Devotees must find a worthy guru
Sexual exploitation of women by godmen is a recurring theme in India's crime chronicles. Rarely are the godmen held accountable, least of all by their own followers. Even when the evidence against the guru in question is substantive enough to merit judicial custody, his flock suffers no diminution of faith. Crying rape against a godman takes courage, because the victim runs the risk of provoking his followers or at best, being ignored. The young woman who bobbitised her guru and alleged tormentor, Swami Ganeshanand, had found her own mother disinclined to believe that the guru could have erred.
Swami Nithyananda Paramhansa of Karnataka continues to enjoy a considerable following, despite being jailed briefly for allegedly molesting female devotees, by claiming that moksha could be sought through sexual union. A 430-page chargesheet was filed against him by the Karnataka police in 2010 following an investigation into charges of rape by a young inmate of his ashram. Asaram Bapu is less fortunate, still in jail after a 16-year-old girl accused him of raping her at his ashram in Jodhpur in 2013. Yet, many devotees still keep the faith. The high-profile godman from Punjab, Gurmeet Ram Rahim, faces trial in a rape case (not to mention various other charges and investigations, including the castration of some 400 members of his flock) but continues to command a following of millions and project himself as a rock star in films and music videos.
The case of the godman from Karnataka, Swami Raghaveshwara Bharthi, head of the Ramachandrapura Mutt, is even more curious. He turned the tables on a devotee who maintained that he had sexually exploited her for years. She and her husband were arrested for allegedly blackmailing the swami, before she could file a complaint. After a long struggle and political intervention at the highest levels, she was able to get an FIR registered, but the case was eventually dismissed.
The woman in question was married and a mother of two, yet claimed to have been sexually abused for three years. Victims often come forward after years of alleged exploitation, saying they kept silent because of fear of reprisal, coercion or brain-washing. For the judiciary, the time lapse makes it difficult to assess whether the 'victim' was a consenting partner in the alleged relationship. The late Sathya Sai Baba of Puttapurthi and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi also faced allegations of prolonged sexual abuse in their time.
Rationalists find it strange that the guru's flock defends him to the hilt, no matter how heinous the charges against him. When regulatory agencies act on complaints, they are accused of furthering political or personal vendettas. The 'myguru-can-do-no-wrong' perspective is testimony to the dependence of the follower on the spiritual preceptor. As the recent incident in Kerala indicates, even the alleged victim's family would prefer to accept the guru's version rather than that of a blood relative.
The purity of the guru must be maintained, for the followers' sake as much as his own. The sweeping socio-economic changes of the last few decades have contributed to the centrality of the guru in the lives of ordinary people. A rapidly transforming society creates enormous stresses and the guru serves as a safety valve. Even among the economically well-off sections, affluence has not translated into satisfaction with their lives. Traditional rituals do not offer the alltoo elusive peace of mind, which brings them to the representative of the divine, the guru.
In the past, every village or community had a guru who served as spiritual preceptor, astrologer, family confidante and even business advisor. No marriage or major entrepreneurial foray went forward without his consent. Royalty was no exception; every monarch had his Raj guru. The dislocation of communities, break-up of families and the atomisation of society enhanced the importance of the guru, who became the first and last port of call for the mentally distressed.
In a country where visiting a psychologist, therapist, or any species of mental health professional is still not free of stigma, the guru assumes the role of counsellor. Spirituality seems to offer an answer to the dissonance and resulting stresses of modern life. By submitting to a guru, the follower surrenders agency and thus, responsibility for his or her own mental well-being. The burden of decision-making, for oneself or for the family, is transferred to the guru.
In the absence of an organized religious structure, just about anyone can don saffron and become a guru, claiming to have received diksha from a spiritual leader of note. The scope for abuse of trust by self-styled godmen is thus enormous. All godman have devotees in high places, which often places them outside the pale of law. It is for the devotee to exercise discretion and place his faith in a worthy guru, rather than a charlatan in saffron.
THE young woman who bobbitised her guru and alleged tormentor, Swami Ganeshanand, had found her own mother disinclined to believe that the guru could have erred. Rationalists find it strange that the guru's flock defends him to the hilt, no matter how heinous the charges against him. When regulatory agencies act on complaints, they are accused of furthering political or personal vendettas.The 'my-guru-can-do-no-wrong' perspective is testimony to the dependence of the follower on the spiritual preceptor. As the recent incident in Kerala indicates, even the alleged victim's family would prefer to accept the guru's version rather than that of a blood relative