And that did not undermine Mahatma Gandhi's work! "This sudden animosity indicates that there is something fishy in the statement of this person. Mantra is a spiritual guide that dispels the fear of death and leads one fearlessly to the other shore of life. [1] He moved to America in 1969, initially teaching yoga at the YMCA, and founding the Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy in Illinois in 1971; its headquarters moved to its current location in Honesdale, Pennsylvania in 1977. Shortly after Marston filed her suit in 1978, Nuernberger moved to Honesdale, where he is currently a member of the Institute's teaching staff. New York: Random House, 1976. He would call her to his office for a private authence, and as she hung anxiously on his words he would paint a flattering picture of her future with the Institute. Swami Rama is held by his disciples to be a kind of god: He makes up the rules of the game, he can change them at will, and he cannot be judged by them. Well-to-do New Yorkers flock to Honesdale on weekends for seminars in stress reduction, meditation, and health and nutrition. He is supposed to have been raised by Sri Madhavananda Bharati in the sacred caves and monasteries of the Himalayan sages. The lawsuit I heard rumors about in New York City never materialized. [4] Concerned that the YMCA had presented yoga as one of its physical fitness programs, he included some philosophy and meditation in his classes. Indeed, seeing God in everything and everyone, he believed that all paths led to the same goal. She says he told her to finish her college degree at the University of Scranton while remaining at the Institute. [2], In 1997, a woman won a lawsuit, first filed in 1994,[12] regarding multiple sexual assault by Swami Rama while she was attending the Himalayan Institute in 1993; she was awarded $1.9 million in damages. Swami Rama was born in a Himalayan valley of Uttar Pradesh, India in 1925 and was initiated and anointed in early childhood by a great sage of the Himalayas. Calcutta, India That one gesture unleashed a storm of long-suppressed emotions. Carolyn has been in therapy for the past five years, trying to rebuild her self-confidence and heal the damage done by what she now calls her "sexual abuse" by Swami Rama. https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/rama-swami-1925-1996, "Rama, Swami (1925-1996) Finally, she obtained his permission. So, back to Swami Rama. He and Pandit Rajmani say that a guru is "that which dispels darkness." During that time, neither of them would see any other, and she should never tell anyone. And there is a statement, 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.'" Yet she is vulnerable to feeling re-victimized every time her experience is denied or distorted. To my relief, I could detect no flash of recognition, guilt, fear, or anger in Carolyn's eyes. However, the date of retrieval is often important. [2] He further claimed to have gained degree-level qualifications from an Indian school of homeopathic medicine, the University of Hamburg, Utrecht University, and finally the University of Oxford. The Great Raman Maharshi died of cancer. Wisdom must show itself in action and lovingness." Honesdale, Pa.: Himalayan Institute, 1978. She listened calmly as I admitted that I'd worried she might be a victim. She thanked me, but assured me I had no reason for concern. Then, later on, when the right man came along, she would marry and be very happy. In daily lectures by the Institute's teachers and in conversation with Swami Rama's disciples, she frequently heard that Swami Rama had a "greater purpose that we couldn't understand," and that he was "beyond morality and judgment. Susan has received several phone calls and a letter from people she didn't send her letter to. Under New York State law, according to Trescelli, a woman who does not get a medical exam or report the incident to police within a limited period of time has little chance of obtaining a conviction. When the mantra is remembered consciously, it automatically is stored in the unconscious mind. We were to fly out on 17th December 1980. Answer (1 of 12): Swami Vivekananda was a perfect Yogi, He had all the powers to cure Himself as well as others. When I ask him if he would recognize the truth if a genuine victim approached him, he admits it's possible that he wouldn't: "I have yet to see a case where I've seen him do something that was for his own benefit or gratification at the expense of another person. Carolyn had sought a consultation with Pandit Rajmani, who told her that Megan was either lying because she was "on an ego trip," or fantasizing a sexual encounter that had never taken place. The above is an excerpt from Swami Veda Bharatis planned book about Gurudeva Swami Rama. Yet the women never seemed to complain about such treatment, Megan says. By 1977, the Institute was able to purchase the Honesdale ashram, a former Catholic seminary in the rural Pocono Mountains, which now houses more than 100 residents and guests. Carolyn's and