A video of Mahant Balak Das, Chief of the Paatal Puri Math, has gone viral on the internet, in which he can be heard declaring that 18 lakh Naga Sadhus will march to the streets to protect suspended BJP spokeswoman Nupur Sharma if Islamists attempt to harm her. The video has been gaining rounds on the internet fascinating people about the Naga Sadhus.
The video was shot on June 11, at the Dharma Parishad in Kashi. The Dharma Parishad was hosted in Varanasi’s Sudam Kuti of Har Teerath. Mahant Balak Das, Chief of the Paatal Puri Math, presided over the session. This gathering was attended by the head priests and leaders of several Maths, Peethas, and Akhadas in Kashi, as well as many other Hindu saints and sages.
Mahant Balak Das, while speaking to the reporters, said, “Anarchy is being spread day by day. Now it has reached such an extent that lord Shiva is being made fun of, they are cracking jokes about it. They even drilled it and called it a fountain. And even after this, the people of Sanatan Dharma kept peace.”
“But today it has reached the limit, a daughter of India said what has been written in their Quran, that too after listening to derogatory remarks on Lord Shiva so much. Sanatani people are all peaceful, yet these clerics are calling people from mosques to come and throw stones and spread chaos,” he further said.
Mahant Balak Das said elaborating that Naga Sadhus will be out on the streets to protect Nupur Sharma if things go wrong. “Today our daughter is being threatened with rape! If anything happens to her, then note that this seer community will not remain calm and 18 lakh Naga sadhus will come down on the road, along with the whole saint society will come down on the road and then you can imagine the scene.”
Kashi Dharma Parishad
Several Hindu seers have openly supported Nupur Sharma at the Dharma Parishad in Kashi. They have said unequivocally that those threatening Nupur Sharma should be apprehended and prosecuted. They also condemned the violence that erupted in several parts of the nation during the Friday Namaz on June 10th, 2022. Hindu gurus have warned Islamists that they will also fight in the streets. In all, 16 such resolutions were passed in the Dharma Parishad convened in Kashi on June 10, 2022.
Who are Naga Sadhus?
The Naga Sadhus are Shaivites (Lord Shiva’s devotees) who reside in the Himalayas. The Kumbh Mela is the only time of year when they come down to the plains, making it a very important occasion for them. The Naga Sadhus have distinct characteristics derived from Lord Shiva. They carry tridents topped with human skulls. Their bodies are covered with thick ash, and their heads are adorned with heavy coils of matted hair. Even in the freezing weather, these ascetics stay without clothes.
To avoid the cycle of life and death and to reach salvation, the Naga Sadhus reject the material world and embrace celibacy. Dattatreya is believed to have started the sect of the Naga Sadhus in ancient times, but the date of their inception is unknown. Shankaracharya was the first to initiate the Nagas to defend Sanatan Dharma (Hinduism). Naga Sadhus carry weapons like swords, tridents, and spears and their camps are called ‘chhavni’, like military camps. They hold jousting matches to practice their weapons.