A bold critique is shaking spiritual circles as Mamta Kulkarni, Mahamandaleshwar of the Kinnar Akhara in Prayagraj, signals her intent to relinquish her title. Labeling the role a ‘joke’ due to unqualified claimants flooding the scene, her words demand a reckoning in religious leadership.
Kulkarni’s deep immersion uncovered disillusionment. ‘The glamorous spiritual facade crumbles inside,’ she observed. ‘Countless individuals crown themselves supreme without substance—lacking scriptural depth or self-knowledge. Holiness isn’t a wardrobe change.’
Anchoring her argument in sacred texts, she highlighted Upanishadic teachings: beyond Vedic recitation lies atma-jnana. The Shvetaketu-Uddalaka anecdote illustrates this—encyclopedic knowledge without introspection is void. Today, she sees echoes everywhere.
‘Rare are the true ascetics; nine in ten peddle falsehoods for status,’ she revealed. Daily elevations to Mahamandaleshwar status erode reverence. Kulkarni didn’t spare the akhara’s origins, faulting figures like Rishi Ajay Das for baseless sermons that demean arts sacred to Hinduism, from Shiva’s cosmic dance to Krishna’s rasleela.
An inner voice urges her exit: ‘Amid phonies, titles ring empty. Embrace truth sans symbols—a guru shines through renunciation, not regalia.’ Her prospective departure spotlights the urgent need to restore integrity to spiritual hierarchies long diluted by commercialism and ego.