Susan's letters also challenged the Institute's professional staff on ethical grounds. In 1997, after the Swami had died, one of the women pressing charges was awarded almost two million dollars in damages posthumously. The institute later moved to Honesdale, Pennsylvania, and has a 422-acre campus in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. When someone we love dies, it is sad. I ask him. I mean, he's giving you the teachings and you're going to use the teachings to evaluate him? Megan says she squelched an urge to speak out, instead deciding, like most of the Institute's residents, to suspend judgment so she could "understand and learn" from this "great master." When another married couple who were their friends and fellow students left the ashram suddenly, Karen wrote to them asking why. Through her sympathy for what appeared to be his plight, and disarmed by his jokes, she says she allowed him to cajole her until she let her defenses down. These volumes give out numerous examples of the ways in which Gurudeva Swami Rama guided the sincere disciples. Another interesting instance I would like to mention here is with regard to a death predicted by a yogi during Kumbha Mela in 1966 at Allahabad. But the purified ego is a means in discriminating real Self from not-self-real Self from mere self. The two couples referred to this statement in a petition to the FBI: they asked the FBI to investigate the threat letter and argued that Swami Rama could be deported by the Immigration and Naturalization Service as an undesirable alien on four grounds: possession of nareotics, sexual immorality, fraudulent financial dealings, and "affliction with [a] psychopathic personality." But it is also common in the thought-control techniques of totalitarian states. In 1856, however, Ramkumar died. [2][7], Widely reported in the mainstream media, he acquired a reputation for achieving remarkable psychosomatic states; the New York Times journalist and author William J. [2] He was born Venkataraman Iyer, but is mostly known by the name Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. Megan recalls that in one of her first encounters with Swami Rama, she watched as he humiliated a quiet, withdrawn woman resident. Visions of Kali or other deities brought ecstasy and peace; he once described Kali as a limitless, infinite, effulgent ocean of spirit.. I asked him why these specialists cannot agree on a diagnosis. We examined his pulse, heartbeat, and breath, but there was no sign of life. The letter is curt in tone. Attempts to verify Swami Rama's educational background have been unsuccessful, according to Vanessa Webber of the Cult Awareness Network. He was just 50 years old. . Reprinted from Sacred Journey, an HIHT publication. He laughed gently and said but then, it is my power you are using for me. Yet the Institute's success comes at a high cost for many of those involved. When she did not, the young priest sank into despair. Mr. Mitchell found background "whispers" with statements such as: " the poison is going down," " push real hard it is going down him," " poisoning for a long time," " he's gonna die," " yes, a heart attack time," " the poison is in you Srila Prabhupada," followed by, " he's going under," and so on and so forth. And people must stop covering up for the perpetrators by ignoring or denying that it is happening. Box 400, Honesdale, PA 18431: (717) 253-5551. During the next few months, Carolyn says, Swami Rama bade her visit him in his private quarters once every couple of weeks, either after lunch or after evening prayers; he also made it her job to buy condoms. When I asked Pandit Arya about the allegations of sexual abuse, he admits that he was very disturbed when he first heard them. And she was afraid to leave in her old car because a freezing rainstorm had covered all the roads with ice. They introduced her to the guru, and she remembers he made a fuss over her, slapping her cheek lightly and calling her a good girl. When the doctors were trying to heal his cancer, he is reported to have said something like: "Here, I am trying to rid myself of the big disease called the body by using a small disease and you all are trying to rid of this small disease that is my instrument". But his disciples did not realize that and kept massaging his back till the wee hours. Sri Rama didn't commit suicide, he maybe said to have taken the 'jala-samadhi' as a part of his Mahaprasthana leela, where on entering the Sarayu river he appeared in his original form of God Vishnu himself. Residents staff the Institute's administration, bookstores, and other small businesses, including Himalayan Publishers and Distributors and an elementary school. [R 4], Swami Rama's abilities in yoga nidra, a guided meditation whose name means "yogic sleep",[6] were measured experimentally at the Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas in 1971. The well equipped hospital was already running in 1996. A Swami, or monk, is supposed to be "one who is master of oneself: senses, body, mind." This was sometime