Beyond Jay Shetty: Osho to Asaram – Revisiting India’s controversial self-styled ‘gurus’ and their murky past

While the controversy around the life-coach has made headlines, India is no stranger to self-styled gurus and their not-so-ordinary lifestyles. Some of them have been jailed, facing charges of heinous crimes, while others have been M.I.A after disturbing issues surfaced.



Surabhi Pandey
Financial Express
March 5, 2024


India’s self-styled godmen and their murky past


1: Osho: Known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh in his heydays, Osho was the it-guru not just for Indians but global devotees as well. In 1966, he quit his job as a professor at the University of Jabalpur and commenced a pan-India tour on a spiritual quest. He slammed Hindu orthodox ideas and focused on meditation. Osho’s book ‘From Sex to Superconsciousness’ had created a lot of controversies in India at the time of release. The decade-long quest culminated with Osho establishing an Ashram in Pune in the year 1974. But a few years later, Osho decided to move to what he called ‘Rajneeshpuram’, his 60,000-acre commune, based in Oregon in the US.

In a span of just three years, his followers transformed Rajneeshpuram from a barren land into the most happening place in this sleepy neighbourhood. From restaurants to malls, Rajneeshpuram had it all. There was a public transport system and a reservoir. But all this changed after Osho faced two counts of felony. After pleading guilty, Osho was deported and he came back to India. He stayed at his Pune Ashram till his death in 1990. A result of counter-culture of the swinging 60s, Osho’s cult was popular among A-list stars from Hollywood to Bollywood. Filmmaker Vikram Zuthsi once wrote that Osho’s ashram was modelled on the community of Russian mystic GI Gurdjieff.


2: Gurmeet Ram Rahim: The events leading to 23-year-old Gurmeet Singh transforming into Huzoor Maharaj Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh ji is stuff that fiction stories are based on. Born in a well-to-do landlord family, Gurmeet Singh did not have a spiritual inclination. But in a surprise turn of events, Singh was appointed as the Dera Saccha Sauda chief and rechristened as Huzoor Maharaj Gurmeet Ram Rahim. The Dera, which had massive following among Dalits and other backward sections, saw construction of a massive cave-themed park at its Sirsa headquarters.

Convicted for rape, Gurmeet Singh was profiled for sexually exploiting women devotees in name of ‘maafi’ or pardon. Ram Rahim Singh was convicted by a special CBI court in Panchkula in August 2017 for raping two women. Recently, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had raised objections over repeated paroles granted to him. Supposed to serve 20 years in jail, Gurmeet Singh has been granted nine paroles in the past four years.


3: Zakir Naik: Born on October 16, 1965 in Mumbai, Zakir Naik studied at Mumbai University before founding Islamic Research Foundation and starting the broadcast operations of Peace TV. Naik, who is a wanted criminal in India, is named in an FIR. He has been accused of instigating young men and women of the Muslim community to comment on terror attacks against India. Known for his radical Islamic preachings, Naik is currently living a fugitive life. Some reports say that he is living at an undisclosed location in Malaysia.


4: Asaram Bapu: Asaram was arrested in 2013 after a minor filed a police case accusing him of raping her at his Jodhpur ashram. Ever since then, Asaram remain behind bars. After the 2013 case, several other girls have also come forward with gruesome accounts of sexual abuse at Asaram’s ashrams. The Asaram case is pending with the top court.


5: Swami Nithyananda: In March 2010, a grainy video clip surfaced on local TV networks showing the self-styled godman involved in acts of sexual nature with a TV actor. After backlash, Nithyananda had claimed that he was impotent and that the act was not of sexual nature – it was shavasana. However, that video clip was tip of the proverbial iceberg. Soon, allegations surfaced of him raping a follower at his ashram. A search by the local police showed recovery of condoms and contrabands. In 2019, the Gujarat Police had said that the infamous godmen had fled India. A non-bailable warrant has been issued by Indian court in connection with the several cases of sexual assault and wrongful confinement.


6: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi: The man who became an icon for being the so-called spiritual guide to The Beatles, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was at the centre of intense media frenzy back in 1960s. The band was so much in awe of the guru that they stayed at his Rishikesh-based Ashram. But later, the ‘Fab Four’ and the guru parted ways. Some media accounts said that Maharishi Mahesh had allegedly made sexual advances towards Mia Farrow. According to the New York Post report, Woody Allen’s ex-partner had claimed that the godman had groped her in his cave. And final conclusion came when John Lennon famouly said – “There’s no guru.”


https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/beyond-jay-shetty-osho-to-asaram-revisiting-indias-controversial-self-styled-gurus-and-their-murky-past-bkg/3414036/

Tories invited UK representative of fugitive Hindu guru to party at House of Lordsfy

The delegate for the controversial ‘godman’ Nithyananda, who fled India in 2019, was invited to the Diwali party by two senior Conservatives


Kiran Stacey
The Guardian
December 11, 2022

The UK representative of a fugitive Hindu guru attended a glamorous Diwali party at the House of Lords earlier this year, after being invited by two senior Conservatives, the Observer has learned.

Atmadaya, the British representative for the controversial guru known as Nithyananda, was invited to the function by the MP Bob Blackman and the peer Rami Ranger. Nithyananda’s organisation also took out a full-page advertisement in an accompanying brochure which was handed out to attendees.

Some attendees were upset at the profile given to the organisation, given that Nithyananda fled India in 2019 while facing multiple charges of abducting children and one of raping a follower. He has since claimed to have set up his own sovereign island state known as the “Republic of Kailaasa”.

Poonam Joshi, a freelance journalist who has investigated the organisation and also attended the event, told the Observer: “It is shocking to see the Hindu Forum of Britain [which helped organise the event] found it appropriate to invite representatives of a man accused of such heinous crimes to parliament.

“It lends legitimacy to an organisation that craves it because of the actions of the fake ‘godman’ at its helm, who remains a fugitive from Indian justice.”

Nithyananda has built up a huge following in India, where he ran more than a dozen temples and ashrams. He made extravagant claims about his supernatural abilities, including being able to delay the sunrise, see through walls, cure children of blindness and make cows talk.

But former followers have also made serious allegations about sexual exploitation and coercive behaviour.

One of his former disciples told the Observer she had been pressurised into having a sexual relationship with Nithyananda, and that followers were threatened with forced labour if they did not comply with his wishes.

She said: “We knew that we would be shunned by the whole community if we didn’t do what he wanted, or that worse, we would be made to do hard labour in the hot desert outside Bangalore.”

Nithyananda was charged in 2010 with raping a devotee. But when his case finally came to trial eight years later, he failed to attend. A year later, police in the Indian state of Gujarat raided one of his ashrams and arrested two people, having alleged that children were being kidnapped and locked up there.

The former disciple said she had also been told by children that they were being beaten in the organisation’s homes.

