Asked for Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as gurudakshina from Army staff chief Dwivedi, says UP seer

'When General Dwivedi asked me about the gurudakshina, I told him that I did not want jewellery or clothes and that I wanted PoK in gurudakshina', Jagadguru Rambhadracharya said.

Lucknow: Mahabharata’s Ekalavya had given his right thumb as ‘gurudakshina’ (payment to one’s guru after completion of education) to Dronacharya, the guru of the ‘Pandavas’ and ‘Kaurvas’, according to Hindu mythology.

Now drumming up the same, well known Hindu seer and Padma Vibhushan Jagadguru Rambhadracharya has a demand. The Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). The seer's demand for ‘gurudakshina’ is from none other than the chief of Army staff General Upendra Dwivedi after the latter took ‘deeksha’ (receiving religious initiation) from him.

‘’I have asked for PoK as gurudakshina from him (General Dwivedi),’’ Rambhadracharya said while speaking to reporters on Wednesday evening at his ‘ashram at Chitrakoot.

General Dwivedi and his wife Sunita Dwivedi visited the Jagadguru’s ashram on Wednesday and received religious initiation.

The seer said that he gave General Dwivedi ‘deekahs ‘ of the ‘Ram Mantra’, which was a very powerful and sacred ‘mantra.

‘’It is the same mantra which was given to Hanuman by Mata Sita and which helped Hanuman win the battle of Lanka,’’ the seer added.

‘Deeksha’ is considered to be a religious process in Hinduism after which the giver and the taker become guru and disciple.

‘’When General Dwivedi asked me about the gurudakshina, I told him that I did not want jewellery or clothes and that I wanted PoK in gurudakshina,’’ he said.

Rambhadracharaya said that he felt proud to felicitate General Dwivedi. ‘’The country does not only need shastra (arms and security) but also shaastra (religious scripture) and morality,’’ he said.

General Dwivedi also addressed the students at the ashram.

Jagadguru Rambhadracharya is a well known Hindu seer, sanskrit scholar and has authored several books on Hinduism.