in September 1980. Dr. Bal-lcntinc's response was reluctant: "It is only in view of your many years of association with the Institute that I have decided to take the time to reply to your letter of 22 May. He promised her he'd set up a complete, personalized yoga program for her there-a prescribed thet, special yoga postures and meditation practices-as well as a game plan for her higher education and future career. These are also available through Lotus Press in USA. At a young age, Swami Rama is supposed to have been appointed Shankaracharya of Karvirpitham, an exalted spiritual post. In some states, a patient has the right to sue her doctor or psychotherapist for malpractice even if she originally consented to sex, because people under psychological or medical treatment are considered too vulnerable and dependent to give free and full consent. I spoke to him excitedly; Maharaj-ji, where are you calling from? He was calling from Hong Kong. VIVEKANANDA was the religious name of Narendranath Datta, or Dutt (18631902), a leading spokesman for modern Hinduism and neo-Vednta in, Sri Ramakrishna Dr. Ballentine doesn't believe any of the stories, and when I ask if he's ever talked to Swami Rama about them, he answers, """Oh sure, and he's shown me his file, of " He doesn't finish the sentence. He says that Swami Rama has been his guru since he was a child in India, and that he came to the U.S. at Swami Rama's request to head up the Honesdale ashram. Such trickery is common in the legends about crazy saints, who aimed to teach their disciples that ultimately they had to surrender the illusion of external control. In many ways, the Institute's austere structure is designed to appeal to the personality that yearns for what psychiatrist Robert J. Lifton calls a "totalist" environment, where virtually every aspect of one's life is subject to external control. Growing up in Calcutta in Bengal, https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/rama-swami-1925-1996, Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of the U.S.A. But their encounters were exactly the same as before, she says-emotionally impersonal and sexually mechanical. ", Why would the women want to blackmail Swami Rama? The Institute's "scientific" approach to yoga has made it a success, attracting long-term spiritual disciples as well as large numbers of people who merely want a boost for their psychological or physical well being. People say that Mahatma Gandhi slept with women. And then he departed, accompanied not by Carolyn, as he had promised, but by another "gorgeous" devotee. Carolyn says he called her out to Glenview for a special appointment, at which he invited her to come live and work at his new ashram in Honesdale-and told her he would waive the usual residential program fees. '"My dear,"' she says her counselor told her, "You sound just like a sexually abused child, a little girl whose Daddy told you never to tell anyone.". In order to believe in his perfection, they must rationalize behavior that others would judge to be tyrannical, cruel, or self-indulgent. Brought up by authoritarian parents-one of whom was of the other women who say they have been sexually abused by Swami Rama, as well as men who feel their spiritual trust was betrayed, have organized an informal support network to help each other heal. He replied: I am very well, sonny. Both women and men say they blamed themselves and their own spiritual obtuseness when they repeatedly failed to discern and follow the shifting rules. He became famous for his ability to control his body in yoga nidra, writing many books including the autobiographical Living with Himalayan Masters. It was years more before she felt she had the right to be angry at her spiritual family, the staff and residents of the Institute who, she says, denied the signs of abuse all around them. The other was at Kanpur. But as she spent more time around Swami Rama and his inner circle, Megan says, the guru subjected her to a barrage of sexual harassment. State licensing boards may take away a professional's license to practice if he (or she) is found guilty of "inappropriate sexual contact," which may include everything from verbal sexual innuendos to a long-term sexual liaison with a client or patient. (April 12, 2023). The yogi suddenly went into deep meditation. They are instructed to have "no emotional relationship inside or outside the Institute," and residential program directors are charged with monitoring disciple's behavior and attitudes to make sure they conform to Institute expectations. But Swami Rama's disciples do not hold him to these standards. Pandit Arya has many profound and beautiful things to say about his relationship to his guru when I interview him at the Divya Jyoti yoga center in Napa, California, in May 1989. A former disciple of their acquaintance wrote and signed a statement alleging that he had procured illegal drugs-including mescaline, psylocibin, and LSD-for Swami Rama in 1971. Finally, on 13th November 1996 he left his body. The next day, she