Mangaluru: Sri Vedavardhana Tirtha of Shiroor Mutt, who will be ascending the Sarvajna Peetha of Udupi Sri Krishna Mutt, said that the foundational scripture of the religion is the Vedas. The seer, who will be ascending the Sarvajna Peetha of Udupi Sri Krishna Mutt, spoke to the media after participating in a Guruvandana and Pattada Devara Tulabhara organised by Kalkura Prathishtana here, on Monday.“The Vedas must be preserved and learnt. To fully learn them, one must stay in the gurukul for 12 years and work hard. However, after such extensive learning, it is not feasible to work outside. They must help others recite the Vedas. All the four Vedas should be recited at the Mutt by 20 pandits every day,” he said, adding that the Mutt will make provisions for this programme.Further, the Paryaya tenure of the Shiroor Mutt will give opportunities for devotees to serve Sri Krishna, he said.Stating that Paryaya is a festival of devotees, the seer said that people should serve Sri Krishna by volunteering during the festival. “The Paryaya is a festival that aims at creating spiritual awareness, and arise divine consciousness. Visit a temple a day and serve as much as you can,” he said, and insisted on preserving culture.On digitisation of temple processes, the seer said that Shiroor Mutt has its own website and devotees can book all sevas online. The Paryaya tenure will also focus on cleanliness of the Mutt premesis. “We will do our best to ensure cleanliness in Sri Krishna Mutt. However, major responsibility of cleanliness lies with the devotees who visit the Mutt,” he added.‘No one denied ‘Hore Kanike’ participation’In response to a controversy that erupted ahead of Paryaya festival following conflicting claims over the participation of Muslims in the ‘Hore Kanike’ procession, Shiroor Mutt diwan, Udaya Kumar Saralathaya, said that the Paryaya reception committee did not deny permission to bring ‘Hore kanike’. “The committee only requested that they should come as Krishna devotees,” he said, referring to the offer made by Udupi Zilla Muslim Sauharda Paryaya Samithi.“Those who are participating in the ‘Hore Kanike’ procession should inform the reception committee. We need to inform the police about the number of organisations participating. However, without asking us, the Muslim community announced their participation. We already held a discussion with the community leaders,” he added.
