Vaishnavite and Shaivite seers from Tamil Nadu have condemned DMK scion Udhayanidhi Stalin’s hate speech on Sanatana Dharma. While Mannargudi Vaishnavite math’s Jeeyar said, “We should think whether we need such a minister, head pontiff of Kamakshipuri Adheenam said, “We should not elect those who malign Hindu Dharma”.
Sri Sampathkumara Ramanuja Jeeyar, the head pontiff of the Sendalangara Shenbaga Mannar math in Mannargudi, recently met the press in Srirangam. Addressing the issue of TN CM MK Stalin’s son and Sports Minister Udayanidhu Stalin’s call for eradicating Sanatana Dharma, he said, “A minister as a part of the government should act without discriminating based on jaati, religion, and other things. But he has spoken wrongly about Sanatana Dharma which is condemnable. We should think about whether we need such a minister. If he has guts, he should say that there are mistakes in Christianity and Islam that he wants to correct and then talk about Sanatana Dharma.”
It has begun . This is what is needed and expected of our gurus and mattadhipadhis. My pranams and kodi kodi namaskarams to Mannargudi sendalangar jeeyar for calling out the dimwit adharmis . He says such people who want to eradicate Sanathana dharma should not just be driven out… pic.twitter.com/f5Gaw5Tkx0
— karthik gopinath (@karthikgnath) September 7, 2023
The Jeeyar further said that those who speak ill of Sanatana Dharma are like termites that disappear after the rain. “125 crore people follow Hindu Dharma in Bharat. Only 9% follow other faiths. Those who are against Hindus should not be in the country. Hindus from all communities(jaatis) serve as pujaris in all temples. What new thing do they claim to have accomplished now? Can Minister Udhayanidhi enter a church or mosque and say that people of all jaatis are equal to him? Udhayanidhi’s mother goes to temple after temple. He cannot advise his family members about Sanatana Dharma and stop them. How can these people stop outsiders?”
Pointing out DMK’s hypocrisy in milking fault lines of the jaati system to win elections, he further said, “They talk about abolishing jaati when the election nears. But DMK fields candidates based on jaati in elections. Why don’t they field candidates without depending on their jaati? They can talk about Sanatana culture after that. Sanatana Dharma is the mother of our country. Similar to how one is angered when someone speaks ill of his mother, speaking ill of Sanatana Dharma also angers us.”
Sri Sampathkumar Ramanuja Jeeyar is the current Jeeyar of Mannargudi Chendalakara Shenbaka Mannar Matha, one of the 13 mathas established by Manavaala Maamunigal. The mutt had been without a Jeeyar for 125 years until Sampathkumara Ramanuja Jeeyar took charge. As soon as he took charge, he began fulfilling the duties that are the characteristics of such a guru – propagating the Hindu Dharma to people, particularly between the Thirukulathor (Sri Ramanujacharyar called SC/ST as Thirukulathor).
He has traveled to more than 300 villages across four states and performed Mangalasasanam (worship) in more than 50 Divyadesams. He took it upon himself to spread the values of Sanatana Dharma, simple ways to perform puja and the culture of Bharath and Gau Raksha. The matha has a ‘Goshala’ that takes care of 51 cows and bulls.
He has been campaigning widely for Gau Raksha and helping out villagers by teaching the practical uses of cow dung. He has performed Pancha Samskaram (Samashrayanam) for hundreds of people, including those from SC/ST communities. The Jeeyar spreads awareness about the conversion activities by the organized religions as well. Once, he solved a misunderstanding between two communities in a temple issue which HRCE tried to escalate further, and evangelists were waiting like vultures to harvest souls if there was a fallout. He also stood in support of Shaivite mathas when the DMK government tried to ban the centuries-old custom of Pattina Pravesham.
Another seer from TN, the head pontiff of Kamakshipuri Adheenam, Sri Sivalingeshwara Swamy, has also condemned Udayanidhi’s speech. He said, “Many are making fun of Hindu dharma and even maligning it. They indulge in acts that would eradicate Hindu Dharma. CM Stalin’s son Udayanidhi says that Hindu Dharma should be eradicated like mosquitos. Karunanidhi ruled well, and his son Stalin has been following him. Similarly, Udayanidhi should improve his qualities to rule in the future. He has assumed the responsibility of a minister at such a young age. Instead of performing well as a minister, he shouldn’t act with eradicating Hindu Dharma as the goal. We shouldn’t elect those who malign Hindu Dharma. Udayanidhi’s speech is strongly condemnable.”
Earlier, he condemned DMK when the party distorted Kanda Puranam, a literary work on bhagwan Skanda, to praise and admire its late leader, M Karunanidhi, and MK Stalin. Condemning the sacrilegious act in strong terms, the seer issued a statement saying, “The Kandapurana song is like the national anthem, a song that is sung in devotion for world welfare. The lyrics released by the political party denigrate the song that people sing in devotion. Political parties should stick to focusing only on their principles. Acts that denigrate religious beliefs must be abandoned. If such acts continue, there will be dire consequences.”
It has been nearly a week since Udayanidhi called for eradicating Sanatana Dharma, comparing it with deadly diseases like Malaria, Dengue, etc. 2G accused A Raja, who came to his defense, furthered the hate by likening Sanatana Dharma to AIDS. Yet there was hardly any condemnation from Hindu seers in TN, which made Hindus wonder what was stopping them from speaking out against such blatant hatred for Hindus. Some parts of both seers’ statements are naive and problematic, but it is a welcome step as apart from imparting religious education, they also need to guide the Hindu community in political issues in these turbulent times.
It is to be noted that when matathipathis made remarks criticizing the DMK government on small issues, they were threatened by the HRCE minister. It is no wonder that they would want to save the maths till DMK is out of power. Yet, silence, even when one calls for a genocide of Hindus, only emboldens them even further and acts on it. Perhaps Sri Sampath Kumara Ramanuja Jeeyar and Sivalingeshwara Swamy have set an example by condemning Udayanidhi’s speech, and more will follow them.
