International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has punished its monk Amogh Lila Das for ‘inappropriate and unacceptable’ comments on Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Swami Vivekananda by banning him for one month and asking him to seclude himself from public life.
The monk’s remarks at Swami Vivekananda criticising him for eating fish triggered huge controversy in West Bengal, where fish is not only an essential part of the diet of the majority of population and even offered to the deities in certain religious traditions.
“Amogh Lila Das’ derogatory remarks towards these esteemed figures aimed primarily at their dietary preferences are not only disrespectful but also showcase the lack of awareness about the diversity of spiritual paths and personal choices. These actions undermine the fundamental principles of mutual respect, religious tolerance and harmony which are vital for the creation of a peaceful society,” a press statement dated July 11 by ISCKON.
The statement signed by Radharaman Das, vice-president of the ISCKON said the organisation is pained at the remarks and added that Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Swami Vivekananda are highly revered figures in Indian history and spirituality.
Both ISKCON and Ramakrishna Mission are West Bengal based Hindu religious and spiritual orders with a huge following not only in the State but across the world. While ISKCON set up by Srila Prabhupada in 1966, headquartered at Mayapur in West Bengal’s Nadia district, Ramakrishna Mission headquartered at Belur in Howrah district was set up by Swami Vivekananda in 1897.
Amogh Lila Das (43), who is vice-president of the Dwarka chapter of ISKCON hails from a Punjabi family in Delhi. He made the remarks at Panihati nera Kolkata a week ago. Not only did he criticise Swami Vivekananda but also questioned Ramakrishna Paramhansa’s teaching “‘Joto mot toto poth. ‘ As many faiths, so many paths“. Once the remarks went viral, ISKCON acted against its monk who is quite popular on social media.
Dietary preferences are a sensitive issue in the State and any attempt at the imposition of vegetarianism met with resistance in the past as well. Well known indologist Nrisinghaprasad Bhaduri said it is a trivial issue and those who comment on whether to eat fish or not are not aware of what is written in scriptures.
“Giving up fish and non-vegetarian food is part of ‘tap’ (spiritual fortitude) on the part of a devotee,” Prof. Bhaduri said. He added that in the Shakta tradition non-vegetarian food items are offered to the deities.
