Abhinav Arora, 10, responds to video that shows him getting scolded by Swami Rambhadracharya

10-year-old spiritual orator Abhinav Arora has responded to the backlash against a video that shows him being scolded by Swami Rambhadracharya.

Ten-year-old spiritual orator and content creator Abhinav Arora has responded to the backlash against a video that shows him being scolded by Swami Rambhadracharya. The youngster tried to brush off the incident, saying he was reprimanded by his guru and such small incidents should not become matters of national interest.

Swami Rambhadracharya was filmed scoldding 10-year-old 'Bal Sant Baba' Abhinav Arora for his dance at an event. (Instagram)

Swami Rambhadracharya's reprimand

The controversy stems from a video that shows Abhinav Arora singing bhajans and dancing onstage next to Swami Rambhadracharya at a religious gathering. The spiritual leaders was filmed asking Arora to step down from the stage.

“Aap pehle neeche jaao. Inko kaho neeche jaane ke liye (Please step down. Maintain decorum),” Swami Rambhadracharya was heard saying in the video. The instruction had to be repeated at least twice as Arora continued to dance onstage.

In a press interaction, the spiritual leader also referred to Arora as a “foolish child.”

“Itna murkh ladka hai wo. Wo kehta hai ki Krishna uske sath padhta hai... bhagwan kya uske sath padenge? Maine to Vrindavan mai bhi usko danta tha (He is a foolish boy. He claims that Lord Krishna studies with him... Will God study with him? I had scolded him in Vrindavan too),” said Swami Rambhadracharya.

Abhinav Arora’s response

Arora, 10, responded to the backlash he has faced since the video went viral, saying the incident is not recent.

“The video is being portrayed as a recent one from Pratapganj. That is wrong. The video is around a year or a year-and-a-half old, it’s from Vrindavan,” said the self-styled ‘Bal Sant’.

“Have you never been scolded by your parents?” Arora asked his viewers. “Have you never been scolded by your guru.

“Even if such a big guru like Swami Rambhadracharya scolded me, why is it being made the nation’s biggest news story?” he questioned. “In fact, no one has mentioned how Jagadguru Ramanandacharya also called me to his room afterwards and blessed me,” said Arora.

The 10-year-old further addressed criticism over his education, as many viewers have pointed out that he should be in school, not at religious gatherings. He said that he had been trolled so much that he could not go to school.

“I do go to school,” Abhinav Arora insisted. “However, it has reached such a stage today, I have been trolled so much, that I have not been able to go to school,” he said. “My sister has also not been able to go to school because of me,” he added.

Recently, Arora's claims to being a spiritual orator have come under increased scrutiny, with some viewers saying he is a child being exploited by his parents.