Swami Nityananda: Tantric Yoga to Tantric Sex
Swami Nityananda is the founder of Dhyanapeetam. According to their website the goal of Paramahamsa Nithyananda is to “spread the inner science of enlightenment by delivering physical health, mental wellness and spiritual awakening to all beings irrespective of their race, gender or nationality”. Fair enough. After a gap of over thirty years Eastern spirituality and the associated techniques are growing rapidly in the West particularly in the United States.
In 2004 Americans spent about $2.4 billion on yoga classes and on yoga related products. Since then this industry has grown dramatically and it is now common to find a yoga studio in any local strip mall. Gurus from India like Baba Ramdev and Swami Nityananda have done a great job of making sure that they get a piece of the pie.
It may come as a surprise to people following them but very few skeptics are surprised when a religious leader “falls”. It is much easier to preach than it is to follow your own preaching. Individuals like Baba Ramdev, Swami Nityananda and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar are businessmen who are using their knowledge of eastern spirituality and converting it into more valuable dollars. Like any business they have their ups and downs.
Swami Nityananda’s fall from grace did not surprise me. But I was little surprised at the way the Indian media reacted to this story. The media was only interested in showing the video footage of Swami Nityananda in a compromising situation with a Tamil movie actress (Ranjitha). Although the video made for sensational news it is not a crime in India for a man and a woman to spend an intimate moment in the privacy of their room.
However, it is illegal for someone to secretly videotape others in their own home and then leak that video to the media. It is also completely irresponsible (and illegal) for the media to take this video tape and then broadcast it without verifying its authenticity and its legality. It is surprising that the person who shot the video (Lenin Karuppan who was a close aid of the Swami) is yet to be charged with violation of privacy (many Ashram sources claim that Lenin and Ranjitha hatched the plan together because the Swami refused to marry Ranjitha).
Does anybody really believe that a millionaire Swami, who is teaching about meditation and Tantric yoga, is living a celibate life? The non-disclosure agreement that every volunteer signs states that the program “may involve the learning and practice of ancient tantric secrets associated with male and female ecstasy, including the use of sexual energy for increased intimacy/spiritual connection, pleasure, harmony and freedom”.
It further states that the programs “may involve nudity, obtainable to visual images, graphic illustration depictions, and descriptions of nakedness and sexual activity, close physical proximity and intimacy, verbal and written descriptions and audio sounds of a sexually oriented and erotic nature, etc.” So why are some of his followers, members of the media and the general public expressing outrage over this incident?
Lenin Karuppan recently told the media that “Nithyananda is a fraud. What is his locus standi to talk and perform meaningless rituals for world peace? The so-called fire rituals being performed at the Bidadi ashram is another elaborate fraud, an eyewash and a sham. All devotees, past and present, and the rest of the country have already seen his real face“. He added “even though no formal complaint was lodged by any of the women, I still stand by my claim that he had abused a number of ashramites by taking advantage of his position“. Lenin sounds like a sore loser. What has he exposed that reasonable individuals already did not know? In fact I am equally concerned about an individual like Lenin as I am about Nityananda. He is willing to look the other way when these abuses are supposedly going on and is only complaining about it when he has nothing else to gain from his relationship with Nityananda.
I think that the outrage is not because of anything the Swami did. It is because incidents like these have exposed the underbelly of Indian society. We think that our religious leaders have high standards. The reality is that they are no different than the pedophile priests of the West. We accuse the west of low “moral” standards (whatever that means) when our behavior is no different than them. The bubble is now broken. Welcome to the real world.
Your life is powerful enough to make whatever you want as reality – Paramahamsa Nithyananda.
Related posts:
- Swami Ramdev Establishes Political Party in India
- Examining Swami Ramdev’s Goals for Bharat Swabhiman
- Ramdev Qualified to Talk About Corruption?
- The Corrupt Indians
- Today’s Godman is Tomorrows God?
Category: Culture & Religion
I agree Lenin is as much a fraud as Nityananda. But the main cause for the outrage (at least in my view) is how he misled his followers and public. Strangely, it is a crime under some IPC code. As far as privacy is concerned, it is not as much a stigma for Indians as it is for the Americans.
Ram,
If misleading the public is a crime then as a non-believer I demand that all our religious leaders should be prosecuted for espousing religious views that are not based on facts. Why target Nityananda alone?