Of GOD-MEN, GURUS and SWAMIS
Dr. T. Rama Prasad.
Humanness in a god-man
At the outset, let me say that God-men are on a wide spectrum, from very good to very bad. Humans expect spiritual or material benefits from them. Don’t get me wrong -- the media is abuzz with stories and fierce debates on this subject right now which made this a matter of huge topical interest today -- that is the reason why the inquisitive bit of my brain searched for information on this subject and acquired a tad of it. And this prompted me to comment so much on matters of god and religion in the preceding pages and a bit on a sample of a few god-men / gurus in the following pages. The extensive media coverage made me go that extra mile to comment on this subject. The more we dig into the anecdotes connected with god-men the more they seem to be apocryphal. This is not my judgemental comment on Godmen, individually or collectively. Most of it is drawn from media reports.
Hall of shame
The hall of shame is expanding. Venerated as Lord Krishna incarnate, Odisha’s Sarathi Baba had been God to lakhs of people. In 2015, he found himself in a jail, charged with cheating, forgery and his alleged escapades with a young woman in a Hyderabad hotel. And the god-woman, Radhe Maa of Mumbai ‘has come under a cloud following images of her posing seductively in a mini skirt and videos showing her prancing around, hugging and kissing others’ (TNIE, 12, August, 2015). Plenty of details were published and televised about the immoral activities of the god-men, Asaram Bapu and Swami Nithyananda. Such of these alleged tricksters, unfortunately, brought disrepute to genuine spiritual leaders as well. There is one recent (2015) satirical Telugu film by name “Gopala Gopala”, a remake of the 2012 Hindi film by name “ OMG – Oh My God !”, which has well-exposed the gargantuan stranglehold of the scandalous god-men and god-women.
POWER OF POLITICAL SPIRITUALISM and its money power
India, ‘a land of snake-charmers and god-men,’as somebody called it, abounds with a heterogeneous group of god-men / god-women / gurus / holy men / spiritual leaders / miracle-men / sadhus / sants / babas / swamis /matajis / yogis / ascetics and, of course, spiritualism. Most of them are said to be tricksters. Some are criminals. Some are like “local Swiss banks” and agents to aid unlawful and immoral activities. Some have strong political connections and protection as they can influence voters and launder black money. Yet, some are god-like eminent spiritual leaders who have worked for the welfare of people. And some are controversial. Some are in jails, and some are yet to find a place in the prisons. Most of them claim they are incarnations of god.
Patronage by celebrities, scientists and high ranking politicians brings in credulity, publicity, adulation, foreign tourists and dollars leading to a heady mix of spiritualism, money and power with no accountability and an insurance against government’s interference. Part of the money received is ‘invested’ for public welfare – educational, social and medical facilities for further gloss, publicity and popularity. And there is the strong umbrella of religious and societal sanction. Reverence to god-men has been so ingrained in Indian culture that the gullible masses are taken for a ride with trickery and base conduct by these ‘devil-men’. The image of the sacred sadhus stands turned on its head today with the god-men taking over with a web of deceit to fool people.
ARRE BABA !
One recent (March 2018) example for debate is the case of five babas who allegedly dropped their plans to agitate and expose alleged corruption in Narmada river conservation works in exchange for getting Minister of State status in the Madhya Pradesh government. Opposition party leaders said that the move was aimed at keeping the so called religious heads (Bhayyuji Maharaj, Computer Baba, Pandit Yogendra Marant, Hariharanand Maharaj and Narmadanand Maharaj) in good humour so that their followers would support the ruling party (TNIE, April 5 & 6, 2018). The newspaper gave the following information about the "Computer Baba": "Indore-based seer, he is also the Mahamandaleshwar of Digambar Akhara. A high-tech baba, he connects with Bhakts through social media platforms. Has fetish for helicopter. In 2013, he had urged Kumbh Mela authorities to let him arrive in a chopper and take a dip in the river. Aspirant for AAP's Lok Sabha ticket in 2014. Was to head the Narmada Ghotala Rath Yatra, which he cancelled after meeting the CM."
ARRE BABA !
One recent (March 2018) example for debate is the case of five babas who allegedly dropped their plans to agitate and expose alleged corruption in Narmada river conservation works in exchange for getting Minister of State status in the Madhya Pradesh government. Opposition party leaders said that the move was aimed at keeping the so called religious heads (Bhayyuji Maharaj, Computer Baba, Pandit Yogendra Marant, Hariharanand Maharaj and Narmadanand Maharaj) in good humour so that their followers would support the ruling party (TNIE, April 5 & 6, 2018). The newspaper gave the following information about the "Computer Baba": "Indore-based seer, he is also the Mahamandaleshwar of Digambar Akhara. A high-tech baba, he connects with Bhakts through social media platforms. Has fetish for helicopter. In 2013, he had urged Kumbh Mela authorities to let him arrive in a chopper and take a dip in the river. Aspirant for AAP's Lok Sabha ticket in 2014. Was to head the Narmada Ghotala Rath Yatra, which he cancelled after meeting the CM."
