Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati’s protest continued for the tenth consecutive day at the Magh Mela on Tuesday and has intensified.
The Shankaracharya is still sitting on a palanquin outside his camp on Triveni Marg at the Magh Mela.
In a show of respect and support for Swami Avimukteshwaranand, a unique form of penance was started on Tuesday by sadhus and saints.
Under the leadership of Mahamandaleshwar Computer Baba, a large number of saints have started performing Dhuni Sadhana (a type of penance involving sitting near a fire) in front of the camp. Vaishnava saints perform this rigorous penance, known as Dhuni Tapana, from Vasant Panchami to Ganga Dussehra, sitting surrounded by fire. This practice increases the saints’ ability to withstand heat. By performing Dhuni Tapana, the saints have expressed their support for Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati.
Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati is demanding that the Mela administration allow him to take a respectful dip in the Ganges.
On Mauni Amavasya (January 18), Swami Avimukteshwaranand, who was going to Sangam Nose with his palanquin for a bath, was stopped by the Mela administration. The administration cited the huge crowd of devotees at Sangam Nose and requested him to go on foot. However, there was a scuffle and altercation between his disciples and the police.
Following this incident, Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati returned to his camp without taking a dip in the Sangam. He has not entered the camp since then. He has been sitting on a dharna at the same spot where the police left him and his palanquin since January 18. Now, other sadhus and saints have joined him in performing Dhuni Sadhana in his support, warning the administration that this protest will only end when Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati is respectfully taken for a dip in the Ganges.