On Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

HarperBroadcast
5 min readNov 4, 2014

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By Mukunda Rao

A candid reckoning of some of the most notable spiritual movements in south India today, seperating the good, the bad, and the ugly from one another.

On Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Art Of Living courses promise to reduce stress and depression, and bring peace of mind and serenity, better health and well-being, increased energy and stamina. All these things make you more self-aware and develop harmonious relations at home, work and so on. Add or minus one or two more promises, but most of these spiritual organizations never fail to emphasize that their methods are all scientifically proven, and that they can even help fight diseases like cancer and AIDS. This, in short, is the sort of advertisement put up by most of the so-called spiritual organizations in the marketplace today.

It is not rocket science to understand that yogasanas, pranayama and meditation, combined with a good diet, do have a therapeutic value and effect. These techniques can help one relax, become more efficient and productive in work, enable one to effectively deal with stress and conflict situations, and have better health. There are, in fact, many such therapeutic techniques available today which, when seriously and rigorously practised, can give you the same results. That is to say, there is no miracle involved in these methods. The propaganda that it is all due to the miraculous powers of the guru, his yoga and his products, is just a successful marketing strategy.

In other words, if what the gurus teach people helps them relieve anxiety, diminish mental agony, overcome certain fears and mitigate despair, then there certainly is merit and some therapeutic value in what they teach. But when they begin to claim that their teachings can give people ‘realization’ and wisdom, and even usher in world peace, then the gurus are self-deceivers.

To be fair, Ravi Shankar has never claimed to be an avatar or a divine being who can change the world or bring world peace. However, when his admirers and disciples shower encomiums on him or sing paeans, calling him a godman, an avatar, Christ or messiah of peace who can change the world — indeed, has changed the lives of millions of people — he has never stopped them.

Since the time Christian missionaries in India forayed into charitable work and the Ramakrishna Mission ventured into the social and educational fields, it has become almost mandatory for religious organizations and mutts to get involved in socially relevant activities. Every swami or guru worth his salt today has to engage himself in a two-pronged activity: spiritual teaching and social work. The spiritual part, as can be found out, is superficial, yet may have some therapeutic value. Once upon a time carried out solely by NGOs, these social welfare activities certainly do a lot of good to a lot of people. These enterprises include the following: establishing housing facilities, hospitals and educational institutions; disaster relief work; rural development; rehabilitation of prisoners; promotion of youth education; developing Ayurvedic medicines, and so on. Of course, such social welfare activities benefit these organizations as well, giving them the much-needed social and political credibility that can attract more devotees along with a constant supply of currency. And, with the increase in their wealth, power and popularity, these gurus become a vital part of the ‘worldly life’ they often critique in their discourses, but they don’t seem to find any contradiction in this lifestyle.

Among modern gurus, Ravi Shankar seems to be most popular. He strives to be politically relevant, too; his active participation in the ‘India against Corruption’ movement has been a high point in his career as a guru in recent years. His open support of Anna Hazare played a significant role in propelling his devotees to join the anti-corruption movement. He even wrote a lengthy piece in The Times of India on 29 Sept 2011, defending his support to Anna Hazare. Taking the names of spiritual gurus such as Sri Aurobindo, Swami Vivekananda, Samarth Ramdas, Gadge Maharaj, Sant Tukadoji Maharaj and other Sikh gurus, along with great ‘rishis of yore’ like Vasishta, Vishwamitra and Ashtavakra, he wrote: ‘Saints cannot be like old newspapers. If you look back in history, great sages have never limited themselves to one thing and never shied away from political responsibility.’ He proposed, ‘In our times, we need to spiritualize politics, socialize business, secularize religion and make life multifaceted like the newspaper!’

A magnificent proposal, but Ravi Shankar did not spell out how this could be actualized in reality. However, not surprisingly, in July 2012, almost a year after Ravi Shankar defended his position, he withdrew his support when Anna’s team (Mr Arvind Kejriwal, to be specific) abandoned fasting, decided to form a political party and contest elections. Ravi Shankar declared that he wouldn’t support such a venture or plan of action and that he would remain apolitical!

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The sun went down behind the hill and a cool breeze came up, giving the landscape a pleasant aspect. The crowds swelled and the huge pavilion began to fill up. Neon lights came on, the stage was lit up in brilliant yellow, and bhajans broke out from the loudspeakers: the Navaratri celebrations were upon us.

Ravi Shankar’s arrival was greeted with the jubilation befitting a king. Before long, he was seated cross-legged on a cushion before a microphone, explaining the significance of the Navaratri celebrations. He said, ‘The victory of good is possible, but generally people believe it is evil that often wins over good. You have to first get over this attitude… Conquer the passions… Mahishasura symbolizes the passion, we have to transcend this. Yes, these passions are there in our samskara, bija, DNA, genes… How to get over it, win over it? Through meditation, good conduct, fighting against corruption, against what is unhealthy both externally and internally… The bad triumph largely not because of bad people but because of the indifference, the inaction on the part of the good people.’

Then he spoke in Kannada for some time before switching back to English. People were invited to ask questions. There were several questions, most of them concerning personal problems confronting the practitioner in his sadhana, but the one on King Ravana set off peals of laughter: ‘Why did Ravana have ten heads when one itself is hard enough to contend with?’ Smiling and staring at a few in the audience in a studied manner, Ravi Shankar gave what may be termed as a traditional answer in a modern, rational framework.

In response to other questions, he advised a few people to take up AOL’s advanced course to get over their problems and strengthen the sadhana. Then, he returned to the theme of the day, namely, Navaratri, the ninth day, a day to celebrate the victory over negativity. He rounded up the discourse by calling upon his devotees to transcend negative impulses and destructive traits.

On his way out through the barricaded aisle, devotees stretched their hands to touch him and to seek his blessings; some shouted praises, and others expressed how they were blessed by his Grace.

Now people could go back home feeling purified and elated, on a spiritual high. People need these celebrations, rituals and gurus, which provide a sense of doing the right thing, being good, being better than those unfortunate people outside, who seem to remain stuck in the morass of materialism!’

Between the Serpent and the Rope : Ashrams, Traditions, Avatars, Sages, Saints and Con Artists
By Mukunda Rao

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HarperBroadcast
HarperBroadcast

Written by HarperBroadcast

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