Sabarimala – Petition to the Chief Justice of India on Kerala Government’s affidavit

07 Feb, 2008

Hon’ble Justice K.G.Balakrishnan,
Chief Justice of India,
Supreme Court,
New Delhi.

Sub: Affidavit of the State Government of Kerala – Entry of women in Sabarimala Mandir – My Petition

Hon’ble Chief Justice of India,

I had no opportunity to read the actual contents of the affidavit. However, from reports on the leading English News Channels, I am pained to learn that the Kerala State Government, headed by the Communists, has filed an affidavit in the Hon’ble Supreme Court requesting that it should consider allowing women of all age groups to visit Sabarimala Ayyappan’s Mandir.

It has become a trend for Atheists, Communist-Atheists and political secularists to trample on every tradition and ritual of Hindu Sanatana Dharma.

The affidavit filed before your Hon’ble court is in the opinion of a common Hindu and Ayyappa Bhakta like me, one such glaring examples.

I have been visiting the shrine for the past 32 years, with utmost devotion. Every year, close to Three million very common Ayyappa Bhaktas from all castes and income groups visit this Holy Mandir.

As per the Janma Vrithanta of Bhagawan Ayyappa, He chose to remain a bachelor. And had given word to Maligapuram Amma that he would marry her the year in which no Kanni Ayyappan (A Bhakta making his first visit) would visit his Mandir. Each year the number of Kanni Ayyappans increases several fold. The increasing number of Saram at the Saramguthi stands testimony to this.

The devout Bhaktas observe the most dutiful penance, abstaining from sensual pleasures, meat, sex and undertake the ordeal of a journey through Periya Padai from Erumeli to the Sannidhanam, trekking through forests, which mischievously is named after the Atheist and anti-Hindu, E.V.Ramasamy Naicker (It is named as the Periyar Sanctuary).

That no Hindu preferred to complain to your Lordship, the irony and the wanton mischief of another atheist and anti-Hindu, M.Karunanidhi’s government of naming the sacred forest after a man, who publicly beat the Vigrahas of Shri Rama with chappals, is a testimony to the famous Hindu “cowardice”, often guised as the famous “Hindu tolerance”.

There are certain beliefs, based on absolute faith in one’s religion, Sastras, Agamas and Sampradaya, that should not be questioned by both the politicians and the self-proclaimed secular governments. And a secular State should have NO role to play in the religious matters of the Mandirs. It is wise for the Governments and the people to leave them as they stand. The affidavit of the Kerala Communist Government is nothing short of trampling down on Hindu Traditions, faiths and beliefs, which have been followed for ages.

I wish to bring to your kind notice what “The Hindu” had put on its website today:

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200802071801.htm

In this news item, Dewaswom Minister G.Sudhakaran is reported to have said:

QUOTE:

Wherever a man can enter legally,morally,constitutionally, there women can also enter.

UNQUOTE:

I am not sure if the Hon’ble Minister would imply this for Mosques where women are prohibited from praying along with their men, in line with the Islamic traditions. Whether the Minister would fight or seek the Hon’ble Court’s opinion and pray the Hon’ble Court to constitute an “Expert Committee” to suggest if there is a scope for equality of women becoming Pastors, Bishops, Arch Bishops, Cardinal or even a Pope in the future is not a question for us Hindus to consider. It has been the tradition, faith and practice of the practitioners of those religions and their spiritual leaders and I do not wish to question their propriety.

That being the case, the choice of attacking Hindu shrines, Hindu faith, Hindu beliefs, Hindu traditions alone, by a State Government is discriminatory, non-secular and is in gross violation of Hindu Agamas, Sastras, our Sampradaya, theTraditions and even the Constitution of India, since this act shows a contemptuous bias against one religion, its practitioners, their faith and beliefs that have been followed by them for ages.

We can make an educated guess on what the “Expert Committees” would say in these matters. We have read enough of the History Books written by such “Experts”. These matters are best left to Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha, the congregation of the most worshipful Hindu Acharyas, Swamijis, Mathadhipathis, Mandaleshwars, Peetadhipathis and the religious leaders, who are well-versed with the Sastras, Temple Agamas, rituals etc., to decide.

The Dewasom Board is only the Trustee of the Bhagawan’s Mandir and His properties and certainly NOT the owner nor the spiritual guide of the Hindus. The decision to allow or disallow women rests only with the Acharyas, Swamijis, the Sastras, Agamas and the Sampradaya of our Sanatana Dharma.

It is my sincere prayer that The Supreme Court of India, which is already seized with various important matters, that such frivolous affidavits from State Governments on matters of Hindu faith ought to be dismissed at the admission stage itself.

I am sure millions of Hindu Bhaktas would be most obliged if the State does not interfere with Hindu faith, tradition and allow us to run our affairs as per the Diktats of our Sastras and our Sampradaya. We shall also be obliged to the State if it refrains from referring such matters to the Courts, which are hard pressed for time to deal with more important issues and refer them to Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha and the Acharyas. I pray Bhagawan Ayyappa to give Sadbuddhi to these politicians who routinely play with the faith of only the Hindu devotees.

Finally, millions of true, traditional, God-faithing Hindu women have complete faith and respect on the traditional practices of Sabarimala and they do not want the ancient tradition to be changed. The motley group of women who have filed a PIL do not represent the sentiments of majority of the Hindu women and hence their PIL deserves to be dismissed along with the Government’s biased affidavit.

Yours truly,
S V Badri
A devout Hindu Bhakta

Responses