This article is from Saraswat magazine, published in 1995, from an article titled युगमहर्षि श्रीइंदिराकान्त, on the life of Srimad Indirankant Teertha Sripaada Wader of Gokarna Partagali Math Samsthana. The topic under discussion is the Eki-Beki episode from the history of Saraswat Brahmanas, and contribution of Sripaada in defusing it.
We begin with the original article followed by its English Translation.
पोर्तुगालमध्ये १९१० साली प्रजासत्ताकाचा उदय होतांच गोव्यांतील हिंदूंचे दबलेले आवाज व्यक्त होऊं लागले. अशा वेळीं सारस्वत समाजांतील विविध संप्रदायांमध्ये कोण श्रेष्ठ व कोण कनिष्ठ याबद्दल वाद माजले. भविष्यकाळाचा वेध घेण्याची दृष्टि असलेल्या कांहीं विचारवंतांनी सारस्वत एकतेच्या दृष्टीने हा वाद तत्काल मिटविण्याची आवश्यकता प्रतिपादून गोव्याबाहेर त्या दृष्टीने तोवर जे प्रयत्न झाले होते त्यांचे समर्थन करण्यास सुरुवात केली.
विविध संप्रदाय
१९०७ सालीं मंगळूर शहरांत विविध संप्रदायांना एकत्र आणण्याच्या दृष्टीने एक परिषद झाली होती. तो एक अल्पारंभ ठरला. परंतु पुढच्या वर्षी मुंबईला दुसरी परिषद भरली व तिचे पडसाद संपूर्ण किनारपट्टीवर विखुरलेल्या सारस्वत समाजांत उमटले. समाजांतील भिन्नभिन्न संप्रदाय व पोटजातींचे एकीकरण होऊन त्यांच्यांत अनिर्बंध रोटी-बेटी व्यवहार व्हावा अशी शिफारस या परिषदेने केली. अर्थात या ठराववाला विरोध करणारे लोक होतेच.
१९१० सालीं तिसरी परिषद बेळगाव येथे भरली आणि एकीचा ठराव त्या परिषदेने संमत करून सर्व पोटजातींच्या प्रतिनिधींच्या सहभोजनाचा कार्यक्रमहि घडवून आणला.
या पार्श्वभूमीवर गोव्यांत एकता परिषद आयोजित करण्यांत आली असतां तिला विरोध करणारे स्थानीय लोक निघाले. परिणाम असा झाला कीं २९ ते ३१ डिसेंबर १९१० असे तीन दिवस एकता समर्थकांनी म्हापशांत तर बेकीवाल्यांनी कवळेें येथें समांतर परिषदा घेतल्या. या परिषदांमुळे एकता दूरच राहिली, कटुता मात्र उदंड निर्माण झाली. प्रतिस्पर्धी लोकांच्या विरुद्ध अपप्रचार व बहिष्कार यांचें सत्र सुरू झालं. इतकेंच नव्हे तर बेळगांव येथें सहभोजनात सामील झालेल्यांना जातीतून बहिष्कृत करावे असें समाजांतील मातब्बर मंडळीकडूर्न श्रीइंदिराकांततीर्थावर दडपण येऊूं लागलें.
बेकी समर्थकांना शांत करण्याचा श्री स्वामीजींनी प्रयत्न केला असतां एकी समर्थक रुष्ट झाले आणि त्यांनीं पर्तगाळी मठांत जाऊन आपली बाजू त्यांच्या समोर मांडली. श्रीमद् इंदिराकांततीर्थांनी दोन्ही बाजू शांतपणे ऐकून घेतल्या व म्हटलें, “जुन्या परंपरेला चिकटून राहणारे त्यांच्या पुरते जसे प्रामाणिक आहेत, त्याचप्रमाणे व्यापक समाजहिताचा विचार करून समन्वयाचा पुरस्कार करणारे देखील समाजहिताची तळमळ बाळगणारे आहेत. हा प्रश्न एकाच पीठाच्या कक्षेतील नसल्याने या प्रश्नावर सारस्वत समाजाच्या इतर पीठांना विश्वासात घेऊन समन्वय घडवून आणला पाहिजे.” त्या दृष्टीने स्वामीजी कार्यरत झाले. या प्रयत्नामुळेच दहा वीस वर्षाच्या कालावधींत समाजांत अभूतपूर्व एकात्मता घडवून येऊं शकली.
भिन्न पीठांमध्ये सख्य
सारस्वत समाजामध्ये भिन्न भिन्न गुरुपीठे असलीं तरी सर्व पीठांचा हेतु समाजातील धार्मिकता व आध्यात्मिकता वृद्धिंगत करून समाज नीतिमान, पुरुषार्थी, कर्तव्यदक्ष व समृद्ध बनविणें हाच आहे. परंतु जोपर्यंत भिन्न भिन्न पीठांचे स्वामी एकत्र येऊन आपसांत स्नेहसलोखा वृद्धिंगत करणार नाहींत, तोपर्यंत भेदभावाची काटेरी कुंपणे अधून मधून कलहास कारणीभूत ठरतील याची कल्पना श्रीमद् इंदिराकांततीर्थांच्या दिव्य दृष्टीला आली नसती तरच नवल ठरले असते. विविध मठांमध्ये स्नेह-सलोखा राहिला तर समाजांतील विविध संप्रदाय व समाजांतील पोटजातींमध्ये सख्य व एकता घडवून येईल असें ते मानीत. त्याकाळीं सारस्वतांमध्ये किमान नऊ ठळक पोटजाती होत्या. कांहीं पोटजाति गौड सारस्वत समाजाशीं आपले कोणतेच संबंध नाहींत असा दावा करीत होत्या. प्रथम कैवल्य, काशी व गोकर्णमठ मध्ये एकता घडवून आली तर हळूहळू इतर मठांशीं सख्य प्रस्थापित करणें अवघड जाणार नाहीं अशा निष्कर्षापर्यंत स्वामीजी पोचले. कारण एकूण दक्षिणत्य सारस्वत लोकांच्या लोकसंख्येमध्यें या तीन मठांच्या अनुयायांची संख्या फार मोठी होती. या तीन मठांमध्ये वैचारिक एकवाक्यता घडवून आणण्याच्या दृष्टीने प्रथम श्रीइंदिराकांत तीर्थांनी काशी मथाधीश श्रीसुकुतिंद्रतीर्थ स्वामीजींशी संवाद सुरू केला. शके १८४० मध्यें मंगळूर येथें उभय मठांच्या आचार्यांची पौष अमावास्येच्या दिवशीं उत्कट भेट झाली. पहिल्या भेटीतच एकतेवर शिक्कामोर्तब होऊन या प्रयत्नांत कैवल्य मठाधीशांनाहि सहभागी करण्याबाबत उभयतांचें मतैक्य झालें.
