The arrest of the Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati has come as a huge jolt to the entire nation.
Like they say, everything is open to interpretations.
Shankhara – is supposed to mean one who clears or kills all doubts.
But it could just be a combination of words with no meaning at all. Or you could interpret each word separately and arrive at your own conclusion.
Very simply put, these are the questions millions of people had an answer to just a few days back and may be left stuttering when confronted today. Only time will probably give us the correct answer. For now, we can just hope that this was all a mistake.
Welcome to the dark murky world of religion and politics, where power play has become the order of the day. Religion and politics have become so intertwined that it is becoming extremely difficult to distinguish one from the other.
Millions of people who have believed in certain values and lived by them are left stranded with no ends to grope. At the end of the day one has only one’s conscience to cling on to.
But where it hits hardest is the youth, the new generation, the future. When such a blow can weaken strong foundations of faith built over many years, once can only imagine its impact on the younger generation.
It is the responsibility of the media, the politicians and all other public entities, while attempting to achieve their ambitions, to also keep in mind the impact such sensitive issues can have. The law will take its own course. Meanwhile, it is very important that the media, the politicians, religious leaders et al refrain from unnecessary speculation.