“There is nothing like baba business – low start-up cost, minimal investment. You don’t even have to shave” (http://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/7-indian-godmen-with-superpowers-who-god-couldnt-save-from-prison-228504.html ). In course of time, they build up a huge following with swanky ashrams, temples and loads of money. Their exponential growth cannot be explained by any rational business model, as the core of it is belief which has no definition. Many of them put the ancient sayings, writings and methods in new bottles and pass them off as their new brands. And most of them are a product of the society. Most of the people patronize them not for spiritual elevation but for materialistic gain. Any god-man who blesses for material gains in exchange for money, land or patronage to propitiate the gods should be viewed with suspicion. It is like speaking on behalf of god and brokering deals with god for a commission.
And some of them have proved themselves to be excellent businessmen, in the ordinary sense -- read http://www.newindianexpress.com/business/2018/nov/08/spiritual-gurus-ride-on-the-swadeshi-wave-to-do-business-1895378.html Baba Ramdev's 'swadeshi' wave of 'Patanjali' crossed Rs. 10,000 crore in revenues in FY17 from nearly Rs. 500 crore just six years ago ! A clever mix of advertising and spirituality. The "Covid Cure Pill" controversy took too many headlines. And, the consumer and wellness arm of the Art of Living, Sri Sri Tattva, owned by spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has strongly capitalised on the charisma of its guru. There are many other smaller godmen entrepreneurs who have gone the 'Patanjali way' to scale up their business of 'Swadeshi' products.
And some of them have proved themselves to be excellent businessmen, in the ordinary sense -- read http://www.newindianexpress.com/business/2018/nov/08/spiritual-gurus-ride-on-the-swadeshi-wave-to-do-business-1895378.html Baba Ramdev's 'swadeshi' wave of 'Patanjali' crossed Rs. 10,000 crore in revenues in FY17 from nearly Rs. 500 crore just six years ago ! A clever mix of advertising and spirituality. The "Covid Cure Pill" controversy took too many headlines. And, the consumer and wellness arm of the Art of Living, Sri Sri Tattva, owned by spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has strongly capitalised on the charisma of its guru. There are many other smaller godmen entrepreneurs who have gone the 'Patanjali way' to scale up their business of 'Swadeshi' products.
When the society and science has no answers for certain aspects of the wonders of life and the darkness of death, the god-men, mystics and saints strike the empty space which has no competition by logic. Lure of the luck and the fear of uncertainties in life make people surrender to god-men. Any good that happens is attributed to these ‘representatives of god’. The clairvoyants and spiritual gurus thrive on this and the blind belief of the people. Such is the pull of the charlatans that people follow these ‘holy-men’ even when allegations of sex, sleaze, crime and amassing of wealth are levelled against them. While all god-men cannot be tarred with the same brush, those who cheat the gullible public should be condemned. A little information gathered about a few of them is mentioned below. Along with the information you have from other sources and your personal experiences, you may draw your own conclusions about the god-men.
God-man Chandraswami
He seemed to be having some super-human powers. To read a documentation on this go to: http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/thatcher-chandraswami-and-i/article4595546.ece. This is an account of the extraordinary power of the god-man Chandraswami who convinced the “iron lady”, Margaret Thatcher, Briton’s first woman Prime Minister of his occult powers and miraculous predictions. The article, titled “Thatcher, Chandraswami and I,” written by the former Indian diplomat (Deputy High Commissioner), K. Natwar Singh is published in The Hindu of April 9, 2013. The god-man sought a meeting with Thatcher through the diplomat which was unusually granted by her. She said that she can spare only ten minutes.
The furure ‘iron lady’ sought an appointment on some other day. The god-man fixed a day and time. During the next meeting, he told her that she would become the Prime Minister in three or four years and stay in that position for nine, eleven or thirteen years. He was proved right. She was Prime Minister for 11 years ! Read the article for the thrill of enjoying the very interesting style of narration.
While rationalists can’t accept the mumbo-jumbo of god-men, documents of this nature make it difficult for them to dismiss them as elements of a complete hoax.
That he was arrested for swindling $ 100,000 from a London businessman and that he was charged Rs. 9 crore for violating the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act is a different story. He was known to be the spiritual adviser to former Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao.
GURUS of SEX & SLEAGE
There are a number of notorious goodmen like Maharshi Mahesh Yogi, Asaram Batu, Swami Nthyananda, Gulzar Ahmed That, Swami Premananda, Swami Bhimanand, et al are irredeemably stained with sex scandals. They have ben swathed in infamy for sex and sleaze. Many of the famous 'swamis' are long on sleaze and short on substance.
