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Jun 11, 2026
His Holiness Jainacharya Yugbhushan Suriji

On the Reserved Verdict in the Sabarimala Review Case: An Open Letter

Save Religion To Nine-Judge Constitution Bench, Supreme Court of India, New Delhi. AN OPEN LETTER Subject: On the Reserved Verdict in the Sabarimala Review Case I. The Occasion On the 20th of January 2020, shortly after the Sabarimala matter was referred for reconsideration to a larger Bench of this Court, I had the occasion to address an open letter to the then Chief Justice of India, Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde. In that letter, I placed two witnesses from the world's own constitutional memory — the Magna Carta of 1215, whose very first clause secured that “the Church of England shall be free, and shall have all her whole Rights and Liberties inviolable” (one of only four of its sixty-three clauses still alive in English law to this day); and the address of Pope Paul VI to the United Nations on the 4th of October 1965, in which he asserted the necessity of “temporal sovereignty — the minimum needed in order to be free to exercise his spiritual mission.” While the one who commanded absolute spiritual sovereignty in his sphere demanded the need for temporal sovereignty to sustain his spiritual mission. The Indian tradition, by contrast, neither fused the two powers into a single authority nor laid claim to absolute dominance in any one domain and had an architecture of non-interference between the two domains. Yet, despite this being the foundational Indian inheritance, the spiritual mission of Indian religions has remained subject to frequent State interference even after Independence by the democratic government. In that letter, I had asked the Court to consider fundamental religious issues at large. Fortunately, within a short time, this Court framed broader constitutional questions for consideration, not merely relating to the Sabarimala matter, but relating to the deeper analysis of Articles 25 and 26. The hearing has now concluded — nearly a hundred counsels heard, more than twenty precedents examined, the conflicts of seven decades surveyed in a single proceeding. In its breadth, the deliberation on Articles 25 and 26 has perhaps surpassed even that of the Constituent Assembly itself. The judgment that emerges will not remain confined to a single temple or denomination. It will stand as the foundational precedent on religious rights for generations to come. Its reach will not be limited to India, but hopefully will extend further. This is a moment for India to demonstrate — to the world, and to the Global South in particular — that a great civilisation may be restored, re-rooted, and re-asserted through its own constitutional voice. The future of more than 1.4 billion citizens, and the eyes of every civilisation that has lived through colonial imposition, shall rest upon this Bench. The thoughts that follow belong not to one religion alone, but to every Indian religious tradition — and to everyone who believes that Bharat's pluralism is its deepest civilisational achievement. May the Bench's deliberations be guided by clarity, by foresight, and by faithfulness to the civilisational continuity of Bharat. II. The Civilisational Architecture of Bharat Before turning to the constitutional propositions, it is imperative to acquaint oneself with India's civilisational architecture — for it is upon this architecture, and not upon any borrowed framework, that Articles 25 and 26 must necessarily rest. Since time immemorial, Bharat has recognised two separate and mutually independent domains of human life — the temporal and the spiritual. These two domains are not merely different in subject matter; they are profoundly different in their very nature, in the source of their authority, in their methods of governance, and in their ultimate purposes. They have run, for millennia, as two parallel streams — each operating by its own internal law, each governed by an entirely distinct system of authority, neither interfering with the other. This is not a modern theory invented for present convenience. It is recorded with precision in the most ancient texts of the Bharatiya scriptural tradition. The Sukra Niti, one of the most authentic texts of Indian Rajniti, affirms the same architecture, placing the religious authority on a footing of independence equal to that of the temporal sovereign. अस्वतन्त्राः प्रजाः सर्वाः स्वतन्त्रः पृथिवीपतिः । अस्वतन्त्रः स्मृतः शिष्यः आचार्यो तु स्वतन्त्रता ॥ 4.5.268 ॥ Independents are kings (temporal authority) and Acharya (religious authority). All the subjects and disciples are not independent. Similarly, Vyas Rishi in the Mahabharat distinguishes three distinct modes of governance — temporal (Bhartu-pratyaya), spiritual (Veda-pratyaya), and cultural (Maula) — and confines the State's authority strictly to the first. भर्तृप्रत्यय उत्पन्नो व्यवहारस्तथापरः । तस्माद् यः स हितो दृष्टो भर्तृप्रत्ययलक्षणः ॥ 12.1.50 ॥ व्यवहारस्तु वेदात्मा वेदप्रत्यय उच्यते । मौलश्च नरशार्दूल शास्त्रोक्तश्च तथा परः ॥ 12.1.51 ॥ The conduct with respect to temporal matters is called Bhartu-pratyaya-lakṣaṇa; it is regarded as beneficial for the temporal world (temporal sphere). The mode of conduct or judgment applied to an offender who practises faults with respect to religion is called Veda-pratyaya — this is to be dealt with by the religious sphere. The deliberation or conduct applied in cases of offences involving the breach of established family or community customs is called Maula. In this case too, the punishment prescribed by the Śāstras alone is to be applied (cultural sphere). To preserve the spiritual domain as a self-governing sphere distinct from the temporal — every Indic religion has, for millennia, governed itself through a five-fold intrinsic autonomy prescribed by its own tenets. • Delegation of rights — the conferment and delegation of religious rights and privileges by the religious head; • Internal governing systems — succession lineages, scriptural mandates, and institutional hierarchies; • Internal reform — the capacity to evolve from within, as each religion itself has done over centuries; • Grievance redressal — internal mechanisms for the resolution of religious disputes; • Disciplinary authority — the power to admit, ordain, discipline, and where necessary, excommunicate. These five powers, taken together, constitute the architecture by which the Mathas, the Takhts, the Jain Acharya lineages, the Sangha, and every other ancient religious institution of this land have preserved themselves across millennia, preceding the Republic by centuries. Every interpretation of Articles 25 and 26 must therefore rest, ultimately, on this foundation. This is why Article 26 was placed in the Constitution by the drafters precisely to preserve such five-fold autonomy. III. What Is Religion? And Where Do Religious Rights Come From? On the occasion of deliberating on religious rights in the constitutional sense, the first logical step is to ask threshold questions: what is religion, and where do religious rights come from? Without clarity on these two foundational questions, no interpretation of Articles 25 and 26 can reach a conclusion. Defining Religion The Constitution uses the word “religion” in over twenty places — yet leaves it undefined. For seventy-six years, Indian religion has been measured through the borrowed Latin lens of religio — meaning “to bind together” — a word fashioned for the Roman civic order, where competing cults required a binding social glue. India's society did not need religion to be bound; it was already bound by social values. In the Bharatiya civilisational sense — as Swami Vivekananda and Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, the second President of the Republic, both affirmed — religion is rooted in philosophy. It is Darshana — a worldview of truth, reality, and right living. “Religion without philosophy runs into superstition; and philosophy without religion becomes a dry atheism… Philosophy of course, is the essence of every religion.” “Philosophy and religion are two aspects of a single movement.” “Philosophy of religion is religion come to an understanding of itself.” Religion ought therefore to be understood as: “A legal entity built upon an independent core philosophy, mostly centred on an extra-sensory element, providing a distinct worldview of truth, reality, and right living, and encompassing philosophy, scriptures, practices, followers, and institutions.” Within each religion exist Sampradayas (denominations) — groups sharing the core philosophy but differing in specific ritual or interpretation. The Constitution's own distinction in Articles 16(5) and 27 between religion and religious denomination recognises this very difference. Without a definition, the beneficiary of the right remains perpetually vague; Indian religion continues to be measured through a borrowed Latin lens; and the confusion between the secular and the religious remains unresolved, leaving the scope of State action under Article 25(2) uncertain. Source of Religious Rights Religion did not begin with the Constitution. Articles 25 and 26 do not create the right to religious freedom — they only recognise and guarantee their protection, as these rights long predate the State itself. Though Article 13 uses the word ‘conferred’, this Court has observed in M. Nagaraj v. Union of India: “It is a fallacy to regard fundamental rights as a gift from the State to its citizens. Part III of the Constitution does not confer fundamental rights. It confirms their existence and gives them protection.” The same principle was affirmed in I.R. Coelho and in K.S. Puttaswamy. As Khanna J. observed in Kesavananda Bharati, the Objectives Resolution of 13 December 1946 — adopted before the Constitution itself was framed — already guaranteed “freedom of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship.” The Constitution did not invent these rights. It found them already in existence and undertook to protect them. IV. Conclusion “There is a richness in their poverty. The inner strength of our people, which enables them to be dignified and to hold their heads high despite their adversity, is the result of our age-old tradition of spiritual values.” The civilisation that the framers inherited was held together not by changing empires, armies or treasuries — those rose and fell with the centuries — but by its spiritual values. That inner strength — that richness in poverty — is the country's true wealth. It must be recognised that what lies before you is not merely a responsibility but a historic opportunity — the judgment sought is no favour to be granted; it is a corrective justice long deserved. ।। यतो धर्मः ततो जयः।। With blessings, Dharmalabh Jainacharya Yugbhushan Suriji Maharaja

Jun 11, 2026
Swami Pranaka

Abhyangam: The Ayurvedic Self-Care Secret

A 5-Minute Self-Care Ritual to Keep Your Body Young, Nourished, and Healthy If your knees have started giving background music, your skin feels dry, and your mind refuses to slow down, Ayurveda has a simple suggestion: bring out the oil. Done daily, Abhyangam helps keep the body youthful, energetic, relaxed, and stress-free. No fancy equipment, no big routine, no spa appointment. Just five minutes, and a little oil. Abhyangam should be done daily. अभ्यङ्गं आचरेत् नित्यं – abhyaṅgaṁ ācarēt nityaṁ The term “Abhyangam” is derived from the Sanskrit words “Abhi,” which means “to apply,” and “Anga,” which means “body.” The technique of Abhyangam involves rhythmic and synchronised movements that cover the entire body, from head to toe. The intention is to stimulate the flows in bodily channels and to balance the doshas – Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Oil Bath - Step-by-Step Guide: Generally, we recommend a suitable herbal for the head and feet, and another for the body, based on individual needs. To begin, take 5 to 10 drops of the recommended head oil and apply it to the vertex of your head. Gently massage the scalp with fingertips. Also, apply the same oil to both the soles of your feet and massage generously. Next, follow these steps for using the recommended body oil: Step 1: Take the required quantity of oil and rub it between your palms to slightly warm it. Repeat this step after each of the following steps. Step 2: Apply the oil over your abdomen and rub it well in a clockwise direction. Step 3: Apply the oil over your lower back and massage in a downward direction on either side of the spine. Step 4: Apply the oil on the face, instil a drop in both ears. Step 5: Then apply in a circular manner over all the joints. Step 6: Apply the oil over the long bone regions of all the limbs. Massage in straight, long motions on your arms and legs. All the above oil applications will take less than 5 mins. Step 7: After applying, wait for 5 minutes and then take a shower. Remember to thoroughly enjoy the process, inviting your body to absorb nourishment and care. Note: 1. Use room temperature water for bathing. The rule of thumb is if you pour water on your body, you should feel only the flow of water – not the temperature. If absolutely needed, use warm water below the neck. Never use warm or hot water on your head. 2. Avoid using harsh chemicals for cleaning. Instead, use herbal cleansing powders for hair and body, which do not dry your scalp and skin. Caution: Abhyangam should not be done on the days you suffer from excess mucous and indigestion. Benefits of Abhyangam: The benefits of Abhyangam in Ayurveda are numerous. …………………………, स जरा श्रमवातहा । दृष्टिप्रसाद पुष्टि आयु:स्वप्नसुत्वक्त्वदार्ढ्यकृत् ॥ Daily Oil application has the following benefits: Delays ageing Relieves fatigue and excess of Vata dosha (imbalance of Vayu element) Improves vision and all other senses Gives longevity Better Sleep: promotes better sleep patterns and overall sleep quality. Nourishment for the Skin: nourishes and moisturises the skin, promoting a healthy and glowing complexion. Improved Circulation: enhances blood and lymphatic circulation, which aids in the elimination of toxins and waste products from the body. Relaxation and Stress Relief: helps reduce stress, anxiety, and tension. Joint and Muscle Health: eases muscle stiffness and tension, improves joint mobility, and provides relief from muscular aches and pains. Hormonal Health: balances the hormones and helps in thyroid disorders, diabetes, adrenal fatigue, menstrual disorders and sexual health. Balancing Doshas: By selecting appropriate oils and performing the massage in a specific manner, Abhyangam is believed to help balance the doshas, thereby promoting overall health and well-being. ஓங்கிய சிரத்தில் எண்ணெய் உடலுறு பிணியை மாற்றும் “Oil application on the head heals all diseases in the body” Our great masters consider the human body to be like an inverted tree. Just as one should attend to the roots to care for a tree, similarly, to take care of the human body, it’s important to focus on the head. The head hosts the five sense organs, which are the windows of our life experience, and it is also the seat of prana, the life force. Abhyangam in the head nourishes the five sense organs and balances the whole system. தாங்கிய பதத்தில் எண்ணெய் தடமுறு விழிநோய் மாற்றும் "Oil application on the feet heals diseases of the eyes" Each of our feet and eyes is connected to two Nadis or subtle channels. Applying oil to the feet nourishes the eyes. In this era of increased screen time and eye strain like never before, an Abhyangam at the feet can be beneficial. Applying oil to the body, especially in the abdomen, lower back, and all the joints, helps balance the vata dosha. Applying oil to the entire body promotes healthy circulation of blood, nervous impulses, hormones, Agni (digestive fire), and Prana (life force) as a whole.