The Supreme Court yet again brushed aside jailed spiritual leader Asaram Bapu's request to restrain the electronic media from vilifying him as a villain in the alleged sexual assault cases. Every year, the media has a field day whenever there's a fake Baba on the loose. With the rise in the self-proclaimed god-mans, the people don't really blame exaggerating the issue a tad too much.
In August 2013, Asaram was accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl at his ashram in Jodhpur on the pretext of exorcising her from evil spirits. Two days after the alleged assault the girl's parents, they filed a complaint with the police in Delhi and a medical examination confirmed that she had been assaulted.
There are incidents, across the country with these so called holy men performing miracles on the weak minded, like the recent one in Hyderabad where a man claimed to ward off evil on your family. All with the help of an earthen bowl with certain inscriptions, a few nails, an egg and a handful of grains. This is a new trend being adopted by many fake babas operating in the city. Despite frequent drives by police to check their activities, they continue to cheat the public by promising to solve their problems using some 'dubious tactics'.
People always look for something to believe in. And these godmen take advantage of it with their tricks. When a person seeks solace in babas, he transfers his entire mental burden upon them. He is deluded into believing that a supernatural power is taking care of his responsibilities and helping him. If any good happens in his life, he takes it as a blessing from the baba and becomes devoted to him for life.
In the latest trend, the fake babas are now selling an earthen bowl for anywhere between Rs. 1,100 and Rs. 21,000. They sell it claiming that disposing of the bowl at some place on a specific day would help in getting rid of the particular problem, it is said. A chunk of the clients are women who throng the so-called faith healing dens to get their issues resolved. But most of them end up getting cheated, it is said.
All right, money could always make its way back, but these Babas seem to have something else on mind when they lure these innocent followers. Some get them addicted to narcotics, while some others get them to do sexual favours for them without their knowledge. The news of Bangalore's 'Sex Swami' is certainly not new to any of us. Nithyananda who was arrested by the Bangalore Police way back in 2010 for rape, criminal conspiracy and cheating among others, still doesn't fail to make headlines for all the wrong reasons. And the cases of unusual happenings at the camps of various self-style godmen has become such blasé these days that no one really pays much attention anymore.
The law enforcement fails at major levels in the country, with these godmen carving a special for themselves in the minds of people with each passing day despite the many shocking incidents that continue to shock the common man. Where does the problem lie? Why do these men get a free run despite the heinousness of their crimes? Is moral conscience and ethical behaviour so much on the decline that people resort to such stooping levels to earn money? Or is it so difficult to get employed by decent means that cheating and deception seem far too easy?
What we really need at the moment is for people to come forward and report the incidents, take a stand and fight these fraudsters. Apparently afraid of getting exposed, most of the victims do not come forward to lodge complaints with the police. And as a result the phony babas enjoy a free run. This alone might not be the solution, because, for one, people need to learn put their faith and trust in something more legitimate and credible than some roadside phony.
Better laws, better enforcement, better regard to conscience and a tad bit of common sense is what the society needs to combat the existing moral rampage that is prevalent. While people involved in the act should never go unpunished, it is of the common notion that the society also owes quite a bit in terms of responsibility.
Better laws, better enforcement, better regard to conscience and a tad bit of common sense is what the society needs to combat the existing moral rampage that is prevalent. While people involved in the act should never go unpunished, it is of the common notion that the society also owes quite a bit in terms of responsibility.
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/61636/in-factional-war-nithyanandas-los.html
ReplyDeleteIn factional war, Nithyananda's Los Angeles ashram disintegrating
Chandan Nandy, Bangalore, April 1, DH News Service:
Biographer ‘disengages’ from godman, disciples quit
Three days after self-styled godman Nithyananda, now a fugitive from the law, reportedly 'resigned' from all positions in his cult organisation, the multi-million dollar 'healing-spiritual' empire in the United States is imploding.
Nithyananda's biographer ('Glimpses of a Master', republished as 'Nithyananda' Vol 1) Ram S Ramanathan, formerly Swami Advaithananda, has "disengaged" himself from the godman. Speaking to Deccan Herald, Ramanathan, who runs a business in Singapore, said he was "disenchanted" with Nithyananda.
In an open letter written to all disciples, Ramanathan, who has admitted to have given the status of "master" to Nithyananda, says: "Nithyananda spoke to me some days after the March 2 exposure.
He did not deny that what was portrayed in the so-called sex tapes was untrue. Even with an ordinary man these would be serious charges meriting criminal investigation. In the case of a spiritual master these are unforgivable."
Ramanathan says: "Many of us put him on a pedestal and found him wanting. That was not his fault but ours. We were fools. All of us who have now disengaged and left Nithyananda and his mission did so because we are honest. It is enough that we had thus far believed foolishly. We do not wish to lie to others as many others are still doing."
Ramanathan has reiterated that “There is visual evidence that the sex acts were with sensory pleasure and with lust, evidence that these acts were not limited to Ranjitha alone but extending beyond to other men and women, and proof that ashramites/ brahmacharis/ brahmacharinis were expected to be part of tantric sex practices based on documents that they signed.”
Sources in Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam and Life Bliss Foundation, the two organisations in India and the US, respectively, that form the core of Nithyananda's venture, said the fight between senior devotees at the Los Angeles ashram and the Vedic Temple is out in the open.
According to them, since the Nithyananda sex scandal went public and after the godman failed to convince his devotees that he was not the man secretly filmed in a compromising position with a Tamil actress, two groups opposed to each other were formed. One group is in support of Nithyananda while the other is opposed to him..
The latter group is now questioning the very basis of his so-called enlightenment and healing programme. Several senior devotees like Sahajananda, Sevakananda and Jyotirmayananda, as well as their spouses, have quit the Nithyananda cult.
The US operations are headed by California-based Bhaktananda, alias Gopal Sheelum, a former client consultant for Oracle, who is at present in India along with Nithyananda, providing his “master” protection.
The "implosion" and the factional war at the LA ashram was the result of a meeting held there following the return to the American city of an influential non-resident Indian (NRI) who turned against Nithyananda despite being a close devotee. Former devotees familiar with the developments in LA told Deccan Herald that this NRI, a doctor by profession, was convinced of Nithyananda's involvement in not just one but many sexual indiscretions. The NRI has now launched a movement to expose Nithyananda in the US.
Hi So far still he is not convicted. When is going to be behind bars ? They need to send people from the ashram back home.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like real Shiva has really awaken.All these fraud Baba's denigrating the image of Hinduism must be beheaded.
ReplyDelete