GURUS of SEX & SLEAGE
There are a number of notorious goodmen like Maharshi Mahesh Yogi, Asaram Batu, Swami Nthyananda, Gulzar Ahmed That, Swami Premananda, Swami Bhimanand, et al are irredeemably stained with sex scandals. They have ben swathed in infamy for sex and sleaze. Many of the famous 'swamis' are long on sleaze and short on substance.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh
This self-styled god-man (chief of DERA Sacha Sauda) was convicted by the CBI special court in Panchkula on August 25, 2017 for raping two female followers way back in 1999 and was later sentenced for 20 years of imprisonment and fined of over Rs.32 lakh.After the announcement of conviction, there was a large scale violence in Panchkula and Sirsa towns of Haryana, in which 38 people died and over 260 people were injured. That was the cult and power of this unorthodox god-man who is said to make or mar political contestants in elections through his vote-swinging power. It is no wonder that big political figures supported him. And, there were two murder cases against hm.
God-man Swami Premananda
Premananda appeared unperturbed by the sentences and while talking to reporters, said: "Truth will ultimately triumph". This god-man was serving a double life sentence on several counts of crime before his death on February 21, 2011.
SEX with SWAMI is SERVICE to GOD !
SEX with SWAMI is SERVICE to GOD !
Famous criminal lawyer and the former Law Minister, Mr. Ram Jethmalini argued for the swami saying that the women consented to sex. The court observed that in some cases consent may be obtained by promising a cure for ailments such as 'Asthma' or by convincing that "SEX with SWAMI is SERVICE to GOD". (Read below about Sreehariswami who promised to cure paralysis). One interesting twist to this story is that one of the world’s top genetic expert, Dr.Wilson J. Wall stated that the evidence of the DNA test against the god-man was a fabrication, and according to Mr. Ram Jethmalini, the judgment against Premananda is highly controversial. GOK - God only knows the truth!
God-man Swami Nityananda
This god-man has a huge following of 2 to 10 million devotees and his Mission has members in several countries including USA and Europe. He was popular by his spiritual healing processes. In 2007, he was elected as Chairman of the Hindu University of America (International Vedic Hindu University, Florida).
A video that claimed to show Nithyananda in a compromising situation with an actress was shown on a TV channel on March 2, 2010. He was arrested and jailed for 52 days and was called “Sex Swami.” The Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam’s website called the video defamatory, terming it “a mix of conspiracy, graphics and rumour.” One follower commented that the woman in the video might only be caring for Swami ji when he was ill. The case is not yet settled legally. God only knows as to whether it is a morphed video or a case of a scandalous swami ! Police booked him in connection with alleged assault on a media person in the backdrop of a US-based woman alleging sexual abuse. ( http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/swami-nithyananda-arrest-the-story-of-why-he-is-in-trouble/1/200560.html ).
A video that claimed to show Nithyananda in a compromising situation with an actress was shown on a TV channel on March 2, 2010. He was arrested and jailed for 52 days and was called “Sex Swami.” The Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam’s website called the video defamatory, terming it “a mix of conspiracy, graphics and rumour.” One follower commented that the woman in the video might only be caring for Swami ji when he was ill. The case is not yet settled legally. God only knows as to whether it is a morphed video or a case of a scandalous swami ! Police booked him in connection with alleged assault on a media person in the backdrop of a US-based woman alleging sexual abuse. ( http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/swami-nithyananda-arrest-the-story-of-why-he-is-in-trouble/1/200560.html ).A couple of years later (Apr. 29, 2012) he was crowned as the Madurai Adheenam – head of an ancient Saivite Mutt -- amidst protests by Hindu outfits which criticised the arbitrary appointment of a person who is not yet cleared of the charges of misconduct. Heads of several Saivite Mutts are set to seek legal recourse while Swami Nithyananda threatened to sue heads of the Mutts ! Politics of pontiffs ! Added to this is the news that Income Tax officials conducted a raid on the premises of the Madurai Aadheenam on May 5, 2012 subsequent to the appointment of Swami Nithyananda who is said to have donated Rs.1 crore and promised another Rs.4 crore, a gold throne and ornaments to the mutt. Powered by money. Is it so ?
Maharshi Mahesh Yogi
Some of the Gurus seem to be India’s biggest export products these days ! Some of them make the ‘million dollar spiritual industry’ shine ! Maharshi Mahesh Yogi or OSHO (formerly Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh) tops the fraudulent and hypocritical gurus by owning 96 Rolls Royces while he preaches to his ‘Sanyasins’ to renounce attachment to possession ! He earned the name of “Guru of ....(sex).”
