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Nithyananda
Thank my various Gods! Hinduism |
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Nithyanda (1978–) (born A. Rajasekara) is a Sadhguru. He has been involved in a sex scandal, his aids have been arrested for kidnapping of minors, he has been accused of rape, and there have been suspicious deaths in his ashram. He is also a YouTuber with close to 300k subscribers where he uploads videos riddled with pseudoscience and outrageous claims. Nityananda fled left India after the authorities had no other option than to arrest their God.
Pseudoscience
Nithyananda has long indulged in pseudoscience, causing great controversy in print and broadcast media. Some of these claims include (but not limited to):
- "E equal to... not mc2, it cannot be. What is mc2: the difference between intensity and continuity. What is energy, what is matter? Matter is continuity; energy is intensity… The intensity and continuity is separate for a non-veg crooked brain, which has seen only ups and downs. Only a vegetarian brain, which can retain the experiences continuously without losing the intensity, can understand m and c is not mc, it is emceeee."
- "I asked the Sun not to come out till I finish flag hoisting."
- "Chemistry and biology of the physics; physics and chemistry of biology; biology, physicality of the chemistry is one and the same".
- "If you have once got 11 or more lemons pierced into the body, you are absolutely protected from the coronavirus". [1]
Sex Scandal
Nityananda first came to the limelight when one of his disciples leaked a video of him sharing bed with an actress. Nityananda claimed that it was faked, but a forensic team proved otherwise.[2]
Death in Ashram
Nityananda's ashrams has had deaths where foul play is suspected. In 2014, a 24 year old disciple of Nityananda died under mysterious circumstances. While those at the ashram claimed that she died of a heart attack, the family claimed that it was murder. The police were criticized by the court years later for not following up the case.[3]
Rape Case
Nityananda was booked along with his five aides in 2010 for allegedly raping a disciple for five years. He delayed the case for eight years by changing his stance from time to time and even filed a fake impotency report.[4]
Kidnap Charges and Escape
In 2019, Nithyananda's two aides were arrested by the police for illegal confinement and labour of two minors. They were allegedly tortured and forced to work. Similar allegations were made by two other children rescued from the ashram in a complaint filed by their parents.[5]. After the case was filed, he left India without a passport.
Current status
Over a week after leaving India, a website surfaced, apparently setup by Nithyananda that announced his new country "Kailaasa" which aims to build "a nation without borders created by dispossessed Hindus around the world who lost the right to practice Hinduism authentically in their own countries" with "Dharmic Economy" and a Hindu Investment and Reserve Bank. According to various reports, it is established on an island near Ecuador. However, the embassy of Ecuador has denied that claim.[6] Nithyanda still uploads videos to his YouTube channel and Indian authorities have no intention of catching him anytime soon.
See also
- See the Wikipedia article on Nithyananda.
References
- ↑ Nithyananda's recipe against COVID-19: fast, walk on fire, pierce body with lemons The Week
- ↑ CONFIRMED! It was 'Swami Nithyananda' in the 2010 sex video Times Now
- ↑ K’taka HC pulls up police for not probing Nithyananda disciple's death in ashram The News Minute
- ↑ Rape case against Nithyananda: Trial finally begins after 8 years of legal hurdles The News Minute
- ↑ Godman Nithyananda Flees Country After Two Disciples Held for 'Kidnapping' The Wire
- ↑ Ecuador Says It Denied Nithyananda Asylum; MEA Says He Left India Without Passport The Wire