Daijiworld Media Network - Haridwar
Haridwar, Oct 28: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Wednesday alleged that planned and systematic attempts were being made to attack Sanatan Dharma through what he described as false and derogatory claims about Hindu deities. He also accused certain groups of distorting historical narratives to undermine the religion and called for rejecting what he termed divisive propaganda.
Speaking to reporters, Ramdev alleged that Lord Ram and Goddess Sita were being falsely portrayed as consumers of alcohol and meat, while Lord Shiva was being depicted as an addict and a consumer of cannabis and bhang.
He also objected to what he described as the misrepresentation of Lord Krishna's Rasleela, allegations concerning Lord Brahma, and attempts to portray Hindu deities as immoral.
"By taking shelter of certain texts within Sanatan Dharma, over the past 1,000 years, during the Mughal period and the British era, opponents and heretics of Sanatan Dharma interpolated our scriptures to demean Sanatan Dharma," he alleged.
Ramdev further criticised narratives that, according to him, sought to create divisions among Hindu deities on economic grounds.
"In recent days, an even more unfortunate statement was made, claiming that Ram is the God of the rich, that 56 delicacies, offerings and adornments are presented to him, while Shiva is the God of the poor. These wicked people have even created a divide between rich and poor among the Gods!" he said.
He alleged that contradictory narratives were being propagated by people who questioned the existence of Hindu deities while simultaneously making claims about their personal lives.
Ramdev also made claims about the ancestry of India's Muslim population, stating that many Muslims acknowledged having ancestors who followed Hindu traditions. He asserted that more than 150 crore followers of Sanatan Dharma lived across the world and claimed the number would exceed 200 crore if the concept of Akhand Bharat was taken into account.
The yoga guru also rejected the theory that Aryans migrated to India from outside, claiming that his travels across different countries had reinforced his belief that people from India had migrated to other parts of the world.
"I have travelled all over the world, and I asked people everywhere: 'Did Aryans go to India from your place?' They replied, 'No, people from India came to our place,'" he said.
Ramdev said migration generally took place for three reasons: the pursuit of knowledge, the search for employment and the expansion of business activities.
Citing the example of scholars travelling across the world to spread knowledge, he compared their efforts with his own international campaign to promote yoga. He said people also moved abroad in search of employment when opportunities were limited in their home countries, while others migrated to pursue large business ventures.
Ramdev alleged that narratives claiming Aryans came from outside India, promoting the concept of 'original inhabitants' and targeting Brahmins through slogans such as 'Brahmins, leave India', were intended to divide society.
"All these false narratives are being peddled in this country. But we are saying one clear thing: Aryans did not come from outside. There was no conflict between Aryans and Dravidians in this country," he said.
His remarks come amid continuing debates over religious traditions, interpretations of ancient scriptures and competing historical accounts concerning India's cultural and social origins.