SREEHARISWAMI
Sreehariswami alias Gangeshananda Teethapadam was in the news in May 2017. A Kerala law student chopped off this godman’s penis for allegedly raping her. The law student’s act bore uncanny resemblance to the climax in ’22 Female Kottayam’, a 2012 Malayalam movie that made headlines for depicting a young woman who apparently castrated the hero for betraying her.
"Police initially said the alleged victim's mother invited the swami into their home to conduct poojas and prayers.
"The swami (then) convinced (the) victim's mother that he could cure her paralysed husband and (used this as a reason to) frequent her home. And he started sexually exploiting the (then) minor daughter," a police official said.
When Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was asked what action his government would take action against the swami, he in turn asked - laughing - what more action was needed."
‘Jagat guru’ Sant Rampal
Claiming to be an incarnation of Kabir, the mystic poet-saint of 15thcentury India, Rampal rose to fame and ruled over an empire worth over Rs.1,000 crore. The god-man enjoyed uberluxury -- air-conditioned five-storey personal section, 28 spacious rooms, swimming pool, plush furniture, and the like. He could defy the court and the law, and fought with the police with his own ‘army’ using guns, Molotov cocktails, acid pouches and even a human shield and finally landed in jail.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
This god-man’s vision, a violence-free and a stress-free world, is never more relevant than today. He is said to be a humanitarian leader, spiritual teacher and an ambassador of peace who has united 300 million people around the world through various service, educational and social projects in 30,000 villages. He received particular credit for bringing or trying to bring opposing parties to the negotiating table in Iraq, the Ivory Coast, Kashmir, Sri Lanka, Siria, Lebanon, Beirut, Equador, Salvador, Venezuela and Bihar. He ended the 50-year-old war in Colombia which claimed more than 220,000 lives. He was presented the highest civilian award of Colombia and also those of Paraguay and Mongolia. In 2016, he became the Padma Vibhushan awardee of India. He also played a part to end Anna Hazare’s fast in connection with Lok Pal Bill. He said: “You have to tolerate only people you dislike. You cannot tolerate loved ones.”
The World Culture Festival (2016), organised by the ‘Art of Living’, led by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ran into controversies with the National Green Tribunal ordering the organisation to pay an initial compensation of Rs. 5 crore for environmental destruction caused in the process of staging a grandiose spectacle on a thousand-acre site on the floodplain of Yamuna river to be witnessed by 3.5 million people from 155 countries.
“Sadhguru” Jaggi Vasudev
This spiritual leader is said to be distinctly different from other spiritual leaders with an arresting blend of profundity and pragmatism. He is said to make esoteric ancient ‘yogic’ methods relevant to our modern times of contemporary science (ISHA Yoga). About two million volunteers in about 150 centres, spread worldwide, devote their services for the ‘Global Action Initiatives’ in the fields of ‘yoga,’ health, education and environmental awareness.
It is to be appreciated that his efforts are focussed on the theme which I wrote on the ‘Sivalinga cactus’ photograph on this page --- “Nature is god; Take care of nature and nature will take care of you.” His plantation activities are commendable. His “Project Green Hands” was launched to raise environmental awareness and to increase the green cover of Tamil Nadu by 10 per cent by planting 114 million saplings. It is creditable that he was invited to participate in various international forums like World Economic Forum, United Nations Millenium World Peace Summit, Australian Leadership Retreat, TED India, Indian Economic Summit, etc. He is the founder of various education initiatives and social projects. He is also named among the 100 most influential Indians by “India Today.”
Sometimes, the merit of a god-man depends on how intriguingly he weaves the words to make a common man feel too small to understand. The following is what was purported to have been said by 'Sadhguru'. It may be sense or nonsense according to how one looks at it and his knowledge ( http://www.patheos.com/blogs/hindu2/2016/08/sadhguru-jaggi-vasudevs-wifes-death-controversy-truth/ ).
