Varkala: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday cautioned against "organised efforts" to portray sage-social reformer Sree Narayana Guru, who advocated "one caste, one religion and one God for people", as a proponent of Sanatana Dharma. He claimed that the Guru had neither been a spokesperson nor a practitioner of the Sanatana Dharma, but a saint who had reconstructed it and proclaimed a Dharma befitting to the new age.
Sanatana Dharma is nothing but 'varnasrama dharma' (caste-based social order), which Guru had challenged and overcome, he said, adding that the new age "humanistic dharma" advocated by him stands with time. Trying to fix the Guru in the framework of Sanatana Dharma is a great insult to the saint, Vijayan said, while inaugurating a pilgrimage conference held in Sivagiri, the headquarters of Sree Narayana Dharma Sangam here.
Varnasrama Dharma is synonymous with or an integral part of Sanatana Dharma, he said, adding that Guru's ascetic life was the one which questioned and defied the entire chaturvarnya system. "Attempts to downplay social reformer Sree Narayana Guru as a mere religious leader or as a religious saint must be realised. It should be understood that Guru had no religion and had no caste," the CM said.
If someone tries to place Guru himself within the boundaries of caste or religion, there can be no insult to the sage beyond that, he added. Warning that there would be attempts to present the Guru as an advocate of whatever he had fought against, Vijayan urged people to be vigilant against such attempts. "Don't let that happen. Be able to firmly state that such misinterpretations will not be tolerated," he said.
Meanwhile, the chief minister's remarks drew sharp reactions from the BJP, which alleged that Vijayan had insulted Sanatana Dharma in the holy land of Sivagiri. The CM also insulted the followers of Sree Narayana Guru through his remarks, it said.
"The crux of Vijayan's speech at the Sivagiri conference was that Sanatana Dharma should be hated. His remarks were a continuation of Udayanidhi Stalin's statement that Sanatana Dharma should be eradicated," senior BJP leader V Muraleedharan told reporters here. The former union minister sought to know whether the Left veteran would have the courage to say such things about the Holy Quran.
Alleging that the Hindu community in Kerala faced the greatest challenge during Vijayan's rule, he said the Left veteran tried to challenge the faith at Sabarimala and during Thrissur Pooram. Muraleedharan also said that the people of Kerala would reject the Communist propaganda portraying Guru as an enemy of Sanatana Dharma.
