Yoga,Yogis,GurusandSex

Scandals

NKSrinivasan

Theyogaworldhadseenseveralearth-quakesofsexscandals

associatedwithgurus,yoga'masters'andteachers.Having

watchedtheyoga-domforthepastseveraldecadesandbeinga

practisingyogiandteachertosomestudents.beingIndianby

birth,havinghadadvancededucationatoneoftheIvyleague

schoolsinUSA,IfeelthatIamsufficinetlywellinformed

andmaturedenoughtowriteaboutthescandalsthathadbroken

outwithgurus/yogis.

Ialsotakethisopportunitytoexplaintheroleof

teachers/gurusinIndian/Hinduperspective.Thisisimportant

becausetheconceptandroleofaguruortraditionalteacher

cannotbeeasilyunderstoodorappreciatedbywesternstudents

whoenrollforacourse,spendafewweeksinaschoolor

ashraminIndiaoraregularclass/retreatintheWest.

AsIsurveythescene,startingfromthedaysofMaharishi

MaheshYogiofTM,Icouldseehowcorrupt,mentally,morally

andspirituallytheybecome;itis,indeed,shocking.Thefair

nameofHinduspiritualityisbeingspoiledbythese

charlatan/bogusyogisandgurus.Iwritethiswithasenseof

painatthewayinwhichthehoarytraditionsofyogaand

spiritualtraditionsofIndiahadbeencompromisedbythese

greedy,lecherousteachersandhalf-bakedyogis.

YogisandPowerofwealth

SeveraloftheyogiswerepoorkidsbackinIndiaor

hailfromhumblemiddleclassbackground;theirparents

toiledhardtoeducatethemandsendthemtoschoolor

college.WhentheseyoungyogisarriveintheUSA,they

aredazzledbythewealthandaffluenceeverywhere,and

hearabouttheAmericandreamtomakemoneyandthegoal

of"pursuitofhappiness"extolledbyThomasJefferson,

oneofthefoundingfathersofAmerica.Soonenough

,withtheiryogaclassesfetchingmoneyandafewrich

devoteesorfemalemoneybags,theyacquirematerial

possessions---startingwithanewspankycarandalarge

house.Celebritystudentsarriveandalongwiththem,

themediacoverage,withTVinterviewsandmagazine

articlesandevenbillboardsinbigcitieslikeSan

Francisco.

Manyunbeleivableachievementsareattributedtothese

half-bakedyogis.Theyaresupposedtohaveauthored

hundredsofbooks---mostlyshortjuvenile'chapter

books'writtenbytheirdotingfemalestudentswhoare

mostlyEnglishmajors.Oftenthebooksaretranscribed

talksofshallowdepths,givenintheevenings,witha

smatteringofSanskritwordsandexpressions.Manyhave

notreadanyofthescriptureoreventheBhagavadGita,

toanydepth.Thebooksareeditedprofuselytocaterto

thelocalmarketofwesternreaderswhoarereading

aboutHinduphilosophyoryogaforthefirsttime.

Withmoneyflowingin,theyoungyogisoonacquiresa

ranchstyleashramwithfancyname[forinstance"New

Mathura"]oftenbequeathedbyawealthycorporateguyor

distraughtrichwidow,seeking'enlightenment'orat

leastmentalpeaceatthefeetofthemaster.[Oftenit

isthepersonaltragedythatbringsapersontothese

charlatan-gurus.]Theashramsoonhasseveral

rooms,cottages['kutirs']andconferencehallsbesides

yogastudiosforthecomfortofstudentswhocomefor

extendedweek-endsorretreats----afertilegroundfor

promiscuityandgentlenight-life.

Oneyogiboughtapalatialmonasteryspacewithmore

than100rooms.Anotherwantedanewtowntobemadeona

dryranch.SoontheymovearoundinRolls-Roycesorlimos

drivenbytheirfavoritefemalechelas.One

charlatan-yogiwhowasaninstructorinalocalcollege

inIndia,becamerichinUSAandownedmorethan90

Rolls-Roycesaspartofhisassetsinhisranch,before

certaincriminalchargeswereclampedonhimandhewas

drivenoutofthecountry.

Withtightsecurity,body-guardsandsurveillance

cameras,theyogi,amanof'superiorwisdom'ordivine

dispensation,movesinhiswalledcity--likeaprince.

OneBritishpoliticainwrotenearlytwocenturies

ago:"Powercorrupts;Absolutepowerabsolutely."Howtrue!

Theyogiisnomoreamanpursuingspiritualgoalsor

teachingspiritualpath,butacorporateexecutiveor

CEO,maximisinghisprofits.Hemayinvestinrealestate

andotherdealstosecuresteadyincomefromthe

earningsthusfarcollected.

Moneypowerandmediapublicitycorruptthemindofthe

yogi.Hebecomesacharlatan,tryingtoprotecthis

interestsfromnowon.

