In 1992, the Brahmin orthodoxy in Karnataka was torn apart by a theological debate on the ethics of initiating adolescent boys into sanyasa (monkhood).

A 16-year-old boy was chosen to be heir to the Kaniyoor Mutt, one of the eight Krishna monasteries in Udupi, the citadel of the Madhwa Brahmin School. On the one side were the uncompromising hawks who viewed the debate as an affront to their faith and on the other those who represented the liberal face of orthodoxy.

Leading the reformist stream was Vidyabhooshana Theertha, head of the Kukke Subrahmanya Mutt, who mobilised public opinion against what he called the `inhuman' practice of making innocent youth renounce worldly life. His campaign though was in vain and the boy was initiated into monkhood.

Now, five years later Vidyabhooshana himself has given up his three decades-old life of a renunciate to enter grihastashrama (family life). Recently, the 46-year-old Vidyabhooshana, a hugely popular singer of devotional music, threw away his ochre robes to marry 26-year-old Rama. This has once again revived the debate.

Vidyabhooshana, who also entered monkhood as a balasanyasi, has always had doubts about boys of such young age having the samskara (spiritual discipline) to face the rigours of renunciation. ``The adverse effects are there for everyone to see. We know what it has done to us,'' he had said at the height of the 1992 controversy.

Those who are opposing balasanyasa find the system followed by the Ramakrishna Mission ideal. There, the aspiring monks are trained for a considerable length of time before they are initiated. But this argument does not find favour with the orthodoxy. It believes that moulding older boys to the ways of renunciation is more difficult. Hence the practice of drawing younger boys into the saffron fold.

Consequently, the Udupi mutts have been periodically jolted by rebellious monks. One of the earliest instances was that of Raghuvallabha Theertha of Phalimaru Mutt who quit in the early 1970s to get married. He now lives in the US. Then it was Lakshmimanojna of Shirur Mutt who now works in a bank. Vishwavijaya of Pejavar Mutt also fled and his whereabouts are not known.While early inception into sanyasa is no doubt a questionable tradition, the fact is that the sanitised atmosphere, in which this practice flourished in the past, is now absent. Over the years, commercialisation has elbowed its way into the confines of the mutts.

These monasteries, ashtamathas as they are called, were established to propagate the philosophy propounded by saint Madhwacharya. They wield enormous moral influence among the believers and have always been active in the field of education and social service.

But what started out as philanthropy has degenerated into a game of one-upmanship among the mutts. Some of the heads of the mutts frequently dabble in local politics, using their high-profile image to good effect. Candidates in elections dare not cross paths with these all-powerful religious heads. The Pejavar Mutt seer, for instance, even went on to be in the forefront of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement at the national level.

Many feel that the rebellion by the sanyasis is a reflection of the atmosphere in the mutts which is far from being conducive to the development of a sense of detachment. Spiritualism, clearly, has taken a back seat. Even if there are a few who are rendering yeoman service to society, their efforts fade into irrelevance.

This is not the case with the Madhwa mutts alone. Karnataka has spawned any number of religious institutions established by the Lingayats (Veerasaivas) and Vokkaligas, the two major castes in the State, where the decline is more marked.

Many of them are rich, their wealth coming from the capitation fee-based engineering and medical colleges they run. More than for their contribution to the world of spiritualism, they are in the news for the power they wield over politicians.

Another disturbing trend over the past few years has been the reaction of these religious institutions to the criticism of the faiths they propagate. The State has witnessed many an instance of intolerant religious leaders taking to the streets in protest against writers who take a view which is not in conformity with what they think is right. They recently arm-twisted the Government into proscribing a scholarly book by a noted writer because it contained material which hurt the sentiments of the followers of Veerasaivism.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.