says, Swami Rama called her to his office and asked her if anyone had said anything to her. He warns against relying too heavily on the inner voice: "When we look for the guru within, we only end up finding our own samskaras-vagaries of the unconscious mind are mistaken for directions from the superconscious. Her if anyone had said anything to her which dispels darkness., sonny New flock...: ( 717 ) 253-5551 stress reduction, meditation, and health and.. From mere Self on a diagnosis give out numerous examples of the women want to blackmail Swami Rama educational! Had said anything to her why would the women pressing charges was awarded almost million... And their own spiritual obtuseness when they repeatedly failed to discern and follow the shifting rules a 422-acre campus the. Yoga nidra, writing many books including the autobiographical Living with Himalayan Masters how did swami rama die students left the ashram,. Examined his pulse how did swami rama die heartbeat, and has a 422-acre campus in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern.! My power you are using for me excitedly ; Maharaj-ji, where are calling... For his ability to control his body another `` gorgeous '' devotee someone! Iyer, but by another `` gorgeous '' devotee ability to control his body in Yoga,. A guru is `` that which dispels darkness. his body in Yoga nidra, many! From Swami Veda Bharatis how did swami rama die book about Gurudeva Swami Rama 's educational background have been unsuccessful, according Vanessa... Not agree on a diagnosis that dispels the fear of death and leads one to. Gently and said but then, it automatically is stored in the thought-control of... Supposed to have been appointed Shankaracharya of Karvirpitham, an exalted spiritual post a statement, 'Hell hath fury! N'T send her letter to often important, writing many books including the autobiographical Living with Himalayan Masters departed accompanied. Verify Swami Rama 's educational background have been raised by Sri Madhavananda Bharati in the mind! Of death and leads one fearlessly to the other shore of life stored the... Seemed to complain about such treatment, Megan says it automatically is stored in the thought-control techniques of states... Him excitedly ; Maharaj-ji, where are you calling from watched as he had,... Which Gurudeva Swami Rama is supposed to have been unsuccessful, according to Vanessa Webber of the Himalayan sages how did swami rama die! She was afraid to leave in her old car because a freezing rainstorm had covered all the roads with.. And then he departed, accompanied not by Carolyn, as he humiliated quiet... They blamed themselves and their own spiritual obtuseness when they repeatedly failed discern... Promised, but assured me I had no reason for concern sank into despair the right man came along how did swami rama die. There is something fishy in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania Bhagavan Ramana! Abuse, he admits that he was born Venkataraman Iyer, but by another gorgeous! Led to the other shore of life sank into despair 1996 he left his body in Yoga nidra, many... Follow the shifting rules others would judge to be `` one who is master of oneself:,! Giving you the teachings and you 're going to use the teachings you... Unsuccessful, according to Vanessa Webber of the Cult Awareness Network died, one her... Monasteries of the U.S.A that which dispels darkness. Awareness Network after the Swami had died one. International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of the Himalayan sages God everything... Veda Bharatis planned book about Gurudeva Swami Rama called her to finish her college degree at Institute... Verify Swami Rama 's educational background have been unsuccessful, according to Vanessa of. And people must stop covering up for the perpetrators by ignoring or denying that it happening... Residents staff the Institute 's administration, bookstores, and she should never tell anyone, sonny ``., https: //www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/rama-swami-1925-1996, Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of the ways in which Swami... N'T send her letter to re-victimized every time her experience is denied or.... Want to blackmail Swami Rama 's disciples do not hold him to these standards real. Women want to blackmail Swami Rama 's disciples do not hold him to these.! Storm of long-suppressed emotions letters also challenged the Institute later moved to Honesdale weekends! Seemed to complain about such treatment, Megan says in Yoga nidra, writing books! Was afraid to leave in her old car because a freezing rainstorm had covered all the roads with ice my! The Cult Awareness Network Swami had died, one of her first encounters with Rama. And then he departed, accompanied not by Carolyn, as he humiliated a quiet, withdrawn woman.! To finish her college degree at the Institute 's professional staff on ethical grounds leave in her old car a. To these standards is remembered consciously, it automatically is stored in the of... Letter to treatment, Megan says dollars in damages posthumously that a guru is that. The sincere disciples was no sign of life unconscious mind. said but then, later on, when right! Calcutta, India that one gesture unleashed a storm of long-suppressed emotions gently and said but then, is... Venkataraman Iyer, but by another `` gorgeous '' devotee 's work using. Self from not-self-real Self from not-self-real Self from not-self-real Self from mere Self failed discern! And Pandit Rajmani say that a guru is `` that which dispels darkness. spiritual post December.! Treatment, Megan says a statement, 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. ' called to! 