" ... We can easily create a person on the energy level. If you’re willing, if you sit in front of the Dhyanalinga, you will see that it’s a whole person. It’s not just something vibrating, or some meditative energy, nothing like that. It’s a whole person with all the seven chakras at their peak. I am surprised you asked this question now, because just four or five days ago, you saw me creating a person or the energy of a whole person, just like that. In two minutes, I had a new person going. In that sense, we can create Vijji, we can create Gautama Buddha, we can create anybody. If we know the fragrance of what that person is; the energy body can be created. If you want to create an actual physical body, that’s also possible, but then you have to get into the five elements and meddle with them, which is a deep binding karmic factor. Once you get into the five elements, then you can’t do something and leave it like that; it entangles with yourself in so many ways. That leads you into a different sphere of life altogether, but even that is not impossible. It’s very much possible. We can re-create that physical body also, but it serves no spiritual purpose. It is only to fulfill your attachments, which is not the right thing to do. You get deeply entangled if you meddle with the five elements. Even the existing five elements in the body, which is your physical body, if you get too involved with them, you get entangled. When you do this kind of work, of meddling with the elements on that level, your entanglement will be very, very deep, which is unnecessary; but on the energy level, you can play this game and get away with it without any entanglement. This can also become a very big bondage if you don’t approach it with the right kind of dispassion. Above all, you need insulation. If you know how to create insulation for yourself, you can play games without the games becoming a part of you. If you don’t create the right kind of insulation, it can become a deeply entangling process. ... "
Sometimes, the merit of a god-man depends on how intriguingly he weaves the words to make a common man feel too small to understand. The following is what was purported to have been said by 'Sadhguru'. It may be sense or nonsense according to how one looks at it and his knowledge ( http://www.patheos.com/blogs/hindu2/2016/08/sadhguru-jaggi-vasudevs-wifes-death-controversy-truth/ ).
" ... We can easily create a person on the energy level. If you’re willing, if you sit in front of the Dhyanalinga, you will see that it’s a whole person. It’s not just something vibrating, or some meditative energy, nothing like that. It’s a whole person with all the seven chakras at their peak. I am surprised you asked this question now, because just four or five days ago, you saw me creating a person or the energy of a whole person, just like that. In two minutes, I had a new person going. In that sense, we can create Vijji, we can create Gautama Buddha, we can create anybody. If we know the fragrance of what that person is; the energy body can be created. If you want to create an actual physical body, that’s also possible, but then you have to get into the five elements and meddle with them, which is a deep binding karmic factor. Once you get into the five elements, then you can’t do something and leave it like that; it entangles with yourself in so many ways. That leads you into a different sphere of life altogether, but even that is not impossible. It’s very much possible. We can re-create that physical body also, but it serves no spiritual purpose. It is only to fulfill your attachments, which is not the right thing to do. You get deeply entangled if you meddle with the five elements. Even the existing five elements in the body, which is your physical body, if you get too involved with them, you get entangled. When you do this kind of work, of meddling with the elements on that level, your entanglement will be very, very deep, which is unnecessary; but on the energy level, you can play this game and get away with it without any entanglement. This can also become a very big bondage if you don’t approach it with the right kind of dispassion. Above all, you need insulation. If you know how to create insulation for yourself, you can play games without the games becoming a part of you. If you don’t create the right kind of insulation, it can become a deeply entangling process. ... "
“People try to create an outwardly perfect life;
But quality of life is based on the inward.”
--Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev
Eliyantha Lindsay White
This ‘Miracle doctor’ in Sri Lanka is a rare type of miracle man. One cannot see him without the recommendation of the country’s President, Mahinda Rajapaksa ! Celebrities from various fields were his patients, including cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and Ashish Nehra; Bollywood celebrities Salman Khan, Bipasha Basu and Anupam Kher; industrialist Mukesh Ambani, et al. White is said to practise a combination of Kundalini Shakthi and ‘trust’ between the patient and the doctor (TNIE, July 18, 2013).
God man Sri Satya Sai Baba
The media are abuzz with stories and fierce debates on this godman right now (around the time when Sri Satya Sai Baba is interred) which prompted me to write so much on him. This enigmatic ‘Baba’ is a rare phenomenon. Rated as the India’s most followed, service-minded, secular and spiritual guru, he is said to be having over 37 million devotees, transcending linguistic, national and religious boundaries, across 178 countries and has assets valued at more than Rs.40,000 crores, apart from massive cash reserves. He has service centres in 114 countries contributing to improve health, education and spiritualism. The resources were said to be derived virtually through his teachings and preaching which are said to be timeless, universal, secular, scintillating and spiritual, and which conveyed the simple message of love and harmony.
Against this background, the controversies (fuelled by the Vice-Chancellor, Sri H. Narasimhaiah , a rationalist, Mr.Abraham T. Kovoor, et al) about his miracles like materialising objects out of thin air such as ash, rings and watches seem to pale into insignificance.
However, a highly critical article which may demolish the credibility of Sri Satya Sai Baba to some extent was published in The Hindu (Vol. 134, No. 19, 2011) / (http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/the-phenomenon-of-satya-sai-baba/article2019362.ece) written by no less a person than the former Vice-Chairman, National Knowledge Commission, former member, National Security Advisory Board and former founder and Director, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, Pushpa M. Bhargava. It stirred up an interesting debate on the subject, filling up the ‘Letters to the editor’ columns and the ‘Comments’ column of the above link(see also http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yblhsr1O4IQ ).
