On Friday, January 20, alleged Rationalist, and writer, KS Bhagwan sparked outrage after making controversial comments about God Shriram and Goddess Sita. KS Bhagwan claimed that the Valmiki Ramayana, in Uttar Kaand, states that God Shriram used to drink wine with Sita every afternoon.
Shriram’s main activity in the afternoon was to sit with Sita and drink wine. the author was heard saying that this is what the documents state. KS Bhagwan made the comments while speaking at an event in Mandya, Karnataka.
K S Bhagwan displays his intellectual bankruptcy yet again. His sole aim in life seems to be in the news by denigrating Hindu faith.
It is high time that the @CMofKarnataka clamped down on Bhagwan & his ilk. We demand immediate & stringent action against him. #Arrest_KSBhagwan pic.twitter.com/GKcUFanKz6
— HinduJagrutiOrg (@HinduJagrutiOrg) January 23, 2023
K.S Bhagwan who is on bail for his offensive remarks on Sri Ram Mandir has once again hurt the sentiments of crores of Hindus by his remarks on Prabhu Shri Ram
Immediate action should be taken to cancel his bail & #Arrest_KSBhagwan – @Mohan_HJS @JnanendraAraga pic.twitter.com/LOMkf0wjsl
— padmalatha ramdas (@padmalatharamd1) January 23, 2023
This is not the first time that the writer has expressed objectionable opinions about Lord Ram. In December 2018, he stirred up a controversy after claiming that according to Valmiki Ramayan, God Shriram used to drink ‘intoxicants’ and made Sita consume them too. In his book “Rama Mandira Yake Beda,” he made these comments.
Following his comments, some Hindu organisations launched a protest against KS Bhagwan and tried to hold a puja outside the controversial writer’s residence in Kuvempunagar.
Back then, KM Nishant, a member of a Hindu rights group had told the Times of India that the Uttar Kaand was added later on in the Valmiki Ramayana and that it was not composed by Sage Valmiki.
“In his book Rama Mandira Yake Beda, KS Bhagwan quotes verses from Uttar Kaand, the concluding chapter of Valmiki’s Ramayana. However, Bhagwan should be aware that Hindus disagree with Uttar Kaand because we believe Valmiki did not write the chapter. There is no mention of Uttar Kaand in any of the 24,000 slokas that make up the Ramayana,” Nishant told Times of India.
It is notable that those arguing that God Shriram used to consume meat and liquor often quote this shloka from Valmiki Ramayana’s Sundarkand:
na māṃsaṃ rāghavo bhuṅkte na cāpi madhusevate |
vanyaṃ suvihitaṃ nityaṃ bhaktamaśnāti pañcamam || 5-36-41
Those claiming that God Shriram used to consume alcohol and meat interpret this shloka as He (God Shriram) is not eating meat anymore, nor indulging in liquor (not even spiritual liquor) and he is just eating the fruits available from the forest.
However, the Gita Press publication clarifies that the shloka actually means that it is a sin for any Raghuvanshi (including God Shriram) to consume meat or alcohol. Then why would God Shriram consume these things? God Shriram in accordance with the Shastras used to eat fruits available in the forest.
Source : OpIndia