A few days back, an innocuous incident in the Ratlam district of Madhya Pradesh caught the attention of the national audience. An old, weary Hindu priest at the Mahalakshmi Temple was seen keeping the money of Dakshina in his pocket. However, someone captured the priest during the act, taking what was rightfully his, and uploaded the video on social media platforms.
Soon, the video went viral in the realms of the digital world, and people, mostly secular and left-liberals, having no prior knowledge of how the temples work or for that matter, the priests, started to disparage the old pujari.
According to a Navbharat Times report, the incident transpired during the Deepotsav Mahotsav when the temple is packed with devotees. After the video reached Collector Kumar Purushottam, the officer, instead of taking the rational approach ordered an inquiry into the matter.
Meanwhile, SDM Abhishek Gehlot issued a notice to the priest and sought a reply. Yes, a notice was issued to a priest for taking Dakshina.
ये उस SDM के मुँह पर लगा जूता है जिसने पुजारी जी को नोटिस थमाने की जुर्रत की है। इतने वृद्ध पुजारी जी, उनके हाँथ काँप रहे हैं। यदि किसी श्रद्धालु को दानपात्र में पैसे डालने होते तो वो पुजारी जी के हाँथ में दक्षिणा क्यों देता? https://t.co/KwXe7QsMUf pic.twitter.com/KiJtfa6uap
— The Sanatan Uday (@TheSanatanUday) November 12, 2021
Hindu group restoring Pujari’s respect
However, as soon as Hindu nationalists’ groups came to know about the Pujari being disrespected by the bureaucracy of the country- members of ‘The Sanatan Uday’ reached the temple compounds, found the old, frail priest, and gave him the respect he so richly deserved.
In a social media post, the group remarked that the old priest was shaking when they met him. The members of Sanatan Uday garlanded the priest, touched his feet and collected money in a tray to be given as Dakshina to the priest.
The group remarked that if someone wanted to do the daan, why would they keep the money in the priest’s hands, instead of depositing it in the designated spot. They also challenged the administration to take any action on the priest now.
https://twitter.com/VidyaSanatani/status/1459138653196730372
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What is Guru Dakshina? A 101 class for an asinine leftist
The majority of the leftists that barked upon this pole were oblivious to the fact that Dakshina is a unique part of Indian culture and tradition, especially for the Sanatanis. A greenhorn, as are most leftists should understand the significance of Guru and their position in the hierarchy.
Here, Guru is an interchangeable term that is used to refer to a priest, a teacher, or any other individual that imparts any sort of knowledge to another.
Firstly, the Sanskrit word Dakshina has several meanings. According to Siddhayog, in the traditional etymological analysis of the word, the syllable da means “offering and giving,” the syllable kshi means “to abide or dwell in,” and the syllable na indicates “knowledge.”
Dakshina, then, is an offering made by a student to the teacher through which the student becomes established in the knowledge that has been imparted.
The scriptural texts of India instruct those longing for knowledge of the ‘Absolute’ in how to approach the Guru. A disciple is to come before the Guru with humility, devotion, a willingness to serve, and their arms laden with the best offerings they can make.
These offerings made by the disciple to the Guru are called Dakshina. Since time immemorial, offering Dakshina has been the dharma of all disciples.
While the role of Teachers, gurus, or priests may have narrowed down to a set department of rituals in modern times but throughout the history of Sanatan Dharma, a teacher or a Guru has remained a spiritually evolved guide for the disciples. Students often attributed everything they learned about the cosmos and singularity to their teacher.
Why are leftists riled up?
There has been a growing trend lately where any Sanatan ritual is gauged through the lens of ‘Brahminical Patriarchy’ lens. The presence of temples and Hindu customs is an impediment for the left-liberal cabal to impose their woke agendas on the public.
The idol of the cabal is ‘Periyar’ whose beliefs regarding Brahmins easily crossed the line of racism and xenophobia. Periyar at the peak of his racist movement kept making it clear that Brahmins are irredeemable due to their virtue of being born a Brahmin.
For instance, in an interview, it was asked, “Do you mean to say that Brahmins, by the very fact that they were born Brahmins, can never have honest intentions?” Periyar responded, “I do. They can never have honest intentions.”
On one occasion he stated, “To destroy caste discrimination burn the pictures of Nehru and Gandhi and also the Constitution of India. If all these methods fail to give us results, then we should start beating and killing the Brahmins; we should start burning their houses.”
Read More: Periyar was an anti-Hindu, anti-Brahmin bigot who deserves to be criticised not lauded
For the liberal cabal, the IITs are a breeding ground of Brahminical patriarchy, just because the majority of the faculty and students happen to be from the Savarna class.
However, as long as the Brahmins, the priests and Hindu groups stand guard, the Sanatan Dharam will continue to prevail. Its traditions even though archaic, are embedded in the core human beliefs and ethos of humility and care. We live in a world where taking Dakshina can be a sign of Brahminical patriarchy but sitting in public places and offering Namaz, to the nuisance of the public- a secular act.