A seemingly very authentic rejoinder was written to dismiss off Bhargava’s observations as unsubstantiated allegations by no less a man than Mr. G. Venkataraman, an inmate in the Baba’s ashram for the last 18 years, a former Physicist in BARC, Mumbai, IGCAR, Kalpakkam, DRDO and the former Vice-Chancellor of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (Deemed University) in The Hindu ( Vol. 134, No. 21, 2011) / (http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/article2057836.ece?textsize=large&test=1. )
Some expressed their deep conviction that Sri Satya Sai Baba is no less than a god. Most praised his charitable deeds. On the other hand, one went to the extent of attributing a business motive to earn enormous “ill-gotten wealth” by taking a “cut” from the donations in the name of administrative charges, and some accused him of cheating the gullible public by passing of magical tricks as miracles and getting huge funds.
With reference to the controversial views on the subject, I wrote the following to the editor:
“This refers to the projections that Sri Satya Sai Baba's miracles were only magic tricks; that his acts of charity were meant to avoid undue attention to his resources (likened to ill-gotten wealth); and that the attendance by the top politicians, the state mourning and the state honours for the funeral was a national tragedy. If agreed to differ, even if they were only magic tricks, the society got some benefit, objectively and subjectively. But, why did not the innumerable magicians and the so-called rationalists combine together (as they couldn't do it individually), enlist 37 million devotees from 178 countries to “earn” Rs. 40,000 crore and help the common man in India with FREE high-tech medical facilities, FREE education and FREE drinking water (which even the governments could not do) ? And it should also be a miracle that he was accorded a state mourning and the state honours for the funeral by the government which has a “constitutional obligation and commitment to a scientific temper”! The condescending remark of Bhargava implying that Baba has an ulterior motive to earn money cannot compel one to buy the argument as the facts and figures put forth by Mr. G. Venkataraman point to the contrary – for instance, it is averred that the Trust rendered absolutely free treatment to over 25,000 inpatients. The audited market value of free medical services is close to about Rs. 250 crore. It seems that he did something good for the welfare of the society whatever be the means he adopted (not proved to be mean or criminal, anyway) to raise the funds.
A lot is on the Net about Sri Satya Sai Baba – both good and bad; http://www.satyasai.org/international saiorganisation, http://robertpriddy.wordpress.com/2011/04/30/archive for April 2011 Sathya sai baba deceptions exposed. One may draw his/her own conclusions.
What all god-men or good-men say in different words is more or less the same. Good preaching always; rarely followed, of course. The following quotes seem to be very relevant to the present day society:
“If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character.
If there is beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the home.
If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation.
When there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.”
If there is beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the home.
If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation.
When there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.”
-- Sri Satya Sai Baba
“There is only one Religion, the Religion of Love.
There is only one Caste, the Caste of Humanity.
There is only one Language, the Language of the Heart.
There is only one God and He is Omnipresent.”
-- Sri Satya Sai Baba
‘Satya (truth), dharma (righteousness), shanti (peace), prema (love) and ahimsa (non-violence)’ – this five-fold path is said to be the formula to lead a meaningful life.
I am commenting only on the objective benefits given by this benefactor (magician, trickster, legend, ‘good-man’, ‘god-man’, god or whatever you may call), not on the other aspects – subjective benefits, spiritual experiences, miracles or unethical deeds as alleged by some.
YOU TOO ARE GOD
Many god-men claim to have extraordinary powers, but Sri Satya Sai Baba was said to have gone to the extent of calling himself a god. Critics were vocal in condemning him for this ‘arrogance’. He made an amendment by saying“I am God. You too are God. The only difference between You and Me is that while I am aware of it, you are completely unaware.” This philosophy of Baba implies, perhaps, that whoever has done good for others is godly. There must be many in this world who are gods at various levels.
After all, service to humanity is service to god.
EASY TO BECOME GOD
Interestingly, while I am writing this, my niece, Neelima phoned to me from Singapore saying that she happened to see on http://www.healthcaremagic.com/doctors/dr-ramaprasad/38783 a comment by one Karun stating that I am“...just like a god...” and another by Gokilavani who wrote about me as: “...he is my god...”! It may sound a trifle ironic, but it is very easy for any doctor to get an image like this – just by honestly extending professional help without expecting revenue returns. One can easily get good name, be called a god or whatever and be ‘worshipped’, provided one is prepared to sacrifice certain things in life. But, most are unwilling ‘to be gods’, for obvious reasons. Thus, most people prefer to be ‘non-gods’ ! Yes, it makes sense, good business sense !! I remained ‘poor’ as I lacked this sense. No regrets, for I am happy that the society reckoned me as a good human being. It is important that one lives a life one feels proud of.
