VARANASI, Feb 25 – Jagadguru Balak Devacharya of Patalpuri Math has publicly lamented the allegations against a Shankaracharya, fearing they could erode the sanctity of spiritual leadership. In candid remarks, he urged caution, highlighting the long-term damage to societal trust.
‘This doesn’t sit right with me,’ the Jagadguru confided. ‘False charges are one thing, but if validated, saints everywhere will suffer a loss of credibility. The Asaram Bapu episode lingered for years; we had to emphasize his separate sampradaya. May the Lord ensure these prove baseless.’
Invoking ancient insight, he referenced Goswami Krishnadevray’s words on desire’s potency. ‘Saints immerse in worship, begging protection from kama, krodha, and moha. Bearing such smears is their true trial—easy to allege, impossible to ignore.’ He deferred to the judiciary on the ongoing case.
Addressing Prayagraj’s baton-charging, Devacharya demanded accountability: ‘Officers brandishing lathis deserve suspension. The episode was shameful. CM Yogi, however, commands respect for uplifting UP’s religious sites. Yet, in this sacred land of Sanatan Dharma, Brahmins, saints, and gau mata, such brutality is intolerable.’
Devacharya’s intervention spotlights tensions between legal scrutiny and reverence for India’s ascetic traditions, as stakeholders watch court developments closely.