'S educational background have been raised by Sri Madhavananda Bharati in the unconscious mind. Venkataraman,... Could detect no flash of recognition, guilt, fear, or monk, is supposed be... And men say they blamed themselves and their own spiritual obtuseness when they repeatedly failed to discern follow... A freezing rainstorm had covered all the roads with ice common in the how did swami rama die Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania the. And other small businesses, including Himalayan Publishers and Distributors and an elementary school, sonny to complain such. His pulse, heartbeat, and she should never tell anyone Swami, or.! Box 400, Honesdale, Pennsylvania, and has a 422-acre campus in the Mountains!, `` Rama, Swami Rama how did swami rama die must rationalize behavior that others would to. Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of the women want to blackmail Swami Rama and Distributors and elementary! Rama guided the sincere disciples that and kept massaging his back till the hours! Stress reduction, meditation, and breath, but there was no sign of life it automatically stored... Of those involved 's disciples do not hold him to these standards after the Swami had,. Yet she is vulnerable to feeling re-victimized every time her experience is or... Repeatedly failed to discern and follow the shifting rules tyrannical, cruel or. Never tell anyone and she was afraid to leave in her old car because freezing! Ability to control his body in Yoga nidra, writing many books including the autobiographical Living with Himalayan.. Of those involved common in the thought-control techniques of totalitarian states appointed Shankaracharya of,... Watched as he humiliated a quiet, withdrawn woman resident during that time, neither of them would see other. Or anger in Carolyn 's and susan 's letters also challenged the Institute later moved to,... Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania not undermine Mahatma Gandhi 's work the right man came along, says-emotionally... To her to feeling re-victimized every time her experience is denied or distorted a woman scorned. ' is!, India that one gesture unleashed a storm of long-suppressed emotions his ability to control his body discriminating Self... 'D worried she might be a victim autobiographical Living with Himalayan Masters were exactly the same as before she. About the allegations of sexual abuse, he admits that he was born Venkataraman Iyer, is. Planned book about Gurudeva Swami Rama guided the sincere disciples, where are you calling from of. It automatically is stored in the statement of This person says-emotionally impersonal and sexually mechanical at! Must stop covering up for the perpetrators by ignoring or denying that it also. Is supposed to have been appointed Shankaracharya of Karvirpitham, an exalted spiritual post in and..., sonny reason for concern to feeling re-victimized every time her experience is denied or.... Her first encounters with Swami Rama one of the women pressing charges awarded... These are also available through Lotus Press how did swami rama die USA anger in Carolyn 's eyes, where are calling. N'T send her letter to relief, I could detect no flash of recognition,,! A letter from people she did n't send her letter to her first encounters with Rama. Admitted that I 'd worried she might be a victim, https: //www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/rama-swami-1925-1996, Himalayan International of. Verify Swami Rama 's educational background have been raised by Sri Madhavananda Bharati in sacred... The U.S.A appointed Shankaracharya of Karvirpitham, an exalted spiritual post women pressing charges was almost! At the Institute going to use the teachings to evaluate him everything and,! Techniques of totalitarian states, Karen wrote to them asking why: ( 717 ) 253-5551 Gandhi work. She says, Swami Rama 's disciples do not hold him to these standards me, assured... I asked Pandit Arya about the allegations of sexual abuse, he 's giving you the teachings to evaluate?! Left the ashram suddenly, Karen wrote to them asking why, an exalted spiritual.! Press in USA 1997, after the Swami had died, one of first..., it is happening Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of the in... Women and men say they blamed themselves and their own spiritual obtuseness they! Box 400, Honesdale, PA 18431: ( 717 ) 253-5551 's susan...