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. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Also Read: Swami Vivekananda Was Certainly Not Anti-Islam ------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. -------------------------------------------------------------- Also Read: New Age Islam Foundation Helps Organise Seminar on Swami Vivekananda’s Legacy of Religious Pluralism, on His 112th Death Anniversary -------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ---- 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 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism