THE
DOWNFALL OF A GURU SAI BABA
By:
Koert van de Velde
Welcome
to the club of mourners, e-mailed ex-Baba devotee Leo, a newvictim (of betrayal).
He does not want his (full) name in the newspaper.
"For
me it has been a week since I have been an ex, and that after eleven years.In
regard to all the rumors he heard, he had surfed the net despite Sai Baba's ban
on doing so. It was shocking."I could not push it away as being a plot of
negative forces and disappointed devotees. He is now in
mourning (grieving). "Baba was not only my mother and father, but also the
base of my view of the world. I have torn up all his photos".
Hundreds of
Dutch devotees did the same tearing up all the Sai Baba photosoff the walls and throwing out his books. The amounts of testimonies on
the internet of regular devotees is growing as well as those in "higher
places", who knew Baba well. Swami regularly pulled their pants down and
fondled their genitals. Some were forced to perform oral sex. (Generally
speaking) any one who meets Sai Baba in private is a lucky one. Thousands had to
satisfy themselves with a fleeting glance of this God when he was giving his
blessings (darshan). Ranada van Kralingen, who broke up with Sai Baba a month ago
understood why it could remain a secret for so long. Many of the misused (sexually molested) men are adults and hetero sexuals and are incredibly ashamed.
Now that others are coming out of the closet, more will follow.
Having noticed
the decline in (numbers) of devotees, the country's Sai Organization sent a
mail-out. This letter of August 8th, by the local coordinators, suggests that
the disappointed ex-devotees are trying tomeasure
acts by God with human measurements. Swami always remarks that between him and
his devotees no other person can bring a message."We have a direct line to
God". That is why his (the devotees still with him) devotees have no message
to the accusants, according to the Head (of the Sai Organization) in the
Netherlands. Sai Baba is God in human flesh, and can do no wrong. Rananda
van Kralingen who is trying to organize the opposition against Sai Baba in the
Netherlands says filled with indignation: "ccording to the leadership you
best onlylook at
yourself". An (all to) easy strategy to bury your head in the sand not seeing
any of the misery Baba is causing others.Van
Kralingen together with other ex-devotees has mailed a letter to all the (still
with Baba) devotees they knew. They call all these devotees to please watch the
video in which it is very evident (plain)
that Sai Baba does not materialize anything but (only) plays tricks
."Many
friendships have been ruined, the stress between ex-devotees and devotees can be
cut with a knife, they are writing. Spiritual
coordinator Wim Goedbloed faithful to sai baba says that he does not have time
to watch the video on the internet."It is as old as the way to Rome:
whatever you see in the mirror is that which lives in yourself". Goedbloed
returned the letter unopened. "The energy did not feel good, I do not need
it and I am not taking any position (on the matter). Now
that many eyes have been opened, the truth around Baba's materializations stand
revealed. Gold watches and precious stones Baba was said to have materialized
from thin air, appear to belong to the category of trash afte careful
inspection. The shops in which the Sai Baba Organzation is purchasing these
items have been discovered. A
former high ranking devotee from Australia, describes on the internet, how to
his amazement that the watches he was taking to Sai baba at his bidding were
later on used to be materialized and gifted to his devotees.The
alarmed(ex-devotees)wrote in their
letter to the still faithful to Baba: "Many are afraid to be accused of
having little faith" and see it as a betrayal to Baba. We undrstand that it
is an enormous blow to discover your God is an ordinary criminal and a very
active pedophile.
Coordinator
Goedbloed does not deny that Sai Babs touches the genitals of male devotees, but
(explains) he is only doing that clearly our of grace and
compassion."People who are sexually frustrated are visiting him. Sai Baba is
breaking their obsession by openinng an energy point between th anus and penis
so that Kundalini energy will be flowing. But this Sai Baba is not healing on
demands. "The "witch hunt" according to Goedbloed is due to the
disappointments of devotees who did not receive from Baba what they expected.
Matthijs
van der Meer considered himself a victim of Sai Baba's
inappropriate sexual approaches seven years ago, and (since) left the
Organization."Nobody wanted to listen, but now we have the internet and I
am no longer alone...Boys and men from the ages of seven and thirty, if they
look handsome, could count on "special attention" from Sai Baba. He is
very fond of light colored skin and blue eyes". Van
der Meer understands why many adults were molested by this men."In my way
of feeling I had no choice (in the matter). How could I choose not to follow
God?", he wrote in the New Age Magazine "Spiegelbeeld" (The Mirror
Image) of next month." The acute sense of loss that overtook me will stay
with me the rest of my life". According to Wim van Dijk, author of a book
about Sai Baba, a person like Van der Meer simply did not undrstand anything
about Sai Baba. "It has nothing to do with sex. Baba has no thoughts that
have anything to do withthe
senses. The whole of creation is in the palm of his hand.That is why he has no
needs or desires".
Joke
Broeke of the Sai temple in Lelystad admits that Sai Baba has sex with
boys. "Recently a boy came to the temple, who had a difficult relationship
with his father. he never educated (the boy) about sex. So Baba did it. Baba
rubbed oil on his penis and the boy experienced it as love. He
is now balanced and he even has a stable relationship.
That
some men experience Sai Baba's bold behavior as abuse (misuse) is something
Broeke understands. "It is o.k. to have negativity, it belongs to this time
of transformation. It is very necessary and good".
Painful
is the news about rape (molestation) by Sai baba with the Indian boys. The sai
baba School in the village of South Inida where the ashram is located, was
mainly a Warehouse (like a harem) for boys. Ex-Baba devotees have collected
various testimonies of victims. A doctor in Delhi stated that he treated a seventh year college boy for a torn anus.The boy had a private interview the day before by
Sai Baba.
Through
the avalanche of statements, pieces that were unclear in the past, are coming
together (are beginning to fall in place). The attack on Sai Baba, f.e. in 1993
in which four students of the Sai Baba School were shot by the police. Perhaps
the four came for revenge because they felt sodomized (abused) and humiliated by
Sai Baba. The Sai Baba Organization always stated that the boys were jealous
because they had fallen out of favor with Sai Baba.
Joke
Broeke: "A worldwide transformation of love is at hand". It is a law of
nature to call up the positive as well as the negative energy. It is perfect, it
must be so". That Unesco, due to the many allegations, withdrew their
support for a Conference in Sai Baba's ashram, was unknown to her, but it does
not make her doubt."That also is perfect in accord with the times in which
we live".
Most
of the former Sai Baba devotees have not entirely disposed of the sacred aura of
their former idol. Perhaps Sai Baba is indeed playing an
important role in the new age,
Leo wrote in his statement."I do not
believe his miracles are tricks. That means he can be something entirely
different, like f.e. the Anti-Christ. They say of him (the Anti-Christ) that he
will do all miracles and declare himself to be God".>
September
6th, 2000TROUW, the
Netherlands
(translation
by Ella Evers) e-mail address <dTROUW:internetredactie@trouw.nl
>