Kolkata Arya Samaj People manhandled a Hindu youth after being defeated in a Shastarth.

Hindu youth manhandled by Kolkata Arya Samaj People as he wanted to establish God as both the Sakara (with form) and Nirakara (formless) entity. 

Satish Arya (L) and Shaunak Roy Choudhury (R)

Krishnakanta Das | HENB | Kolkata | Sept 6, 2023:: In a very embarrassing situation a Hindu youth was severely hackled and physically tortured by a group of Arya Samajists in Kolkata as the boy wanted to prove the Almighty God (Ishwar) was both in form and formless instead of Arya Samaj claim as Almighty is only formless.

Shaunak Roy Choudhury (29), a technocrat (MCA from Jadavpur University) living on the outskirts of Kolkata was manhandled in a शास्त्रार्थ-Shastrarth (Scriptural discourses or Dharmic dialogue) held in Kolkata Arya Samaj at 19, Bidhan Sarani, Kolkata-6) on September 2, 2023.

Roy Choudhury, a seeker of Dharma and researcher in Vedic and Pauranic scriptures was invited to Kolkata Arya Samaj upon his request to make a discussion (Shastrarth) on the topic “Whether Ishwar (the supreme God) is in both the entities of form and formless or only in formless entity”.

As an aspirant of both Vedic and Pauranic (Hindu mythology), Shaunak tries to put his desertions systematically to coordinate between the two confronting schools. He gives lectures on topics such as (i) Brahman Granthas are part of Vedas (ii) Animal sacrifices are allowed in Vedas (Pashuvali) (iii) Ritual for dead are allowed in Vedas (Mritak Shraddha) (iv) Satyarth Prakash etc. books are confusing and anti-Vedic (v) Avtarvad is maintained in scriptures (vi) The Varna is decided by birth and it has no connection with casteism (vii) Sayanabhashya is authentic and (viii) Vigraha Upasana (Murti Pujan) is allowed in Hindu Scriptures.

While Shaunak was the lone participant for his side to establish ‘Ishwar (the supreme God) is in both the entities of form (sakara-murta) and formless (nirakara-amurta)’; many scholars from Arya Samaj, viz. Pandit Vedaprakash Shastri, Pandit Agnihotri, Pandit Vasudeva Shastri, Pandit Satish Chandra Vidyaratna were present in support of their side to uphold the opinion that ‘Ishwar is only and only formless (nirakara)’.

One Pandit Madhusudhan Shastri was the coordinator and anchor of that Shastrarth, as reported.

Poor Pic quality regretted

In the introduction, Pandit Agnihotriji on behalf of Aryasamaj clarified that They do not believe in the Quran, Purana, Bible, Zendabesta like books. They only believe in Vedas and Pro-Vedic (Vedanukul) scriptures such as Manusmriti. Chief among these are the divine texts of Vedas. According to Arya samaj, God is only in formless (nirakar) entity and there is no way to consider God in any form (Sakara)

On the other hand, Shaunak Roy Choudhury on behalf of the Sanatan Hindu side made it clear that ‘Hindus believe in Vedas, Vedangas, Shad Darshan, Manusmriti, Itihasa, Puranas. Among these, the Vedas are the most important. They also give importance to the commentaries on the Vedas by Sayana, Uvat, and Mahidhara. According to him, God is both in form (sakara) and formless (nirakar)’.

At the start of the discourses, Agnihotri asked Shaunak to Show which substance has two opposite qualities together. Shaunak replied, ‘According to Arya Samaj scholar Darshanananda, connection-addition (sanyog) and disconnection-subtraction (viyog) are two opposite qualities present in nature. So why can it not be together in God?’ Then Agnihotri invited Shaunak to the Arya Samaj table. He brought his laptop to show. Agnihotri asked to show that there are two opposite qualities together in any substance, why did you show it in nature? Shaunak said, ‘Look, according to Arya Samaj, God, Jiva, and Prakriti are three eternal beings. Matter is not eternal, so I have shown it from eternal existence.’ In a fumbling condition, Agnihotri suddenly tried to skip the matter.

At this stage, Shaunak wanted to know, ‘whether Arya Samaj debaters accept the commentary of any scholar of Arya Samaj or not’. Pandit Vedaprakash on behalf of Arya Samaj said, ‘Yes, we will accept’. Then Shaunak referred to Arya Samaj scholar Satya Prakash’s Saraswati’s commentary on Yajurveda 16.1-2 indicating Salutations to God’s bow and body(नमस्ते रुद्र मन्यवऽउतो तऽइषवे नमः। बाहुभ्यामुत ते नमः॥; या ते रुद्र शिवा तनूरघोरापापकाशिनी । तया नस्तन्वा शन्तमया गिरिशन्ताभि चाकशीहि ॥). Shaunak requested Pandit Vedaprakash to see the reference from his laptop. Vedaprakashji saw it and disagreed with the reference as it did not match the commentary of Maharshi Dayananda. But, when Shaunak indicated that the commentary was published from the Arya Samaj Publication and that could not be refuted whimsically, the debate created a heat by this time.

It is to mention that the recording of the debate was going on. On the Hindu Pauranik side Shaunak was recording himself and one Prabir Kumar Mandal was recording for Kolkata Arya Samaj.

Then Shaunak wanted a copy of the Aryavibinaya book. A Bengali version of the books was given to him. After seeing that he found it in the Hindi version of Aryabhivinay on his laptop in the translation of such mantra (Aryabhivinay mantra 7, वायवा याहि दर्शतेमे सोमा अरंकृताः। तेषां पाहि श्रुधी हवम्॥) in which Maharshi Dayananda had written/interpreted as Ishwar is requested to drink somaras (nectar). Shaunak asked How can the formless God drink (Rigveda 1.2.1)?’ With this argument, the people present there on behalf of Kolkata Arya Samaj got furious. Things took a turn for the worse.

