Showing posts with label CULT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CULT. Show all posts
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Monday, January 13, 2014
Saturday, June 18, 2011
For the lay, Nithyananda’s transcendental lies
By Chandan Nandy
It took A Rajasekharan, alias Paramahamsa Nithyananda, the man masquerading as a spiritual leader and healer of mental and physical afflictions, nearly two weeks to come out and claim that he was in a ‘trance’ when he was filmed having sex with a Tamil actress. Obviously, Nithyananda, who claims to have experienced ‘truth’ and ‘enlightenment’, is not anywhere near speaking the truth.
The ‘paramahamsa’ does not even have the courage to own up to the fact that he gave in to a moment of human weakness (it is another matter that it was not simply a momentary lapse of ascetic strength; that was his wont and the sine qua non of his so-called spiritual movement). How do we describe such a man? A fraud? A confidence trickster? A villainous manipulator? A sociopath on the loose?
The common dictionary definition of trance is “a half-conscious state, seemingly between sleeping and waking, in which ability to function voluntarily may be suspended”. If Nithyananda is trying to tell the world at large, and especially his disciples, that he was in fact violated by Ranjitha, the Tamil actress he is shown to have sex with, he is lying. For, nobody who has seen the video clips would be fooled about his claim. It is pretty much obvious that Nithyananda was not in a state of trance, or as he put it, ‘in deep samadhi’. He was, to use his own cultic language, in a state of extreme ecstatic bliss.
What Nithyananda has attempted to do through his statements aired via his own website or a couple of television news channels is to sway the flagging support among his youthful followers. The efforts to clear himself by replying to inspired questions put by a researcher of little academic recognition, the use of spurious cultic language (‘deep silent meditation’) and other forms of half-baked comments exposed an essentially flawed and devious mind incapable of taking on the truth. But these, according to sociological studies of the 1950s, also indicated that as a cult leader Nithyananda tried to change his devotees’ and television viewers’ belief systems via ‘sensory overload’ and subverting their ability to reason.
Even if it is assumed that some of the studies used over-generalised stereotypes of deception on the part of cult leaders, there is no denying the fact that Nithyananda is now employing a stratagem to trick people into believing that he committed no wrong. He has persuasion techniques, but part-admitting to have been ‘served’ by Ranjitha and lying on his state of consciousness will not go a long way to establish his credibility among the people at large. In many ways, Nithyananda has been found out. The videos ensured that first and then his statements left no doubt in the minds of the people that the man they watched on the television screen was an inveterate liar.
Credibility
Duping people by half-baked tantric concepts like being in a state of trance will only alienate his cultic order from those who are more rational in judging and concluding the moral worth of a man who claims to be, and is projected by some of his associates, as an ‘enlightened Master’.
Nithyananda was mistaken to be a charismatic leader by members of his cult. A deviant and perverse impersonation of malignity, Nithyananda tried to use the sublime ideals of Hinduism and Brahminism to achieve a rather base objective — wealth accumulation the easy way.
There is a large and established body of scholarly literature, far more credible and grounded in rationality than the mish-mash of Brahmanical and occult practices that Nithyananda bandied about through his teachings and sermons, but which are, to say the least, a perverse attack on the ideals of Brahmanism, Sanatana Dharma and Vedanta philosophy. He tried to hijack all of these in one go without even adequately comprehending them in their fullest depth. He tried to sell them expensive, the cost of which he is now paying by way of social revile.
It is best left to scholars of theology, religion and cults to ascertain what Nithyananda’s organisation, which sociologists would agree was formed to satisfy the personal interests of its leader and a few others, attempted to propagate was impairing and destructive. Nithyananda is no Moses trying to deliver his fringe flock to freedom. His seven-year movement, if it can be described as one at all, is an experiment with a self-deceiving, illusory conception of an alternative way of life that was not altruistic in the sense that it was not directed at ameliorating the lot of the poor, the marginalised, the disempowered and the wretched of society.
Nithyananda tried to engineer the beliefs of many young people that the freedom to lead wholly self-indulgent lives could provide them with the sense of purpose and direction in life they so ardently sought. Having taken the pendulum of freedom to its outermost limits, after throwing hundreds of young minds back into a regressive mode by inculcating in them the idea that he was their Master, the arbiter of their souls, and by telling them that their salvation lay at his ‘lotus feet’, Nithyananda has now found a barren vista.
