Why An ISKCON Monk's Comment On Vivekananda Should Not Be Condemned
By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
14 July 2023
In these times of extreme (religious) intolerance, one
ISKCON monk's comment on Vivekananda is in the news as he has mildly criticised
Vivekananda, an inviolable character for the Hindus, for being fond of eating
fish and mutton. This monk Amogh Lila Prabhu (Ashish Arora) also criticised
Vivekananda's guru Ramakrishna Paramhans. Can't he criticise? In fact, Amogh
Lila Prabhu is not the first person to question this anomaly regarding
Vivekananda.
This has troubled many thinking individuals who admire him
(Vivekananda). Years ago, Bengal's famous writer and iconoclast Sunil
Gangopadhyay also wondered as to how a saintly man of compassion like
Vivekananda relished meat and fish. Those were different and more tolerant
times. Bengalis and Hindus used to be more open to dissenting and alternative
viewpoints. So, no one protested.
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Also Read: Swami
Vivekananda Was Certainly Not Anti-Islam
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More than two decades ago, Kamal Hasan said that he was
reluctant to call Buddha a man of compassion as he ate meat and died after
eating undercooked pork. We were more tolerant, sane and balanced prior to the
days of the internet and social media.
Coming back to this unnecessary controversy of Vivekananda
enjoying fish and goat-meat, it must be said that there's some sense to what
the monk said. A truly compassionate person cannot eat the flesh of any animal.
He'll be full of qualms. What rights do we have to eat an animal for our
palate? It reeks of savagery.
Mind you, here the context of the monk's criticism of
Vivekananda is different. He's not criticising the general public for eating
non-veg. His point is: A man of compassion shouldn't indulge in something that
has blood and gore. General people who love to gorge on meat are clear and
honest about their preferences. They don't project themselves as an epitome of
exalted attributes and refined sensibilities. But Buddha or Vivekananda are
different. They've always been projected as lofty humans, far greater and
better than the Great Unwashed (to borrow V S Naipaul's rather condescending
term). Ergo, their (Buddha and Vivekananda) meat consumption will surely raise
eyebrows.
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Moreover, the maxim Jaisa Anna, Vaisa Man has an iota
of truth. Rumi wrote that he ate meat until he met Shams-e-Tabriz, his friend
and much senior mentor. Rumi was younger to Shams by 22 years. The latter never
touched meat. Nor did he ever sacrifice animals during Eid-al-Azha. That made
Rumi relinquish meat and he wrote in the first volume of his Masnavi that he
felt transformed from within after bidding adieu to meat and fish. The great
mystic Rabia Basri also said the same thing as she too never ate meat or fish.
All these people are known for their universal compassion and greatness.
American poet and sage, Walt Whitman stopped eating meat
after the publication of his remarkable book, ' Leaves of Grass.' His point was
very logical. He said that, "I talked of love, compassion and piety in my
verses in the book and if I continue to eat meat of poor animals, how'll I be
able to justify the spirit enshrined in my poems? I cannot be dishonest to
myself."
So very poignant as well as thoughtful! The monk of ISKCON
based his criticism on the same premise of compassion and piety, Vivekananda is
known for. So, why this hue and cry? Don't we have anything better to do? And
why shouldn't we criticise an individual, however great he may be? We simply
turn a Nelson's eye to issues like toxic masculinity, misogyny and patriarchy
but have all the time to haul a person over the coals for questioning a
'sacrosanct' figure's integrity. An individual has a right to express his views
on subjects he feels strongly about.
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A regular
columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative
religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the
world's premier publications in several languages including Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/iskcon-monk-vivekananda-condemned/d/130207
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