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A rash of sex scandals involving holy men has many in “new India” questioning an ancient tradition.

April 30, 2010 in Featured, Fraud

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A sadhu performing namaste in Madurai, India.
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By Saritha Rai -

Swamis, or Hindu holy men, are getting a bad reputation in India. Several scandals have broken recently involving Hindu holy men and gurus who have committed sex crimes. In this picture, Naga Sadhus, another name for Hindu holy men, queue to have a dip in the waters of the Ganges river during the “Kumbh Mela” or the Pitcher Festival, in the northern Indian town of Haridwar, Feb. 12, 2010. (Danish Siddiqui/Reuters)Enlarge Photo

BANGALORE, India — The Roman Catholic Church isn’t alone when it comes to scandal lately.

As the debate rages in the West about the ungodly behavior of godly men, a series of sex scandals involving India’s assortment of god men — called sadhu, baba or swami — is making skeptics out of many Indians.

“Most god men are self-proclaimed, and they are being increasingly outed as hypocrites and fakes,” said Ravi Ghatge, a retired banker in Bangalore. “Then everybody finds out that there is not an iota of spirituality in any of them,” he added.

India has long held a thrall in the Western mind as a land of wandering fakirs and saffron-robed holy men with matted hair. In this birthplace of several leading religions like Hinduism and Buddhism, magic and mysticism still rule.

But rapid urbanization is making the holy men of the old all but disappear from the landscapes of cities and towns.

In their place, a new breed of modern charismatic god men are holding sway, some of them saffron-robed, some of them bejeweled and others sporting wild hair-dos.

Many of them command cult following, run huge ashrams on large expanses of land, own luxury cars, television channels and lavish homes. They flourish as their supporters make large donations in cash and kind. The god men jet set around the country and the world serving their flock of devotees.

But here’s the problem. The god men aren’t, exactly, godly.

In recent weeks, in New Delhi a holy man called Swami Bhimanand Ji Maharaj Chitrakootwale was exposed for running a huge call girl racket with over a 1,000 girls that serviced, among others, politicians and influential people.

In Bangalore, Swami Nithyananda — whose ashram had several branches in the United States and all over the world — was caught on camera having sex with an actor. Even as his shell-shocked devotees called for action, Nithyananda first said he was being framed by a digitally altered video. When a second tape with yet another actor surfaced, he admitted to the incident and fled the ashram with police hot on his tail.

Other swamis have been charged with cheating, rape and child sexual abuse. The wave of scandals involving holy men had one leading newspaper headlining, “baba black sheep, have you any scruples?”

Now middle class India’s mindset is dramatically turning against India’s godmen, says Sanal Edamaruku, president of the Indian Rationalists Association. “The so-called god men don’t want to wear saffron robes anymore because they fear they will be attacked on the streets,” said Edamaruku who has long campaigned against swamis and babas.

His network of over 200 branches Indiawide has exposed many a fraudster swami and fake sadhu. “They are nothing but common thieves and scamsters who exploit the vulnerabilities of the poor and the illiterate,” said Edamaruku. He says he has more viewers for his rationalist exposes on television than all the viewers of India’s 32 religious television channels put together.

On the other side, however, are devotees such as Jayeshwari (who wanted to be identified by a single appellation, her spiritual name), who says she continues to be a staunch follower of Nithyananda.
Jayeshwari, a Bangalore-based entrepreneur, says she saw no conflict in her guru’s preachings and his personal sexual life. “He talked about transforming society, he never promised to make it an asexual society,” she said.

She and other supporters are now rallying around the beleaguered Nithyananda on a Facebook support group.

But the majority of educated India is irate over the recent incidents. Sharmila Abdulpurkar, a businesswoman in Bangalore, says the scandals have left her angry and upset. “I am a skeptic myself but what about thousands of people who had unshakable faith in these god men, who depended on them to sort out their life’s problems?” she asked.

But educated, urban Indians are often doubters when it comes to such matters. The recent spate of incidents has only made them more cynical, says Edamaruku of the rationalists association. “This swami thing is not for new India.”

Soon we will write article suggesting tools or top spy gudgets that people can use to expose fake saints, astrologers or numerologists.

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Navaratri: The 9 Divine Nights

September 18, 2009 in Featured, News

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The Goddess Lakshmi
Image by Celeste33 via Flickr

“Nava-ratri” literally means “nine nights.” This festival is observed twice a year, once in the beginning of summer and again at the onset of winter.

