200 Reconverted Dalits had Darshan of Lord Venkateswara at
TTD; Let us work to Stop Conversion Efforts and Reconvert Dalits to Hindu fold
Swami Vivekananda declared in the Parliament of
Religions that "If anybody dreams of the exclusive survival of his
own religion and the destruction of others, I pity him.”
About 200 Dalits
who reconverted to Hinduism had a special, historical darshan of Lord
Venkateswara on October 8, 2012. Swami Paripoornananda, Pontiff of Sri Peetham,
has been very active in bringing Dalit Christians back to Hinduism. Ghazal
Srinivas of SaveTemples of Global Hindu Heritage Foundation joined the event in
arranging a special bus from Kakinada
to Tirupathi and shared the expenses for the event. Fifty reconverted
Dalit Hindus left Kakinada
on 7th evening and reached on 8th to Tirupathi. About 150 other
reconverted Dalit Hindus joined the group on Tirumala where TTD officials
arranged a special darshan for these people. Swamiji personally greeted all the
Dalits and made all necessary arrangements for a memorable, unforgettable, and
historical event. Following Lord Balaji Darshan, Sri Gauraiah, Sri
Jagdish and Sri Mohan Rao met with the media and announced that because of Sri
Swamiji’s powerful speeches, they converted from Christianity to Hinduism and
expressed their utmost happiness in having Darshan of Balaji.
Eenadu, Sakshi and Andhra Jyothy daily newspapers have given coverage to this
unique, historical event. Swami Paripoornananda speaking to the media demanded
that TTD officials should open their eyes and urged them to provide darshan to
all devotees belonging to Dalit community. If they fail to do, Lord himself
will teach them a lesson. Executive Officer of TTD should concentrate on
providing proper facilities to the common man rather than concentrating on
VIPs. TTD should stop pampering Business people, (Swamijis), Politicians
and others and should concentrate on providing proper facilities for the common
pilgrims. He also observed that the Dalita Govindam program that takes Lord
Venkateswara to different Dalit communities is a good concept. At the same
time, it is equally important to encourage Dalits to have darshan of Balaji on
Tirumala itself. Many of them are unable to take a pilgrimage because of many
limitations. They should be given free darshan. This is one way of countering
the conversion efforts of other religions. He also said that for the last
one year he has been urging TTD to arrange free buses for Dalits to visit TTD
from all the districts. In fact he demanded that TTD should provide two
free buses every week from each district for Dalit community as well as
economically backward pilgrims.
Further he
demanded that Dharma Prachara Parishad should allot budget of 200 crores to
make necessary arrangements for events like this so that poor people will not
be treated differently in a discriminating manner.
Swami
Paripoornananda also mentioned that he could not understand the hesitation on
the part of EO to build Vakulamata
Temple. If Vakulamata Temple is built, it would be good for
the state and also become prominent in the country. Illegal mining must be
stopped immediately and the construction of the Temple should start forthwith.
Global Hindu Heritage Foundation strongly feels that this kind of special
encouragement is essential to prevent Dalits from getting converted to other
religions. It is known fact that the denial of Dalits to enter Hindu Temples
definitely encouraged them to look for alternatives to be counted as human
being. This is also an occasion for many Dalits to be proud of their
heritage. It is also a good time for all Hindus to reflect on our
scriptures such as Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharata, Ramayana and others and start
practicing what is preached. Emphasis should be placed on the code of conduct
and behavior rather than the caste. Any Hindu who is concerned about the future
of Hinduism should make every effort to be inclusive, not exclusive; more
tolerant, not discriminatory; more broadminded, not small minded; more in tune
with scriptures, not constrictive dogmas.
Hindus
cannot live without being cognizant of the happening in the surroundings.
Now there are more churches than Hindu Temples. They have enough
resources coming from foreign countries and practically taking advantage of our
indifference to allure the Dalit and backward classes of people into
Christianity. Our own antiquated traditions and customs are pushing the
Dalits to get converted. Our dwindling numbers will prove fatal to our customs,
traditions, rituals, and our own religion. All Hindus need to open their eyes
to see the potential danger for their own survival. They need to wake up before
they are wiped out. Hindus need to get out of this “frog in the well” mentality
and see what is happening beyond their own backyard. Something is getting
rotten around us. Before that foul smell makes you move out, you better stamp
out the smell and clean the surroundings.
All Hindus should support
the “Dalithude Govindudu” (Dalit is Divine/ God) initiative by Swami
Paripoornananda and Ghazal Srinivas. It is time to see divinity in the
heart of every human being instead of the caste. We should all remember Adi
Shankara’s encounter with Chandala. As the legend goes that when Shankara
was on his way to the temple after a bath in the Ganga,
he found a Chandala with four dogs blocking his path. He got furious when the
Chandala refused to step aside, and when he was asked to do so. The Chandala
asked, "what is it that you want me to set aside: My body or my soul? If
it is my body, both yours and mine are made up of the same physical elements.
But if it is my soul, it is also no different from yours. How can therefore be
any distinctions of caste and creed?” Filled with remorse, Shankara prostrated
himself before the Chandala, thinking: “He who has learnt to see ones existence
everywhere, he is my master—be he a Brahmin or a Chandala.” This is a
profound message that we need to adopt, propagate, imbibe and practice.
Following the encounter, Adi Shankara composed Manisha
Panchakam, which is the most highly elevated and spiritual poem on the futility
of caste differences.In these verses Adi Shankara says that he would accept a
person as his Guru if he possesses highest wisdom whether that person is a
chandala or a Brahman; he says he will accept him as his Guruif the person has
the correct knowledge even if he is a Chandala and concludes by saying that he
would accept a man whether he is a chandala or Brahman, if he possesses the
true knowledge of Brahma as his Guru.
In Isha Upanishad,we see a similar thread of thinking:
“If one sees in Atma all beings and in all beings the Atma, then one need not
have a feeling of hatred. (6)
“When one realizes that all creations are just manifestations of Atma why one
should feel attachments and pains? He sees unity in all creations.” (7)
Sant Tulsidas also has expressed a similar view in his Ramayana when
he said thus:
"Those who are devoted to Sri Rama are free from lust, vanity and anger.
They look upon the whole world as full of their Lord. Against whom then can
they harbor animosity? (7.112:b).
Global Hindu Heritage Foundation and Sri Peetham are committed
to bring unity among all Hindus irrespective of their caste. The more wedge we
create among us, more danger the Hindus will face. Remove the barriers
and build bridges between different castes.
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