‘If you don't choose heroes, heroes will be chosen for you, and they will not represent values that empower you, they will represent powers that will enslave you.’ - Russel Brand
Everyone must have heard of Ashok Kharat- the tainted astrologer and a Sailor turned Mahayuti Godman from Maharashtra, who was recently arrested. After his retirement, the 67 year old Merchant Navy Officer, who had sailed for nearly 22 years, seeing the world in its entirety, decided to become the ‘Captain’ of yet another spiritual ship.
This modern luxurious liner, which was probably designed by an Epsteinian architect, accommodated millions of blind followers, with totally clouded minds. What is mind boggling is that ‘miraculous’ tamarind seeds priced at 1 lakh per kg and ‘divine Turkish honey’ priced at 9 lakhs per bottle were peddled to all his influential clients.
But in the dark corners of this floating hotel, the Captain would administer intoxicants to his female passengers, hypnotize them, use fear tactics, like threatening their families and invoke black magic to sexually exploit them. The ship sailed smoothly for nearly two decades holding controversial faith healing congregations.
But alas! When a woman was raped, assaulted and forced to take pills to terminate her pregnancy, she registered a complaint. Thus, in the midst of a comfortable journey, grievances started pouring in, starting a new ‘Me Too’ movement. When images surfaced showing his links with various politicians and intimate CCTV footage to blackmail his clients, there was a political storm. And the tainted Titanic finally sank!
In the debris of the tragedy, the horrific findings revealed an empire worth over 100 to 200 crores. Further investigations revealed that under the pretext of religious rituals, this self styled Godman also performed multiple human sacrifices. He was also accused of using fake snakes and tiger skins to create a supernatural atmosphere to heighten fear and trick people.
This isn’t the first time we have witnessed the Buddhist Hell- a realm of the hungry ghost.
The ‘Naraka’ is a place for people driven with greed; people with huge mouths and thin necks, who no matter how much they eat or drink, can never be satisfied. Such stories that begin as sordid scandals end up by forcing us to ask whether the civilization we live in is still what it claims to be.
There never seems to be an end to these enduring stereotypes- that men need to let off their steam somehow and that women have no choice but to submit to this behaviour.
We need to go back to history to know that the worst atrocities happen when someone claims to know the thoughts of God and ask you to surrender your reason. Once you do that, you project divinity onto them and start idolizing those ordinary human beings. Believing there are ‘enlightened’ gurus also helps us believe that maybe our suffering will also have an exit door.
But the hard truth is that when we pedestalize someone, when we elevate them beyond humanity, we are not practicing devotion. We are merely outsourcing our own power. By calling it ‘inspiration’, we are just handing over our control to another human. The moment you place someone higher than you, you’ve already made yourself smaller. This inequality is what creates this ‘Guru’ culture of righteousness and moral high ground. And the very belief that peace exists somewhere else- is destination addiction at its finest!
So how do we beat the step, the establishment, the system when you have been effectively swallowed by them? The only way to reclaim our power is to stop ‘guru-izing’ people and to start seeing them as humans navigating their bloated egos and evil desires. What we need to do is to reclaim our power and stop thinking that someone else’s consciousness guarantees our safety.
It’s important for us to understand the difference between a Sage, a Saint, a Guru and a Godman. A sage is Wise. A saint is Holy. A guru is but a Mentor. All three are marked by a silent wisdom, generosity and compassion. They need no external recognition because their holiness comes from within, without the ‘halo’ over their heads. They are the ones who live amongst us and choose to walk with us. They are ordinary people of the human rainbow who embody active love, morality and service, often developing a familial, friendly, spiritual, educational or artistic bond with us. They could be our Parents, our Teachers, or anyone from within our circle of Family and Friends. They can even be strangers.
Godmen however, are distant idealized figures, who aren’t as humble or unpretentious. Their nest is full of narcissistic vipers who claim to possess ‘divinity’, boast of alleged miracles and brag about their special connection to God. These cult leaders exploit their gullible followers for financial or personal gain.
In short, they are like sharks swimming in a crowded beach, watching and waiting to pounce on their victims. IF ONLY! If only Nature would have marked them in a more conspicuous way that would allow us to see the face of a criminal. If only there were signs pasted on their foreheads to warn people of what lies beneath that charming surface. Then perhaps it might stop people who are feeling lost from venturing into their hunting ground.
Starting today let us all intentionally decide who to admire- rather than passively accepting Celebrities, Influencers, Gurus or even Leaders, let us base our admiration on qualities like Kindness and Courage. Let us shift from admiration to emulation taking inspiration from their skills instead of worshiping their persona.
Let us choose our own heroes and embrace their good qualities, instead of blindly worshipping them. Let us not neglect our own potential. For if we do not define our own standards of greatness, we will be forced to follow someone else’s!
Nargis Natarajan is a writer of satire and a columnist based in Odisha. The views expressed here are the writer’s own.