Nithyananda has denied the accusations against him. Richard Rogers, Nithyananda’s UK-based lawyer, told the Observer: “The available evidence suggests that the (known) pending criminal allegations against the applicant in India are part of a broader campaign of religious persecution targeting the applicant, which is rooted in religious intolerance and based (in whole or large part) on falsified evidence.”

Rogers would not comment on the specific allegations made by Landry. But he added: “The allegations of alleged misconduct that I have looked into (in any depth), turned out to be based on evidence that is unreliable at best, and in some cases clearly manipulated or falsified.”

This is not the first time Blackman, whose constituency includes a large Hindu community, has come under fire for the people he has invited into parliament. In 2017 he was criticised for inviting Tapan Ghosh, a Hindu nationalist who defended the genocide of Muslims in Burma, to a parliamentary event called “Tolerating the Intolerant”.

Blackman did not respond to requests for comment.

Asked about Atmadaya’s attendance at the Diwali event, Lord Ranger said he had no knowledge of Nithyananda or his organisation. “I do not know Kailaasa or this person,” he said. “If I had known I would never have attended an event where such unsavoury characters were being promoted.”

The Hindu Forum of Britain however stood by the invitation. Trupti Patel, the group’s president, said: “We do not discriminate; each entity has their own following. Social media/internet hype and unsubstantiated allegations against UK-registered charities cannot stop any two organisations working together.”

Atmadaya issued a statement in which she said the allegations against Nithyananda “are false and part of a campaign of religious persecution by anti-Hindu extremist elements of the government in India”.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/dec/11/tories-invited-uk-representative-of-fugitive-hindu-guru-to-party-at-house-of-lords

Cult Vibes?

Dr. Phil
S21 E57: Cult Vibes?
October 30, 2022

Cult-like environments and tactics; a cult deprogrammer tells what elements make up a dangerous and destructive cult; women share their

The Sex Guru Wanted by International Police

Vice
April 16, 2022


From Indian Alleged Cult Leader escaping rape charges on a South American Island to the AR-15 toting Rod of Iron Ministries, cults around the world are buying up land and setting up compounds. In The Business of Crime, VICE World News looks at different parts of the criminal economy, separating fact from myth. In this episode, we’re looking at the rich tradition of cults buying up land across the world – the occasional successes and the many, often bizarre, dangerous and sometimes fatal, failures.

https://youtu.be/mAPpEqzp1AA

'Sex Guru' Still Preaching to a Million Followers While He's on the Run from the Cops

The infamous swami is wanted by Interpol yet he has somehow managed to elude justice, even while founding his own private country and preaching to millions online.


Jeremy Kryt
The Daily Beast
December 13, 2021

To hear him tell it, there isn’t much that self-proclaimed “godman” Paramahamsa Nithyananda can’t do with his alleged supernatural powers. Want to hear a cow or monkey speak Sanskrit? He’s your man. Heal the blind? Check. ESP, stop sunrise, see through walls? The swami says he can do all these and more. And if you swear your fealty to him and start making donations, he’ll teach you how to do them too.

Nithyananda, who claims to be the physical embodiment of Lord Shiva, is the man skeptics and debunkers love to hate. But he’s pulled off a couple of tricks that not even his most strident detractors can explain. For example, managing to flee India one step ahead of the law and without valid travel papers back in 2019. Or how he continues to evade justice to this day, despite being wanted by Interpol on charges of rape and kidnapping.

Narendra Nayak, the president of the Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations [FIRA], called Nithyananda a “fraud and a cheat” in an interview with The Daily Beast. “But how he managed to get out of the country is a mystery because his passport had expired long back!” he said.

His Kailaasa seems to be a harem with himself as the master stud.

— Narendra Nayak, president of FIRA

Nayak has publicly challenged the claims of paranormal powers made by the swami and his legions of followers. He has also designed tests in which the miracle workers are asked to show off their gifts in a controlled setting, without hidden cameras or other aids. The inability to repeat their feats under monitored conditions does nothing to persuade Nithyananda’s true believers, and some have gone so far as to threaten Nayak for exposing their parlor tricks.

One such vengeance seeker even vowed to cast a “curse that I would get carcinoma of the penis,” said Nayak, who described his metaphysical assailant as “a woman disciple of Nithyananda’s who said she had already granted cancer of the brain to someone who had challenged her man.”

The ‘Sex Swami’

Nithyananda, 43, began practicing yoga at the age of 3. He later roamed the Himalayas as part of his spiritual training before opening his own ashram in the Indian state of Karnataka in 2003. He served as chairman of the Hindu University of America. Although exiled and in hiding he remains wildly popular on social media—his Facebook page alone boasts some 1.1 million followers—and he often surfaces to drop video clips full of grandiose statements, such as claiming that he and only he could cure India’s COVID woes.

“Though some of his pronouncements look like jokes, they are all calculated to bring more attention to himself and [serve as] clickbait,” Nayak said.

Nayak isn’t the only critic to lock horns in public with Nithyananda. Journalist Nakkheeran Gopal helped bring to light some of the swami’s alleged wrongdoings and wound up in court.

A nationally acclaimed Indian journalist who operates his own magazine and website, Gopal told The Daily Beast he published “secretly recorded” videos that he said exposed Nithyananda’s “sexual indulgence with young sanyasi [mendicant] girls in his ashramam.”

In a resulting lawsuit, the godman and his lawyers contended the videos were “morphed” or computer generated, according to Gopal. “[The] court found and held that the clippings were not morphed and dismissed his suit,” Gopal said.

A sex tape starring the so-called “Sex Swami” had surfaced in 2010, and in that case too he had tried to claim the video was faked, although forensic experts eventually testified otherwise.

But videos coming to light were just the start of Nithyananda’s trouble. He was later accused of rape by an American woman, Aarthi Rao, who had come to study yoga and meditation under him—and who later stated that she thought she was “having sex with God.”

Just another shady snake oil spiritual salesman.

— Dr. Patrick McCartney, School of Global Environmental Studies in Kyoto

At the time, Rao believed that her personal yogi was “not just an enlightened master, but an avatar and incarnation.” Furthermore, the guru convinced Rao herself that she was the “chosen one” ordained by the godhead to be his sole companion in this world—until she found him sleeping around with other students, according to news reports at the time.

Rao pressed charges against her former teacher in both Michigan and India, “yet he continues to go scot free & harass the witnesses & critics through his brainwashed disciples & followers,” she tweeted.

Shiva’s personal avatar was later accused of luring at least four underage girls to his ashram and holding them in an apartment against their will, leading to government charges of abduction against him.

By 2019, Nithyananda “found the due processes of law finally closing in on him,” according to Nayak.

“He had tried to dodge [the charges] for so long by filing plea after plea [and] obtaining adjournments, trying to cast aspersions on character of the one who had complained of rape and so on. Finally there were no more avenues left and he absconded,” Nayak said.

It eventually came to light that the godman had the students of his ashram sign a sexually explicit non-disclosure agreement that would scare the hell out of loving parents from any culture. According to India Today the clause read:

"Volunteer understands that the Program may involve the learning and practice of ancient tantric secrets associated with male and female ecstasy, including the use of sexual energy for increased intimacy/spiritual connection, pleasure, harmony, and freedom. Volunteer understands that these activities could be physically and mentally challenging, and may involve nudity, access to visual images, graphic visual depictions, and descriptions of nudity and sexual activity, close physical proximity and intimacy, verbal and written descriptions and audio sounds of a sexually oriented, and erotic nature, etc."

Twilight of the godmen

The Nithyananda isn’t the first self-styled godman to get himself into trouble in India for sexually exploting his cult-like followers.

“There have been quite a few scandals over the years,” said Dr. Brian Collins, an expert on Hindu studies at the University of Ohio, in an email. Collins added that “there is most often money (and/or sex) involved” and that some of the godmen “use their money and power to escape consequences.”

Collins also said that many in India don’t see a living incarnation of the supreme deity as being so farfetched, which can help traditional godmen like Nithyananda establish their sway over the masses.

“Unlike in Christianity, gods come to earth in many forms in Hinduism, so the idea of the divine in a human being is not particularly scandalous for most people,” Collins said.

Dr. Patrick McCartney, who studies the intersection between religion and anthropology at the School of Global Environmental Studies in Kyoto, Japan, described Nithyananda as being “about as sleazy as a used-car salesman at the afterparty to a used-car-dealers’ convention.”

“His followers are attracted to him because he promises to help them gain powers. People seem to feel powerless and so through his pretence of being all powerful they believe they too can become a powerful yogi.”

“Cult leaders [like Nithyananda] use psychological manipulation to break and rebuild targeted individuals into their puppets,” said Dr. Robert Bunker, director of research and analysis at the security consultancy C/O Futures, LLC.

“The specialness, and at times divine origins, of the group’s members and the identification of the ‘others’ who become the sworn enemies of the group are part and parcel of this approach,” Bunker said. He also helped explain why the swami’s many die-hards run propaganda websites that defend his actions and tear down his accusers, and why they might try to curse his enemies with cancers of the brain and genitals.

“Once a cult follower has been turned into a ‘true believer’ all bets are off as far as their potential for violence… Such reprogrammed people will readily fight for and kill on command of their god.”

‘People are donating from all over the world’

Other sex-crazed mystics may come and go, but Nithyananda has secured his place in the godman pantheon by founding his own “country” after he lit out of India on the lam in 2019.

His “Hindu nation” is known as Kailaasa and is described on the national website as a country “without borders” intended to function as home for “the ancient enlightened Hindu civilizational nation which is being revived by displaced Hindus from around the world.”

Kailaasa allegedly boasts its own currency, flag, bureaucracy, and COVID policy. It’s rumored to be off the coast of Ecuador, with visa-approved tourist flights coming in by charter from Australia, although the Ecuadorian government has categorically denied selling the swami an island or even granting him asylum.

“Kailaasa is a decoy,” said journalist Gopal. “There is no Kailaasa island. My guess is [Nithyananda] is hiding in some secret place in Nepal or any other Hindu-lenient country, where he is facilitated to appear on social media.”

Others have posited that Kailaasa is in fact a “virtual nation”—that is, a metaphor for the dozens of NGOs that have been set up to receive donations and engage in pro-Nithyananda outreach programs across three continents, including at least 10 in the U.S.

From Pennsylvania in the east to Hawaii out west, from as far south as Houston to as far north as Minnesota, the guru’s networkers have established a series of franchise-like branch offices that serve as embassies “for global representation for the diaspora who are practitioners (Hindus) of Sanatan Dharma (Hinduism),” according to documents obtained by India Today.

Like traditional consulates, they also gather intel about the U.S. and other nations so as to “analyse [the] political and economic situation of the host country and report back to appropriate Kailaasa ministry on issues that affect the Kailaasa.”

India Today quoted the maligned spiritual leader explaining how Kailaasa might work as a broad-based religious organization—one that could also fill his personal coffers and fund his fugitive lifestyle—during an internet address in which he said:

“People are donating all over the world, working with the local governments because each donation in any country belongs to that country's NGO, follows that country's laws, working with those countries in an organised way [so] this whole structure is absolutely ready.”

For FIRA’s Narendra, however, the as-yet-undiscovered country is likely just the latest iteration of the Sex Swami’s old M.O.

“His Kailaasa seems to be a harem with himself as the master stud,” Narendra said.

‘Front companies, forged papers, and safe houses’

Whatever or wherever Kailaasa is, the fact remains that Nithyananda continues to evade an Interpol manhunt, while also dressing in conspicuous orange robes and appearing regularly on internet broadcasts.

“It is an intriguing mystery that Interpol has failed to trace him,” Gopal said. “Some stealthy protection helps him.”

Interpol declined an interview request for this story.

In late 2019, Indian police traced the fugitive godman as far as the island of Trinidad, in the southeastern Caribbean, where he had gone to attend a religious event. The Times of India cited a police spokesperson who indicated that Nithyananda and some of his female acolytes had later departed Trinidad on a private jet bound for Ecuador.

But he didn’t stay there long. Not only does Ecuador deny selling him an island, it seems they were also quick to show him on his way:

“Ecuador denied the request for international personal protection (refuge) made by Mr. Nithyananda before Ecuador and later on Mr. Nithyananda left Ecuador,” the government said in a statement in December 2019. And that was the last time the whereabouts of the god-made-flesh renegade were known.

Security analyst Bunker said the godman’s elusiveness is abetted by his ranks of fanatical worshippers.

“Since cult leaders typically suck out the wealth of their adherents, they amass large war chests in which to invest in properties and businesses[,] and also bribe public officials in less developed countries,” Bunker said. “I have no doubt front companies are being used, travel documents forged with bogus identities, and safe houses established to protect him.”

In spite of his ability to elude international law enforcement, religious anthropologist McCartney referred to Nithyananda as “just another shady snake oil spiritual salesman” duping gullible people. He also described the relationship between the godmen and their followers as one based on mutual necessity.

“The guru needs gullible devotees and the devotees need a guru to take away all self-responsibility,” McCartney said. “It's much easier to let the guru direct you in life than to take charge of one's own.”



https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-does-paramahamsa-nithyananda-still-preach-to-a-million-followers-while-hes-on-the-run-from-the-cops

Nithyananda cult- quick overview of my experience and why I left

Nurse Natali
February 19, 2020

"This is a quick version of my experience of following Nithyananda for 1.5 years after attending a 3 week yoga/ meditation program called inner awakening. Becoming a devotee for 1 year before deciding to move there for 5 years to join a program called Paramashivoham. Luckily only staying for 5 weeks before the universe brought me back home."

Scandal Guru starting a new country?

TRT World
January 22, 2020

"Nithyananda, India's 'scandal-guru,' has fled overseas to avoid arrest.  He claims to have established his own island nation for 'dispossessed Hindus'. What and where is Kailaasa?"

