Citing SC stay, ABAP chief questions eligibility of Jyotish Peeth Shankaracharya
Sunday, 16 October 2022 | PNS | HARIDWAR
The Supreme Court has ordered a stay on the Pattabhishek ceremony of Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati as the Shankarcharya of Jyotish Peeth. Informing the media about this on Saturday, the Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad (ABAP) president Mahant Ravindra Puri stated that after the demise of the Jyotish Peeth and Dwarka Peeth Shankaracharya, Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati, his disciple Swami Avimukteshwaranand was declared the Shankaracharya of Jyotish Peeth in violation of the rules and traditions governing this ancient institution. Showing a copy of the Supreme Court order to media persons, the ABAP chief said that the Apex court had stayed the ceremony to be held at Jyotish Peeth in Badrinath on October 17 while hearing the petition filed by Vasudevanand Saraswati. Puri has appealed to the members of the religious fraternity to abstain from attending the Pattabhishek and the Jagadguru Shankaracharya Mahasammelan which had been stayed by the SC.
He said that before becoming a Shankaracharya, a Sanyasi who is proficient in the four Vedas and six Vedangas has to debate with the scholars of Vedanta, after which it is necessary to take the consent of Mahamandaleshwar, the heads of the 13 Akhadas of Sanatan Dharma and Kashi Vidvat Parishad. A Sanyasi is recognised as a Shankaracharya after following this procedure. However, after the demise of the previous Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati, his disciple Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati was announced as the Shankaracharya of Jyotish Peeth on the basis of the will of the previous Shankaracharya. Stating that a Sanyasi from the Giri branch should be the Shankaracharya of the Jyotish Peeth, the ABAP president said that they are opposing the declaration of Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati as the Shankaracharya as it is not in accordance with rules and traditions. It will be recalled that Adi Shankaracharya had established four Peeths in the four corners of India and the heads of these seats are Shankaracharyas.
