HC order on Jains' worship

MUMBAI, JULY 30. In a landmark verdict, the Mumbai High Court has held that observing `Be Thithi' calendar and performing `Navangi' Guru worship by devotees was not illegal or contrary to the principles or tenets of the Jain religion.

The ruling will have a bearing on the two-crore Jain community spread all over the country because it puts at rest the controversy over the manner of `Gurupoojan' (worshipping Guru) and observance of `thitis' in the absence of any such mention in Jain religious scriptures since time immemorial.

While one section believed in `Ekang' (in reverence to one point of the Guru's body) and `Ek Thithi', the other followed `Navang' (in reverence to nine points of the body) and `Be Thithi'. However, there was no dispute over the manner in which the idol should be worshipped.

The judgment was delivered by Justice Rajan Kochar, who recently upheld a lower court's order which restrained the Matunga Jain shwetamber Murti Pujak Tapagachha Sangh, a trust, from putting up signboards at the Upashraya (temple) banning `Navangi' worship and the practice of following `Be Thithi' calendar.

A few devotees had challenged in a civil court resolutions passed by the trust in its general body meeting on July 1, 1998 banning `Navangi' worship. The court ruled in their favour and the aggreived trust filed an appeal before the High Court.

The judge observed, ``Guru Vandana will totally depend on the devotee and the Guru. No trust can permit or allow any member of the Jain community to perform `Guru Pooja' in a particular way. There is nothing wrong if a devotee or member of the trust performs Pooja in accordance with his own `Bhakti', which, however, should not be against Jain religion''.

The Judge observed ``if the Guru accepts such a form of worship (Navangi), I do not find how the trust can prevent or prohibit `Gurupoojan' by a devotee in this manner''.

``It may be that `Navangi' was acceptable to a microscopic minority among Jains and maybe it was also not universally accepted. But there is no Jain Shastra or scripture to show that `Navangi' is against the tenets of Jain religion.''

`Navangi' might be of recent origin but such a practice was in vogue in a section of the Jain community and if such worship was in accordance with religious tenets, practices and usage, the trust had no powers to restrict devotees from performing it in the Upashraya. It also had no right to allow only `Ekangi' worship, Justice Kochar ruled.

The trust was empowered to frame regulations on the administration of the shrine or place of worship or any other property but it could not lay down guidelines for the mode of worship, the Judge remarked.

The Judge also went through the scheme framed by the High Court many years ago for the administration of the same trust and found that there was no clause to show ban on `Navangi' form of worship.

``According to me, the trust cannot choose to invite only such gurus who follow either `Ekangi Guru Pooja' or `Navangi' worship. It has to treat all of them equally without any discrimination. It can, however, fix any day of the week for `Navangi' worship to avoid inconvenience to others'', he opined.

- PTI

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