Shankaracharya of Dwarka strongly denounces conversion

Bhubaneswar: The Shankaracharya of Dwarka Peeth, Swami Swarupananda Saraswati, on Friday strongly denounced religious conversions and advocated a complete ban on change of faith.

"We need a complete ban on religious conversion. It is ethically wrong," he told newsmen here on a visit to the city.

The Shankaracharya, however, said the "problem would persist till we decide to go to the tribals, poor and needy and serve them".

"Hinduism is the most ancient religion though we respect other faiths. But conversion through allurement is unethical," he said, adding "those indulging in conversion perhaps don’t realise that they are hurting their own faith".

Asked whether he considered the devotees belonging to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) to be Hindus, the seer said "why don’t you ask them whether they consider themselves as such".

Commenting on the controversy over the demand for entry of Dalits to a Jagannath temple in Kendrapara district, the Shankaracharya said everybody belonging to the Hindu religion had the right to enter its shrines.

"All are equal," the Shankaracharya said but added only the priests of that particular temple had the right to go into the sanctum sanctorum and worship.

"Nowhere are Dalits stopped from entering Hindu temples," he said.

"No matter whether he is the Shankaracharya or a Dalit, all can enter the temple and go upto a particular place. It is the same for everybody. They should not go any further," he said.

Replying to a question as to whether people of other faith should be allowed entry into Hindu temples, he replied "when they don’t have faith on the Hindu god, why should they enter in the first place".

The seer said he was on his way to Ayodhya where he would undertake ‘Parikrama’ of the place where the Ram temple was to be built.

"I strongly feel that the temple should be constructed at that spot," he said.

"I invite other Shankaracharyas, spiritual leaders and Hindu devotees to join me during the Parikrama," he said.

The Dwarka seer said though ‘yoga’ was a good thing, people would not get its benefit unless they shed their habits like chewing tobacco. "How will yoga help if you don’t live a clean life," he asked.

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