Interview with Jordan Lozada about the Abuse He Experienced and Witnessed in the Nithyananda Group

Sarah Stephanie Landry

"After 8 months out of the [group], Jordan Lozada, who many knew as "Sri Nithya Dhatananda Maharaj" is speaking out about the sexual abuse he endured by the fraud guru called "Nithyananda," as well as the child abuse he witnessed in the [group] and more."

Setback for victim in Nithyananda rape case: K’taka HC says she cannot implead further

Nithyananda

The victim’s counsel told TNM that they are thinking about approaching the Supreme Court after accessing a certified copy of the HC order.

Soumya Chatterjee
The News Minute
March 07, 2018


In a setback to the whistle-blower and the victim in the rape case against godman Nithyananda, the Karnataka HC on Tuesday directed that they can no longer implead in the case and will only remain as witnesses.

The HC has also stayed the proceedings against Nithyananda and his associates in the trial court till it hears a discharge petition filed by him.

The victim’s counsel told TNM that they are thinking about approaching the Supreme Court after accessing a certified copy of the HC order.

“We are of the understanding that we should have been given the right of hearing. This is because in 2014, the apex court had clearly said the prosecution was not doing its job until we stepped in,” Ashwin Vaish told TNM.

This recent development comes after the Supreme Court in December 2017 had asked the trial court in Karnataka to go ahead and frame charges for a speedy trial. The apex court also said that the trial court need not take any documents provided by the accused in its defence.

Following that, Nithyananda's discharge petition was disallowed by the trial court and he approached the HC. This is incidentally the third time that the self-styled godman has approached the HC regarding this case.

Meanwhile, Nithyananda also failed to appear before the trial court on the day of framing of charges, on medical grounds.

“My contention is that the entire process is for the victim. Why should they not be heard in the case especially when all these arguments were considered by the Supreme Court when the accused had got a favourable verdict from the High Court,” the victim’s counsel asked.

Background

Lenin Karuppan, a former disciple had exposed the controversial godman and registered a complaint with Chennai police in 2010. In this particular case, Nithyananda is accused of raping a former female disciple in the garb of religious practice.

Also read: Sexual crimes committed in the name of God: A look back at 'Swami' Nithyananda's 'sex contract'
A case under sections 295 A (insulting religious belief), 420 (cheating), 376 (rape), 377 (unnatural sex), 506 (i) (criminal Intimidation) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code was registered against Nithyananda in 2010 by the Ramanagara police after the case was transferred to them.

Since the complaint in 2010, Nithyananda has been arrested twice and been granted bail from High Court, which delayed the start of the trial. It was only after Nithyananda got a favourable decision from the High Court that the victims approached the apex court.

In 2014, the Supreme Court had dismissed a petition by Nithyananda seeking to quash the chargesheet against him. He continued to file petitions to delay the proceedings and submitted documents claiming innocence including a fabricated potency report.

The controversial godman is also involved in other legal proceedings, including a case where he is contesting his sacking as a pontiff at Madurai Adheenam Mutt. The Madras High Court had recently warned Nithyananda that it will issue an arrest warrant if he does not rectify his “misleading” affidavits.


https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/setback-victim-nithyananda-rape-case-k-taka-hc-says-she-cannot-implead-further-77566

Madras HC restrains Nithyananda from entering Madurai Aadheenam

Mohamed Imranullah S.
The Hindu
MARCH 05, 2018

The Madras High Court on Monday restrained self-styled godman Nithyananda from entering Madurai Aadheenam until the disposal of civil cases pending before lower courts relating to the validity of his reported appointment as junior pontiff of the Mutt.

Justice R. Mahadevan directed the Commissioner of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department to ensure that Nithyananda does not enter in any of the institutions associated with the Aadheenam. Police assistance could also be taken, if necessary.

The judge ordered that the State Government should also initiate appropriate action against all heads of religious institutions who bring disrepute to the institutions by their activities and file a report in the court within eight weeks.

The orders were passed on a writ petition filed by Jagathalapradhaban, a follower of the Aadheenam, of Madurai. He had accused Nithyananda of attempting to interfere with the affairs of the Mutt though he had been removed from the post of junior pontiff by the senior pontiff.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/madras-hc-restrains-nithyananda-from-entering-madurai-aadheenam/article22930684.ece

Nithyananda draws HC’s ire

The Hindu
FEBRUARY 27, 2018

‘Seeking relief from two fora not on’

The Madras High Court on Monday expressed displeasure over self-styled godman Nithyananda having filed an appeal before the Supreme Court, challenging an interim injunction restraining him from entering the Madurai Aadheenam by claiming to be its junior pontiff, despite having filed a vacate injunction application before the High Court.

Justice R. Mahadevan questioned Senior Counsel A. Raghunathan as to how the godman could approach two different fora for seeking similar relief. Stating that he would take up the main writ petition filed against Nithyananda by Madurai-based activist M. Jagathalapradapan for final hearing, the judge directed the Registry to list the matter for hearing on Tuesday.

“Sometimes, godmen will also have to pray to God to come to their rescue. Let’s see what happens tomorrow,” the judge said before adjourning the hearing. During a previous hearing of the case, the judge gave two options to Nithyananda — he was asked to choose whether he wanted to contest the civil suits pending before the Madurai district court or face the writ petition in the High Court.

On Monday, the Senior Counsel informed the court that his client had preferred a Special Leave Petition before the Supreme Court challenging the injunction granted by the High Court last year, and that the case had been given a diary number.

However, it could not be listed for hearing before an appropriate Bench due to the Holi holidays for the apex court, he added.

Irked by the submission, Mr. Justice Mahadevan said: “Much water has flown in this writ petition after the October 11, 2017 order.Having filed a vacate injunction application before this court, you are not entitled to file another petition elsewhere. You are trying to curtail the court’s proceedings.”

Advance bail

In the meantime, Justice A.D. Jagadish Chandira on Monday closed an anticipatory bail application preferred by Nithyananda after recording a submission made on behalf of Salmen city cyber crime cell police that as on date, he was not an accused in a case booked in connection with obscene Facebook posts by an inmate of his Ashram at Bidadi.

The judge, however, directed him to appear before the police for inquiry as and when required. In his petition, Nithyananda had apprehended that there was a possibility of him facing arrest whenever he appeared before the police, in compliance with a notice issued to him under Section 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, requiring his presence before the investigating officer.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/nithyananda-draws-hcs-ire/article22860979.ece

Nithyananda Sangha - Cult NEWS 101: Group Information and Article Collection

Name: Nithyananda Sangha also known as Life Bliss Foundation / Nithyananda Meditation Academy UK

Founder:  Paramahamsa Nithyananda (b. 1977 or 78 - there is some disagreement)

Location: First ashram opened in Bangalore, India in 2003

Websites- group’s own - http://www.nithyananda.org/

UK - http://www.nithyananda.org.uk/

Critical - http://nithyananda-cult.blogspot.co.uk/

General information:

Nithyananda is described as the youngest living enlightened master by followers and as a controversial 'godman' by the Indian press. He is called a sex swami on the critical websites.

