Music composer Palaash Muchhal has made headlines for his spiritual journey to Vrindavan, visiting the Shri Hit Radha Keli Kunj Ashram of Premanand ji Maharaj, following the indefinite postponement of his wedding to cricketer Smriti Mandhana.
The wedding, originally scheduled for November 23, was abruptly halted due to the hospitalization of Smriti’s father, and later, Palaash himself. This was quickly followed by a flurry of cheating rumours targeting Palaash and speculation about trouble in the relationship, fueled by Smriti removing wedding-related posts from her Instagram.
Public Appearance and Trolling
Palaash was first seen at the airport with his family on Monday, looking visibly grim. Soon after, pictures surfaced of him sitting among devotees at the Vrindavan ashram. This visit has led to brutal trolling online, with many netizens accusing the composer of attempting to “whitewash” his image amid the ongoing controversy.
Spiritual Discourse Goes Viral
An inside video from the ashram’s discourse, which features Palaash sitting in the front row, has also gone viral. In the clip, a devotee asks, “Advait mein prem ka anubhav kise hota hai? Prem anubhav karta kaun hai?” (In non-dualism (Advaita), who experiences love? Who is the one that experiences love?).
Premanand ji Maharaj responded by drawing a distinction between the path of knowledge and the path of devotion:
- He explained that the experience depends on how one perceives God: “Aap Bhagwan ko jaisa maanenge, waisa hi anubhav hoga.” (As you perceive God, so will be your experience.)
- He stressed that Advaita is the path of Brahma Gyan (Knowledge), which is distinct from the path of Prem (Love).
- The path of love is the path of Bhakti (Devotion), where the devotee seeks to be one with the Divine by worshipping through the perspective of Dvaita (Dualism).
- “Toh prem aur gyan dono alag alag marg hain, ek kaise mila sakte ho? Prem bhakti ka marg hai, aur advait gyan ka marg hai.” (So, love and knowledge are two different paths; how can you mix them? Love is the path of devotion, and non-dualism is the path of knowledge.)
Neither Palaash nor Smriti has publicly addressed the cheating allegations, although Smriti’s brother recently rubbished the latest rumours about a rescheduled December 7 wedding date, confirming the event remains postponed.