The past two months has seen an interesting controversial scandal involving Paramahamsa Nithyananda, the young enlightened Master who had so far been known for teaching meditation to and providing life solutions for the common man.
On March 2, 2010, a video was aired on practically all television channels showing him allegedly in an intimate scene with an actress. The following three months saw a shocking media trial with a variety of stories telecast, written and rumored in the grapevine.
The video which even if verified true can be called a cheap one-day thriller at the most – used to destroy a socio-spiritual organization and abuse the religion it belongs to. But it was broadcast in all forms of media with such sleaze and titillation that it captured the imagination and fantasy of millions worldwide. Nithyananda became one of the top 10 trending topics in Twitter. In a matter of 24 hours, over 1000 video clips of the alleged video were all over the Internet. What really does this represent?
Why do sex scandals ignite the fantasy of millions worldwide? It is a blunt reminder of basic human psychology, of primal instinct – all sex scandals have a masturbation utility value. Sounds shocking? Well, just analyze why there is a mass hysteria – for example when a new heroine makes her debut. She captures the imagination of the population for maybe upto a month and then the euphoria starts waning. The new lady on screen actually incites the primal instinct in the population unconsciously looking for a masturbation tool. So a sex scandal is a very powerful tool to point a finger at the credibility of any Master.
Take the case of Nithyananda. Was it media playing an extra-efficient role of being the watchdog or was it a stark reflection of a dirty perverted population enjoying a scandal (especially a sex scandal involving celebrities) or was it a planned conspiracy to bring down the most widely followed guru today (youtube statistics show Nithyananda is the most widely watched living guru today followed by people from 247 countries)…or was it a blatant attempt at exterminating a minority tradition of Hinduism?
The motivations for religious persecution of followers of the Nithyananda tradition are many, the foremost being the guru having a worldwide mass appeal leading to a meteoric rise in followership. The Nithyananda movement for global peace and growth through individual transformation was all poised for becoming practically a new breakthrough religious consciousness. With global acceptance comes of course the threat to contemporary religious leaders and the socio-political brass. A perfect recipe for a scandal to destroy a religious minority…
What really is religious persecution?
According to Wikipedia, religious persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group of individuals as a response to their religious beliefs or affiliations.
What has the history of persecution of religious minorities been?
It has been happening from centuries till date.
The Inquisition by the orthodox Catholic Church, the Crusades, jihad, witchhunts…let us look at some more recent examples.
Thich Nhat Hanh
As recent as December 2009, 400 monks in Vietnam asked for temporary asylum…here is the heart-rending plea by them:
“16 months ago our government began to harass and repress us. In June 2009 they cut electricity and water. In September they violently expelled us from our Bat Nha monastery. After this expulsion we took refuge in Phuoc Hue temple and the persecution escalated up until last week.
The government terrorized the abbot to the point that he had to sign a promise that December 31st is the last day that we can stay together.
Wherever we go in Vietnam we are not safe.
For the sangha to break is the most catastrophic thing that can happen in a monk or a nun’s spiritual life. To destroy a monastery, and to kill a community of monks and nuns is a great misfortune for our traditional culture. We love our nation – we love our people – and we have devoted our whole life to practice being peace, being non-violent, as a concrete contribution to our society and to world peace.”
Dalai Lama
On March 10th 1959, nine years after the Chinese military invasion of Mao Zedong, a revolt was bloodily repressed forcing the Dalai Lama to flee to India. The Dalai Lama has spoken about China of having killed “tens of thousands of Tibetans” and of having transformed Himalayan homeland into a “hell on earth”. In a speech marking the 50th anniversary of the failed revolt against Chinese occupation the Buddhist leader repeated his demands for a “legitimate and meaningful autonomy” for Tibet, even under Beijing´s sovereignty.
Sufis
Reactions to Sufism include toleration, opposition, and execution. Research reports indicate that in Iran members of Sufi are considered infidels and are prevented from seeking jobs and not allowed to be members of the army. Lawyers could lose their practice licenses and university lecturers could quite easily lose their Jobs. Many are sentenced to prison or murdered and their cases are never properly investigated. The place of worship of Sufi (Khaneghah) in various cities were destroyed.
