In a conversation on Aap Ki Adalat with India TV Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Rajat Sharma, Bageshwar Dham Chief Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri responded to the ongoing question surrounding his lifestyle, including his branded glasses and luxurious attire. When Rajat Sharma showed pictures of Dhirendra Shastri wearing branded glasses and a jacket, he defended his choices. "No, it was only one. Baaki toh bahut low quality ke 60 rupaye, 20 rupaye wale bhi hain. My disciples give them to me. They love me. They insist, saying, 'Guruji, aap ek baar pehen ke dikha do, hamen khushi hogi.' Hum pehan lete hain. I think, yeh bura nahin hai. I have never taken sanyas, nor am I a sadhu. When I am not a sadhu, there is nothing wrong in wearing them," he explained.
Shastri said that his attire and accessories are simply a result of affection from his followers, and he does not see anything wrong in wearing them.
He further addressed the broader criticisms of his lifestyle by questioning the societal values that judge a spiritual leader’s material possessions. "If rapists in our country can live in bungalows worth crores, if naachne wala can live in bungalows worth billions, then what's wrong if somebody gives a chashma to a sadhu? Woh bhi jee sakta hai, yaar. Yeh koi burai nahin hai," he said.
Shastri pointed out that while his modest actions, like travelling in a bullock cart, have often been ignored, the media fixates on his appearance, adding that this imbalance in attention is unfair.
Dhirendra Shashtri on Anant Ambani's wedding invite
When asked about his attendance at Anant Ambani’s wedding reception in July last year, Pandit Dhirendra Shastri shared his experience of being specially invited by the Ambanis. He praised the wedding as a grand celebration that honoured Sanatan culture and tradition. “I was called there (bulaya gaya). The manner in which they arranged their 'vivah parampara' (wedding tradition) and mangalik karya and made the 'utsav' a 'mahotsav' with Sanatan sanskriti (culture) is amazing,” he said. Shastri revealed how Anant Ambani insisted that he attend, even offering a special plane for his travel. “Aapki katha pe hum plane bhejenge,” Anant Ambani assured him.
He recalled the experience of travelling in a chartered plane, noting the luxurious accommodations, including arrangements for bathing.
"I was praying to Bhagwan that every time people invite me like this, I should get a plane like this!" he added. However, he jokingly mentioned that Rajat Sharma failed to send him a plane to attend Aap Ki Adalat.
His brush with the New Zealand PM
At his meeting with the New Zealand Prime Minister in June this year, Bageshwar Baba said, "The New Zealand Prime Minister came to meet me. I was tense, and there was pressure on my mind about what to speak. As soon as we met, he said, 'Welcome, welcome, Bageshwar Baba.' I replied, "Thank you, thank you, thank you." What more could I say? I didn't know English. At the end, I said, "Sorry, I cannot speak in English, but I understand."
"I will only give this advice to our people: do not commit the mistake that I did. Let your children study. Whether you give clothes or not to your kids, do give them education. If you give education and good 'sanskar' to your daughters, your work is done. It's not that we can't learn English. We can learn. We have the desire to learn, and at the same time, we should support Hindi and Hindutva."
Fortune-telling session in Mauritius
Asked by Rajat Sharma how he took out the 'parcha' (note) of the Mauritius President when he didn't know English, Pandit Dhirendra Shastri replied, "In Mauritius, I met both the President and Prime Minister. One of my disciples said, 'Guruji, it'd be better if you gave them blessings.' I was in two minds about what to do. I prayed to Hanuman Ji to help me. My Guru Maharaj helped me. Earlier, the time was fixed for 15 minutes, then it was stretched to 30 minutes. A translator was there. I was asked whether I had the 'parcha'. I said, 'I will try to understand what is being said for the first 15 minutes.' Then my engine will warm up within an hour. I prayed to Hanumanji, and he kept my 'laaj' (shame). I told the translator, 'Tell him that such and such "lafda" (problem) is there, and there is something which I cannot reveal before others.' He sent away his security personnel and closed the door. He, the translator and I – three of us – sat for one and a half hours. I was served nice tea and water. I chanted Jai Bajrang Bali in my mind. The translator was happy. He later told me, "I never knew hamare sahab ke itna raaz hain (my saheb had so many secrets)."
