Recently (31st December 2024), while inaugurating a conference as part of the Sivagiri pilgrimage, Pinarayi Vijayan supported Swami Satchitanand's proposal to stop the practice of removing shirts and baring the torso while entering temples. It is believed that this practice originated to identify those wearing the sacred thread, an upper-caste privilege. While some doubt this, it's unlikely there was any other primary reason for this practice. Those without the sacred thread were likely prohibited from entering the temple. Vijayan also stated that efforts are being made to propagate that Guru was part of the Sanatan tradition. He was far removed from it, as Guru propagated, "One caste, one religion, one God." This emphasis on equality, irrespective of caste and religion, is antithetical to the core of Sanatan Dharma.
Vijayan also pointed out that Guru's life and work are highly relevant today, as violence is being orchestrated by instigating religious sentiments. Guru was not merely a religious leader; he was a great humanist. His critics also criticize Vijayan, claiming that during his tenure as Chief Minister, Hindus are being troubled. They cite the example of Sabarimala, where the ruling party decided to support the Supreme Court ruling allowing entry of women of all ages to the sacred temple. BJP spokespersons are opposing Vijayan for insulting Sanatan Dharma in this instance as well.
The debate around Sanatan seems to have come to the forefront for the second time. It first arose when Dayanidhi Stalin spoke against Sanatan. The BJP-RSS asserts that Sanatan cannot simply be reduced to caste and the Chaturvarnya. Incidentally, in 2022, Kerala had submitted a float for the Republic Day parade. It displayed Narayan Guru. The jury from the Defense Ministry stated that the Kerala float should display Shankaracharya from Kaladi instead of Guru. This was a major reason for rejecting the float.
As such, "Sanatan" signifies "eternal" and has been used for Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism. Hinduism is a religion with no single prophet or single holy book. The word "Hindu" does not appear in its holy scriptures. It has two major streams: Brahmanism and Shramanism. Brahmanism is based on graded inequality and patriarchal values. Ambedkar renounced this form of Hinduism, believing it to be dominated by Brahmanical values. The Shramanic traditions, including Nath, Ajivikas, Tantra, and Bhakti traditions, diverge from the values of inequality.
Today, in popular parlance, Sanatan Dharma and Hindu dharma are used interchangeably. Some ideologues claim that Hinduism is not a religion but a way of life based on Dharma. According to them, Dharma is not synonymous with religion. As such, Sanatan Dharma primarily represents the Varna system, caste inequality, and adherence to these traditions. Dharma is best understood as religiously ordained duties. What social reformers oppose is the rejection of a religion based on inequality.
If we consider the example of Ambedkar himself, he regarded Buddha, Kabir, and Jotirao Phule as his Gurus. What mattered to him was the rejection of caste and gender inequality. In medieval India, saints like Kabir, Tukaram, Namdeo, Narsi Mehta, and others vehemently opposed the caste system and some faced attacks from upper-caste rulers. As such, Narayan Guru emerges as a great social reformer against the caste system, transcending religious divides. No wonder the present ruling government, guided by Brahminical Hinduism, cannot accept the Kerala float depicting Narayan Guru.
Narayan Guru was a deeply humane individual. During his upbringing, he delved deeper into spiritualism and the practice of Yoga. During his philosophical journey in 1888, he visited Aruvippuram, where he meditated. It was during his stay there that he took a rock from the river, consecrated it, and called it an idol of Shiva. This place has since been known as the Aruvippuram Shiva Temple. This act, later known as the Aruvipuram Pratishta, created significant social commotion and opposition, especially from among the upper-caste Brahmins.
They did not accept Guru's right to consecrate the idol. He replied to them, "This is not a Brahmin Shiva but an Ezhava Shiva." This quote of his later became very famous and has been used against casteism. To combat casteism, he dedicated his life. His actions were a significant practical step in challenging the deeply ingrained caste system. Guru's revolutionary understanding was "One caste, one religion, one God."
He transcended caste and religious divides to proclaim the oneness of humanity. Later, he established a school that was open even to lower castes, much like what Jotirao Phule did in Maharashtra. Following the principles of Ambedkar's Kalaram Temple movement, he built temples open to all castes.
The recent suggestion of Swami Satchitanand, supported by Pinarayi Vijayan, also argues that a bare torso can be medically detrimental as it may transmit diseases. Many practices need to evolve with time. One recalls that women did not have the right to cover their breasts. There was a breast tax if women covered their tops. It was Tipu Sultan, when he annexed Kerala, who abolished the breast tax, allowing women to cover their breasts and regain their dignity.
Temples are an integral part of our community life. Changes in dress codes must accompany changes in social patterns. Opposition to this is akin to regressing. The politics of religion in most places opposes social change and shifts in political values. Kerala also exhibits many contrasts in diverse fields. It was here that, on the one hand, the Acharya from Kaladi, Shankar, countered the Buddhists in debate. The Buddhists argued on materialist grounds to focus on the issues of this world, while, roughly speaking, Shankar attempted to argue that the world is an illusion, supporting idealist philosophy.
In contemporary India, including Kerala, we need to follow the path of saints like Narayan Guru and Kabir, whose humane values provided a direction of amity to society. The conservative "status quo" in most matters hinders social progress.
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