Kashi scholars draft new Hindu Code of Conduct for reconversion

Hindustan Times

3 days ago

The Kashi Vidwat Parishad, an assembly of Vedic scholars, has introduced a new Hindu Code of Conduct, describing it as a simplified process for reconversion to Hinduism. It allows those who had left the faith under pressure or influence to return with ease—restoring their gotra and name. Based in Varanasi, the Kashi Vidwat Parishad has an executive council of 21 members, including scholars of Vedas, Sanskrit grammar, philosophy, Upanishads and Vedic mathematics. (HT file)
Based in Varanasi, the Kashi Vidwat Parishad has an executive council of 21 members, including scholars of Vedas, Sanskrit grammar, philosophy, Upanishads and Vedic mathematics. The body has nearly 1,000 members.
National general secretary Prof Ramnarayan Dwivedi said, 'In the Hindu Code of Conduct, which will be made public in October 2025, the reconversion process has been simplified.'
He explained that individuals seeking reconversion will undergo a pooja under the guidance of an acharya. If the individual cannot recall the gotra of their ancestors, the acharya will assign one. If they remember it, the ancestral gotra will be retained.
'They will also be free to choose a second name as per their wish,' Prof Dwivedi added. A campaign will be launched urging society to accept those returning to the faith.
The code also addresses social practices. It bans dowry and pre-wedding photo shoots, urges that marriages be held during daytime as per Vedic tradition, and allows the ritual of kanyadaan. Funeral feasts should be limited to 13 people.
It stipulates that only priests and saints may enter the sanctum sanctorum of temples. Female foeticide is declared a sin, and equal rights for women are advocated—including the right to perform yagyas.
According to Prof Dwivedi, saints across the country have endorsed the code. Over 40 meetings were held nationwide, and texts like Manu Smriti, Parashar Smriti, and Deval Smriti—alongside the Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas—were consulted. Eleven teams comprising 70 scholars, including representatives from North and South India, worked for 15 years before the final code was presented before Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya, Ramanandacharya and others at the Mahakumbh for approval.
To spread awareness, five lakh copies of a two-page summary from the 356-page code will be distributed to Hindu households in the first phase.
'Every Hindu across the globe is asking—how are we Hindus? This Hindu Code of Conduct is our answer,' said Swami Jitendrananda Saraswati, General Secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samiti. He added that one lakh copies of the summary will be distributed during the Sanskriti Sansad in Kashi this October, when the code is officially unveiled.