Once upon a time, making an outlandish comment was an easy way to make news, but the stakes have been raised in recent times. Politicians and public figures are full of observations that are often stunning because of the leaps of logic they employ, or their insensitivity, or both. But in that galaxy, there’s a star that shines relentlessly: Shankaracharya Swaroopanand Saraswati Maharaj.

Here is a smattering of the wisdom and perspective the religious leader has shared with us in recent times.

1. On April 11, 2016, Swaroopanand responded to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the ban on the entry of women into the Shani Shingnapur shrine by saying “the entry of women will drive more rapes”. Why? Because, according to him, “the effect of Shani is harmful on women”. Ironclad logic, anyone?
2. Recently, Swaroopanand blamed the worship of Sai Baba for the water crisis currently afflicting parts of Maharashtra. He referred to Sai Baba as a ‘fakir’ (ascetic) and “not a God”, adding that “calamity strikes where those unworthy of worship are worshipped”. Groundwater levels, low rainfall and other such minor, real-world details be damned.
3. Swaroopanand has a history of targeting Sai Baba. In an interview to Hindustan Times in October, 2015, Swaroopanand alleged that “a British agency projected Sai Baba to suppress the Ram Mandir movement in India”. As a symbol of his opposition to Sai Baba, Swaroopanand released a poster depicting Sai Baba being chased off by Hanuman with the help of a tree trunk. He also claimed that Chief Minister of Madhya Pradhesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan had been embroiled in the Vyapam scam because he’d visited Shirdi, which is a pilgrimage centre for Sai Baba devotees.

1. In December 2015, Swaroopanand took offense when Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to India as the land of Lord Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi. He felt that if the Prime Minister is willing to gift the Bhagavad Gita to US President Barack Obama and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, he should also assert that India is the land of Ram and Krishna at international forums. What Ram has to do with the Gita is anyone’s guess. We’re just relieved he didn’t suggest the Prime Minister give copies of the Hanuman-Sai Baba poster to visiting dignitaries.
2. In case you thought that Swaroopanand is fond of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the religious leader actually attacked the BJP government for using the issue of cow slaughter to score electoral points. While he believes cow slaughter should be banned, he took umbrage at the fact that India exports beef. He’s also of the belief that growing materialism in India is leading to a rise in atheism. He said in the HT interview quoted above, “Now when BJP is in power, cow meat is being exported by India in a big way. The government should ban export of beef. Sadly, in India today, everything is about money and this is why atheism is on the rise.”