Life Bliss Foundation is the name of the worldwide movement of Nithyananda - http://lifeblissfoundation.org/default.asp

It has the Nithyananda Vedic Temple in Los Angeles, USA - http://www.nithyanandavedictemple.org/index.php

In the UK it is a registered charity number 1149994 - Nithyananda Meditation Academy UK but with working name Life Bliss UK. registered December 2012. very low income so far (just over 3000 in 2013, just over 1500 in 2014).

Claims on group's homepage:

Cutting edge research in Yogic sciences - such as Kundalini Awakening, teleportation, levitation... Using modern neuro-psychology, medicine and quantum physics

Pioneering a Vedic Renaissance - Over 30 Vedic temples where ancient Vedic rituals, deities and festivals are experienced by thousands everyday

150 countries. 10 million followers. 1000 centers - The fastest growing spiritual community around the youngest living enlightened master.

Beliefs:

"Nithyananda, the founder, says "Enlightenment flowers when individual consciousness merges into universal consciousness. It is an experience beyond mind, and out of it ecstasy and energy are born." The meditation and spiritual  programs help one to tap into this energy and experience eternal bliss." http://lifeblissfoundation.org/

Also has a focus on education - "Planet earth needs more and more people who are awakened and enlightened. The age group that transforms the fastest is youth.  We have created a brand new form of education, ‘enlightening education’ for children."

The vision is "To create a quantum intelligent civilization based on consciousness, compassion, creativity and confidence in at least 10 million children." http://en-education.nithyananda.org/about-us/

Practices:

Offers a 'unique' meditation called Nithya Dhyaan aka Life Bliss Meditation and a yoga practice called Nitha Yoga - which includes techniques to overcome 108 diseases (http://www.nithyayoga.org/).

Also has an education system called eN-education which teaches "Enlightened Education" - "Creating leaders of the quantum intelligent civilization. Nurturing the children such that they blossom to their fullest potential, expressing their innate creativity, spontaneity, clarity and bliss is enlightened education. Not only does this education put them above par other children their age, it also leads to the awakening of their consciousness. " (http://en-education.nithyananda.org/).

Runs various meditation and yoga courses - for beginner and advanced and for children - as well as courses on health, fitness, wealth etc. Also on pregnancy and parenting. As well as more spiritual courses such as Nithyanandam an 'enlightenment intensive', described as "a unique and intense meditation camp wherein we work directly upon the cancerous tumors of ego in each of us"http://www.nithyananda.org/program/nithyanandam#gsc.tab=0

Courses take place at the Ashram in Bengaluru (Bangalore) although there are also many E-Courses and Nithyananda has his own TV channel.

Initiations and darshans also take place at the ashram.

The ashram daily schedule begins at 4am and ends at 10pm http://www.nithyananda.org/ashram#gsc.tab=0

Controversies:

October 2014 - according to the critical website, Nithyananda has gone on criminal trial for "rape, unnatural sex, criminal conspiracy, threat to life, and fraud" (http://nithyananda-cult.blogspot.co.uk/)

October 2013, the school at the ashram was investigated by the Ramanagaram child welfare committee (CWC) for having no proper accreditation or syllabus.

There is a Gurukul (school) at the Ashram.

In October 2013, The Indian Express reported that:

"Accused of rights violations, the Bidadi ashram of self-styled godman Nithyananda Tuesday produced 88 of the 108 students registered with it and their parents before the Ramanagaram child welfare committee (CWC). The district officer of the CWC, Radha, was present.

The students from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, the US, UK, Singapore and Australia were produced following a directive by the district authorities."

It goes on to say that the CWC found the children "brilliant" but that the school was not accredited and had no proper syllabus. The CWC was to write up a follow-up report.

Legal troubles in 2010:

In March 2010, Tamil television channel, Sun News, exposed Nithyananda engaging in sex acts with a woman. After evading summons for 49 days, Nithyananda was arrested on 21 April 2010 in Arki in Himachal Pradesh but was released from judicial custody after 52 days in Ramanagaram sub-jail.

In June 2010, former follower Arathi Rao, claimed that Nithyananda had repeatedly raped her over a 5 year period. On 13th June, Nithyananda surrendered himself before a court in Ramanagaram.

December 2010, India Today reported that police planned to conduct an investigation into the wealth of Nithyananda and the ashram. He was alleged to have accumulated $23 million in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu."

(source 8 Most Controversial Gurus of India in E News)

CultNEWS101 "Nithyananda" Article collection

Rape case against Nithyananda: K'taka court dismisses his petition, to frame charges

“Nithyananda must face trial and he cannot escape it anymore,” says the complainant to TNM.

Soumya Chatterjee

The News Minute
February 19, 2018


In yet another setback for controversial self-styled godman Nithyananda, the trial court in Karnataka dismissed a discharge petition by him and five of his associates in a criminal case.

The court will hear the matter on February 28 and the framing of charges are expected to take place then.

A case under sections 295 A (insulting religious belief), 420 (cheating), 376 (rape), 377 (unnatural sex), 506 (i) (criminal Intimidation) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code was registered against 44-year-old Nithyananda in 2010 by Ramanagara police after the case was transferred to them.

This development comes after the Supreme Court in December 2017 directed the Ramanagara Sessions Court to go ahead and frame charges against Nithyananda and conduct a speedy trial.

Lenin Karuppan, a former disciple had exposed the controversial figure and registered a complaint with Chennai police in 2010.

Speaking to TNM, Lenin said, “So it is clear now, Nithyananda must face trial and he cannot escape it anymore.”

Since the complaint was filed in 2010, Nithyananda has been arrested twice and been granted bail from higher courts and successfully delayed the start of trial. It was only after Nithyananda got a favourable decision from the High Court that the victims approached the apex court.

In 2014, the Supreme Court had dismissed a petition by Nithyananda seeking to quash the chargesheet against him. He continued to file petitions to delay the proceedings and submitted documents claiming innocence including a fabricated potency report.

The controversial seer is also involved in other legal proceedings including where a case where he is contesting his sacking as a pontiff at Madurai Adheenam Mutt. The Madras High Court had recently warned Nithyananda that it will issue an arrest warrant if he does not rectify his “misleading” affidavits.

https://thenewsminute.com/article/rape-case-against-nithyananda-ktaka-court-dismisses-his-petition-frame-charges-76705

Manifest three Nithyananda superpowers right now (for free)

Mr James III
Published on Mar 26, 2017


How to achieve three amazing powers of the one and only Swami Nithyananda, Living Avatar of super awesomeness. Achieve your inner awakening right now, free of charge.

Nithyananda, Amritashraya, Devanatha Fraud Exposed: Fake manifesting of gems/jewels

Mr. Noobophile
Published on Feb 4, 2017

Here is the full, unedited video which was posted to Amrita and Deva's channel but quickly taken down when many people pointed out the fraud.

