V
V.Balasubramani
Guest
How Henri Le Saux Wanted To Bring Salvation To Heathens
by Aravindan Neelakandan
Catholic missionary J Monchanin (1895-1957) had established the 'Saccidananda Ashram' in 1950 and had started an elaborate mission to 'Christianise' Hindu spirituality. He wanted Hinduism to die, shed Vedanta and get resurrected in Christianity. In 1957, he died and was succeeded by another French Catholic missionary Henri Le Saux (1910-1973). Henri Le Saux assumed the Hindu name 'Swami' Abhishiktananda as part of his mission strategy.
When Henri Le Saux first came to India, Monchanin took him to Sri Ramakrishna Tapovan so that the former could observe first hand a Hindu ashram. At the same time Monchanin was also observing Henri Le Saux to see what effect the place was having on him. Monchanin made the following observation:
(Henri Le Saux) senses quite independently of me, the human impossibility of the conversion of a Hindu who is truly a Hindu (…): the more spiritual a Hindu becomes, the further in a sense he distances himself from Christianity.
James Stuart, Swami Abhishiktananda : His Life Told Through His Letters, ISPCK Delhi:2000, P.28
Henri Le Saux hence decided to understand and dismantle the Hindu spirituality so that it could be Christianised. So as part of the project, he started visiting Hindu pilgrim places in South India. Wearing the saffron robes of a Hindu sanyasin he visited the temples of Chidambaram, Kumbakkonam and Thanjavur enjoying the hospitality of gullible Hindus who welcomed him into their temples. He recounts in a letter of this experience in Chidambaram – the great Saivite temple:
…[At Chidambaram] they were very liberal and showed us every thing. They even wanted to give rice and cakes presented to the images. You can understand that all the same our devotion could not go as far as that!
Henri Le Saux : Letter Dated 9.11.1949
At Srirangam – the great Vaishnavite centre he purportedly violated the explicit notice at the entrance that non-Hindus are not allowed inside the temple. He went into the inner corridor. His hagiographer James Stuart admiringly writes how “clad in Kavi (saffron robes) he followed a group of children into the inner sanctuary of the temple at Srirangam (carefully averting his eyes from the notice which prohibits entry to all non-Hindus.”
Nevertheless, standing right before the sacred statue of Vishnu he refused with derision to accept the aarti . In his words:
.....................
.......................
Read more at: https://swarajyamag.com/ideas/how-henri-le-saux-wanted-to-bring-salvation-to-heathens
by Aravindan Neelakandan
Catholic missionary J Monchanin (1895-1957) had established the 'Saccidananda Ashram' in 1950 and had started an elaborate mission to 'Christianise' Hindu spirituality. He wanted Hinduism to die, shed Vedanta and get resurrected in Christianity. In 1957, he died and was succeeded by another French Catholic missionary Henri Le Saux (1910-1973). Henri Le Saux assumed the Hindu name 'Swami' Abhishiktananda as part of his mission strategy.
When Henri Le Saux first came to India, Monchanin took him to Sri Ramakrishna Tapovan so that the former could observe first hand a Hindu ashram. At the same time Monchanin was also observing Henri Le Saux to see what effect the place was having on him. Monchanin made the following observation:
(Henri Le Saux) senses quite independently of me, the human impossibility of the conversion of a Hindu who is truly a Hindu (…): the more spiritual a Hindu becomes, the further in a sense he distances himself from Christianity.
James Stuart, Swami Abhishiktananda : His Life Told Through His Letters, ISPCK Delhi:2000, P.28
Henri Le Saux hence decided to understand and dismantle the Hindu spirituality so that it could be Christianised. So as part of the project, he started visiting Hindu pilgrim places in South India. Wearing the saffron robes of a Hindu sanyasin he visited the temples of Chidambaram, Kumbakkonam and Thanjavur enjoying the hospitality of gullible Hindus who welcomed him into their temples. He recounts in a letter of this experience in Chidambaram – the great Saivite temple:
…[At Chidambaram] they were very liberal and showed us every thing. They even wanted to give rice and cakes presented to the images. You can understand that all the same our devotion could not go as far as that!
Henri Le Saux : Letter Dated 9.11.1949
At Srirangam – the great Vaishnavite centre he purportedly violated the explicit notice at the entrance that non-Hindus are not allowed inside the temple. He went into the inner corridor. His hagiographer James Stuart admiringly writes how “clad in Kavi (saffron robes) he followed a group of children into the inner sanctuary of the temple at Srirangam (carefully averting his eyes from the notice which prohibits entry to all non-Hindus.”
Nevertheless, standing right before the sacred statue of Vishnu he refused with derision to accept the aarti . In his words:
.....................
.......................
Read more at: https://swarajyamag.com/ideas/how-henri-le-saux-wanted-to-bring-salvation-to-heathens