After 351 years, a Hindu code of conduct will apply to those who attend the coming Mahakumbh in Prayagraj. The Kashi Vidvatparishad and a team of scholars from across the country prepared the code with four years of study and brainstorming.
Shankaracharya and mahamandaleshwar will put the final seal on the code of conduct at the Mahakumbh. Some dharmacharyas will then urge the people of the country to accept it.
Mahakumbh is slated for 2025. The Hindu code of conduct incorporates efforts to unify the country and strengthen sanatana dharma (Hinduism), sources said. The smritis selected for the code are the basis for the Hindu code of conduct based on karma and duty, they said. Excerpts from Srimadbhagwadgita, the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas have been included in it.
Eleven teams and three sub-teams of 70 scholars were part of the exercise to prepare the new code of conduct under the aegis of the Kashi Vidvatparishad. Each team had five scholars from northern and southern India. The team met more than 40 times. Manusmriti, Parasharasmriti and Devalasmriti strengthen the foundation of the code, sources said.
Code of conduct to resume lost practices, reform modern ‘evils’, reaffirm 19th century reforms
Rituals simplified: Among the 16 rituals simplified in the Hindu code of conduct, especially the funeral feast with ashaucha underwent deep deliberations.
Smritis: Because no smriti had been created in the last 351 years, Manusmriti, Parasharasmriti and Devalasmriti helped frame the dos and don’ts in the code.
Outreach: For the first time, 1 lakh copies of the Hindu code will be printed for distribution at the Mahakumbh and 11,000 copies will be distributed in every city of the country.
Reforms I: Women are allowed to study the Vedas and perform yajnas. In this Hindu code of conduct, rules govern how Hindus visit temples and worship in them. Women have been allowed to study the Vedas and perform yajna except when menstruating. The code condemns ‘evils’ like pre-wedding and urges communities that had switched to night weddings under threat from Islamic marauders to go back to daytime weddings.
Reforms II: The code emphasises celebrating birthdays as per Hindu traditions. The process of reconversion to Hinduism has been simplified. The system of widow remarriage has been included in the code.
