UDUPI: Sri Sugunendra Theertha Swamiji of Sri Puthige Mutt, who will ascend the ‘Paryaya Peeta’ on January 18, said there should be no barriers to spread the message of Hinduism. The reply comes a week after the Karnataka High Court dismissed a petition, questioning the swamiji’s ascension to the peeta with an argument that he had travelled to the US, violating the age-old stricture that swamijis should not cross seas.
The swamiji said he visited the US in 1997 as there were seekers of spiritual wisdom in that country. At that time too, a section of people had objected to his travelling abroad. But the Seer has come a long way facing that challenge.
During an interview with The New Indian Express, he covered a wide range of topics and said the family system and traditions followed in India is a great asset to this nation. On his trip to the US, he said, “Seekers there were impressed with my answers to their spiritual questions. My English language skills helped me to have seamless communication with them.
Devotees had requested my presence so that my religious discourses could help them. My opinion is that there should be no barricade for a pontiff to spread the message of Hinduism across the world. Wherever there is hunger for knowledge and feelings of devotion, opportunities should be created to guide them. Our Mutt has set up 15 Sri Krishna Temples or Vrindavans in foreign countries, including the US, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. Our aim is to establish 108 temples across the world,” he said.
On his initiation into sainthood, he said he became a pontiff when he was 13 years old in 1974. ‘’I did not know what it was like to be a swamiji. My father had agreed, but my mother was not willing to send me to a mutt. My father convinced my mother as we were 11 children to our parents. Dedicating one child to serve Lord Krishna was then agreed upon by my parents,’’ he said.
The 63-year-old seer delivers his religious discourses in Sanskrit and when asked about the acceptance of the language among people, he said he has been conversing in Sanskrit for the last four decades. “Most Sanskrit words are similar to those in many Indian languages. I have presented my papers in foreign universities in Sanskrit. Foreigners accept Sanskrit without reservation. Wherever a need arises, I speak in Hindi and English as well.”
On his meeting with the then US President George W Bush and his wife Laura Welch, the swamiji said he was invited to the White House. Bush and Laura expressed their appreciation for Indian family traditions and values. “We should understand the importance of the Indian family system and continue our tradition. I suggest parents not to forgo Indian values,” he said.
On his plans for fourth paryaya, he said at the end of his term, an international conference on Bhagavad Gita will be held and a golden chariot will be offered to Lord Krishna in Udupi.