According to the Amir Kabir web site in mid 2008 three female school teachers were fired from their jobs for practicing Sufism. Also the economist Bijan Bid Abad and Dr Nassir Ahmadi, a lecturer in the open university were expelled from the university.
Bahá’í faith
The Bahá’ís are a religious community deemed as heretic in Islam. In Iran, the nation of origin of the Bahá’í Faith, Iran’s largest religious minority and the location of one of the largest Bahá’í populations in the world, have been subjected to unwarranted arrests, false imprisonment, beatings, torture, unjustified executions, confiscation and destruction of property owned by individuals and the Bahá’í community, denial of employment, denial of government benefits, denial of civil rights and liberties, and denial of access to higher education. Bahá’ís are also being persecuted in Egypt.
Sathya Sai Baba
In 2004, in the UK and internationally, the BBC aired a documentary titled The Secret Swami, in its series ‘The World Uncovered’. One central theme of the BBC documentary was Alaya Rahm’s sexual abuse allegations against Sathya Sai Baba. The documentary interviewed him together with Mark Roche, who had devoted 25 years of his life since 1969 to the movement and alleged abuse by him.
Neither Sathya Sai Baba nor any organizations associated with him have been charged or convicted for sexual abuse or any other crime in a court of law. Alaya Rahm filed a lawsuit against the ‘Sathya Sai Baba Society’ in the Superior Court of California on January 6, 2005. On April 7, 2006 Alaya Rahm withdrew his lawsuit after indications that his challenge lacked merit. The case was dismissed ‘with prejudice’ meaning it cannot be filed for the same claims again.
Asaram Bapu
There were attempts to associate the Indian spiritual guru Asaram Bapu with Hindu Nationalists, Hindu Extremists and Right Wing Hindus. Allegations were made of his being involved in the killings of two children, forceful land-grabbing of the lands of farmers and government…despite this, today Asaram Bapu’s satsangs are attended by lakhs of people. The attempts to frame him were so concerted that even to this date, there are incidents of women coming in burkhas and removing their clothes and alleging sexual assault!
Baba Ramdev
In January 2006, the Divya Yog Mandir Trust of Baba Ramdev was accused of using human and animal bones in their medicines. Samples of the medicines were purchased from the Trust’s hospital at Haridwar, were allegedly tested at government labs later confirming the presence of animal materials in the sample.
Later, four samples were sent to government-recognized institutions that declared that the samples did not contain objectionable ingredients and were purely herbal. Baba Ramdev was subsequently cleared of the charges. Notably people’s response was so huge that subsequent to these allegations, that sales of the Trust’s ayurvedic medicines actually soared after this incident.
Jayendra Saraswati
The Shankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam is one of the icons of the Hindu tradition. It has been a hub of spiritual and social service activities including providing scriptural education, teaching Sanskrit, running hospitals…
On November 11, 2004 the 69th Shankaracharya Sri Jayendra Saraswati was arrested and charged by state prosecutors to being a conspirator in the murder of a temple manager, Sankararaman. He was booked under Sections 302 (for murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence or giving false information to screen offender) and 205 (false personation for purpose of act or proceeding in suit or prosecution).
On January 10, 2005, he was able to secure bail from the Supreme Court of India although lower courts refused his bail application. On 26 October 2005, the Supreme Court of India transferred the case out of the state of Tamil Nadu state to the adjoining Union Territory of Pondicherry.
The Shankaracharya’s arrest attracted widespread media coverage, prompting accusations of a trial by media. The interest of the media decreased after successive verdicts of the High Courts in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu as well as the Supreme Court of India. Particularly, the High Court of Andhra Pradesh found that the conduct of the media was improper. As of January 2010, the chief approvers of the case themselves turned hostile to the prosecution and state that the police had forced them to lie against the Shankaracharya and his disciple Shri Shankara Vijayendra Sarasvati.
Paramahamsa Nithyananda
In the case of Nithyananda, the case had all the ingredients for a vindictive scandal capable of destroying the master and the mission – young handsome master, devotees both male and female from all around the world from all backgrounds and professions…recipe for the sureshot attention-grabbing virulent attack in the form of a sex scandal.
