The Shankaracharya of Puri—Im an old, intimate enemy of his—asked the Indian government that the ancient sati pratha should be legalized! For centuries Hinduism has been forcing women, when their husbands die, to jump into the funeral pyres, alive, to be burned and die. This is called sati. Calling a woman sati because she has jumped into the funeral pyre of her husband is saying that she has attained the truth. If this is true, then why has not a single man in the whole of history jumped into the funeral pyre of his wife? Such an easy way to become one with truth! At least the Shankaracharya of Puri should commit sati. That would make his name history, the only man in the whole of history…And he is such an idiot, he can do it! It is good that he should; otherwise, he has no right to ask the government. Hindus have been torturing women for centuries. If somebody, out of love, jumps into the funeral pyre—whether it is man or woman does not matter, if it comes out of love—then I have tremendous respect for it. But it was not coming out of love, it was being forced…. And this fellow, the Shankaracharya of Puri, was speaking on the occasion where a six-year-old girl—in fact it is illegal for her even to be married—was burned on the funeral pyre of her husband. Nor was she of an age to be married. Their marriage was invalid, illegal, unconstitutional and this murder is supported by the Shankaracharya of Puri. On this occasion he was asking the government to make sati pratha legal. I am asking the Indian government to make it a law that every shankaracharya should commit sati first. There are eight shankaracharyas in India. Only after that should any woman commit suicide and it should always be out of love, not because of a ritual. I have received a letter from the Shankaracharya of Puri saying that he wants a debate with me. I am perfectly willing, but on what grounds is he going to debate with me? He has said that if a woman is burned alive, becomes a sati, then in Hyderabad rains will come. Now on what grounds can we discuss it? The only way is that the Shankaracharya should become a sati in Hyderabad! And if rains come, I will accept that he was right. If rains dont come, everybody will know that he was wrong. He thinks in terms of scriptures, not in terms of real life. He thinks that he can discuss with me because in the Hindu scriptures the idea is that a woman whose husband has died has to jump into his funeral pyre. To him, it proves that sati pratha is right. To me, it proves that the scripture has to be thrown into the fire! On what grounds can we discuss? Untouchables, who are not allowed to enter Hindu temples, have been demonstrating at the Nath Dwara temple for the right to enter Also the shankaracharya goes on insisting that the untouchables need not go to temples because they are Gods only beloved people. If the beloved ones cannot enter into a temple, either God is wrong, or his love is a fallacy, a strategy. At least the Shankaracharya who is saying it, who is himself the head of one of the biggest and most ancient temples, with hundreds of priests there, should lead the harijans, the untouchables, into his temple first…. The government has arrested those two hundred harijans who were trying to enter the Nath Dwara temple. The governments act is absolutely unconstitutional. The constitution gives equality to everybody as a birthright. If the government wanted to be legal and constitutional, then the people who were preventing the entry of harijans, like the Shankaracharya and the priests of Nath Dwara, they should be arrested. But what an irony! Those poor two hundred harijans have been arrested to protect the vested interests of the higher, richer Hindu society. I am simply amazed that harijans go on remaining part of the Hindu society. For ten thousand years at least they have been exploited; they are the most exploited and oppressed part of humanity. They should get out of Hinduism, there is no need of any `ism. They dont have to be Hindus. It is so undignified that the Hindu scriptures deny them the right even to read the scriptures; the Hindu scriptures forbid them to worship in the temples; they are even forbidden to touch Hindus. Not even their shadow should touch any Hindu; otherwise the Hindu has to take a bath to cleanse himself. And still those poor people go on remaining part of Hindu society. It seems to be a certain conspiracy between the Hindu priests and the government, that the priests are out protecting their temples and the harijans, who were trying…what harm could they have done? Just worshipping in the temple…and if a Hindu temple is not allowing a certain section of society, then certainly that section should separate itself from such humiliation. Osho
Posted on: Sat, 09 Aug 2014 03:32:34 +0000
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