Ashrams or nightclubs for carnal pleasures!

During the last couple of years, a number of godmen have been put behind bars, both in our State and across the country, for nefarious and criminal activities. People who used to worship them, listen to their talks and attend their ashrams are now disillusioned lots. In many cases of allegations of abuse, the public is almost scared to go close. Even so, there are hundreds of godmen who are still peddling their wares and still successful with large numbers of followers.

There is definitely an issue about these godmen that I would like to bring to notice. Who made them to become godmen or agents between the people and God? Who started worshipping them? Who started offering tulsi leaves at their feet, tulsi and lotus garlands around their neck, which is reserved for only deities? Why people prostrate themselves and offer their body and mind to these godmen with the hope of getting benefits and progressing materially? Did the godmen demand it or it is the public who made gods out of these men? I would like to believe that it’s the public who gave them this stature and made them agents of God. So, when some fraudulent masters took advantage of the people’s innocence and crossed all limits, suddenly everyone woke up to their activities and stringent action was taken against them even going to the level of criminal cases and jailing them. I think we should know as to who is to be blamed so that we become aware and don’t fall into traps time and again.

It is quite common for the general public or those who are illiterate to believe the so-called miracles of these frauds, but what about the educated people? Do they have any vested interest in the ashrams? There is certainly a feel good factor of belonging to a network; and in these days of isolation, it feels good to belong to a community of believers. People proudly say that I am a follower of so and so. Sometimes, the networking is for materialistic benefit. If there are important people like politicians or businessmen who can give favours then others join the group so that they can have easy access to them. Rich persons sometimes use these ashrams for laundering of money from black to white and, sometimes, also to park funds. The organisations grow at a very fast speed like the MLMs (multilevel marketing) layers and within a short span grow into a huge number of followers, especially in the rural areas. There is a vacuum in the Western countries which these ‘gurus’ are able to fill.

The fact is that most of the godmen are very ordinary individuals with aberrations which are enhanced by the followers. I will blame the followers who become influenced by these godmen and are willing to go any length to please them. It is only common knowledge that most of these aberrations relate to sexual abuse and monetary abuse. It may seem insignificant that one person donates Rs 100 or Rs 1,000 per month, but when these are collected from thousands of ordinary people the amounts become significant. Nothing more can be said about rich ones and their contributions. In return, they are provided with all sorts of favours, mainly supply of women, etc. It’s almost like hypnosis when educated people have offered their children to godmen innocently believing that they will be sent to God, not bothering whether the child is alive or not. The fact is the children have been abused and killed. Imagine the kind of control that these godmen have over the minds of followers. Most of them use hypnosis. If a survey is made about the background of these godmen, it will be found that they come from very poor families; and when they come into money and fame beyond their imagination, it is only natural that they become spoilt.

It is true that they have training in speeches or ‘prabachans’ and do possess the gift of the gab which is used to influence people for wrong purposes. Again, I would like to reiterate that the followers should not go beyond the spiritual purpose. They should use their ‘vivek’ and ‘vichar’, which means the power of discrimination and thought to recognise the good godmen and what they practise. We have a responsibility to society for ensuring that the great spiritual culture of India is maintained with its purity. Let us not make nightclubs out of ashrams to use for our carnal pleasures. Let us encourage the good godmen and help them in going forward. If we can do without these agents of God and start praying to God and deities directly, it would be best for our spiritual development.

(Dr Pati is a teacher and a freelance writer)