“Success isn’t about money or fame;
Success is living a life you feel proud of.” -- Anon
PUSHED TO BE GOOD-MEN OR GOD-MEN
It may be a tad ironic, but the truth may be that those who are regarded as godly may not originally be creditable for the image they have. It runs like this: When people start believing and regarding one as a ‘god-man’ or a ‘good-man’ he has no option except to behave as expected to keep up the image created by the society. People do what their society rewards them to do. This would further enhance the image in that direction. This enhanced image leaves no other option except to do more to sustain and further develop the image through innate capabilities, philanthropic activities, sacrifices or even deceptive deeds. It runs as a vicious cycle. There is no option. People go on pushing up the image and one has got to keep pace with it. When one is pushed one has to get going to do the task. This is how some god-men and ‘gurus’ might have evolved. Some of them might have exploited the public taking advantage of their blind faith. And some built up awesome establishments with all the business model organisation and technology with a battalion of business managers and event managers.
Sometimes, some good is perceived to be done by someone who would have done it by chance, accident or speculation -- as is the case of the one who ‘jumped’ into a well and rescued a boy who had fallen into the well. The crowd around the well, of whom he was one before he ‘jumped’ into the well, called him a good Samaritan and a god after he came out of the well, appreciated his bravery and thanked him for the godly act. The puzzled man looked around and asked: “Who pushed me into the well?” !
This is how one may do good things by being pushed to do good. My patients branded me as one who is not after money, is kind and helpful, etc. Was I also ‘ pushed into the well’? Perhaps. I lived up to their expectations and sustained the image created. One may be tempted to accept this sort of a situation to get good name and fame. Good men, god-men and ‘gurus’ might have evolved this way also. And some of them might have fooled and cheated the gullible public through this status.
“You are a great human, sir,” written Subhashree Kannan on Facebook (Nov.20, 2011). Perhaps, this is a better compliment than calling me a god, as a helpful human is better than a mute god. Helping hands are better than praying lips. Service to humanity is service to God.
. “Do things as God would like; You would surely be blessed;
You need not even pray to Him.”
--Brigadier R. Loganathan
IMAGE BOOSTERS
Another factor which inflates the image of ‘god-men’ or ‘good-men’ is the aura and halo built around them by devotees or well-wishers who are impressed or benefitted by the solace and succour provided by them to the public or to them in times of distress. Imaginary attributes pour out of a conditioned mindset which are taken by the people as true facts though they are beyond the realm of human comprehension. ‘Anecdotes’ travel far and wide which may only be apocryphal.
This makes me recall what some of my illiterate relatives used to say, during my childhood, about my surgeon-father: “...You were not born at that time, Prasad, when your father removed a frog from the brain of a patient by surgical operation ...” The legend has it so. This is how ‘miracles’ may evolve unintentionally through self-conditioned minds and spoken out of reverence or belief or while in a state of trance. In the same way, some stories and anecdotes were attributed to me also which are far from truth. Human mind sometimes projects an exaggerated picture out of respect and trust. For instance, Dr. Suneetha Sampath, All India Institute of Medical Sciences who graduated from the Perundurai Medical College (now in USA) wrote on the FACE BOOK about me thus:
“… I had never met you personally.. and no one who ever grew up in Perundurai Medical College would have known you personally! ; there used to be an aura around that small road, with your name board, that branches off just ahead of the Perundurai Medical College; ... there are great stories about you which circulate in the Perundurai Medical College -- about your clinical expertise and multi-dimensional personality.... and your fitness and enthusiasm at your age … you are really an invisible inspiration, sir... ”
Sometimes, we pick up stories and spread them without verifying. Here is an example of picking up official information and disseminating it: The Pakistan’s Presidential spokesman, Farhatullah Babar clearly said (June 2012) on Indian TV channels that Surjeet Singh (long-time Indian prisoner in Pakistan) was entitled to be released. But after a Pakistani news channel referred to the person as Sarabjit Singh (another long-time Indian prisoner in Pakistan), that became the name the media ran away with, misinforming the whole world without verifying the facts ! Worse, our External Affairs Minister, S.M. Krishna immediately welcomed the “decision to release Sarabjit Singh” with his office not bothering to get a confirmation from the Indian Mission in Islamabad !
Here is another example of spreading information without basis and verification. One patient had treatment elsewhere for infertility for six years spending several lakhs of rupees with no positive outcome. Thinking that it is an exercise in futility, she didn’t take any treatment for the next six years. After that period of six years, she came to me for treatment for some problem not related to infertility. I treated her for this after which she became pregnant naturally ! She spread the information that she had the benefit of becoming pregnant after my treatment though it was not for that.
MIRACLES
History is replete with various anecdotes of miracles related to god-men. To read a recent documentation about the unbelievable powers of a god-man go to: http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/thatcher-chandraswami-and -i/article4595546.ece. This is an account of the super-human power of the god-man Chandraswami who convinced the “iron lady”, Margaret Thatcher, Briton’s first woman Prime Minister of his occult powers and miracles. The article, titled “Thatcher, Chandraswami and I”, written by former Indian diplomat (Deputy High Commissioner), K. Natwar Singh is published in The Hindu of April 9, 2013. This is a bit of a repetition of what is written about this man at the beginning of this chapter.