Nithyananda cults abusive videos: Complaint lodged for use of minors to attack Vairamuthu

Nithyananda

In multiple videos, doing the rounds on social media, girls and boys are seen using expletives that are sexual in nature as they question the lyricist's comments on Andal, an Alvar saint.

Priyanka Thirumurthy
The News Minute
January 22, 2018


Even as lyricist and poet Vairamuthu alleges that his words have been twisted in regard to the Andal controversy, more abuse has come his way over the last two days. This time however the source of malice is shocking - children who are part of the ‘Swami’ Nithyananda Ashram.

In multiple videos, doing the rounds on social media, girls and boys are seen using expletives, many sexual in nature, as they question the lyricist's comments on Andal, an Alvar saint. This has generated anger amongst the general public, which has found the use of children in such a manner objectionable. Following this, prominent activist Piyush Manush has written a complaint to the Karnataka police demanding that action be taken under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO). Nityananda’s main ashram is situated at Bidadi in Ramanagara district of Karnataka.

In a 19 minute video, a teenage girl dressed in saffron says, "I got up and finished puja. So I decided to specially add something on Vairamuthu. A crowd here is waiting to abuse you (Vairamuthu)."

The crowd that she refers to is in fact younger girls who are looking into the camera eagerly. When the teenager pans the phone to show these minors, they begin shouting expletives at the phone.

The teenager then comes back on frame to say, "He (Vairamuthu) has 10,000 mistresses. There are people who don't even have one. I am asking you, you are making 16 year old girls talk like this..."

The minor that she refers to then says, "We should hit their (Vairamuthu's) women in the middle of the road to teach them a lesson."

In another video posted in the second week of January, she introduces herself as the ‘princess’ of Nithyananda ashram and says that she is a 16-year-old.

A video compilation of abuses from his followers, shows two young boys using explicit language which is sexual in nature. Someone facing them seems to be further prompting them through the tirade. The young boys say "What if we talk this way about your mother?" before going on to use objectionable language.


Other videos show older disciples taking turns to abuse the lyricist. In his complaint to the Director General of Police (Karnataka) Piyush says, " I am writing this with deep distress after watching a few videos being circulated in the social media widely featuring children and others housed and schooled in Swami Nithyananda ashram, Bidadi, Karnataka. I am attaching a FB link for your good offices to purview the link and examine for yourself the sexually explicit content in which children have put to use to perform in acts that they in their age will never be able to comprehend the effects thereof. Even if it is claimed that it is a willful act of the children the said institution needs to be taken to task as custodians of the young minds."

He has demanded that a case be filed against the ashram and Nithyananda. In addition to this, he has asked the police to also consider the Misuse of Religious institution Act.

"In the publicly circulated material they have attacked individuals and their families, misused their permissions of conducting educational activity, violated laws pertaining to disturbing peace and tranquility amongst communities as they have been asking and inducing people to act against Muslims and Christians etc.. Above all the acts that children have been filmed to be engaged in makes it makes a clear case for the institution of Swami Nithyananda," says the complaint.

An expert TNM spoke to said that making children do such videos is liable for prosecution under Section 23 of The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000.

What is also disturbing are the comments posted by people under these videos uploaded on Facebook, YouTube etc. Many have posted sexually loaded comments targeting these minors. In another video, the 16-year-old Nithayananda disciple points out that the reactions to her video can be considered as child sexual abuse.

When TNM contacted BJP sources over their views on this malicious campaign against Vairamuthu, a leader on the condition of anonymity says, "They are lowering the impact of our campaign. The overwhelming majority of people from the BJP are critical about what the Nityananda disciples are doing. They represent the extreme Hindu fringe groups and bring a bad name to Hinduism. There are so many videos and the intention seems to be to gain some mileage. It is unfortunate and reflects badly on the religion."

Another BJP leader further says, "We don't want anything to do with them and have always kept our distance."

BJP leaders however agree that Nithyananda could be trying to gain some political capital by trying to side with the BJP and other Hindu groups against Vairamuthu.

Prominent writers, actors and several others have, however, openly condemned the activities of the Ashram.

In a tweet on Sunday, actor Prasanna said, "Honestly the ones degrading the Hindu religion are the followers of Nithyananda. This is a group that must be destroyed. Sudikodutha sudarkodi (Andal) must burn these people."

https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/nithyananda-cults-abusive-videos-complaint-lodged-use-minors-attack-vairamuthu-75149

HC slams godman Nithyananda for giving false information

Outlook
October 30, 2018

The Madras High Court today came down heavily on self-styled godman Nithyananda for giving "false" information to the court and asked why action should not be taken against him.

Justice Mahadevan wondered how could Nithyananda claim he was the 293rd pontiff of the Madurai Adheenam mutt, a 2,500- year-old Saivite mutt here, when the incumbent 292nd pontiff was alive.

"It does not look proper," the court said and asked "why action should not be taken against Nithyananda for giving false information to the court."

The court was hearing a petition from one Jagadalapradhaban who sought a direction to ban Nithyananda from entering the mutt.

The self-sytled godman was attempting to capture Saivite mutts at several places across India, including in Karnataka, the petitioner alleged.

The petitioner submitted that Arunagirinathan was now heading the Mutt as the 292nd head.

Counsel for Nithyananda claimed he had been anointed as the 293rd pontiff and there was no way it could be cancelled.

Nithyananda, who was caught in a sex tape scandal in 2010 and facing rape charges, had said he should be allowed to perform certain rituals as per the mutt tradition and alleged that some "illegal elements" were threatening him and his disciples with dire consequences whenever they visited it.

The court posted the case for hearing on November 13.

https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/hc-slams-godman-nithyananda-for-giving-false-information/1177762

Nithyananda seeks protection to enter adheenam

The Hindu
SEPTEMBER 28, 2017

A criminal original petition was filed by Nithyananda, founder of Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam, before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday seeking police protection for him and his disciples to enter Madurai Adheenam and discharge their religious and spiritual duties there.

In his petition, Nithyananda claimed that he was appointed as the 293rd ‘Guru Mahasannidhanam’ as per the customs and rituals of the adheenam, including Acharya Abhishekam, which could not be revoked as per the traditions.

Madurai Aadheenam Trust was constituted in 2012 by the petitioner, with him and his guru as trustees, he said in the petition. The main object of the trust was to administer and run the affairs of Thirugnanasambanda Swamigal Adheenam and Madurai Adheenam, without entrustment of properties of both the establishments.

Nithyananda stated that the public notice issued by the 292nd Guru Mahasannidhanam Arunagirinathar, revoking his appointment as the next Guru Mahasannidhanam, was in violation of the legal principles and was done fearing arm-twisting tactics by some unscrupulous elements and repercussions from Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/nithyananda-seeks-protection-to-enter-adheenam-madurai/article19765073.ece

Tantric Rites In The Bed

Outlook

GC Shekhart

September 11, 2017

NITHYANANDA Stripped Of His Halo A hidden video camera exposed the ‘swamiji’ as a sexual pervert. The godman has since been trying to fend off a flurry of charges against him. 

