AHMEDABAD: Sadhu Anand Sagar Swami of the Prabodha Swami group created a huge controversy when he allegedly made an insulting speech about Lord Shiva in a Satsang meeting held in the honor of Prabodha Swami in Boston, America.
In the Satsang meeting, Swami narrated an incident where he spoke about a boy, Nishit, a student styuding at 'Atmiya Dham' run by Sokhda Sanstha at Karamsad, Vidyanagar in Anand District.
In the incident, Nishit goes to the gate as instructed by Prabodha Swami, where he sees Lord Shiva waiting outside the gate. Nishit insisted on lord shiva by saying, “Please come with me and meet Prabodha Swami. But lord shiva refuse it by saying that my piety has not grown up to that level that I can see a holy image of Prabodha swami, Shiva touched Nishit’s feet & left.”
According to Anand Sagar Swami's viral video, Prabodh Swami is bigger than Lord Shiva, due to this sentence, religious sentiments of the people of Sanatan Dharma have been hurt all over Gujarat.
Regarding Anandsagar Swami's comment on Lord Shiva, fierce anger is also being seen among the monks and saints all over Gujarat.
Mahamandleshwar Narendra Bapu condemned the statement and said, 'Expel Anandsagar Swami from the sect. Comments that are not compatible with religion should not be made. His followers should expel such seers.’
Vadtal Satsang Sabha President Nautam Swamy also reacted to controversy and said, 'Anandsagar Swami has given such a speech to increase the glory of the Guru. Such a statement tarnishes the Swaminarayan sect. Such saint should never be believed.'
J.P. Jadeja, the state president of Rajput Karni Sena, reacted, 'Seers should think before praising their Guru. Saints should not mislead people. A true saint is harmed by seers like Anand Sagar.”
A protest was staged by the Brahma Samaj at Rajkot. The protester burned the posters of Anand Sagar Swami. At the same time, Bhrama Samaj representatives filed a complaint at B Division Police Station in Rajkot against Anand Sagar Swami for hurting the religious sentiments of Shivbhakts, Police accepted the
complaint.
Milan Shukla, General Secretary, of Brahm Samaj, said “we have given an application to police and demanded strict action must be taken against Anandsagar,”
However, looking to the outrage over his statement, On Tuesday Anand Sagar Swami released this video message and apologized for his statement due to increasing outrage in Gujarat. In the video, he said that during a lecture in a Satsang in America, the words that he raised about Lord Shiva
were an attempt to give value to the feelings of a young man. I have made a mistake; I apologize to all Shiva devotees.