Puri: Swami Nischalananda Saraswati, the 145th Jagadguru Shankaracharya of the Govardhan Peeth in Puri came down on the ISKCON’s Houston unit for planning an untimely Rath Yatra, calling it a deliberate disregard for traditional religious customs.
The seer emphasized the importance of upholding traditional practices, citing the Bhagavad Gita’s teachings on balancing tradition and emotions. Swami Nischalananda warned that seeking popularity by disrupting tradition will not benefit ISKCON.
“They (ISKCON) know the ritual. Holding untimely rituals of Lord Jagannath is just a stunt to gain popularity. This is not going to benefit them in any manner. They are deliberately violating the tradition. This will only lead them to failure,” Shankaracharya said.
The seer is also joined by Puri Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, who’s also urging ISKCON to cancel the November 9 Rath Yatra. The king argues that festivals like Rath Yatra and Snana Yatra should follow uniform, scripture-based dates globally, just like Lord Krishna’s Janmashtami.
