Bageshwar Dham and its Mahant Dhirendra Krishna Shastri are in news recently. Dhirendra Krishna Shastri has been charged with promoting superstition, but he has rejected all accusations, claiming they are a part of a conspiracy against him. He claimed that his Gharwapsi programs, in which converted Hindus are brought back to Hinduism, have offended some people.
According to Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, those who oppose Dharma are behind all of this. “These are the same people who demanded proof of Lord Ram’s and Ayodhya’s existence. Sanatani sadhus are targeted continuously. These individuals have had issues with us ever since we started bringing converted people back to Hinduism. We had declared in Chhatari’s Katha that there would be conspiracies against us. However, we don’t fear them. They can continue to speak against us. They are barking from a distance if they will come in front, they will get wet,” Shastri said.
“Sanatanis are waking up for Sanatan,” he has also claimed. “The fact that opponents of Dharma are speaking against us demonstrates this. I have stopped speaking on this issue altogether. If they have any issues, they can come and see and understand our Darbaar. We have not received any legal opposition from them.”
#FirstOnTNNavbharat: अंधविश्वास के आरोपों पर बागेश्वर धाम के #DhirendraKrishnaShastri का जवाब- ‘हर बार सनातन ही क्यों निशाने पर होता है, क्या भारत में हनुमान जी की भक्ति अंधविश्वास है’@spbhattacharya pic.twitter.com/oPM7ryGj55
— Times Now Navbharat (@TNNavbharat) January 19, 2023
Allegations against Dhirendra Krishna Shastri
Notably, From January 5 to January 11, Mahant Dhirendra of Bageshwar Dham travelled to Nagpur for Ramkatha. This Katha was originally scheduled to last until January 13. However, the Katha ended two days earlier due to some reasons.
After this Katha concluded, Shyam Manav, the national convenor of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti, accused Dhirendra Krishna Shastri of promoting ‘superstition’. He allegedly challenged Dhirendra Krishna Shastri.
Shyam Manav had announced a reward of 30 lakh rupees on Dhirendra Krishna Shastri for showing miracles during the Darbaar. Later, he also filed an FIR against Shastri.
Responding to Shyam Manav’s allegations, Dhirendra Krishna Shastri said, “When I have in Nagpur for seven days why didn’t he challenge then, why he didn’t send any letter or a person?”
Shastri went on to say that “If you come here to Raipur, better inform us beforehand. Don’t come here, leave, and then claim that you didn’t meet us. Inform Nitendra Choubey or Keshav Mehta ji that we are from such and such a place and want to meet Dheerendra Krishna Shastri.”
He said, “These people have not spared Lord Ram, so we are commoners,” in a statement to Sudarshan News. We don’t need to run away or feel threatened by them. We all sincerely hope that you will check your facts before listening to any of these people speak. Then trust them because this is a cautiously thought conspiracy.
He further said, “We are bringing the converts back to Hinduism. They are spending crores on conversion. So what would be wrong with spending 10 crores on us?
बागेश्वर धाम सरकार ने एक्सक्लूसिव सुदर्शन न्यूज़ को बताया कि वह धर्म के काम में कभी पीछे नहीं हटेंगे और न ही ऐसा कभी कृत्य करेंगे जिससे सनातन पर आंच आए@SureshChavhanke @bageshwardham #bageshwardham
— Sudarshan News (@SudarshanNewsTV) January 19, 2023
Ground Report: @YogeshMishraK pic.twitter.com/FWOpR6kSzR
Reportedly, Dhirendra Shastri brought 300 people back into Hinduism during a Gharwapsi program on Christmas last year.
“Offering Chaadar at Dargah is faith, but faith in Lord Hanuman is superstition”
Shastri continued by asserting that he would not do anything to harm or defame the reputation of Hindus, even if he has to sacrifice his life. He contended that if an FIR is filed for spreading his religion, then FIR should be lodged against all the worshippers of Lord Hanuman in the country.
Dhirendra Shastri has also posed the question, stating that “In India, offering chadar (at Dargah) is called faith, but devotion towards Lord Hanuman is a superstition. In India, lighting a candle is considered an act of faith, whereas tying a Kalava, reciting the Hanuman Chalisa, or talking about Sanatan are considered superstitions. Where does this hypocrisy come from?”
नागपुर में दरबार छोड़कर भागने के आरोप और बाकी तमाम विवादों को लेकर धीरेंद्र शास्त्री की #IndiaToday के साथ #Exclusive बातचीत | @sumi_rajappan#ATVideo #BageshwarDham #Bageshwar #BageshwarSarkar pic.twitter.com/ifd7dbVHKr
— AajTak (@aajtak) January 19, 2023
About Bageshwar Dham and Mahant Dhirendra Krishna Shastri
The Bageshwar Dham Temple is situated in the Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh. The temple is devoted to Lord Hanuman. 26-year-old Dhirendra Krishna Shastri originally was Dhirendra Krishna Garg. Shastri is the Mahant (head priest) of the temple and is popularly called ‘Bageshwar Dham Sarkar’.
According to the information available on the website of Bageshwar Dham, Shastri is the successor of his grandfather Dada Guruji Maharaj who was a ‘Siddh’ saint. In recent years, Dhirendra Shastri gained popularity among devotees and on social media. A court or Darbaar is held at the Bageshar Dham every Tuesday and Saturday, wherein Dhirendra Shastri demonstrates his ‘miracles’ to solve the problems of the devotees of Lord Hanuman. Shastri has, however, always claimed that it is the power and miracle of Lord Hanuman that blesses the devotees and that he is only a medium and holds no supernatural powers.
In a video shared on the official Instagram page of Bageshwar Dham, Dhirnedra Shastri addressing the Nagpur controversy said that he is being targeted since he started raising the issue of Gharwapsi. He also questioned Shyam Manav if he has ever questioned people of other religions over the alleged superstitions.
“Ever since I have raised the issue of Gharwapsi for Sanatan Dharma, they are conspiring against us, we don’t have to stop and fear anyone, we have to be cautious. I want to ask the committee convenor in the Nagpur issue, have you ever raised your voice against the priests and people of other religions who convert Hindus? Is praying to your deity superstition (Jaadu-Tona)? I urge all the followers of Sanatan Dharma to stand united I again request you to raise your finger against the superstitions of other religions also,” Shastri said in what he called his last video about the controversy.
चादर और फादर से दूर रहो.
— Rani Chauhan (@IRaniChauhan) January 16, 2023
बागेश्वर धाम के इस बयान का मैं समर्थन करती हूं. आप करते हैं या नहीं ?pic.twitter.com/heBTWD4Qrm
Shastri who enjoys immense popularity across social media platforms has often urged Hindus to refrain from visiting Dargahs and Churches and stay true to Sanatan Dharma.
