Raipur (Chhattisgarh): Sadguru Riteshwar Maharaj has said that those who have been opposing some lines in Ramcharitmanas might not have known the context in which they were written. However, the Sanathana Dharma is very accommodative and whatever objectionable stanzas that are there will be removed if the need arises, he added.
Sadguru Riteshwar, who was here on a two-day visit, said that people were converting to other religions just for one packet of atta (wheat flour). "Later somebody will give them two packets of atta. Then they will make a comeback to Sanatan Dharma (ghar wapasi)," Sadguru added.
Deliberating on the concept of knowledge, Sadguru said, "A knowledgeable person does not face sufferings or anxiety in his life for too long. Specialized knowledge helps in excelling in different spheres of life. People can achieve specialized knowledge from the materialistic world as well as divine knowledge from the cosmic world."
"So, what I mean to say is that the people of our country are wise enough to whom to vote. They know who is the right party to rule the country. People also know whose religious discourse they should attend to," said the seer, adding, "People have rights to exercise their franchise without any fear or prejudice. They cannot be stopped from visiting religious gatherings or from liking a particular political party. People cannot be cowed down at gun-point to vote for a particular party," Sadguru said.
On Ramcharitmanas row, Sadguru Riteshwar Maharaj said, "If the countrywide clamouring over Ramcharitmanas is vote bank politics, then it must be decried. Suppose it has nothing to do with the vote bank politics, then conduct a referendum on Ramcharitmanas. Some people were opposing the so called offending lines in the religious book. But people did not know in what context those lines were written. What was the purpose of writing those lines at that time. We don't know. Our Sanatan Dharma is very accommodative. We will be ready to move those stanzas from Ramcharitmanas if the need arises."