Heforsakesthesimplelifestyleoftrueyogisin

India.Furthermoreheforsakesthegreatestassetofa

yogi--humility.Hebecomesarrogant,abuseshis

followersandeventhreatensthemwithdireconsequences

iftheyletouthissecretmisconductaround.

YogiandtheSevaconcept

Karmayogaisthepathofself-lessserviceforthepoor

andtheneedy--likeMotherTheresa,forinstance.

Ourmodernyogisgaveanicetwisttothispathto

acceleratetheircorporategrowth.Theywouldexpect

naiveyoungonesintheashramtodovolunteeringin

theashramkitchenordormsorgarden,as'seve'tothe

guruandthecommunityofstudentsintheashram,who

arewealthyenough.Thisserviceissupposedtopurify

themindsofthestudents,inbetweentheir

meditationalpractice.Whilevolunteerserviceforanhourortwointheashram

forfreelunchmaybeacceptable,manyashramitesare

forcedtoworkfor8hoursormoreintheseplaces.

Thisisasubtleformofexploitationbythegurus.

Potbelliedgurus

Itisatthisstage,withwealthandpowerincreasing

exponentially,gurusovereatandbecomeobeseandpot

bellied---theycannottouchtheirtoes...why,they

cannotevenseetheirtoes!Unlikegenuineyogiswho

practiseyogaregularly,thesepseudoyogisbecome

inactiveandlettheiryoungstudentsteachothersor

trainpoorqualityinstructors.Theyspendtheirtime

amassingwealthorpolitickinginhighcircles.Itisno

wonderthatmanyofthemdiefairlyyoung,sayaround50

to60years,unlikeTkrishnamacharyawholivedupto102

yearsorIndraDeviwhoalsolivedupto102yearsorBKS

Iyengarwhoteachesnowattheageof94.

YogisorPlayBoys

Therichandpowerfulyogissoonattractcelebrities,

hollywoodstarletsandrock-starmusicianswhonotonly

bringinlotofmoneyandmediapublicity,butcertain

elementsofmoralturpitudeandsexualperversions.

Onehighlevelyogi'initiated'youngnovicesinbubble

bath;anotherinswimmingpoolsandsoon.Theaustere

styleoffunctioningsoonchangestotrivialceremonies

andperversionswithsexualovertones.Someoftheseare

labelledas'tantric'methodstoarousethesleeping

kundalnifromMuladharachakraforthe

less-knowledgeablestudentsandpartners.

Ifyoureadtheyogaliteratureofthepast50years

ofgrowthofYogainthewest,youwillfindnumerous

instancesofsexualexploitation/abusebesides

flirtationsbytheyogis.Oneyogiwinkedatastarlet

duringherbirthdaypuja,perhapswithbadintentions

andgothisreputationruinedsignificantly.Another

wellknownyogi,whohailedfrommyneinighborhoodin

India,hadtheaudacitytostealthegirlfriendofhis

disciple,professingtoteach'advancedmethods'under

hisroof,soonsiredachildthroughher.Ayogiwho

studiedunderagreatmasterinIndiaandwasrespected

forhisspecialyogicpowersofshakti-pathofraising

kundalinipowerhadasecretpassagetotheharemof

femalestudentsforhissexual'experiments'.Another

yogiofgreatlineageopenlysoughtsexualfavorsfrom

femalestudentsandwassuedinthecourtbutdeniedany

wrongdoing.Anotheryogi,whenfacinglegalchargesfor

sexualexploits,paidahugecompensationorsettlement

moneyinUSAandquietlywentbacktoIndiaand

apparentlycommittedsuicideinhisashramnearthe

Himalayas.

Therehadbeenmanyallegationsevenongreatoneslike

SwamiVivekanandawhichwerenotprovedor

substantiated.Buttherecentinstanceshavebeen

painfullywelldocumentedandcourtcases

followed...somewithout-of-courtsettlements.One

advancedphilosophercarriedonhisaffairwithhis

secretary'swifeformanyyears,sendingherto

clandestineabortionclinicperiodically.Thesecretary

wasalsosuedforfinancialimpropriety.Anotheryoung

self-styledyogimarriedhissecretaryandlefthis

devoteesinthelurch.InarecentinstanceinIndia,a

yogiwastakentocourtbyhisownwifewhocouldnot

toleratetheflirtationsofherhusband.

InHindutraditions,ayogineednotbeacelibate.He

canbeafamilyman,withwifeandchildren.Thetwo

illustriousexamplesofhouse-holderyogisareT

KrishnamacharyaandYogendraofYogaInstitute[Santa

Cruz,Mumbai]amongothers.Thereare,ofcourse,monks

whoareyogisandtheywouldbecelibate.

Butmodernyogispretendtobecelibatesandcarryon

theirsexualactivitiesorperversionswithseveral

women.Someevenjustifythishorriblebehaviorasdue

tocompulsionsfromadoringfemalesaroundthemand

theirinabilitytocontroltheurges.

