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Seer on indefinite fast after permission denied for puja at Gyanvapi complex
The seer sought permission to worship the Shivling, said to be found at the Gyanvapi complex. He was stopped at the Kedar Ghat area of Kashi on Saturday.
VARANASI: Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, the chief disciple of Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati, started an indefinite fast on Saturday after being denied permission for worshipping the Shivling, said to be found at the Gyanvapi complex during the court-ordered survey on May 16.
Soon after being stopped at the Kedar Ghat area of Kashi on Saturday, the seer announced that he would start an indefinite fast at the Vidya Matt, that he heads.
“I will observe fast, until I am granted permission,” he said adding that he won’t take either food or water.
Varanasi police earlier told the seer that the written permission sought by him for worshipping the Shivling inside the Gyanvapi complex was denied.
“He had sought permission for worship at the place which had been sealed by the orders of the court and which is guarded by CRPF personnel. The case is pending in court. Thus, to maintain law and order, permission was not granted to the seer for worship inside the Gyanvapi complex,” DCP Kashi zone Ramsevak Gautam said.
“If he still goes to Gyanvapi for worship, strict legal action will be taken against him. Peace and law and order will be maintained at all costs,” he added.
“Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati, who is currently in Madhya Pradesh, on being informed about the manifestation of Lord Adi Vishweshwar in Gyanvapi complex, had ordered me to go and start worshiping Lord Adi Vishweshwar immediately. So, as the guruji’s order, we will go to offer prayers to Lord Adi Vishweshwar in Gyanvapi on Saturday. In our scriptures, Saturday is mentioned as an auspicious day,” the seer said on Thursday.
“The decision of the dharmacharya is final on matters of dharma (religion). In sanatan dharma, Shankaracharya is the biggest ‘acharya’ and Swaroopanand is the senior-most of them all. Therefore, his orders should be followed,” he added.
Hindu litigants claimed that Shivling was found during the court ordered survey in the Shringar Gauri-Gyanvapi mosque case. The Muslim side claimed that it was not a ‘Shivling’ but part of the water fountain mechanism at the “wazoo khana” where “namazis” (faithful) carry out ablutions before offering the namaz.
