War of words continuing unabated among the seers over the Shastra-dictated competence for holding the seat of Shankaracharya of four maths, an institution started long back by the Adi Guru Shankaracharya in sync with the school of Advaita Vedanta, Shankaracharya Swaroopanand Saraswati on Wednesday rubbished the charges levelled against him by three seers- Achyutanand Teerth, Vasudevanand Saraswati and Narendranand Saraswati-all purported self-appointed Shankaracharyas of different maths-, saying that they had lost a case in Allahabad High Court. Notably, in acid-dripping attack on Swaroopanand Saraswati, the three seers alleged that Swaroopanand is a blot on the lofty institution because of his lack of competence and his leaning towards Christianity. Significantly, close to 50 seers have self-appointed themselves as Shankaracharyas of different maths over the past few years, though the number of such maths is just four as conceived by the Adi Shankaracharya. The three seers have thrown a dare to Swaroopanand Saraswati to participate in a discourse on the competence of holding the seat of Shankaracharya as defined by the Shastras to be held in Haridwar in September.
Speaking to The Pioneer, Swaroopanand said, ‘Vasudevanand himself tarnished the dignity of the position of Shankaracharya to such an extent that I had to fight the case through courts. He lost the case subsequently.”
Reacting sharply to the charge levelled by Achyutanand Teerth , the self -proclaimed Shankaracharya of Dwarika Sharda Peeth, Swaroopanand said that no one became a Christian by the touch of a Christian. Notably, a photo showing Swaroopanand as touching the feet of a Christian clergy had kicked a bitter row some time ago. Referring to it, Achyutanand had alleged that Shankaracharya had ceased to be a Hindu that day he prostrated before a Christian pastor.