What’s the Significance of Navratri?
During Navaratri, we invoke the energy aspect of God in the form of the universal mother, commonly referred to as “Durga,” which literally means the remover of miseries of life. She is also referred to as “Devi” (goddess) or “Shakti” (energy or power). It is this energy, which helps God to proceed with the work of creation, preservation and destruction. In other words, you can say that God is motionless, absolutely changeless, and the Divine Mother Durga, does everything. Truly speaking, our worship of Shakti re-confirms the scientific theory that energy is imperishable. It cannot be created or destroyed. It is always there.

Why Worship the Mother Goddess?
We think this energy is only a form of the Divine Mother, who is the mother of all, and all of us are her children. “Why mother; why not father?”, you may ask. Let me just say that we believe that God’s glory, his cosmic energy, his greatness and supremacy can best be depicted as the motherhood aspect of God. Just as a child finds all these qualities in his or her mother, similarly, all of us look upon God as mother. In fact, Hinduism is the only religion in the world, which gives so much importance to the mother aspect of God because we believe that mother is the creative aspect of the absolute.

Why Twice a Year?
Every year the beginning of summer and the beginning of winter are two very important junctures of climatic change and solar influence. These two junctions have been chosen as the sacred opportunities for the worship of the divine power because:

(1) We believe that it is the divine power that provides energy for the earth to move around the sun, causing the changes in the outer nature and that this divine power must be thanked for maintaining the correct balance of the universe.

(2) Due to the changes in the nature, the bodies and minds of people undergo a considerable change, and hence, we worship the divine power to bestow upon all of us enough potent powers to maintain our physical and mental balance.

Why Nine Nights & Days?
Navaratri is divided into sets of three days to adore different aspects of the supreme goddess. On the first three days, the Mother is invoked as powerful force called Durga in order to destroy all our impurities, vices and defects. The next three days, the Mother is adored as a giver of spiritual wealth, Lakshmi, who is considered to have the power of bestowing on her devotees the inexhaustible wealth. The final set of three days is spent in worshipping the mother as the goddess of wisdom, Saraswati. In order have all-round success in life, we need the blessings of all three aspects of the divine mother; hence, the worship for nine nights.

Why Do You Need the Power?
Thus, I suggest you join your parents in worshipping “Ma Durga” during the Navaratri. She will bestow on you wealth, auspiciousness, prosperity, knowledge, and other potent powers to cross every hurdle of life. Remember, everyone in this world worships power, i.e., Durga, because there is no one who does not love and long for power in some form or the other.

Search results for Navaratri

I want to know when Dasara(Navaratri Festival start date and end date)was celebrated in 1976 year. Kindly help?
I just want the date and month of start and end of navaratri estival(dasara)
Dasara – 1 Answers – 2008-09-19 22:43:58

what are the rules for keeping navaratri fasting and when it is going to start in the month of march?

Religion & Spirituality – 1 Answers – 2009-03-26 21:01:32

What Happens at a Garba during Navaratri?
I have been invited by a HIndu friend to attend a garba for Navaratri. Can anyone tell me what will be happening during this and is there anything I need to know since this will be my first experience with it?
Other – Holidays – 1 Answers – 2007-10-07 06:26:29

How does the Navaratri of Spring differ from the one that is in the Fall?

Religion & Spirituality – 2 Answers – 2007-03-19 13:58:40

can anyone tell me what fusion of indian western clothes can i where this navaratri dandiya celebrations?
*wid some good accesories?
Fashion & Accessories – 1 Answers – 2006-09-23 05:44:49

usa which date navaratri is starting28th sept is amavasya ok?

Other – Family & Relationships – 1 Answers – 2008-09-29 08:52:38

When is Navaratri celebrated?
I have to do an assignment on hindu celebrations. When reasearching, some website say that Navaratri is celebrated twice a year, while other say its celebrated once a year. I need someone (hindu person, preferably) to tell me when Navaratri is celebrated and why it is celebrated at that time? thanks for all the help…. 10ptns for best answer
Diwali – 3 Answers – 2009-03-28 20:11:59

