Cautioning the people against fake ‘Shankaracharyas’, the Shankaracharya of Jyotir Peeth and Dwarika  Peeth, Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati  said on Monday that they must be in a position to differentiate the genuine from the spurious.

While talking to the press at his ashram at  Kankhal a day ahead of Guru Purnima, he said many wearing the title of Shankaracharya  and claiming to be the gurus are not made of the right mettle to be revered as the gurus. Most of them were fakes, he said, spawning another controversy as is his wont.  

He also announced the construction plan for  a Sudarshan Chakra temple in Shirdi, the place being dominated by Sai Baba, soon. He has come for Chaturmas (four months’ sojourn) to Haridwar. He would stay in his ashram till September 16.

Swaroopanand said, “Adi Guru Shankaracharya established four ‘peethas’ (centres of pilgrimage) at Badrinath, Dwarika, Shringeri and Puri covering northern, southern, eastern and western parts of the country to unite India. Each peeth has its own head Shankaracharya, but at present as many as 60 Shankaracharyas are claiming their hold on the four peeths.”

“I head  those at Dwarika and Badrinath while Nishchalanand is heading Puri math. But two fake Shankaracharyas—Swaroopanandendra in Rishikesh and Rajrajeshwarashram of Jagadguru Ashram are claiming to head these two centres of pilgrimage,” he said.

Targeting the Jagadguru Ashram, Swaroopanand said that the ashram was led by Mahamandaleshwar Prakashanand till he was alive. “I wonder  how a Shankaracharya can head the ashram led by the lineage of Mahamadleshwars.

“I am of the firm view that the Government must register a case against the sixty claimants for the lofty positions of the  Shankaracharya who are outsiders and are  spreading terror in the garb of gurus,” he said. 

Swaroopanand further said that such fake Shankaracharyas were defaming the tradition bequeathed by the Adi Guru Shankaracharya while misleading the people.

He  again fired a salvo at those who are engaged in deifying the Shirdi Sai Baba.

“Some from Orissa are spreading through Whatsapp images of Adi Shankaracharya and Sai Baba together, meaning that they deserve the same kind of reverence. 

“It is nothing short of a sacrilege to put the Sai Baba who was a Muslim on the same sacred pedestal on which Adi Shankaracharya is found seated,” affirmed Swaroopanand.

He announced the construction of a new temple in Shirdi named “Sudarshan Chakra”. 

As soon as the land is made available the construction of temple would start, he said, confirming that he would continue carrying on with his   tirade against  the ‘deification’ of the Shirdi Sai Baba.