Ram mandir: Religious leaders express concern over 'inauspicious mahurat'

They cited the rise in COVID-19 cases among high-profile people as the indicator

ram-temple-workers-pti Preparations go on, ahead of the 'bhoomi pujan' for the construction of the Ram Temple, in Ayodhya | PTI

The first murmur about the inauspiciousness of August 5 as the day for the bhoomi pujan of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, came from Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati at Bhopal. With prominent names testing positive for COVID-19, more voices have joined in to proclaim that the choice does not bode well for the nation.

On August 2, Union Home Minister Amit Shah tested COVID-19 positive, followed by the UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh, the state’s Jal Shakti Minister Mahendra Singh, and Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa. Earlier, on the same day, Technical Education Minister Kamal Rani Varun succumbed to the virus, which made UP CM Yogi Adityanath postpone his visit to oversee preparations at Ayodhya, by a day.

Chakrapani Maharaj, president of the Akhil Bhartiya Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM), sees all of the above as signs that the August 5 ceremony is not taking place under the proper planetary configuration. Like Swami Swaroopanand, the Mahasabha was also a litigant in the title suit.

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“In the vedic tradition, no auspicious events are conducted in the period of Dev Shayan. When ordinary mortals keep in mind the planets while planning events, why should such a big event happen in a period which is unsuitable? Ram was an incarnation of Vishnu and very particular about mahurats. So, it is disturbing that the bhoomi pujan for his temple should happen in disregard to these,” said Chakrapani Maharaj.

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The Dev Shayan is a four-month period in the Hindu calendar, during which Lord Vishnu goes to sleep. In 2020, this period started on July 1 and will end on November 26-27.

Yugal Kishore Shastri, a close associate of Swami Swaroopanand and the Mahant of the Saryu Kunj Mandir in Ayodhya, said, “The Shankaracharya is portrayed by some sections of the media as being close to the Congress and thus his observations denounced. But whatever his political affiliations, he has no reason to lie about the mahurat being inauspicious. He is a follower of Sanatan Dharma as prescribed by our Vedas. He was a freedom fighter. He is unlike the others who follow a more militant version of Hinduism”.

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Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh, on July 23, had shared Swami Swaroopanand's observations on the “inauspicious date”, on social media.

The Mahasabha has started performing hawans and chanting mantras from today to ward off any possible ill-effects of the mahurat.

“The Lord’s work can be performed any time, but a more consultative process would have been better. The land is ours now and cannot be snatched away,” Chakrapani Maharaj said.