Do u know why hindus celebrate navaratri?
The number nine is closely associated with the process of Creation in the cosmic time cycle. It is considered puran or complete. Any number multiplied by nine gives a figure that adds up to nine. Ratri means night. The Rigveda states that creation came about when everything was covered in the darkness of night. Navratra signifies the concept of ‘Back to Godhead’ Nav means nine and Ratri means night. These nine nights occur on equinoxes when the sun is vertically overhead at the equator. The Cosmic Mother is worshipped during these 9 days. The number nine is closely associated with the process of Creation in the cosmic time cycle. It is considered puran or complete. Any number multiplied by nine gives a figure that adds up to nine. Ratri means night. The Rigveda states that creation came about when everything was covered in the darkness of night. Navratra signifies the concept of ‘Back to Godhead’. The entire cosmic cycle consists of three phases: Creation, Preservation and Diss and Dissolution. If one was to split each part into triads, then 3 times 3 would be 9. The universe is composed of 36 ‘tatvas’ and there are 360 ‘tithis’ in a lunar year. Both numbers add up to 9. The No 9 is the highest number. After the number 9, comes the 0. In order to truly worship the Lord either become complete (with all the great qualities) like the number 9, or empty (devoid of ego, or in a state of total surrender) like the 0. What Is Navratri? Well, it is the nine days when we are suppose to thank the female principle of nature and the goddesses connected to them. As the agricultural communities had free time only in the evenings (days being too busy with manual labour in the fields), evenings and nights were chosen as the ideal times to celebrate the festival of the goddesses. In brief, the nine nights are dedicated to the three main goddesses of Hinduism—Parvati, Lakshmi and Saraswati. The first three nights are dedicated to the goddess of action and energy. Her different manifestations viz Kumari, Parvati and Kali are worshipped during these days. They represent the three natures or classes of womanhood—the virgin young girl, auspicious wife or mother and the angry old hag! This is not a criticism of women, just a classification. It helps us recognise the different aspects of our own nature. Lakshmi is worshipped for the next three days in her various aspects as the goddesses of peace, plenty and bliss. Fulfilment is more important than wealth itself. As the goddess of wealth, she governs not just the bank balance, but also such basic things as family, friends, food etc. Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge. Not just the knowledge of how to earn a living, but how to ‘live’ as well. She is the goddess of the spiritual knowledge and the knowledge that frees us from this bind of Samsara. She is worshipped during the final three days of the Navratri. The nine nights are there for us to revel in the knowledge of the goddesses that live within us, imbibing us with their spiritual energy and power. Used for the good, they help liberate us from the mire of this world. Use these energies unwisely, and they will snare us in the maya of this world. We should meditate of these aspects of the nine nights that was the reason they originally came into being. For the ardent devotees of Maa nine divine nights are the utmost heavenly bliss.
Religion & Spirituality – 3 Answers – 2006-10-02 18:44:51

regarding the festival of navaratri what are marapachi bomais (dolls) ?
navaratri is an indian festival celebrated over nine days. a kollu(exibition of dolls) is usually kept in households. Each household will have a pair of marapachi dolls. what do they signify ?
Other – Society & Culture – 2 Answers – 2006-09-30 05:41:10

when was navaratri in 1972?
saptami in 1972,navaratri
Dodge – 1 Answers – 2009-08-15 08:46:18

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Indian scientists use astrology to cure heart patients

July 5, 2009 in Astrology, Featured

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People performing Hindu ceremony at one of the...
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Scientists at the Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi have have become starry-eyed. They are looking to the stars to heal heart patients. Read more here

The scientists are calculating the movements of stars and planets of patients to understand how they can reduce or avert the increasing heart-related diseases just by studying their horoscopes.This will be taking the science of astrology to a new dimension.

“We have studied about 80 horoscopes of people, their place of birth, time of birth and the position of their planets.

“Then, we advise them accordingly, when a person is likely to suffer heart ailment, under what situation, or the right time for a person to undergo surgery if he is advised by a doctor.

“We refer to ancient astrology books where the knowledge of diseases and its treatment were recorded, ages ago. We have, so far, recorded a 70 per cent success rate,” Dr Shatrughan Tripathi, head of the project at Banaras University told Bernama in a recent interview.

Impressed by the celestial findings, India‘s University Grants Commission has permitted Dr Shatrughan and his team to further the project with a US$12800 funding for the next three years.

Now, several ‘astrology hospitals’ have emerged in Varanasi in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, where astrologers prescribe suitable gemstones, beads, mantras and herbal medicines to patients.

Heart disease is a major problem and it is even mentioned in over 60 ancient texts like the Rigveda (Hindu scared book).

“We are not doing something new, we are only trying to promote traditional astrology in a more scientific method.

“For a start, we are focusing on the heart…later, we will move to other diseases related to eyes, kidney and liver,” said Dr Shatrughan. – Bernama

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