The akharas and the fake 14 babas

With the recent aftermaths of Gurmeet Ram Rahim rape case, The Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad has decided to release as per their discretion, the name list of the 14 fake babas. They decided to release the statement after their Illahabad meeting. According to them, the second list is also in the process of being released. They further reiterated that the step had to be taken for protecting the common people against the misdeeds of the so called imposters posed as babas.

People have had a mixed reaction against this release. Some common people have rejoiced the decisions but some people especially the ardent devotees of the listed imposters have even been giving death threats. It is for sure that the whole Gurmeet Ram Rahim case, Asharam case and the whole Akhara's decision have hurt the sentiments of a common Hindu person. It has in a way divided Hindus.

First of all, it is our grave misfortunes that we have in the name of spiritual guru a bunch of imposters. They have no distinct lineage or guru sishya tradition. It takes no time for them to be Mahamandaleshwar of any akhara. These imposters are everywhere, the society should know how to discern them. Because of this types of imposters, the original baba lineage that started from lord Shiva and furthered by Mahasiddha Matsyendranath and Gorakhnath are very much misunderstood.

This is the Kali Yuga, every person should be accountable for their own actions and what impact they put upon others. The very decision of releasing the list of 14 babas is a good escapism in practice for the Akharas. The akhara people now wants to distant themselves from the imposters. It is very ironic because the akhara themselves convert those imposters into babas. For instance, it was the All India Akhara Parishad who made Sachin Dutta the "body builder baba". They made a person with long history of being a drunkard and an owner of a bar, the "Mahamandaleshwara". Later, after a week they  took his Title back when they found about his past. Had his name not been associated with his past, he would have still been Mahamandaleshwara.

These days it takes  less time for a crooked imposters to become a Mahamandaleshwara then Dacoit Ratnakara  to become Maharishi Valmiki. Maharishi Narada changed Ratnakara to Valmiki by giving him a mantra. Only after he started to chant the mantra rigorously and then through the cleansing process of grave penances, he was able to convert himself from a dacoit to Maharishi. The same cannot be said about the akharas. They lack a fundamental guru figure like Maharishi Narada, fundamental urge to conduct penance and the most fundamental aspect of all, the perseverance.

Secondly, how can an akhara just bestow the title of "Mahamandaleshwara" whithin a period of a year. This is not the first time for the akharas. Similar happened with "Kumar Swami". There is no such process of screening and scrutiny. Any person can become "Mahamandaleshwara". The process is just too arbitary. It is the akharas who should change themselves. First they convert an imposter into a "Mahamandaleshwara" and then when they get the axes, they leave no stones unturned to distant themselves from their own product. Akharas have politicized and commercialized the whole spiritual and religious system at their own discretion.

Thirdly, the akharas are the place where all the weed smokers gather, they have nothing to do spiritualism. They simply smoke weeds whole day with no penances. It is nowhere written in the sastra that "Smoking weed is a penance in itself". These Akhara people first have to change themselves. They shouldn't make akharas the dwelling places of addicts and morons. Akharas should harbor souls who have dedicated their life towards spiritualism. Akharas are just too political in nature these days.

Fourthly, akharas are the collection of saints and sages. In this day and age, I don't think any sages would associate themselves with any akharas. They have a penance to perform. They don't such time, luxury and privilege like that of the Akharas to do nothing, smoke weed and be high. It is only handful of  saints who have given Akharas a good name and meaning. Having said that, we should know that "Saint" or "santa" means a person "who views everyone with equal perception. They view reverence as that of equal to ridicule. For them a Kshudra would be equal to a Brahmina, a king equal to a pauper. So how can a saint do such ridiculous act by ridiculing others? Ridicule and saints don't go hand in hand.

Since the Akharas are now a collection of few good saints and a lot of imposters, how can they just release the name and call them to be boycotted. What made their perception change at the last hour?
It is a well known fact that the whole act of the akhara releasing the 14 names are nothing but scapegoats. Fourteen scapegoats to protect and preserve their dignity. To protect their dignity and to preserve it, they have decided to sacrifice that of others. Does that justify the intention of the Akharas?

The akharas surely know that in future even they would be questioned through the rule of association with the imposters. So they publicly came up with the list to hide themselves behind the veil of sainthood. It is not a good idea at all from broad perspective. The saint they know not that they should unite at this time of the age to protect Sanatana and Hinduism. Little do they know that the outer forces that have hunted down the imposters would one day hunt the akharas down. There would be no remedy for the akharas then. The Akharas should unite and then counter hunt the evil forces. If saints counter hunt, the society would find a new way and a new direction.

The Akharas primarily also don't have any rights to release 14 names and call them "fake". It is directly against the dignity of a man. It is pure defaming. Nowhere in the sastra it has been written that akhara have the rights to call self proclaimed godmen fake. The only right they have is to spot the "black sheep" among themselves, within their own akhara and then call the person fake and disassociate themselves. Even if they have came up with the decision through the collective effort of multiple akharas they simply cannot call others fake. The akharas shouldn't be the deciding factor of fake and real godmen. For instance,

The penances are performed in solitude, the akharas can only produce learned saints but what about a saint adept in practices and penances. How can they conduct a litmus test for the level of penances? Can the akharas look at a young men and then decide if that young man is full or devoid of spiritual penances? There are no parameters to such standards. It is impossible. Their releasing 14 names are nothing but people like themselves who they think are no need for them.

Having said that, they would never do it. The reason is plain simple. They all are one and the same. Until fingers ain't raised why would they be bothered. They shouldn't have the power of arbitary decision to call whoever they don't meet their standards as fake. What if someday a great soul is labelled as Fake by the akharas? Who would akharas be accountable to?

Secondly, the akharas should distance themselves from everything that is not within their interest. The main aim of akharas is to give education to the society, to show the society a direction towards divinity. Modern day akharas are nothing but time pass for people who do not fancy the idea of practicing penances. Akharas are safe heaven for fake imposters to gather name and to run away from life. The Akharas should first cleanse themselves. They should first change themselves and then point fingers to other sects.

They should themselves be strict in the scrutiny while giving new people association of lineages and bestowing the title of "Mahamandaleshwara". How come up the drunkard and a bar owner, Sachin Dutta became a "Mahamandaleshwara"? Should the akhara be accountable towards the society?
Should the akhara not be answerable?. How can the akharas be so stupid to not separate a drunkard from a saint?

The geist of the whole article is that the Akharas should first change themselves and then when they are purified from every angle, then they should have the discretion of calling other people fake. They shouldn't be like politicians ridiculing each other. The whole world knows that all politicians are same. Until and unless the akharas don't change, they would be perceived as similar to those 14 names in the list. It is a matter of choice of the akharas wether to change themselves or be in the same level as that of the 14 names.

Time shall answer everything. I pray in future the akharas would change themselves and unite to counter hunt the evil forces.













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