Also known as Shankaracharya, they are considered the highest spiritual authorities of Hinduism. The head of the Puri monastery: "Those who divide the community to gain power must be unmasked”. "I will not support any particular party, but they are secularists [parties] who should win".

Mumbai (AsiaNews) - Narendra Modi is a "sinner" for what happened in the 2002 Gujarat massacres, and "no lover of justice will ever love him": this is according to two Shankaracharya (Shankara masters) , among the highest spiritual authorities of Hinduism, who yesterday announced they would work to ensure that the prime ministerial candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP , the Hindu nationalist party) does not win in Varanasi, a city which he has chosen to sit as candidate for the general election in progress.

Shankaracharya is a title given to the heads of the four great monasteries of the Advaita tradition (the best known school of Hindu religion ), which were founded by Adi Sankara, a philosopher who consolidated the doctrine. This is why the Shankaracharya are considered the highest spiritual authorities of Hinduism .

Swami Adhokshjanand Devtirath , Shankaracharya of the Puri monastery, Swami Swaroopananda , Shankaracharya of the Dwarka monastery have united in their contempt of Modi. The first said: "I will go to Varanasi and expose him. Those who divide people to come to power should be exposed".

They are the first every high profile Hindu figures to come out against Narendra Modi, who in his election campaign has done everything possible to "interpret" the values ​​of the "true Hindu".

The Shankaracharya of Puri said that he went  to Gujarat himself and saw the situation after the massacres of 2002. He accused the Rashtriya Swayamasevak Sangh (RSS, a Hindu extremist organization that supports Modi- ed) of  "using religion to mislead people".

 "The BJP leaders - said the Shankara master - continue to release statement that are creating tensions in the country. I do not support any particular party, but there are secular [parties] that should win".

The district of Varanasi will go to the polls on May 12 , the ninth and final phase of the general elections . According to many, Modi has chosen to run for this seat to revive the idea that the city is the "cradle" of the Hindu fundamentalists, his greatest supporters. However, the city , considered sacred to Hinduism, is an important center for other philosophies and religious traditions in the country, such as Buddhism , Sikhism, Islam and Jainism. (NC)

 

 

• INDIA
• Hindu
• Shankara
• masters
• Narendra
• Modi
• Gujarat
• massacres
• election