Monk Amogh Lila Das ridicules Swami Vivekananda for eating fish in viral video, gets banned

Amogh Lila Das, a monk of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, has ridiculed Swami Vivekananda asking whether a ‘divya purush’ can eat fish.

The video, like many other videos of Das, went viral. The ISKCON took note of the statements made in the video and banned him for a month. Das will now go for atonement for this one month in the Govardhan hills, the ISKCON said.

“Koi bhi divya purush kisi janwar ko maar ke khayega? (Would a divine person kill an animal and eat it?) Will he eat fish? Fish too feel pain. And if Vivekananda ate fish, then the question is if a divine person can eat fish. A divine human being has kindness in his heart…can he say brinjal is better than Tulasi because brinjal satiates our hunger. Or, can he say playing football is more important than studying Gita? This is not right. But I must say I have the utmost respect for Swami Vivekananda. Had he been here, I would have prostrated in front of him. But we should not believe blindly in everything he says,” Das said in the viral video.

ISKCON said the comments were not only disrespectful but showcased a lack of awareness on the part of Amogh Lila Das about the “diversity of spiritual paths and personal choices”. “We would like to emphasise that the views expressed by Shri Amogh Lila Das are not representative of the values and teachings of ISKCON. Our organisation has always promoted harmony, respect and understanding towards all spiritual paths and traditions, and we condemn any form of disrespect or intolerance towards other religious beliefs and practices,” the ISKCON’s statement read.

Who is Amogh Lila Das?

Amogh Lila Das is a popular face on social media as a motivational speaker. The 43-year-old is presently the vice president of the Dwaeka chapter of ISKCON Dwarka. According to reports, his original name is Ashish Arora. Before taking monkhood, he was an engineer.