Udupi: Pejawar Swamiji challenges government to take over church administration

Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Jun 12: Sri Vishweshateertha Swamiji of Pejawar Math reiterated that the government is not in order in interfering with the administration of Sri Krishna Math. He said his stand is in tune with a Supreme Court judgment. He also challenged the government, which claims itself to be secular, to also interfere with the administration of churches, if it proposes to have its say in the administration of Maths.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday June 11, he clarified that talking of taking over Sri Krishna Math alone, leaving aside the other Maths and temples untouched, defies the norm of social justice. “The Supreme Court had come to the conclusion that Sri Krishna Math is a Math for the spiritual Gurus here, whereas for the general public, it happens to be a temple. It had held that this is a temple-cum-Math complex,” he explained.

Clarifying his stand over the controversy surrounding the earlier statement attributed to the chief minister (CM)about taking over the Math administration, he said he did not talk to the CM as the latter has clarified his stand that he had never meant to take over the Math.

He recalled that the order appointing administrative officer to the Math by the then Madras government in 1951 had been annulled by the court. He clarified that heads of Maths are barred from working as government servants or for money.

“The misconception about the Math has got it roots in the purposeful mistake committed by an official, who demanded bribe, in including the Math in the list of notified temples. This mistake was committed during the period S M Krishna. This mistake, which was committed with malicious intention, was rectified during the reign of Yeddyurappa,” he stated. He clarified that there the question of fresh denotification of the Match does not arise.

“The heads of the Maths here are not lured by monetary gains or collections. The money which gets accumulated here gets used for the society. During my four Paryaya terms, my Math had to raise loans, rather than saving anything,” the Swamiji said. He added that in the past, he had suggested for subjecting the accounts of the Maths to auditing, and also preparation of annual budgets, but that these suggestions had faced opposition. He therefore said he does not want to comment about the administration or expenses relating to other Maths.

The other points elaborated by the Swamiji were that the practice of serving the Brahmins separately had started during Dwapara Yuga, when the food habits of Brahmins underwent a chang. He insisted that caste was never a reason for this development, and that it would be wrong to blame Brahmins for it. Sri Krishna Math follows the practice of not turning away devotees with empty stomach, he added.