Bidar: Three junior swamijis set themselves on fire, town grief-stricken
Daijiworld Media Network - Bidar (SP)
Bidar, Apr 8: Three junior swamijis of Chowli Math on the outskirts of the town set themselves on fire at around 5 am on Monday April 8, taking the citizens of the town by surprise and shock. A pall of gloom has descended on the town, and the people are making a beeline to the Math premises. Devotees could be seen weeping consolably and wailing the sudden loss of their spiritual guides.
Jagannatha Sri and Pranava Sri
File photo of Jagannatha Sri and Pranava Sri with Guru Ganeshwara Swamiji
These three were the disciples of Ganeshwara Maharjasri Swamiji of the Math. Sri Ganeshwara Swamiji had voluntarily forsaken his life on February 28 this year. The other head of the Math, Maruti Swamiji, had gone missing, and the police had launched an operation to find him out.
The three swamijis, Jagannatha Sri (22), Pranava Sri (16), and Veera Reddy Sri (45) had together planned in advance to offer their lives. They prepared a huge pyre some distance away from their Math premises and consigned themselves to flames. No witnesses were there, and the heart-rending episode came to light later.
In separate death notes left behind, which were retrieved by the police, they reportedly said that they had no enemies and there was no outside pressure on them. They clarified that they had decided to lay down their lives, as they were shattered by the death of their Guru, Ganeshwara Swamiji, and that they had been overtaken by a sense of uselessness, as were deprived of the opportunity to serve their Guru.
Bidar superintendent of police, Tyagarajan, said that the police had registered the missing case of Maruti Swamiji and had formed teams to search for him. Sri Shantaveera Swamiji of Kolada Math opined that the incident was the result of the swamijis who were overtaken by temporary emotions, and that the police failure was clearly evident in the episode. He has asked the state government to investigate the matter thoroughly and take necessary action.
There have also been demands for investigation by Central Bureau of Inevstigation into the incident.