Credits: Deccan Herald News
It took A Rajasekharan, alias Paramahamsa Nithyananda, the man masquerading as a spiritual leader and healer of mental and physical afflictions, nearly two weeks to come out and claim that he was in a ‘trance’ when he was filmed having sex with a Tamil actress. Obviously, Nithyananda, who claims to have experienced ‘truth’ and ‘enlightenment’, is not anywhere near speaking the truth.
The ‘paramahamsa’ does not even have the courage to own up to the fact that he gave in to a moment of human weakness (it is another matter that it was not simply a momentary lapse of ascetic strength; that was his wont and the sine qua non of his so-called spiritual movement). How do we describe such a man? A fraud? A confidence trickster? A villainous manipulator? A sociopath on the loose?
The common dictionary definition of trance is “a half-conscious state, seemingly between sleeping and waking, in which ability to function voluntarily may be suspended”. If Nithyananda is trying to tell the world at large, and especially his disciples, that he was in fact violated by Ranjitha, the Tamil actress he is shown to have sex with, he is lying. For, nobody who has seen the video clips would be fooled about his claim. It is pretty much obvious that Nithyananda was not in a state of trance, or as he put it, ‘in deep samadhi’. He was, to use his own cultic language, in a state of extreme ecstatic bliss.
What Nithyananda has attempted to do through his statements aired via his own website or a couple of television news channels is to sway the flagging support among his youthful followers. The efforts to clear himself by replying to inspired questions put by a researcher of little academic recognition, the use of spurious cultic language (‘deep silent meditation’) and other forms of half-baked comments exposed an essentially flawed and devious mind incapable of taking on the truth. But these, according to sociological studies of the 1950s, also indicated that as a cult leader Nithyananda tried to change his devotees’ and television viewers’ belief systems via ‘sensory overload’ and subverting their ability to reason.
Even if it is assumed that some of the studies used over-generalised stereotypes of deception on the part of cult leaders, there is no denying the fact that Nithyananda is now employing a stratagem to trick people into believing that he committed no wrong. He has persuasion techniques, but part-admitting to have been ‘served’ by Ranjitha and lying on his state of consciousness will not go a long way to establish his credibility among the people at large. In many ways, Nithyananda has been found out. The videos ensured that first and then his statements left no doubt in the minds of the people that the man they watched on the television screen was an inveterate liar.
Credibility
Duping people by half-baked tantric concepts like being in a state of trance will only alienate his cultic order from those who are more rational in judging and concluding the moral worth of a man who claims to be, and is projected by some of his associates, as an ‘enlightened Master’.
Nithyananda was mistaken to be a charismatic leader by members of his cult. A deviant and perverse impersonation of malignity, Nithyananda tried to use the sublime ideals of Hinduism and Brahminism to achieve a rather base objective — wealth accumulation the easy way.
There is a large and established body of scholarly literature, far more credible and grounded in rationality than the mish-mash of Brahmanical and occult practices that Nithyananda bandied about through his teachings and sermons, but which are, to say the least, a perverse attack on the ideals of Brahmanism, Sanatana Dharma and Vedanta philosophy. He tried to hijack all of these in one go without even adequately comprehending them in their fullest depth. He tried to sell them expensive, the cost of which he is now paying by way of social revile.
It is best left to scholars of theology, religion and cults to ascertain what Nithyananda’s organisation, which sociologists would agree was formed to satisfy the personal interests of its leader and a few others, attempted to propagate was impairing and destructive. Nithyananda is no Moses trying to deliver his fringe flock to freedom. His seven-year movement, if it can be described as one at all, is an experiment with a self-deceiving, illusory conception of an alternative way of life that was not altruistic in the sense that it was not directed at ameliorating the lot of the poor, the marginalised, the disempowered and the wretched of society.
Nithyananda tried to engineer the beliefs of many young people that the freedom to lead wholly self-indulgent lives could provide them with the sense of purpose and direction in life they so ardently sought. Having taken the pendulum of freedom to its outermost limits, after throwing hundreds of young minds back into a regressive mode by inculcating in them the idea that he was their Master, the arbiter of their souls, and by telling them that their salvation lay at his ‘lotus feet’, Nithyananda has now found a barren vista.
Credits: Deccan Herald News
Friday, May 20, 2011
Miracles or magic?! Discussion on Nithyananda
[Request: Readers who understand Telugu - please post an English translation of the discussion]
TV9 - Discussion on Nithyananda's magic tricks Part 1
TV9 - Discussion on Nithyananda's magic tricks Part 2
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Swami Nithyananda's CULT GANG
A psychotherapist and documentary maker from Canada was physically beat up by members of Nithyananda's cult in Tiruvannamalai (holy city in South India).
Swami Nithyananda scandal CULT GANG - The rare avatar
If you have been physically ...mentally ...emotionally or financially abused by this cult serving the "RARE AVATAR " as describe on his web site (A PUNK in my professional opinion) and would like your story used in future video write to me at:
henry@sacredindia.info
Swami Nithyananda scandal CULT GANG - The rare avatar
If you have been physically ...mentally ...emotionally or financially abused by this cult serving the "RARE AVATAR " as describe on his web site (A PUNK in my professional opinion) and would like your story used in future video write to me at:
henry@sacredindia.info
Saturday, April 23, 2011
US judge allows fraud charges against Nithyananda entity
Chandan Nandy, Bangalore, April 22, DHNS :
In a major blow to Nithyananda and his so-called spiritual activities in the United States, an American court has allowed prosecution against one of his non-profit organisations and two of its directors for fraud under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations (RICO) Act.
Besides, San Bernadino Superior Court judge David A Williams permitted charges to be framed against Nithyananda Foundation for unfair business practices.
It also allowed the plaintiffs -- some non-resident Indians who were devotees of Nithyananda -- to claim not just punitive damages which could be in millions but also their attorneys’ fees from all the defendants.
The US judge’s directive of April 21 came after he heard the arguments of the lawyers of both the plaintiffs and the respondents.
It follows the NRIs’ case filed in the San Bernadino Superior Court in California where they invoked RICO which is normally employed to proceed against the mafia.
The two directors of Oklahoma-based Nithyananda Foundation against whom the criminal case was filed are Siva Vallabhaneni, alias Sachitananda and D Jamunarani, alias Ma Sadananda, who is in India.
Deccan Herald had earlier reported that under RICO, a person who is a member of an enterprise that has committed any two of 35 crimes — 27 federal crimes and eight state crimes — within a 10-year period can be charged with racketeering.
When the matter goes for trial, the plaintiffs, who had donated very large sums of money to Nithyananda and his several organisations, including the Nithyananda Foundation, could claim their money and also press for punitive damages.
During the course of the hearing on April 21, the NRIs’ attorneys submitted before Judge Williams that Nithyananda faced a criminal case in Karnataka.
When the lawyers for Nithyananda Foundation tried to defend Nithyananda by claiming that he was a private individual and not linked to the organisation, Judge Williams, according to sources present in the court, said: “This matter is in the public interest. I
know and have read the details. You do not need to explain.”
The matter will come up for further hearing on Thursday when the lawyers for the two sides will make submissions on some other issues raised in the NRIs’ petition.
Sources: Deccan Herald News
In a major blow to Nithyananda and his so-called spiritual activities in the United States, an American court has allowed prosecution against one of his non-profit organisations and two of its directors for fraud under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations (RICO) Act.
Besides, San Bernadino Superior Court judge David A Williams permitted charges to be framed against Nithyananda Foundation for unfair business practices.
It also allowed the plaintiffs -- some non-resident Indians who were devotees of Nithyananda -- to claim not just punitive damages which could be in millions but also their attorneys’ fees from all the defendants.
The US judge’s directive of April 21 came after he heard the arguments of the lawyers of both the plaintiffs and the respondents.
It follows the NRIs’ case filed in the San Bernadino Superior Court in California where they invoked RICO which is normally employed to proceed against the mafia.
The two directors of Oklahoma-based Nithyananda Foundation against whom the criminal case was filed are Siva Vallabhaneni, alias Sachitananda and D Jamunarani, alias Ma Sadananda, who is in India.
Deccan Herald had earlier reported that under RICO, a person who is a member of an enterprise that has committed any two of 35 crimes — 27 federal crimes and eight state crimes — within a 10-year period can be charged with racketeering.
When the matter goes for trial, the plaintiffs, who had donated very large sums of money to Nithyananda and his several organisations, including the Nithyananda Foundation, could claim their money and also press for punitive damages.
During the course of the hearing on April 21, the NRIs’ attorneys submitted before Judge Williams that Nithyananda faced a criminal case in Karnataka.
When the lawyers for Nithyananda Foundation tried to defend Nithyananda by claiming that he was a private individual and not linked to the organisation, Judge Williams, according to sources present in the court, said: “This matter is in the public interest. I
know and have read the details. You do not need to explain.”
The matter will come up for further hearing on Thursday when the lawyers for the two sides will make submissions on some other issues raised in the NRIs’ petition.
Sources: Deccan Herald News
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Nithya’s charge sheet a sordid tale of sexual abuse
Bangalore, December 3, DHNS :
It was not only his Bidadi ashram where Nithyananda, alias Rajasekharan, allegedly coaxed his men and women devotees to have sex with him.
Investigations by the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) have revealed that he satiated his carnal desires even in holy places like Varanasi and Kashi.
Nithyananda’s rationale for such acts - which form a greater part of the 450-page charge sheet, including annexures in the form of statements by witnesses and those with whom he allegedly had sex - was that if devotees have sex with him in holy places, they will be purged of sins.
According to CID sources, the godman claimed before his target devotees: “If you do it (have sex) in holy places, it will wash away your sins. I am Anandeshwara (Lord Shiva) and you are Anandeshwari. God has sent me to purify you through this.”
The CID officials say Nithyananda was also using his vast network of followers the world over to intimidate witnesses in the case. More shocking misdeeds of Nithyananda have also surfaced. A senior CID officials said: “He would slap his women followers if they didn’t agree to sleep with him.”
During a trip to the Himalayas some three years ago, Nithyananda allegedly tried to sodomise a young man from Delhi, leaving him terribly traumatised.
The meditation hall at the Bidadi ashram, a signboard reads: ‘Leave your mind and footwear outside’. This was strictly forced upon the bhaktas. “He told devotees that they should come out of their social conditioning and not question his credibility.
He would say he frequently entered samadhi and that he needed sex to get back to the normal state. Every time he used a condom,” a victim said.
Nithyananda even visited a strip club in Las Vegas some three years ago. “He changed his saffron wear and entered the club with jeans, T-shirt and a cap,” the investigation revealed.
Credits: Deccan Herald News
It was not only his Bidadi ashram where Nithyananda, alias Rajasekharan, allegedly coaxed his men and women devotees to have sex with him.
Investigations by the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) have revealed that he satiated his carnal desires even in holy places like Varanasi and Kashi.
Nithyananda’s rationale for such acts - which form a greater part of the 450-page charge sheet, including annexures in the form of statements by witnesses and those with whom he allegedly had sex - was that if devotees have sex with him in holy places, they will be purged of sins.
According to CID sources, the godman claimed before his target devotees: “If you do it (have sex) in holy places, it will wash away your sins. I am Anandeshwara (Lord Shiva) and you are Anandeshwari. God has sent me to purify you through this.”
The CID officials say Nithyananda was also using his vast network of followers the world over to intimidate witnesses in the case. More shocking misdeeds of Nithyananda have also surfaced. A senior CID officials said: “He would slap his women followers if they didn’t agree to sleep with him.”
During a trip to the Himalayas some three years ago, Nithyananda allegedly tried to sodomise a young man from Delhi, leaving him terribly traumatised.
The meditation hall at the Bidadi ashram, a signboard reads: ‘Leave your mind and footwear outside’. This was strictly forced upon the bhaktas. “He told devotees that they should come out of their social conditioning and not question his credibility.
He would say he frequently entered samadhi and that he needed sex to get back to the normal state. Every time he used a condom,” a victim said.
Nithyananda even visited a strip club in Las Vegas some three years ago. “He changed his saffron wear and entered the club with jeans, T-shirt and a cap,” the investigation revealed.
Credits: Deccan Herald News
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Trouble for ‘godman’ in the US
Bangalore, March 28, DH News Service:
Almost a month after a former Nithyananda disciple in Tamil Nadu blew the whistle on him, a former American devotee has now filed criminal complaints in the US state of California against the self-styled godman.
The complainant, who has identified himself as Douglas McKellor, formerly known as Swami Nithya Praba, is a resident of San Jose, California. In his complaint to California state Attorney General Jerry Brown on March 25, McKellor has brought serious charges of sex, fraud, financial irregularities and physical abuse of devotees in the US against Nithyananda. Copies of the complaints are in the possession of Deccan Herald.
Like Lenin Karuppan, who exposed the sex videos featuring Nithyananda and a Tamil actress and also accused him of "raping" or having sex with other women in his Bidadi ashram, McKellor has claimed that at least on one occasion he "was placed as a guard in front of the door to make sure that no one, repeat no one, disturbed him and his lady guest".
While McKellor has not disclosed the date when he was asked to guard Nithyananda's room, he does mention that it took place when the godman headed a two-day workshop in a Sanatan Dharma temple in Norwalk, California. McKellor, who is a Hindu, alleges that Nithyananda "ate his meals or rested alone with young attractive (women) followers" in his private quarters at the cult organisation's Norwalk and Montclair ashrams.
On the lines of Karuppan's allegations, the American national, who claims to have begun exposing Nithyananda's "organised fraud" in his blogsite http://nithyananda-cult.blogspot.com/, alleges in his complaint to the California attorney general that the godman "abused" Hindu religious tenets, by which he would issue "fake enlightenment certificates", took away people's life savings, including $400,000 of his bank deposit and physically abused ashramites.
Describing how he was "enlightened", McKellor says: "While living in the Los Angeles ashram in June 2007, I was one in the first batch of Nithyananda's instant enlightenment. During the week-long program, I felt unnaturally dizzy and light. It was as if some strange drug was causing me to lose my senses."
He goes on to say that during the workshop Nithyananda performed fire rituals in which all initiates "had to cut off a strand of our own hair and this hair was added to the fire." Besides, he claims, "Nithyananda also added something that looked like marijuana seeds into the fire."
Credits: Deccan Herald News
Almost a month after a former Nithyananda disciple in Tamil Nadu blew the whistle on him, a former American devotee has now filed criminal complaints in the US state of California against the self-styled godman.
The complainant, who has identified himself as Douglas McKellor, formerly known as Swami Nithya Praba, is a resident of San Jose, California. In his complaint to California state Attorney General Jerry Brown on March 25, McKellor has brought serious charges of sex, fraud, financial irregularities and physical abuse of devotees in the US against Nithyananda. Copies of the complaints are in the possession of Deccan Herald.
Like Lenin Karuppan, who exposed the sex videos featuring Nithyananda and a Tamil actress and also accused him of "raping" or having sex with other women in his Bidadi ashram, McKellor has claimed that at least on one occasion he "was placed as a guard in front of the door to make sure that no one, repeat no one, disturbed him and his lady guest".
While McKellor has not disclosed the date when he was asked to guard Nithyananda's room, he does mention that it took place when the godman headed a two-day workshop in a Sanatan Dharma temple in Norwalk, California. McKellor, who is a Hindu, alleges that Nithyananda "ate his meals or rested alone with young attractive (women) followers" in his private quarters at the cult organisation's Norwalk and Montclair ashrams.
On the lines of Karuppan's allegations, the American national, who claims to have begun exposing Nithyananda's "organised fraud" in his blogsite http://nithyananda-cult.blogspot.com/, alleges in his complaint to the California attorney general that the godman "abused" Hindu religious tenets, by which he would issue "fake enlightenment certificates", took away people's life savings, including $400,000 of his bank deposit and physically abused ashramites.
Describing how he was "enlightened", McKellor says: "While living in the Los Angeles ashram in June 2007, I was one in the first batch of Nithyananda's instant enlightenment. During the week-long program, I felt unnaturally dizzy and light. It was as if some strange drug was causing me to lose my senses."
He goes on to say that during the workshop Nithyananda performed fire rituals in which all initiates "had to cut off a strand of our own hair and this hair was added to the fire." Besides, he claims, "Nithyananda also added something that looked like marijuana seeds into the fire."
Credits: Deccan Herald News
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