मंगळूर मुक्कामांत उभय मठांच्या स्वामींनी एकमेकांच्या मठांना औपचारिक भेटी दिल्या आणि दोन्ही मठांच्या अनुयायांनी उभय स्वामींचे भव्य सत्कारहि घडवून आणले. दुसऱ्याच वर्षीं श्रीसुकुतिंद्रतीर्थांनी रामनवमीच्या उत्सवानिमित्त पर्तगाळी मठांत मुक्काम केला आणि त्या भेटींत उभय वैष्णव संप्रदायिक मठांमधील किल्मिषें दूर होऊन एक स्नेहकरारहि संमत झाला.
Translation
With the rise of the republic in Portugal in 1910, the suppressed voices of the Hindus in Goa began to be expressed. At such a time, disputes flared up among various sects in the Saraswat community regarding who was superior and who was inferior. Some intellectuals with the vision to foresee the future asserted the immediate necessity of settling this dispute in the interest of Saraswat unity and began supporting the efforts that had been made outside Goa in that direction until then.
Various Sects
In 1907, a conference was held in the city of Mangalore with the view of bringing various sects together. That proved to be a modest beginning. However, the next year a second conference was held in Mumbai, and its ripples were felt across the Saraswat community scattered along the entire coastline. This conference recommended that different sects and sub-castes within the community should integrate and have unrestricted inter-dining and inter-marriage relations. Naturally, there were people who opposed this resolution.
In 1910, the third conference was held at Belgaum, and that conference passed a resolution for unity and also organized a community dining (sahabhojana) program for representatives of all sub-castes.
Against this background, when a unity conference was organized in Goa, local people emerged to oppose it. The result was that for three days, from 29 to 31 December 1910, the proponents of unity held parallel conferences at Mapusa while the opponents of unity (bekiwalas) held theirs at Kavale. Because of these conferences, unity remained far away, but an immense amount of bitterness was created. A campaign of malicious propaganda and boycotting against rival people began. Not only that, but pressure began to be exerted on Srimad Indirakant Teerth by influential members of the community that those who participated in the community dining at Belgaum should be excommunicated from the caste.
When the Swamiji tried to pacify the opponents of unity, the proponents of unity became offended and went to the Partagali Math to present their side before him. Srimad Indirakant Teerth listened to both sides calmly and said, "Just as those who stick to old traditions are sincere in their own right, similarly those who advocate harmonization by considering the broader welfare of society are also driven by a deep concern for societal welfare. Since this issue does not fall within the purview of a single peeth (monastery), other peethas of the Saraswat community must be taken into confidence to bring about coordination." The Swamiji became active in that direction. It was precisely due to these efforts that unprecedented integration could be brought about in the community within a span of ten to twenty years.
Amity Among Different Peethas
Although there are different guru-peethas in the Saraswat community, the objective of all peethas is solely to enhance religiousness and spirituality in society to make society moral, industrious, dutiful, and prosperous. However, if the Swamijis of the different peethas do not come together and foster mutual cordiality and affection, the thorny fences of discrimination would occasionally cause conflict—it would have been a wonder if this realization had not dawned upon the divine vision of Srimad Indirakant Teerth. He believed that if cordiality remained among the various maths, amity and unity would be achieved among the various sects and sub-castes within the community. At that time, there were at least nine prominent sub-castes among the Saraswats. Some sub-castes claimed that they had no relations whatsoever with the Gaud Saraswat community. The Swamiji reached the conclusion that if unity was first brought about among Kaivalya, Kashi, and Gokarna maths, establishing amity with other maths would not prove difficult afterwards. This was because the population of the followers of these three maths was very large among the total southern Saraswat population. With a view to bringing about ideological consensus among these three maths, Sri Indirakant Teerth first initiated a dialogue with Kashi Mathadheesh Sri Sukateendrateerth Swamiji. In Shake 1840, a heartfelt meeting of the Acharyas of both maths took place at Mangalore on the day of Pausha Amavasya. In the very first meeting, unity was sealed, and there was a consensus between both parties regarding involving the Kaivalya Mathadheesh in these efforts as well.
During their stay in Mangalore, the Swamijis of both maths paid formal visits to each other's maths, and the followers of both maths also organized grand felicitations for both Swamijis. The very next year, Sri Sukateendrateerth stayed at the Partagali Math on the occasion of the Ramnavami festival, and during that visit, the animosities between the two Vaishnava sectarian maths were removed, and a treaty of friendship was also approved.
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