Politicisation And Commercialisation Of 'Spirituality'

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 6 February 2024 'After independence, the sense of patriotism had been alienated from devotion to God. All these years, devotion to God was forced to be practised within the four walls of one’s house. But RSS worked relentlessly to bring Daiva Bhakti out of the closet and put it on the same pedestal as patriotism,' said a sissy 'spiritual' guru, known as Ravi Shankar. 'Country Developed Slave Mentality Due To Insecurity Built Around Secularism': Sri Sri Ravi Shankar All these 'spiritual' gurus are on the payroll of the current political dispensation. Whether it's Jaggi or Ravi, all are birds of the same feather. In the last few years, we've been witnessing a kind of politicization and commercialization of 'spirituality.' In fact, the very term 'spirituality' is so vague and nebulous. It's invariably associated with religiosity. In fact, spirituality is a euphemism for religiosity. All these 'spiritual' gurus have a definite agenda. They're Hindu evangelists in disguise. A premier English daily openly called Ravi Shankar, a Hindu evangelist a few years ago. A true spiritual leader or guru is not supposed to take sides. But Ravi Shankar is shamelessly praising RSS and rejoicing in the construction of Ram Temple. His coeval, also from South, is yet another fancy guru. But if you look at this growing phenomenon of Gurudom, you'll realize that the fault is ours. Most of the disciples of these fashionable charlatans are ostensibly educated and English-speaking people. Just the way Rajneesh hoodwinked his credulous disciples 50 years ago, these Babas are brainwashing the gullible masses in today's age of social media. Now everyone goes to a dubious guru, takes Deeksha (initiation), chants some mantras and calls himself or herself the follower of a particular guru. When people have no faith in themselves and no belief in their own capabilities, they go to these 'spiritual' frauds and feel ' enlightened.' ' In the life of Socrates, ' Greek philosopher Neophilus wrote that when Socrates would engage in debates and discourses with his disciples, he never sat on a higher pedestal and always preferred to walk. Buddha's favourite disciple Ananda also said the same thing about the Buddha. He never considered himself to be the master of anyone and always sat with his disciples. But look at the sybaritic lifestyle of these Babas. They live in clover and sit on a golden throne and preach. In other words, they pontificate. These people teach humility but are full of haughtiness. They talk of 'holiness' but are wholly corrupt. They preach water but drink wine. We must understand that each one of us has the potential to deal with his/her problems. We don't need the help of any 'spiritual' impostor. Why do we go to these questionable characters and demean ourselves? Look within. You'll have all the answers to your questions. Don't fall prey to the neatly and nicely 'packaged spirituality' offered by these gurus. Today, 'spirituality' is a cottage industry. Babas are mushrooming in every corner and colony. Learn to see through their shenanigans. Be your own guru. ---- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/politicization-commercialization-spirituality/d/131664 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism