In India, the Baba business reaps heaps of currency notes only if the entrepreneur has only a little grey matter. The startup cost is very small, minimal staff by way of two or three superbly talkative disciples who need to remain loyal only for a couple of years. Most interestingly, the barber can’t eat a paisa from the promoter-founder for haircut and beard shaving are written off forever (lately younger ones like Sarathi of Odiaha and Nityananda of the South are clean-shaven though)! Once the reputation os built by effort or fluke, these Baba creatures begin to imagine that law can never catch up with them no matter how heinous crimes they commit. The Hindus of Odisha by and large remain surrendered to lord Jagannath. Yet Babas keep emerging in sizeable numbers because they hear and talk. Gullible listeners turn devotees and begin to follow the variously attired Babas as if they were God incarnate.
Almost all modern gurus and their ‘ashrams’ are intriguing. Followers are myriad class and category. All the godmen and godwomen primarily perform a psychological function to alleviate anxiety of the followers who are craving for solace in the stressful age. Ordinary people need a listener, an adviser, a guru-guide for feeling elevated, which clever gurus do adeptly. No wonder, the ‘guru’ thing is a hallowed tradition. The godman provides home, haven and refuge to suffering masses in a hostile world.
Santosh Raul, called Sarathi Baba, until caught with a young woman reigned supreme for a decade or so. He had even claimed that his son was created out of divine ash, not any biological activity, which his followers never disbelieved. The Raul fellow does not require any introduction today. Media houses are revelling no end on his exposed sins. The quarter-literate brag mastered oratory in a manner to captivate the youth madly. Young people became his brand ambassador to turn him a legend. He is gone, his outfits and establishments demolished for good. But then, not many among the rational world devote time and energy to figure out how and why this Baba tribe thrives in an age of scientific query and disbelief when claims of supernatural powers are brazenly made. Seven much greater Babas have already bitten dust in time not because they fought wars but because they ran amuck and erred on the character front.
When super famous guru Rampal’s ashram was raided, the Haryana police faced a demographic problem. There were thousands of followers inside, proudly content to side with Rampal whose career leapfrogged after attacking other gurus, creating a robust turf for himself in Hisar. He is not yet as global as other godman listing out branches and followers across the world. He is not as visible as Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, nor as entrenched as Swami Narayan. But eventually, after causing mayhem, “Sant” Rampal landed in jail. Treason is the latest charge to be added to his already long list of sins which include murder. He had claimed to be the successor to the mystic saint Kabir, His followers were too willing to die for him for having been brainwashed into believing that their guru is Kabir reborn.
Asaram Bapu claimed to have been influenced by Bhakti yoga, Jnana yoga and Karma yoga. He has been arrested for a case of sexual assault against a minor. His followers claim that he has developed medicine from cow urine! He landed in jail where he cleared a potency test, at the age of 73 contrary to his claim that he is too old to indulge in wrong things with women. His ashrams have a ‘divine experience’ facility where he used to solve women’s problems including those related to monthly periods with “ the Power of Vedic Mantra”.
Swami Nithyananda founded and managed the Nithyananda Dhyanapeetham ashram until he was arrested for charges of raping his female followers. His followers had claimed for long to be able to levitate with his supernatural powers. He also was popular for giving life to inanimate objects.
Chandraswami is best known for being the spiritual adviser of erstwhile Prime Minister Narasimha Rao. He was arrested for swindling $100,000 from a london businessman, charged Rs 9 crore for violating the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act and also held responsible for the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. He was known as a tantric, godman and astrologer with powers to read minds and cast spells.
Swami Sadachari, spiritual advisor and tantric for leading politicians of his day (including Indira Gandhi), was arrested for running a brothel. He claimed that he could light branches simply with the energy of his eyes. All this was debunked by famous rationalist Sanal Edamaruku in 1985 when he demonstrated the same trick by using chemicals discretely placed under dry twigs.
Swami Premananda’s resemblance with Sathya Sai Baba could be the reason behind his popularity. He set up ashrams across 15 countries. He was found guilty of raping 13 girls and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. Devotees claimed he produced Bibhuti (sacred ashes) from air and lingams of lord Shiva from his abdomen.
Shreemurath Dwivedi, better known as Ichchadhari Sant Swami Bhimanand Maharaj Chitrakoot Wale, was a generic breed of godmen. He was arrested for running a prostitution racket from his ashram. Superpowers claimed an ‘Ichchadhari’ Baba who can morph into a serpent at will.
Sarathi Raul is a stupid fool who imagined blind faith would remain intact forever and he could get away with anything. It is common knowledge that celebrities from nearly all known walks of life including politics, movies and other domains of glamour and glitter bee-lined at his tastelessly done-up facility because the other big figure frequented the place. There is big rumour that the big local politicians made friends with Sarathi to mobilise voters for them. Prarthana TV run by the local MP family kept Raul chap happy by giving him a prime time slot for preaching garbage in the most horrible style. In return, detractors say he guaranteed voters.
But a graver fact surfaced because of Sarathi episode. The Kensrapada district top cop who chased and beat agitating people in a barbaric manner became a bigger target than the imposter Sarathi. Satish Gajbhiye, now former SP, is in dire trouble for having abused authority and force to insult people and demolish dignity of the agitators demanding Sarathi’s arrest. For the moment, Gajbhiye is in bigger trouble as the entire lawyer community has risen against him. Sarathi is a cheap fellow who masqueraded as a saint and got caught before he could plan escape holes and routes. But Gajbhiye seems to have caused havoc. Terrible proof of disproportionate assets is being dug out to have him ousted from his exalted IPS cadre. Still the guy dares say he did everything after consulting the CMO, which the masses don’t seem to believe. Sins, even committed in a frenzy, must be admitted publicly, which could save the cop from irreparable damage. But if he chooses arrogant stubbornness, only lord Jagannath can save him as ‘Prabhu Raul’ is away pulling at dry chapattis in a prison cell along with robbers, killers and rapists.
The undeniable fact is that surviving in electoral politics without a godman or two in the party kitty is difficult these days. A godman is a guaranteed vote bank organiser.
Godmen like Asaram or Rampal have seen themselves as creatures above law. Their ashrams literally remained seceded from sovereign India, and ran as autonomous enclaves on their own fancy terms. There is a ‘religious-politico-corporate complex’ emerging around gurus and godmen in India. The words conman, godman, godfather blend religion with crime, politics and false spirituality. The majority of these spiritual leaders are brilliant quacks playing deviously to the anxieties of the gullible people. Politics might be difficult to access but spirituality is the most accessible space in India.
Sarathi Baba had only a very short stint. luxury, glamour, fish, meat and liquor destroyed him too fast. The death knell came with lust.
Sarathi Baba is practically gone; Gajbhiye must also go, only if he has erred by acting like a brute and amassed wealth sinfully.
(The writer is a core member of Transparency International, Odisha)