THE INFLUENCE THAT godmen can and do exert on society became apparent in two separate incidents reported last week by the newspapers and television channels. The more constructive report was in the Indian Express, which said the famous Ram Katha preacher, Morari Bapu, was instrumental in the saving of the whale shark, an endangered species that comes to the Saurashtra coast for breeding. Invoking the imagery of a daughter coming home to her parents for confinement, he was able to persuade the poor fishermen of the coast, many of whom are his followers, to desist from hunting for whale sharks.

 

Moving beyond preaching from sheltered stages and mandaps, Morari Bapu walked to a stretch of the coast where a whale had got trapped in a fisherman’s net and set it free with a blessing. That one gesture conveyed to the fishermen that the preacher’s concern and involvement to safeguard the whale sharks was serious and newspaper reports indicate that levels of hunting has decreased dramatically. Although some skeptics claim that the phenomenon of Morari Bapu’s charisma is temporary and that the lure of money will ultimately prevail. But the fact that even some progress is achieved is an indicator of how much can be achieved when people with a following, particularly a spiritual following, choose to walk their talk.

 

The other godman in the news was Sri Sathya Sai Baba. He didn’t get accolades, of course, for his remarks on Telengana and his opinion that those who talk in terms of the division of the country are actually committing a sin. His remarks led to a huge agitation and even violence. TRS president K Chandrasekhara Rao commenting on the Sai Baba’s remarks suggested that the Baba stick to singing bhajans and other dharmic activities. Apparently, that statement indicates that in the political mind there is a big disconnect between the teachings and thoughts shared in discourses and the course of action that naturally follows as a consequence.

 

The situation of godmen and their spheres of influence has never been adequately defined and perhaps never will be? Should they merely preach abstract religious discourses, but scrupulously avoid any references to real-life situations and societal contexts where the moral and ethical principles can be applied practically? That seems to be the thought of the TRS president, who feels that the Sai Baba’s job is to run schools, hospitals and sing religious songs and he should avoid making any political comments. But the question is: Can there be politics without a social context where issues emerge and ripen.

 

Apart from the Sai Baba, there was also the recent instance of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who claimed to have provided a formula for solving the vexed Ayodhya dispute. What he had suggested was both the Hindu and Muslim religious leaders should sit together and resolve the dispute through negotiations. He has not said anything new that has not been said before.

 

Although the temptation and the environment will always be there for religious figures to speak out on issues of a political nature and what they will say will often have repercussions, given their mass following, there is a definite need to connect abstract religious teaching to hard social reality. But in this, I would admire the grit and purpose of Sant Morari Bapu, who has chosen to advocate for a largely unheeded cause and made a difference than join the ranks of those who speak on emotive and media-highlighted issues without making any visible difference to the situation.