Deviation from righteous conduct leads to natural disasters: Shankaracharya

Haridwar: Shankaracharya of Dwarka-Sharda Peeth Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati said whenever the head of a state deviates from the path of righteousness, natural disasters like drought become inevitable, days after he said Maharashtra was facing drought because its people worship Sai Baba of Shirdi. "Political authority should always be guided by principle of righteous conduct. Any deviation from this may lead to disasters like drought and other natural calamities," Swaroopanand told reporters at his peeth here yesterday. "For things to remain in order, it is necessary that the head of the state adheres strictly to the tenets of righteous conduct," he said. Though he did not name any political party, he said all of them should try to be guided by this "golden principle". "The behaviour of every head of state, regardless of his political affiliations, should be in accordance with the rules of righteous conduct," he said. Commenting on the current political scene in the country, the seer said it is passing through a phase of "disorientation" with nothing being done for the people's welfare. Earlier this week, Swaroopanand had waded into a controversy by saying that entry of women in the Shani Shingnapur temple will lead to rise in crimes against them like rape. "Women should not feel triumphant about visiting the sanctum sanctorum of Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra. They should stop all the drum beating about what they have done. Worshipping Shani will bring ill luck to them and give rise to crimes against them like rape," he had said after a 400-year-old ban on entry of women into the shrine's core area was lifted by the temple trust.