Manywesternwomenassociatetheiryogigurus/teachers

withextra-ordinarypowersacquiredthroughyoga

,besidessomecharismaorphysicalcharm.Unfortunately

suchclaimsarefalseorself-propagated,withoutany

verificationandoftenhearsayreports.Itisdefintelypossibletoacquirecertainintuitive

powersandpowersofhealingbyadvancedyogiswhohad

livedstrictlivesandpractisedlongandhardformany

manyyears.Suchyogisarerarelyseenundertheglare

ofmediapublicity.

Theseyogi-charlatansdonotcomeunderthat

category.Theydonotpossessevenmoderatecleanliness

ofmindtoacquiresuchpowersorqualities.Manyof

themhadreadthePatanjaliYogasutraswithachapter

onsupernatural[siddhi]powers---thatisall.The

naivewesternstudentsaredupedcleverlybythese

yogisandtheirpromoters/students.

ThiscangooninIndiatoo.ButIndiabeingan

overcrowdedcountrywithlittleprivacyinanyashram,

suchnefariousactivitiesaresoonfoundout.Further

withgossip-mongeringintopgear,manyyogisorgurus

ofimmoralbehaviorwillbeexposedsoon.

WhatistrueGuru-Sishyarelationship?

Atrueguruleadsastudentthroughthe

difficultpathofyogaandspiritualgrowth

veryslowly.Hemaytakemonthsandeven

yearstoimpartthistraining.Furtherhe

watchesoverthestudenttominutely

understandhis/herbehaviourandgive

correctionsorsternwarningsfromtimeto

time.Wesaythataguruguidesthestudent

forlife...itisnotsimplyattendinga

structuredcourse,performedinahallor

taughtbycorrespondenceoron-linecourse..

Thissystemimpliesthatthegurucanatthe

mosttrainonly8to12studentsatatime.

SwamiSivananda[DivineLifeSociety,

Rishikesh,India],agreatvedantinandyogi

,didtrainonlyabout30studentsinhis

entirelife.

Masseducationofyogaisanotherthingall

together...ItisnotGuru-sishyatypeof

trainingatall.

Inmoderncontext,theyogisserveasmere

teachersandsotheycanbeforgivenfor

impartingpoortraining.Atthesametime

,thestudentsreceivepackagedlearning,

withoutlearningsubtlepoints.Therefore

onecannotexpecttheGuru-Sishya

relationshiptoflourishasinoldschools.

Thereisverylittleresponsibilityofa

guru/teachertowardshisstudents.The

relationshipisakintothatbetweena

collegeprofessorandhis/herstudents.

Insuchcircumstancesguruscannotexpect

totalsurrenderorallegiancetoa

guru.Thereforeitisneedlesstoregardguru

relationshipsintheclassicalHindu

tradition.

CaveatWithmylongexperienceaboutyogaand

yogis,Icanmakethefollowingcaveator

warningsforyogastudents:

1Checkthebackgroundoftheyogamasters

andtheirinstitutions.Iftheyindulgein

cultishpracticesandwalledenclosures,

withoutaccesstooutsideworld,shunthem.

2Checkalsoforpersonal,financialand

technicalbeckgroundofthemasterandhis

chiefinstructors.

3Avoidanypersonalencountersinclosed

doors,personalinterviewsorcloseted

instruction.

4Donotbelieveintheclaimsof

extra-ordinarypowersorsiddhissuchas

levitation,walkingonwater,

materialisationofobjects[sacredash,

metalobjectsandsoon]..Thesearecheap

tricksundercontrolledconditions.

Thereweregreatyogiswhocoulddivineyour

thoughts,bilocateorpredictyourfuture.

SuchmastersIdonotfindanymore.Somewere

thereoneortwogenerationsago.The

presentdayyogamastersareofmuch

inferiorcaliber.

Thechanceofyourfindingamasterwhocan

exhibitsuchpowers,eveninthehoary

Himalayas,isveryremote.

Themostcommonadvancedfeattheycan

exhibitisstoppingthepulseforafew

minutesandgettingburiedforsomelength

oftimewithoutfoodandoutsideair.But

thenstoppingthefunctioningoftheheart

andrevivingitiscommonwithCPR

techniquesandothermeansandneednotbe

consideredasupernaturalfeat.

5Finally,donotpartwithallyourmoney

orassetstoayogaorganisationorguruand

thenbecomedependentontheGuru...maintain

yourfinancialindependence.Youmaygive

largedonations,providedtheyareaccounted

forvalidexpenses.

Imustaddthattherearegreatyogis,with

sincereteachingtotheircreditand

considerableresearch/therapy

experience---thosegenuinelyinterestedin

theirstudents.Searchforthem.

Asthesayinggoes,ifthestudentisready,

theteacherwillcome---asthedivinelaw

operates..Butthegardenvarietyteachers,

withlotofadvertisementsandbillboards

topromotethemaremoney-makingcharlatans

andthedictum"CustomerBeware"appliesto

theworldofyogaaswell.

------OmTatSat---