The god-man asked Mrs. Thatcher to write five questions on paper and he floored her by correctly saying out all the questions one by one without seeing the paper. He told her that she would become the Prime Minister in three or four years and stay in that position for nine, eleven or thirteen years. He was proved right. She was Prime Minister for 11 years ! Read the article for the thrill of enjoying the narration. While rationalists can’t accept the mumbo-jumbo of the god-men, documents of this nature make it difficult for them to dismiss such narrations of ‘miracles’ as complete hoax.
I read one article in The Hindu of Aug. 26, 2011 (http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/the-miracle-that-was-mother-teresa/article2397132.ece ) (http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sainthood-for-teresa-awaits-acceptable-miracle/article590170.ece) entitled “The miracle that was Mother Teresa” written by Navin Chawla,a former Chief Election Commissioner of India. Describing a couple of incidents of saving life by medicines which could be obtained ‘miraculously’ (unexpected timely find and transportation of the medicine – not materialising out of thin air) by Mother Teresa under the most unlikely circumstances, he mentioned: “... Far from once not believing in miracles, I am in little doubt that Mother Teresa’s life itself was a miracle.” This is to be pondered over though the author did not state that Mother Teresa did miracles. After her demise in 1997, the Church recognised two miracles attributed to Mother Teresa – curing an Indian woman of cancer – and a Brazilian man suffering from multiple brain tumours. These miracles paved the way to ‘sainthood’ and the Nobel laureate was canonised by Pope Francis at a ceremony in the Vatican on September 4, 2016. These days, nothing goes without criticism, and that is a different story. Even the auctioning of the ‘bandhgala’ suit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi which gained entry into the ‘Guinness Book of World Records’ attracted criticism.
Miracles attributed to Sri Satya Sai Baba are innumerable and legendary and most famous. Go to http://www.satyasai.org/international saiorganisation to read about them.
Some convincing evidence is available in some cases which lends credence to the occurrence of ‘miracles’, though many or most of them are concocted and stage-managed. Even a rational mind may not dismiss off some of them, as the occurrence would be more than expected by a mere chance occurrence or a just coincidence. And a lot depends on how the mind is tuned. The glass is half empty or half full according to the mind. Sudarsan, one of my well-wishers in Hyderabad, sent one small photograph of ‘Sri Ragavendra’ to me. The receipt of this coincided with the finding of our dog ‘Cibi’ on May 17, 2012 which was found missing for the previous ten days. Some said that it is just a sheer coincidence. Some said that it is a miracle. If the mind is inclined, this is enough to make one a staunch devotee of ‘Sri Ragavendra’. In this context, I remember the ‘Super Star’, Rajanikanth who has been a staunch devotee of ‘Sri Raghavendra.’ He produced a film on this ‘god-man’ acting in the role of ‘Sri Ragavendra’ (“The Name is Rajanikanth” by Gayathri Srikanth, Om Book International, Delhi).
It was a Sunday evening (January 19, 2014) when a small girl complained of severe abdominal pain and started crying. One teaspoonful of medicine was given. But she was continuously crying for about an hour when a decision was taken to take her to Erode for medical / surgical treatment. Just before shifting her from the cot to the car, I put three of my fingers on her forehead and asked her to recite some numbers. And lo and behold, within seconds, crying stopped; she started giggling, laughing and jumping on the cot. The pain did not recur during the next few weeks. The science of modern medicine can’t explain away satisfactorily this miraculous relief. It is difficult to reason it out as a chance coincidence. But it should have been, as I am not a ‘miracle-man’. In most cases nature takes care of health problems while doctors or god-men get the credit. Symptoms of this nature disappear by themselves and we attribute the relief to medicines or ‘mantras’ !
There was a highly qualified specialist waiting to receive an appointment order to get into a vacant teaching post in a medical college. Months rolled by. Giving up all the hope, the doctor was making all the arrangements to set up a private establishment. At this point of time, I gave a pen and said: “This pen will bring you good luck.” Within a few days the appointment order was received unexpectedly and the joining report was signed with this pen on February 3, 2014 ! Must be a sheer coincidence, though !! Though it was a coincidence, it shored up the doctor’s confidence.
I asked ‘Pandit ji’ as to how miracles could happen. He said that it may be due to some ‘occult power’ which some have. ‘Pandit ji’ is a doctorate from University of California who studied humanities and went on to do research on ‘occultism’ and ‘vaastu’.
GOK -- God only knows whether He made any real god-men on earth !
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| DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS -- Dr. T. Rama Prasad |
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