VIEWPOINT
AMITABH SHUKLA
Pothi padh padh jag mua, pandit bhayo na koye dhai aakhar prem ke,
padhe so pandit hoye (So many in the world died reading books, none became
any wiser. One who reads and understands love, becomes wise).
This is one of the most popular
couplet or doha
Now in 2014, we find someone who
claims to be a follower of Kabir but forgot the language of love which the
great mystic poet and writer espoused. While peddling his ware in the spiritual
market of the country, Sant Rampal, now in custody, simply forgot that it was
only through love and compassion that takes you far not violence, bloodshed and
a luxurious lifestyle.
It was surprising and rather sad
to see a self-styled godman and Sant in police custody, holding on to the iron
bars of the small barrack. His photographs inside a police lockup in Panchkula,
flashed all over the world, were a poor testimony to the techniques and methods
which he adopted to take on the might of the Indian
State
Rampal himself blamed it to “bad
luck”. But surely, it was not bad luck. It was a bunch of law-breakers holding
the Indian State Punjab
and Haryana High Court in the contempt case for which he was summoned in the
first place, he would have got bail. This is what ultimately happened when he
appeared in the court as he was given bail in the contempt of court case for
which the non-bailable warrants had been issued. But his wisdom went for a toss
as he decided to test the might of the Indian judiciary and the State
Government for several days.
Now, Rampal says that he was held
“captive” by his followers and did not know that the police were looking for
him... That he was meditating... so on and so forth. What kind of a leader,
religious or spiritual, you are if you do not know what is happening around you
and do not guide your followers and supporters?
In the entire episode, imagine
the plight of the average person who had faith in Rampal. He must be shattered
to know that the person whom he considered his God and supreme turned out to be
an offender, did not even have common
sense, was surrounded and guided by criminal minded people and was
hellbent on destruction. The faith of the simple, common devotees would be
shattered forever and this crime is unpardonable. This shakes the very belief
of an average devotee and is there a bigger crime against humanity than this?
Here I would quote the great poet
Rahim, rahiman dhaga prem ka matt todo
chhitkay toote se phir na jure, jure ganth padh jaaye (Do not ever break
the thread of love. If it breaks, it cannot be the same again. Even if it
joins, there would be marks). Clearly, Rampal has broken the faith which his
disciples had in him and this will haunt him for the rest of his life whether
it is spent in jail or even if he comes out of it after a few years.
If one goes through the
information for disciples on the official website of Rampal, I am sure many
would be impressed. It is a different matter that the 63-year-old junior
engineer in Haryana Government turned preacher, hardly practiced what he
preached. In his 20 odd instructions to disciples, I hardly find one or two
objectionable as the rest is prescribed by all spiritual leaders for austerity
and discipline.
He strictly bans consumption of
all intoxicating substances which in a way is good for the society. Going to
places of pilgrimage was prohibited by Rampal perhaps to cater to the
sentiments of the lower strata and poor people who thronged his ashram and to save
them from pangs of guilt. He also banned visits to temples which most people
find objectionable and was one of the reasons why Arya Samaj followers attacked
his ashram in Karontha in Rohtak district a few years ago. Instead he himself
assumed the role of God, something clearly abhorrent. But he also said that God
is omnipresent and is present in every article — a thinking outlined by several
Indian philosophical thoughts.
Rampal also prohibits worship of
pitras (ancestors), worship of any other God or Goddess and asks followers to
obey his orders instead. This led to blind faith amongst his followers,
something which led to the defiance of the police, courts and the State
Government for several days at the Barwala ashram in Hisar. He bans various
rituals associated with birth and death in families and instead favours
austerity.
Rampal also prohibited adultery
terming it a heinous crime saying one should look upon other women as mother,
daughter and sister. Another direction was to prohibit indulging in criticism
and hearing it, particularly of the Guru. Consumption of meat prohibited by
Rampal and described as a heinous sin if violence is directed against living
creatures. However, he never seem to have followed his own philosophy as he was
accused of murder previously and now he faces a series of fresh criminal cases,
including that of murder and treason.
Gambling and playing cards were
also prohibited along with singing and dancing. Similarly practicing
untouchability was prohibited and so was giving and accepting dowry. If any
devotee did not follow these orders, his initiation as Rampal’s disciple came
to an end, said the website.
I have taken all these from the
website of Rampal to illustrate what his thoughts were and what his philosophy
was to deconstruct the mystery of the self-styled godman. The website quotes
Kabir almost everywhere who was the supreme though now everyone knows that the
teachings of the medieval mystic saint was practiced more in defiance even
though that remained the avowed philosophy. Food and stay was available free of
cost to the devotees and there is no charge for initiation. That perhaps
explains how around 20,000 devotees, most of them poor, stayed in the 12-acre
ashram most of the time.
A detailed empirical study is needed
to understand why deras flourish in Punjab and Haryana
in such large numbers and why almost every village in the two States has a dera
for the spiritual succour of the people. They have enormous political and
financial clout and come handy during elections when their directive helps
political parties and contesting candidates.
There is a lesson for everyone in
the Rampal episode — for the common devotees who repose their faith in such
saints, for the police and administration for overlooking the excesses of the
deras over a period of time and for the politicians and the political parties
who try to woo them and through the heads, get votes of their supporters. We
have seen this happening over the years and I am sure that despite the Rampal
episode, no one would learn the lessons. It was time the episode is taken as a
case study and appropriate lessons learnt. (November 24, 2014 )
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