an event he himself witnessed. ‘Administrative interference is inappropriate’ The Shankaracharya said his Guru granted Sanyas to only two Brahmacharis—himself and Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati—thereby establishing their legitimacy. Questioning their identity, he said, amounts to administrative interference in long-standing religious traditions. ‘No one can be stopped from Ganga Snan’ Calling the Magh Mela incident condemnable, Swami Sadanand Saraswati asserted that no saint, ascetic, or Brahmin youth can be prevented from taking a holy dip in the Ganga. He cautioned that power is never permanent and actions taken in arrogance of authority invite social criticism. ‘Respect public sentiment and traditions’ Referring to democratic values, he said elected representatives are chosen by the people and must respect public sentiment as well as the country’s religious and cultural traditions. Governments, he stressed, should protect religious heritage rather than interfere in it.