Basar Temple: Aksharabhyasam ritual triggers cold war between priests, private gurus

Members of the Anushtana Parishad, called for a bandh in protest of performing of Akshrabhyasam by certain private persons against rules of the holy scriptures, in temple town Basar earlier this week.

Nirmal: Temple town Basar, which houses the famed Sri Gnana Saraswathi Devasthanam, is marred by a cold war between priests and private gurus over performing the customary ritual of Aksharabhyasam or the initiation into the world of alphabets for the last few weeks.

Members of the Anushtana Parishad, a religious body comprising priests belonging to the Sri Gnana Saraswathi Devasthanam-Basar even called for a bandh of commercial establishments in protest of performing of Akshrabhyasam by certain private persons against rules of the holy scriptures, in temple town Basar earlier this week.

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The bandh evoked a lukewarm response with none of the establishments closing.

However, Pavan Kumar Sharma of Anushtana Parishad alleged that some private persons were performing the Aksharabhyasam ritual for parents by violating norms of strictures of Hindu religion to make a fast buck.

The persons were bringing disrepute to Sri Gnana Saraswathi Devasthanam of Basar by indulging in unacceptable practices. This was affecting the sanctity of the shrine, he charged.

They also accused that the private persons, who were teaching sacred Vedas to students from not only Brahmin communities, but from other castes by establishing a school on the shores of Godavari river near Basar, were scripting Beekashar or seed-letters on tongues of pupils as part of Aksharabhyasam ritual which was against the rules of the texts and traditions of the temple town.

The members demanded that the private persons stall the practice within a week. They declared that they would intensify the stir if the people did not stop performing Askharabhyasams in Basar.

They said that scripting alphabets on rice grains or slates was the only legitimate practice.

Veda Vidyanandagiri Swamy, a founder of Veda Pathashala claimed that etching seed-letters on the tongues of children and elders was not an offence.

He said that they were performing it for free only after the devotees completed Aksharabhyasam in the temple. He stated that they were not flouting norms of scriptures when performing the customary ritual in the town.

He further added that, they were eligible to teach Vedas to anyone on the earth cutting across all sections of the society.

He cited they had obtained permission from the Human Resource Development Ministry of the union government to disseminate wisdom of the Vedas, everyone was eligible to learn and spread the Holy texts

Meanwhile, officials of the shrine said posters were pasted on the walls of the temple advising pilgrims not to trust the private persons who pose as priests and perform Aksharabhyasam.

An inquiry was initiated into allegations of the members of Anushtana Parishad, they stated.