For the first time in history, a seer belonging to the Scheduled Caste community has been given the title 'Jagadguru'.
The holy Juna Akhara, one of the thirteen revered Akharas across the nation, bestowed this esteemed title on Mahendranand Giri, the Mahamandaleshwar.
Under Mahendranand's guidance, his disciple Kailashanand Giri was also honored with the title of Mahamandaleshwar, while Ram Giri was bestowed with the title of Shri Mahant. Notably, both these respected seers also belong to the Scheduled Caste.
The ordainment ceremony took place amidst sacred chants at the Siddha Baba Mauj Giri Ashram of Juna Akhara in Prayagraj on Monday.
Swami Mahendranand originally hails from Banala village in Saurashtra Rajkot district of Gujarat, along with his fellow seers who are also natives of Gujarat.
The conferment of titles was officiated by Kashi Sumeru Peethadhishwar Jagadguru Swami Narendranand Saraswati, who serves as the international president of Juna Akhara.
Accompanied by Shri Mahant Prem Giri and Shri Dudheshwar Peethadhishwar besides the international spokesperson Shri Mahant Narayan Giri and Mahamandaleshwar Vaibhav Giri, the seers were garlanded for the occasion.
In the ceremony, Mahendranand and Kailashanand were placed on thrones and umbrellas were offered to them as signs of their elevated status.
Shri Mahant Prem Giri expressed, “Juna Akhara is dedicated to eradicating caste and class disparities within the sanyasi tradition. Recognizing the importance of enriching this tradition, especially in light of attempts to sow discord among Hindus by other religions, we have decided to confer significant titles like Jagadguru, Mahamandaleshwar, and Shri Mahant upon Scheduled Caste seers.”
Following the title conferral, all participants partook in a sacred dip in the Sangam and sought the blessings of the city deity Lord Veni Madhav.Jagadguru Swami Narendranand Saraswati commended the decision of Juna Akhara. He said the chances of more devotion towards Sanatan Dharma after receiving the Jagadguru title had been increased.
It needs to be noted that during the Haridwar Kumbh in 2021, Juna Akhara had conferred the Mahamandaleshwar title to Mahendranand.
Swami Narendranand Saraswati said, "Juna Akhara is strictly following the path of social harmony set by Shri Ram. Mahamandaleshwar Kailashanand has pledged to reconnect those Scheduled Caste individuals who have embraced Sanatan Dharma.”
The administrative hierarchy within the akhara comprises the five elected Sri Panchas, led by the secretary, holding positions in descending seniority. Acharya Mahamandaleshwara stands as the foremost spiritual guide, followed by the Jagadguru, a distinguished and erudite seer. Mahamandaleshwara assumes the role of a senior divisional leader, while Mandaleshwara leads a divisional section of the spiritual order. Lastly, Sri Mahant serves as a senior spiritual leader overseeing the akhara's affairs.
Each Math (marhi) within the akhara is governed by five mahants, all regarded as gurus, who collectively elect the secretary among themselves.
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