The tradition of Bhikshatan among Sannyasis in Indian Sanatan Dharma holds significance as it involves renouncing ego and actively engaging with society. Bhikshatan entails travelling for a purpose and sustaining oneself solely on food obtained through donations or Bhiksha. This practice undertaken by Sannyasis offers insights into society’s reality, exemplified by revered figures like Lord Buddha, Guru Gorakhnath, Machhendranath, Dadhichi, Bhartruhari, and Acharya Shankar, who embraced Bhikshatan, enlightening and raising awareness among the people.
Presently, the revered Swami Dipankar, a young monk, is diligently upholding this sacred tradition. Swami Dipankar has embarked on a profound Bhiksha yatra, for the last more than six months. During this extraordinary journey, he is traversing across regions, humbly seeking alms from people. However, the alms he seeks are not material possessions but he is asking Hindus for fervent resolve to abandon caste divisions among themselves.
On the 204th day of his yatra, Swami Dipankar is on a visit to Ghaziabad in western Uttar Pradesh and villages in the Saharanpur district. While speaking to OpIndia, Swami Dipankar said, “There are two Bhikshas taken from people in this Bhiksha Yatra – the first one is that they should not be divided into castes and pledge to become one as Hindus and the second Bhiksha is regarding the war against drugs. We ask people to give up addictions.”
Young Sannyasi Swami Dipankar stresses the need for Bhiksha Yatra to unite Hindus. He said, “When Pandits left Kashmir in 1990, they were not Hindus. They came out as pandits. Had they been Hindus, society would have stood together. It is very important to unite. If there is no unity, there will be caste censuses.”
Speaking about the impact of the caste census on the common Hindus, he said, “If there is a caste census, you will be divided once again. You think… There was never a backward class among Christians, no one among Muslims was from a category called a very backward class. But it is only among Hindus that there is a backward category, a very backward category and a super backward among Hindus.”
When asked about the need for the ‘Bhiksha Yatra’ to connect Hindus, Swami Dipankar said, “This is an ancient Indian tradition. In India, Buddha has asked for alms, Dadhichi has asked for alms and in the Gurukul tradition, brahmacharis were allowed to ask for alms.” He asserts that he is undertaking the Bhiksha Yatra, faithfully carrying forward the same time-honoured tradition.
Swami Dipankar acknowledges the remarkable support he has garnered throughout his Bhiksha Yatra, a sacred journey of seeking alms. To date, more than 500,000 individuals have joined this yatra and made profound resolutions. These individuals have pledged to transcend caste divisions and embrace Hinduism as a unified community. Swami Dipankar aspires to inspire over 10 people to commit to this noble cause by November 23, 2023, during the culmination of his transformative yatra.
On November 23, 2022, Swami Dipankar commenced his journey to western Uttar Pradesh with the noble mission of combating casteism and drug addiction. As of November 23, 2023, he has traversed approximately 14-15 districts out of a total of 26 districts in the region. However, with the onset of panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh, Swami Dipankar temporarily redirected his travels to Uttarakhand and Delhi due to the enforcement of the electoral code of conduct. During this period, he visited multiple districts in Uttarakhand and 8 to 10 districts in Delhi.
When asked if the purpose of this Yatra is to make India a Hindu nation – like Dhirendra Shastri often asserts – Swami Dipankar said, “You become a Hindu in the first place. Once you become a Hindu, you need not ask for a Hindu nation.” He said that his Bhiksha Yatra is getting a lot of support from the local people as well as saints and seers.
When asked about working together with Dhirendra Shastri of Bageshwar Dham for the demand of Hindu Rashtra, Swami Dipankar said, “The upcoming time will only tell this. I think that every person decides his own destiny. Every sannyasi has his own duty and the sannyasi should perform his duty on his own. I have never been apart from anyone.”
Swami Dipankar told OpIndia that the main purpose of this yatra is to unite the Sanatan Hindu people as one community who are unfortunately divided into castes at present. He said that Hindus must be made aware that they should not be divided into castes and remain Hindus only. He said that the great resolve of the people to be united as Hindus alone is the essence of this journey.
Talking about the success of the yatra, Swami Dipankar said, “Now I see a spark in people. Earlier, people used to write Jat, Gujjar, Brahmin, and Baniya written on the back of their cars, but now Hindu is written. It has become common to see the word Hindu written everywhere from a mobile phone cover to a wedding invitation card. It feels really nice to see that. By the time the yatra is over, it will bring even more positive results.”