The video was used as a weapon for attacking the organizations and followers of Nithyananda – ashrams and centers around India were attacked. Nithyananda’s disciples were threatened physically, mentally, psychologically.
According to any law, a person has to be proven guilty; until then he is naturally innocent. The media trial was taken to such an extent that Nithyananda was declared guilty before even the trial started.
Recent scandals against the church worldwide have not got more than a passing mention and that too in an obscure corner in papers and electronic media. Even locally, for the incidents of church abuse in Chamarajpet and Chennapatna there was no media coverage of more than a small column for more than a day. But in the case of a Hindu spiritual guru, a video whose authenticity had not even been verified is telecast on local and national television for days continuously, is printed in mainstream media for days on end.
What is this but religious persecution! The followers of Nithyananda were subjected to immense torture…the brahmacharini disciples were subjected to psychological and mental torture. When walking on the streets, the young ladies were jeered at, indecent glances and questions thrown at them, even their saris pulled at!
Defamatory stories were written about 16 of the brahmacharinis in the Tamil tabloid Nakkeeran – including an alleged marriage of a brahmachari and brahmacharini, alleged relationships with ashramites, allegations of being pimps for the alleged free-for-all orgy apparently going on at the ashram…! But if you look at their backgrounds, they come from decent, respectable, well-off families who had taken the path of spirituality to evolve themselves and make a difference to the world.
Why isn’t anybody speaking about their fundamental rights of basic and religious freedom being violated? Why isn’t any human rights organization taking up this serious issue? Why isn’t any womens’ rights organization raking up a storm at this blatant outrage of modesty of the young women?
The brahmacharis, brahmacharinis and sannyasi disciples of Nithyananda were deprived of their fundamental right to practice their religion. They were under physical and mental threat to even wear their religious dress – the saffron kavi. They were under duress to continue their spiritual practices, meditation programs…
The freeze on all the bank accounts of the ashram forced them to stop all their social service activities – free meals, free meditation programs, free medical camps…in fact, they did not have the finances to take care of their food and personal expenses!
Many ashrams and centers were actually attacked in a pre-meditated concerted manner. For example, in Salem, the organizers actually saw the police, goons and media coming together at the same time! The goons came and asked the organizers to step out of the center. Then they pulled down the Dhyanapeetam board and set it ablaze. The media was standing by to capture the sensational scene!
In the Tiruvannamalai ashram, hundreds were being served free meals everyday – the poor, children, wandering sadhus…the common man was only grateful for the services offered by the ashram. But certain malicious elements forced themselves into the ashram, pulled a brahmachari by his kavi! The commoner around Tiruvannamalai who benefited from the services of the ashram reported that they wanted to report positively in the media about their experiences but the media was least interested in the non-sensational news!
In a free democracy, where an individual’s fundamental rights to life and religion are a basic right, how do you justify such blatant acts of arson, intimidation and invasion of religious freedom?
Seems to me there is a real immediate need right now in our Mother Earth and in ourselves for clarity around the issues of Spirituality and Sexuality and that – therefore – this entire socalled ‘scandal’ of Swami Nithyanandas – can be seen in a positive light as the work of Existence – God – Brahman or whatever name we prefer to give to ‘the One without a second’ – to try and focus some conscious light on this whole issue thereby forcing people – all of us who somehow or other are moved by this ‘scandal’ this story or drama – to look into this matter and decide for ourselves just how we feel about ‘spirituality versus sexuality’ – and then for each one of us to stand by and live our own conclusion.
Some people might conclude that Nithyananda cannot possibly be a true Guru and enlightened Master because it seems he is not ‘above’ ordinary lustful behaviour – others would believe that the video might be morphed or that anyhow Swami Nithyananda must have been in a somehow altered state of consciousness and therefore still is ‘pure’ and above lust and duality – stating Krishnas example of having been involved with so many beautiful cowherdwomen yet when He asked the river Yamuna “Yamuna if I am a perfect brahmachari who never even kissed a woman please part” – the river actually parted and he could walk – together with his devotees and cross the ocean – as the proof that a Master can be sexually involved with so many women yet be completely ‘pure and virginlike’.
