Dalits to be honoured with ’Bhakti Deekshe’ - Pejawar swami
Mangalore Today News Network
Mangaluru, Jan 08, 2016: Speaking to media in the City on Jan 7, Thursday, Pejawar Mutt seer Sri Vishwesha Theertha Swami has said that he will give ’Bhakti Deekshe’ to devout Dalits during his Paryaya tenure.
The seer dwelt upon the various projects that he has planned to put into action during his Paryaya tenure in the Sri Krishna Mutta Udupi. He said that the move will be initiated to clear the misconceptions about Dalits. "Bhakthi Deekshe comprises two things: ’Nama Deekshe’ and ’Mantra Deekshe’. The former, ’Nama Deekshe’, is an oath taken by a devotee to chant the sacred name of the Lord. The devotee is not required to quit alcohol or non-vegetarian food. In ’Mantra Deekshe’, however, the oath-taker will be initiated to chant the mantras and also has to keep himself away from alcohol and non-vegetarian food," the Swami explained.
The ’Sahapankthi Bhojana’, where people of all classes consume food together, is being practised in the Udupi Mutt, he sressed.
Vishweshatheertha Swami further said that during his upcoming Paryaya, he would build an ’Ananda Theertha Vidyalaya’, a residential school at Pajaka - the birthplace of Sri Madhwacharya - at a cost of Rs 40 crore. Lectures by scholars will be organised in the Mutt. Other programmes will be planned after gathering public opinion, he added. The seer insisted that he was not in favour of Made Snana. Ede Snana would be an alternative for the earlier, he suggested, maintaining that it will not be an insult to the God, to perform Ede Snana.
He also said that he would ask Union Minister for Water Resources Uma Bharati to recommend the stoppage of Yettinahole project, during her visit to Udupi. He would also speak to the Prime Minister in this regard. The seer said that the Prime Minister had expressed his wish to visit the Mutt and meet the seer, during the Paryaya tenure of two years.
"The Yettinahole project should be subject to discussions and should be carried out only after ensuring that there is no harm to the environment," he said and opined that a huge scale revolution is necessary to oppose the project.
He clarified that he was not associated with any political party - so much so that during elections, he would leave the town. He added that he had been following the ideal of religious tolerance and called upon the administration to treat both minority and majority sections equally. He opined that the appeasement of a particular section of the society by the government should be avoided. He expressed opposition to intolerance in both Hindu and Muslim communities.
The seer added that the collections and expenses towards Paryaya would be examined by him, after the completion of the Paryayotsava ceremony. Tulabhara Seve was offered to the seer by DK district Kannada Sahitya Parishat president Pradeep Kumar Kalkura.