Say “Sex and the Swamiji” in Tamil Nadu and the first name that pops up is that of Nithyananda. A video footage of Nithi (nickname given by the Tamil media) gallivanting on the bed with a Tamil actress continues to be one of the most watched footages on YouTube even six years after it was first aired on television.

This tall, dusky young man—originally A. Rajasekharan, from the pilgrim town of Thiruvannamalai—could spellbind audiences with his fluent oratory on Hindu spirituality. It stayed, till he got undone by a hidden video camera. That plot by two of his own disillusioned followers stripped him of his halo and exposed him as a sexual pervert.

There were others too fed up with Nithyananda’s wayward and pretentious ways. Like, a mechanical engineer who used to work in the US and surrendered at the feet of Nithyananda in search of spiritual awakening. Now 42, she was repeatedly sexually assaulted by the swami. The godman brainwashed her into believing that she was only doing “guru seva” by subjecting herself to his carnal pleasures.

“He would sweet-talk me into submitting myself to him, saying that he was like Shiva and I his Parvati and that our union would do the world a lot of good,” recalls the victim. “If he could do this to an educated woman who has seen the outside world, imagine the way he would have exploi­ted others.” In her deposition to the Karnataka police, the woman lists exact dates and places from 2005 to 2009 when Nithyananda compelled her to have sex with him.

Nithyananda allegedly forced a devotee to abort after she had become pregnant from her husband, saying motherhood would check her ‘enlightenment’.

Getting whiff of the video recording with the actress, Nithyananda, in 2009, had the other victim and rest of the ashram inmates to sign pre-dated non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) under which the disciples are expected to have tantric sex. Page ten of the NDA states that as part of the “Learning from the Masterprogram volunteer understands that the Program may involve the learning and practice of ancient tantric secrets associated with male and female ecstasy, including the use of sexual energy for increased intimacy/spiritual conne­ction, pleasure, harmony, and freedom”. It further states these activities “could be physically and mentally challenging, and may involve nudity, access to visual images...and descriptions of nudity and sexual activity, close physical proximity and intimacy, verbal and written descriptions and audio sounds of a sexually oriented, and erotic nature, etc.”

The disciple also gets to absolve the teacher or the ashram of any wrongdoing they may be accused of with the following clause in the NDA: “By reading and signing this addendum, Volunteer irrevocably acknowledges that he/she is voluntarily giving his (sic) unconditional acceptance of such activities and discharges the Leader (Nithyananda) and the Foundation, and anyone else not specifically mentioned here but directly or indirectly involved in the organisation, management, or conduct of any such programs from any liability, direct or indirect, arising from such activities.”

“None of us was given an opportunity to read through the agreement,” recalls the engineer woman. Her deposition as a witness adds meat to the chargesheet based on the compla­int by K. Lenin, a key disciple of Nithi, who sent the video recording to Tamil Nadu and Karnataka police (and also the media) with a complaint on how the swami had misused his image and the ashram’s reach to cheat people in the name of religion.

“Though the chargesheet based on my complaint was filed in November 2010, Nithyananda used every trick to delay the trial,” notes Lenin. Eventually, following a Supreme Court dir­ective, Nithi underwent a test. A Bangalore hospital certified that he was not impotent and mentioned in its report that he did not cooperate when more tests were required, he adds.

Similarly, his voice sample was given only after the SC’s inter­vention and it was found to be “matching” with the phone conversation the godman had with Lenin. “In that phone call, he had pleaded with me to withdraw the complaint and had even justified his sexual escapades saying that late spiritualists like Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, Aurobindo and even Ramanar had female companions. The final chargesheet filed in 2015 said the two voices were a match. The trial has not progressed beyond the initial stages,” says Lenin.

To stop Lenin and the engineer woman from pursuing their cases, Nithi and his cohorts have filed at least 18 false cases against them across India and seven lawsuits in the US. They are forced to hop from court to court, seeking bail. Even as the rape and abduction case against him was pending in Karna­taka, Nithyananda got himself appointed as 293rd pontiff of the Madurai Adheenam, a 1,500-year-old math, in April 2012. After protests from the public and the state’s own HR and CE department, he was removed from the post after five months.

Today, Nithyananda’s devotees and math disciples face resistance in various parts of Tamil Nadu whenever they try to expand their activities there. “He expects Hindu outfits and other Hindu religious leaders to rally behind him, forgetting that he had single-handedly brought disrepute to our religion,” points out a leader of the Hindu Munnani.

***

• Posers to Nithyananda
• If he is innocent, why is he delaying the trial?
• Why reluctant to give voice sample or undergo medical test (at a government hospital) to prove he is impotent?
• He claimed that the video of him and a young actress was morphed. But the Forensic Science Laboratory later confirmed the authenticity of the visuals in the clip.Did he get his disciples to sign non-disclosure agreements?
• Did he sign a million-dollar settlement with Manohar Shinde of California to escape prosecution from deceit and racketeering?

https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/tantric-rites-in-the-bed/299261

One Woman’s Story of Assault by her ‘Guru’ of Religious Cult

The News Minute
The Quint
August 27, 2017

She was inside the ‘guru’s’ room. The privilege of cleaning his room and touching his belongings had been bestowed upon her yet again, and she was delighted. Until, the guru who was in the room, suddenly hugged her. As he held her close, she panicked and ran out.

But, she was told that the guru was not sexually harassing her, it was his exalted soul reaching out to her soul that deserved to be elevated.

The guru’s first ‘blessings’ were the start of her long nightmare.

As a 25-year-old working in a multinational in 2007, Veena* had everything going for her. She had a flourishing career where the money was good, and a loving husband.

And yet, she felt there was something amiss.

On the surface, I had everything. I had all the reasons to be happy. But at some point, I realised that just looking after myself was not enough. I had grown up believing that life has a higher purpose. So, I thought, ‘can I do more with my degree? Can I use my knowledge to help people?’ - Veena

Little did she know then that this yearning would drag her down a dark path, one from which she is still struggling to recover.

Joining A Cult

During a trip home in a state in South India the same year, Veena first came across ‘guruji’ on a spiritual channel her parents were watching. He was a Hindu godman, touted as a brahmachari. She was instantly impressed.

He was talking about dealing with challenges in life. What struck me most was the way he spoke. It was very clear, sensible, and funny. - Veena

Since guruji’s ashram was nearby, she decided to pay a visit.

“It seemed like a nice place. Very peaceful and spiritual, bereft of any grandeur. He was travelling abroad then, and I couldn't personally meet him. I picked up some books on meditation from the ashram,” she says.

The books were in essence similar to most spiritual books — they revolved around expressing love, finding happiness and contentment. “It appealed to me because it was not close minded or too religious. Perhaps anyone who practices these may find peace,” she now thinks.