Pandit Vedaprakash cited, ‘Dayanandaji’s Vedabhashya as shown by Shaunak is incorrect’ and he showed another translation of that. Shaunak said, ‘As Aryavibinaya was written by Rishi Dayananda and published by a unit of Arya samaj, then why not accept that translation? It amounts to refuting the Aryavibinaya by the present Arya Samaji people as you say that Aryavibinaya is the wrong book’.

Hearing this, the Arya Samaji Pandits and Samajist people gathered there who were present surrounded the Hindu young man, and started manhandling. The coordinator and anchor of the program, Pandit Madhusudan Arya forcibly stopped the young man’s recording. The youth’s laptop was also turned off and his mobile phone was snatched away. Practically the Arya Samaj panel had no answers for the points raised by Shaunak. But, the hosts were not ready to accept the defeat,

The Arya Samaji people searched the bag of Shaunak and found some books like ‘The Quran’ and ‘Sarwarer Talwar’ (both in Bengali) and started hurling slurs like, “Mollar Baccha” considering him an agent of Muslims. Not only that, they also checked the penis of Shaunak whether he was circumcised. But, Shaunak was a very well-known face of many of Kolkata Arya Samaj people as ‘Hindu’ including Pandit Satish Chandra Vidyaratna and he also visited Kolkata Arya Samaj at 19 Bidhan Sarani and Arya Pratinidhi Sabha, Kolkata at 42 Shankar Ghosh Lane several times.

To put Shaunak in further trouble, the members of Arya Samaj intimated the matter to Amherst Street Police Station saying something bad against Shaunak.

Police case to Kolkata Arya Samaj without delay and asked Shaunak why he had come to Arya Samaj. When Shaunak stated he came to Arya Samaj only after a settled program, one of the policemen slapped him without any reason. Police forced Shaunak to delete all the recordings from his mobile and laptop made on that day.

After that Shaunak was taken to the Amherst Street Police Station and was detained there for hours and cautioned finally, ‘not to preach anything about Dharma in Kolkata without permission of the authority’.

While Shaunak registered his complaint to the Police (vide Amherst Street PS GD No. 125 dt 02.09.2023) after the Arya Samaji people filed a written complaint against him; police convinced both the parties for an amicable settlement.

At night disheartened Shaounak returned home with uneasiness in his mind about whether he committed any wrong to propagate Hindu Dharma in a venture to unite the Vedic and Puranic schools under one Sanatana Hindu faith. He also thought, ‘Who are these Arya Samaji people moving around us keeping knives under their sleeves to attack Hindus in many ways by abusing them with ‘Hindu’ identity, propagating their faith against ‘Murti Puja’ (idol worship), Ritual after death (Mritak Shraddha), and humiliating the Hindu legends like Adi Shankar, Sri Chaitanya, Ramakrishna Paramhans, Swami Vivekananda and so on.

Unfortunately, the Arya Samaj today has been reduced to extreme narrowness in the name of propagating the Vedas. That’s why they behaved like thugs and did not hesitate to torture a traditional Hindu youth by calling him in the name of Shastrarth.

Sanatan Hindu Samaj always believe in “रुचीनां वैचित्र्यादृजुकुटिल नानापथजुषां । नृणामेको गम्यस्त्वमसि पयसामर्णव इव॥ Shivamahimna Stotram, Pushpadanta-7.” This consensus structured Indian society. The points of contention like ‘God is in form or formless’; whether Indians are ‘Sanatani, Aryan or Hindu’, whether ‘they should pay homage to the soul of the dead or not in Shraddha Karma’, whether ‘ the Brahman is part of Veda or not’ are not vital this time for a big purpose. But, with all these Arya Samaji people are misleading society and pushing it on the path of the apocalypse of Sanatan Hindu faith.

The Arya Samaj today is constantly insulting the great Vedic and Puranic societies outside the Arya Samaj, in the line of Rishi Dayananda in the light of Satyartha Prakash in a wrong way. It is evident in their various satsangs (Dharmik discourses) and social media campaigns. According to them, Rishi Dayananda is the only venerable one and Adi Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya, Sri Chaitanya, Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo, Swami Pranavananda all other Mahapurushas (great divine souls) maintained Veda and Purana in a synthesis are reprehensible and ostracized.

In fact, the Arya Samaj people who are busy with Havan (Fire sacrifice), Bhavan (Building properties). and Pra.chodan (discourses) and fighting for provincial (pradeshik) and international (sarbadeshik) organisational control among themselves; practically do not know what they actually want. An emerging ‘Arya Irony’ that fails to fulfill the basic religious needs of the society and combine Gyan (knowledge)-Bhakti (Devotion)-Shakti (Power) is creating an atmosphere of division in the greater Hindu society today.

 What happened in Kolkata Arya Samaj on 2nd September 2023 is highly condemnable. There is great postest on social media on such an inappropriate act caused by Kolkata Arya Samaj. Let the Arya Samaj not forget, that they did not flourish with the support of any Muslim, Christian, or Communist society. It was the Hindu society that helped in the creation, construction, and expansion of the Arya Samaj. In recognition of that history, Swami Shraddhanand accepted the presidentship of the Hindu Mahasabha despite being the great icon of the Arya Samaj. But what is happening now?

Let us all unite in the desire for the highest fulfillment of सनातन धर्म – वैदिक परंपरा – आर्य संस्कृति – हिंदू राष्ट्र (Sanatan Dharma – Vedic Tradition – Arya Culture – Hindu Rashtra). Unity is desirable – not the conflict.

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__Inputs from Social media.