Still others may feel that it is about time we accept that man can be god and god can be man – that the fusion of God the Spirit and God the Man – the transformation of our own innate human nature with our own innate divine nature should take place NOW – the first step being letting go of all guilt around the issue of sex and all concepts around the issue of how a socalled True Master should or should not behave…
Thank you for this blog and the possibility to express ourselves…
Love and Light
Jeeva Jyoti – Tiruvannamalai
Personnaly, I think if someone prevents a generous man from giving food to poor people or if he prevents someone from giving frre education to poor children or if someone prevents another suffering human being to benefit from free medical assistance or if someone prevents a old man to get a shelter and food or if somone breaks a couple and seperate its members or if he steals food , house, clothes and all material things from another human being or steal all his money, even those terrible sinners who merit severe punishments pescribed by law can have some way to escape from hell but those who prevent needy people from living a joyous interior life by throwing calomny on thier Guru are commiting the worst sin and the worst crime and will have to take birth million times to repay their crime by having to lead the worst and saddest miserable life on earth with no light whatsoever at the end of the tunnel. Preventing his brother or sister from being happy is , i think , is the worst sin… under any pretext..that pretext may be true or false, we don’t care ..we have met someone who can wipe away our tears and worries and we don’t want a petty man interested in financial gains prevent us from getting that rare chance to quit our depression and climb up to the state of bliss…even a glimpse of bliss, we don’t want to loose because of this or that. we have a rare luck to heve a MASTER like swami NITYANANDA living in the same century and the same time and sharing the same space with us , why should we be prevented from exploiting that chance by a jealous and greedy man ??
WHEN you consider the political hue and colour of men and women in power now favouring the crushing of minorities, and stopping with ferocity the spreading of our wings, forcing alien civilisation and sowing those seeds in the Hindu lands poisoning them, what else we can do than await for a Divine help to bring the most needed change in those cercles of power. we are so afraid that even writing frankly becomes difficult and we have to employ complicated vocabulary and enigmatic codes to pass our message !
All the Great Masters down the ages have been persecuted and attacked, Christ was crucified! And it was always by the religious heads or socio-political brass whose power and authority were threatened by the mass followings drawn by the charisma of The Masters.
India’s greatest heritage is its spirituality, the Sanatana Dharma, eternally vibrant Truth, preserved and transmitted through the ages by the great line of Masters.
Paramahansa Nithyananda as his title signifies is truly a Great Master
taken birth at this crucial time leading up to 2012 and The SHIFT to the Spiritual Dimension in accordance to the Divine Plan. It explains his meteoric rise at such a young age and within a few years of starting preaching, he was able to draw hundreds of thousands of followers, bringing about sweeping change and transformation that was both visible and palpable. The attack of the ‘Dark Forces’ opposing change was thereforwe inevitable and should have been expected. A perverted society and an irresponsible News Media made sensational broadcast of the sex scandal video, whose sudden appearance out of the blue gave indication of a planned attack.
Within the short span of 2 months Swamiji has been released and the ban on preaching lifted. With the Guru Poornima celebrations on July 25th all activities will be resumed with renewed fervour and vigour. The Divine Plan will not be thwarted!
The ‘Life Divine’ was heralded by the Great Masters, whom I served, Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, who taught the Yoga of Transformation and brought down into the Earth’s atmosphere in 1956 the ‘Supramental Consciousness’ opening the spiritual dimension to any sincere aspirant.
I was happily serving as a sadhak of the Sri Aurobindo Society for the last 12 years but have also been subjected to an attack of the Dark Forces and unjustifiably dismissed in 2009. Swamiji came on his first visit to Pondicherry just at that crucial time for Kalpatru Darshan, which is how I made contact and followed the NSP programme that he conducted in Salem in Feb of that year. It was a memorable experience.
It was a long time in the happening. Little did I imagine that Swamiji would himself be subjected to an attack and subsequent release before long. But when it did happen I understood immediately and was confident he would come through triumphant…
My place in the Aurobindo ashram is also assured without a doubt but I have important work to be seen through in Malaysia for now. There is no greater joy than working for the Divine.
“The ascent to the Divine Life is the human journey, the Work of works, the acceptable Sacrifice. This alone is man’s real business in the world, and the justification of his existence, without which he would be only an insect crawling among other ephemerl insects…”
Sri Aurobindo
In Their Light and service,
Sheila Pakiam