In its first, Ramkrishna Mission based at Sewashram in Haridwar has cremated a seer, breaking away from its age-old tradition of giving ‘Jal’ or ‘Bhu’ (earth or water) Samadhi to the deceased seers and this in deference to the Sava Ganga Mission being conducted enthusiastically in the State.
Notably, the Dasnami Akhara Sampraday which the seers of the mission follow has the tradition of burying the bodies of the saints. But in a rupture to the long-continuing tradition, the mission based at Sewashram has cremated one of its senior monks on Thursday amidst chanting of mantra and performance of the rituals. Except for Nirmal, Bairagi and Udasin, all other Akharas are still following the tradition of water immersion.
Swami Chinmayanand Puri, 84, who passed away after cardiac arrest on Wednesday night, had been staying in Haridwar for the past seven years. He had served as the head of Ramkrishna Mission ashram in Almora and had been actively engaged in philanthropic works like sending free books to the poor children of the government-run schools in Almora. Besides, he was known for reading and elucidating the Holy Scriptures to the doctors and the nurses working Sewashram on weekends. Before joining the mission, he had been a pilot in Indian Air Force. He was a polyglot too.
Speaking to The Pioneer, general secretary of the mission-run hospital Swami Nityashudhanand said, “The saints of our ashram have pledged not to pollute Ganga through the immersion of their bodies in the river after they die. We have started the practice of cremating the seers on the banks of Ganga and later immersing the ashes in the river.”