To top that, guruji’s disciples would make anyone around him think that the energy they felt was merely because of their leader’s presence. And yet, it was never in-your-face. “As I understood later, the technique used was a very subtle psychological influence.” And it worked, because a year later, the educated, independent woman quit her job to work full-time for guruji.

Though the common misconception is that only crazy, unstable, or weird people join cults, a paper published in the Cultic Studies Journal by Janja Lalich has shown that most cult members are of above-average intelligence, come from stable backgrounds, and do not have a history of psychological illness.

“Cult leaders and cult recruiters tend to capture the hearts, minds, and souls of the best and brightest in our society,” the research says.

“A Marketing Guy”

India has no dearth of self-styled godmen, and there have been a string of incidents involving gurus, and their alleged role in sexual assault, extortion and cheating.

Our family too had gurus but all of them were revered long after their death. So, it took some time to believe that a living person could also attain the same status. He made us believe he was one of those rare living gurus of our generation. He told us that if we prayed to him, all our wishes would come true. - Veena

She also calls him a great marketing guy. “He just sells himself so well. If you attend one of his programmes, you'll be dying to attend the next one as well.”

The ambience would only add to the aura.

Sucked Into a Vortex

‘Why do you want to quit your job? You are so young. You can do this on the side,’ Veena's concerned family told her when she informed them of her plans to embark on her spiritual journey.

“But I was so sure,” she says. “I felt so strongly about joining a spiritual group to spread happiness and peace through meditation and spirituality.” Soon, she became part of a select group of people who worked closely with the godman and looked after the running of his empire.

It was a big privilege to touch his belongings. One day, I was told that I could clean his room. From then on, I would clean his room every day. During one such occasion, he was there in the room. He hugged me. Not in a way a guru would, but just as a man would hug a woman he was interested in.

A terrified Veena ran out. But she was summoned again, and the guru ‘explained’ to her that mere mortals like her saw ‘human bodies’, while he only saw the soul.

He told me that every avatar of god would find another soul who needed to be elevated. Like Krishna found Radha and blessed her soul. I was his Radha, he said. Normally, after a session, he would hug a few chosen disciples. This included children, young, middle-aged and old people. We were constantly told that he was only touching our soul.

For months, what Veena went through was mental conditioning. She was told that the guru’s touch was only for a select lucky few who were very spiritual souls. The hug had soon progressed to sex and Veena was coerced to believe that it was a path to salvation. She was given the guru’s special blessing whenever he desired it.

“Though he would hug a few of us, he told me not to tell others about our relationship. I was the special one, the only one who was blessed to be his soul mate (have intercourse with him),” she says.

The state of affairs went on for several years. As a young educated woman, why did Veena not walk away from there? Can this be considered sexual assault or rape? Over the years, many have asked her this.

This is how a cult works; this is how power structures work. It was ingrained into us that the guru was supreme and worldly pleasures meant nothing to him. Every time the abuse happened, he would tell me that my soul had become a bit more elevated and I was almost at the next level.

The Bhagavatham and other revered Hindu scriptures were constantly quoted to her. “I was told that though I was a special soul, I was not discovered by a guru in my previous births.”

Wiping Out Evidence

The guru, however, was a clever man, who ensured that there was no trace of evidence. In many cases in India and throughout the world, it has been well documented how such gurus wipe out evidence.

Premananda Swamy convicted in 2005 would facilitate abortions. Aravindan Balakrishnan (a Maoist cult leader) established himself as someone who could control nature and it was proved in a court in UK that he would first isolate victims from families so that they never betrayed his secrets. He was convicted of six counts of indecent assaults and four counts of rape in 2015.


 

Premananda Swamy was convicted in 2005 for sexual assault. 

Another guru in India (according to a victim’s statement to court) used to tell the victim that he would dispose of the condom as his semen was special and no mere mortal should get hold of it. He convinced the victim that his semen should be poured into the ocean.

In Veena’s case too, the guru was careful to keep his assault a secret, and to be discreet. As Veena narrates this, she adds as an afterthought. “All this sounds ridiculous to me now. But when I was in the situation, I was constantly made to believe and accept it as right without questioning.”

Janja Lalich says in her research that cults that exploit people, especially women, project the assault as a matter of honour. “The woman is told that a sexual encounter with the leader is an honour, a special gift, a way of achieving further growth. Sexual activities with the leader are interpreted and rationalised as spiritually beneficial.”

The Guru and Disciples

Every disciple shared a unique relationship with the guru and all of them were strictly prohibited from discussing it among each other. Veena says, “To some he was a mother figure, for some it was a master-sevak relationship. And it was up to him to decide which relationship was ‘right’ for which person.”

People from all walks of life would throng to see him. Some were just like her, wanting to make the world a better place, and a few quite like him, manipulating people for their gain.

The Exploitation

Going against the guru is the greatest of sins, they were told. They would repent, not just in their current life but also in their coming lives, if they did so. They would suffer, suffer horribly.

And the best way to prevent a revolt is never giving it a breeding ground in the first place. Cult members were always overworked with assignments and had strict deadlines to follow.

We hardly had time for anything else. We were extremely exhausted and sleep deprived as we slept for not more than four hours a day. No one had the mind to question anything.

If someone did question him, they would immediately be outcast. Threats and intimidation were also used to shut victims up when needed.

The Realisation

As the years passed, Veena also realised how the cult was fuelled solely by its greed. “Only the rich were allowed to personally meet him. If you weren't bringing him business, you were of no use to him,” she says.

There were murmurs of others who were given the guru’s blessings and were forced to become his sexual partners. When the truth finally hit her, and with the intensity that it did, it pushed her into depression.

I was in a state of shock. I kind of just wanted to forget that I had lived this life. But then I realised that many more innocent victims were getting sucked into the cult every day. I felt I must tell what happened to me, so that it can save others.

Seven years after she joined the group, she finally left it. She also filed a complaint with the police and the case in underway in court.

Why Not Quit?

Cults in Our Midst, a book by Margaret Thaler Singer, a clinical psychologist and an expert on brainwashing, and Janja Lalich, an author and researcher, explains how cult groups resort to thought-reform processes and persuasion to control people’s minds.

This book was an eye-opener for Veena as it helped her to understand why a rational person like her would join a cult. It is simple to ask why someone would not leave a cult immediately when they realise they are in a wrong place.

But as Singer and Lalich state, the answer is not that simple. Even though cults mostly don’t use physical restraint on their members, there are several psychological barriers stopping them from walking away. This includes their beliefs, peer pressure, fear or even confusion.

The last few years have been punishing for Veena. The fight has been emotionally, physically and financially draining. Looking back, she says, “Life has taught me many, many lessons and I am very grateful for that. But I still believe I have a bigger purpose in life.”

*Names and places have been changed to protect the identity of the victim.

https://www.thequint.com/india/2017/08/27/one-womans-story-of-assault-by-her-guru-of-religious-cult