India, Feb. 4 -- In the late 1980s when the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and its seers were at the forefront of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, discordant notes were heard from different corners of the country including the temple towns Ayodhya and Varanasi. Mahant Gyan Das of Hanuman Garhi in Ayodhya and Shankaracharya Swaroopanand of Jyotish Peeth and a few other seers -- while supporting the temple movement - criticised the Sangh Parivar for politicising the emotional issue. Gradually, however, their dissenting voices were drowned in the wave of support from the majority of seers joining the VHP bandwagon. Back then, differences among the seers did not seemingly impact the public narrative as supporters were overwhelmed by VHP's campaigns. The strong emotive temple issue overshadowed the verbal duel between seers. Over the decades, political support for the BJP under its banner of Hindu and Hindutva has grown exponentially and has eventually led to religious resurgence in the country. The narrative around 'Sanatan Dharma', for one, often dominates both the public and political discourse. The large number of pilgrims at three religious centres in Uttar Pradesh - Ayodhya, Mathura and Varanasi - not only exemplifies flourishing religious tourism, but also the exponential growth of Sanatan Dharma in the country. Given the growth and spread of the principle, the recent war of words between seers over the Magh Mela controversy and clashes have left many followers confused. On January 18, Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati of Jyotish Peeth was stopped from travelling in his palanquin for the traditional dip at the Sangam on Mauni Amavasya day. The incident took an ugly turn after the police allegedly assaulted his young disciples, dragging them by their hair and clothes. Video clips of the police action went viral. Public reaction was obvious as Brahmins take pride in wearing shikha/choti (the distinctive plait of hair) as it is considered sacred. The rift escalated as three Shankaracharyas and many other seers came out in support of Swami Avimukteshwaranand while many other dharmacharyas backed Uttar Pradesh (UP) chief minister, Yogi Adityanath. The Sanatanis were torn between Shankaracharya and Yogi, also the head of the Gorakhnath temple. Both Shankaracharya and Yogi, incidentally, have large followings among the masses. Will it impact the Sanatanis, who take pride in the rising resurgence of religion, or will it be forgiven and forgotten in a few days? The people have witnessed disputes among high priests and their representatives in the past. Even during the Mahakumbh, their representatives often clashed while asserting their supremacy in the allotment of camps in Sangam but the administration mostly managed the tricky situations amicably. This time, however, it turned into a violent dispute between the Shankaracharya and the administration: succession disputes in congregations and temples are dismissed as normal but not assault on priests. Mahant Ravindra Puri Maharaj, the president of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP), the apex body of Hindu seers, had earlier opposed the anointing of Swami Avimuktehswaranand as Shankaracharya. But at present he is not joining the title issue on the plea that the matter is in the court. Instead, he wants the current controversy to end as quickly as he fears differences among the seers and the politicisation of the Mauni Amavasya controversy would divide the followers of Sanatan Dharma into groups. In his endeavour to resolve the issue before the upcoming major religious congregations, he initiated a dialogue with Shankaracharya while urging the government to initiate action against the errant cops. Following the incident, Swami Avimukteshwaranand returned to Varanasi after calling off his 10-day protest. The controversy, however, is yet to abate. The issue is likely to remain in the public domain as a petition has been filed in the court demanding a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the Mauni Amavasya incident. The proposed meeting of the four Shankaracharyas in Delhi will be significant as they had objected to the questions being raised about his title of Shankaracharya. Jyotish Peeth has a large following in the country, especially in north India and though the court had stayed the anointing ceremony, the ABAP President has admitted that the public has accepted him as one. Nonetheless, the seers are taking sides with a section of them questioning the Shankaracharya's "stubbornness" and statements. The torch bearers of Sanatan Dharam are obviously concerned because such incident could weaken it and ultimately divide the polity. Ramnarayan Dwivedi, general secretary of Kashi Vidwat Parishad and professor at the department of Sanskrit Vidyadharm Culture at Banaras Hindu University says it could have a bearing on Sanatan Dharma narrative at a time when religious renaissance has begun in India. He has called for utmost caution, introspection by all stakeholders. Conflicting voices in an era of social media could create confusion about the narrative built around Sanatan Dharma, Dwivedi says. Deepak Panwar, an academician, runs a podcast on 'Sanatan and Samaj' from Haridwar and according to him many followers were disturbed by the developments. While many accuse the administration of lacking sensitivity in their dealing with the high priest and his disciples, they also feel the Shankaracharya himself could have been more careful in his utterances as Sanatan is all about making sacrifices and there's little room for anger. The contention is Shankaracharya should talk about scriptures and less about politics. Ironically, the new crop of seers are vocal. They have significant followers as they spread the message of Sanatan in their own dramatic way Since the mid-1980's, seers and priests have been actively involved in social, political and cultural issues of the country and are not restricted to spreading messages about only religion. Consequently, people are ignorant about the true meaning of Sanatan Dharam and they wonder why the seers were fighting if the principles stand for non-violence and discipline. While the controversy has likely ruffled the BJP, much to the consternation of Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, BJP leaders remained silent given a recent statement by Union home minister Amit Shah in which he said the governments that fail to respect the Sanatan Dharma do not return to power....