From 'Lord Rama died by suicide' to 'Who is Chamundi', how Prof Bhagwan has degraded Hindu gods to be in news

KS Bhagwan has often targeted Hindu gods, religious saints and Brahmins.

Bengaluru, Jan 23: Professor KS Bhagwan is in the news for all the wrong reasons again. As expected, he has made degrading comments against Hindu god Rama.

For unversed, Bhagawan is a Kannada writer, critic and self-proclaimed rationalist. A post-graduate degree in English language from the University of Mysore, he taught English at Maharaja's College in the cultural capital of Karnataka. He translated popular works of William Shakespeare to Kannada that includes Merchant of Venice as Venisina Vartaka, and others such as Julius Caesar, Hamlet and Othello.

An Anti Hindu Rationalist

KS Bhagwan has always been a controversy's favourite child. In 1980, he had irked the Hindus with his controversial work 'Shankaracharya and Reactionary Philosophy'. In the collection of essays, he had accused Adi Shankaracharya of advocating caste system strongly and destroying Buddhist vihars. He had claimed that the Hindu philosopher was against the education of women, dalits. etc.

However, he started hitting headlines regularly in the last one decade by making anti-Hindu remarks. His favorite topics has always been about Lord Rama.

In 2015, the leftist writer had claimed that Lord Rama had committed suicide. "Rama died by suicide in the end in Ramayana. Even his followers will meet with same consequence. He was not an ideal man. Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya and Madhvacharya were ignorant," he had remarked.

He had also called Lord Rama a casteist and anti-women and wondered how such a man can become a role model to the society.

What is Chamundi's contribution to Mysuru?

By organising Mahisha Dasara celebrations in Mysuru, KS Bhagwan had tried to question the relevance of Goddess Chamundi. According to him, Mahishasura was a Buddhist and Brahmins have systematically destroyed his legacy. "What is her contribution to Mysuru? Brahmins have written that Chamundi killed him. As we accepted everything without questioning, Mahisharura became a demon," he had once stated.

He had also batted for a statue of Mahishasura atop the Chamundi hills. "In the place of the existing statue, one that depicts Mahisha as a Buddhist monk must be erected. History tells us that Mahisha was a benevolent ruler, who was humane, and worked towards the welfare of sections of the society. If he was a demon, why would Mysuru be named in his honour?" Bhagwan questioned.

He had also claimed that Buddha is much older than Valmiki. In fact, Valmiki got education due to Buddha's message of equality.

Against 'Made Snana'

Bhagwan had also opposed 'Made-snana' (a ritual where devotees roll on plantain leaves with leftovers during Subrahmanya Shasti and on Kiru Shasti (a month after Subramanya Shasti) and modified version of it 'Yede Snana' in Kukke Subramanya temple. He had called the practise "inhuman" and urged the state government to ban it.

"There is no difference between Yede Snana and Made Snana. Let those who propose such rituals perform them first. With this, they only intend to convey to society that they belong to the upper class. This is discriminatory and goes against the Indian Constitution," Deccan Chronicle had quoted him as saying.

Rama and Krishna Responsible for Casteism

In 2015, he had held Lord Rama and Krishna responsible for caste-based discrimination. "I don't understand why people want Ram rajya. He was against equal rights for women. He drove his wife to forest without giving her any rights. He discriminated against women and Dalits. I am not saying these because there are such direct references to Rama in Ramayana," he told a gathering in Bengaluru.

Bhagwan had also attacked saints Shankaracharya and Madhwacharya. "These acharyas created a separate identity for the priestly class by promoting them. According to them, non-Brahmins were not eligible to study the Vedas. Is it not discrimination? Why were Dalits and other non-Brahmins prevented from acquiring education and knowledge? These are stark realities, which no one dares to question," he contended.

Controversial Book - Why Rama Mandira is Not Needed

In his controversial book titled 'Rama Mandira Yake Beda', he called the Lord as "intoxicant". "Like Devendra made his wife drink an intoxicant so did Rama [sic], with his own hands, make Sita drink. Their servants brought them meat and many varieties of fruits," he wrote in the book, according to a report.

"He was serving the Brahmins and he only gave gifts to Brahmins, and not the farmers," he had said while defending his remarks about Lord Rama in the book.

Anti Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita

In 2015, Bhagawan stirred controversy with his remarks on Bhagavad Gita and aspects of Hinduism, stating that Mahabharata and Ramayana depicted a form of 'suppression' and led to cruelty in society.

Talking about Hindu gods and epics, he said, "Rama and Krishna are sinners, and Mahabharata and Ramayana are not religious texts but books of sins, as they depict suppression of women and backward classes. The Indian Constitution is the only true book of India. In Valmiki's Ramayana, there is an instance where Rama murders Shambuka, a Shudra, and he also abandons his wife Sita. Krishna is a sinner who married 16,000 women. How can you call such figures as gods?"

And now, the self-proclaimed rationalist has claimed that Lord Rama used to sit with his wife Sita and booze in the afternoon.

Speaking at an event in Mandya, KS Bhagwan said that Rama was not an ideal man but an ordinary man who sent his wife to exile for 18 years. "We don't need Rama Rajya," he said. "Our judicial system allows even a murderer to record his statement, but Rama did not allow Sita to speak and ruthlessly sent his pregnant wife to the forest. How can such a person become a god? He was just an ordinary man. Instead of reciting his mantra and accepting slavery, it is better to follow Lord Buddha's ideals. By following his principles, we can build a society free from caste, creed and creed," the rationalist said.

These are some of the indecent remarks that KS Bhagwan have made over the years to be in the limelight.