My Feb. 2016 miscellaneous comments on Facebook posts

Last updated on 21st April 2020

21st April 2020 Update: I had an inner urge to name-snip the names of some person(s) in this post and so have done so.

My comments on FB post, https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=733131653489988&set=a.305212276281930.1073741825.100003794812983&type=3&theater, February 6th 2016

Quite shocking to know these aspects of --Name1-snipped--. At least, Mr. Ganti has the guts to target RJR openly via his posts & mails. It is the HIDDEN opponent who is the most dangerous in Parthi system. I have suffered from some such BETRAYAL by --Name2-snipped-- & --Name3-snipped-- in the Sai university, who continue to serve in SSSIHL with no public impact even after I have exposed their BETRAYAL and CRIMINAL act of record tampering and malicious slander against me.
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[In response to a comment, "Pardon them for your peace. Forget the past."]
I have already publicly documented in detail what I went through then and that gave me a lot of mental and spiritual relief. I guess I am not that spiritually evolved that I can "bear all and do nothing". I am a normal human being who got the pyschological relief of sharing the trauma I went through in 2011-12 after Mahasamadhi in the Sai university, and receiving words of comfort from others for it.

I know that now if I forget about them it will be good for my physical and mental health as well as my individual spiritual sadhana. However, I have a duty towards Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba and the Sathya Sai fraternity, which is what is forcing me to keep writing about this, given the GREAT DAMAGE caused to the Sai university by this Muddenahalli group HIJACK from July 2011 to Nov. 2014. The right way to solve this INSTITUTIONAL MATTER is to follow the norms used for such cases, by constituting an inquiry committee of unbiased and reputed persons (e.g. former judges) to investigate the matter of the HIJACK of SSSIHL by Muddenahalli group from Jul 2011 to Nov. 2014, and share its findings PUBLICLY with the Sathya Sai fraternity, along with its suggestions for remedial actions. That is what will set the INSTITUTION of the Sai university back on the right track. Ignoring the matter will simply allow the DAMAGE to the spiritual mission of the Sai university to continue!
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[In response to comment, "Have faith in the power of (Swami). Can anyone hijack God.":]
Well sir, does having faith in Swami mean that we should only "wait & watch"? I don't think so. My experience with Swami on some personal matter showed that Swami greatly appreciated efforts from me to resolve the problem, rather than simply stop at praying to Swami and adopting a "wait & watch" attitude. In fact, it is my considered view, that INACTION ('wait & watch') attitude of Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust allowed this Muddenahalli FALSE BELIEF to take root and grow into this SERIOUS DIVISIVE THREAT to the Sathya Sai movement today. So I prefer to do my small actions to help Sathya Sai movement recover from the damage caused by Muddenahalli group (including the damage caused to Sai university), rather than simply leave it to Swami to do and personally just 'wait & watch'.

However, I respect the view of others who prefer to 'wait & watch' and leave it to Swami's Will & Divine Plan.
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Regarding the slapping incident of the Radio Sai staff: I am given to understand that the Radio Sai staff person did get slapped. But one version of the story (the local version) is that the Radio Sai staff was asked about some photographs having Shri R.J. Rathnakar (RJR) in it. The staffer refused. When the staffer was told that the matter would be mentioned to RJR, the staffer said that they could even say it to his father! Now I don't know what is the truth. But if one speaks about RJR or his father in such a manner, as both RJR and his father, are & were very important figures for Puttaparthi locals, the locals will lose their cool and react in a Rayalaseema way (violently). That seems to be the provocation for the slap - perhaps there was some history of poor relations between locals and Radio Sai staff too.

I repeat that I do not know what is the truth. The problem here is that the person concerned decided not to make a formal complaint with the police (perhaps out of fear of retribution from locals later on). These are the realities of Puttaparthi life. If you speak harshly or insult locals, they will turn physical against you. Even when Swami was in physical form in Prasanthi Nilayam, I have heard of locals having slapped some officials of the ashram, due to some problems they were having with them.

What I feel is very unfair here is how the Radio Sai staffer slap matter is presented in a biased way (without sharing the Puttaparthi locals side) by some Prasanthi Nilayam institutions' staff, and which is made into an attack on Shri R.J. Rathnakar. I mean, the anti-RJR people would have you believe that RJR instructed his staff to go and slap the Radio Sai staffer! That I think is not what happened that day.

Now I do not condone the Radio Sai staffer being slapped by the locals. It was unfortunate and avoidable. But the reality of Puttaparthi and Prasanthi Nilayam ashram is that PN institutions staff should treat locals with dignity and respect and not view them as pests. If they view them as pests the locals will tolerate for some time but eventually they will react in the only way they know that delivers results for them, which is a slap or two (and very rarely, if that doesn't work, worse) to let the PN ashram staff know that they live in Rayalaseema and must be polite in their dealings with Rayalaseema locals, even if the locals are poor and not so well educated, and cannot speak English fluently.

My statement above should not be viewed as me condoning any violence. I am simply stating the realities of the ground of Puttaparthi and Prasanthi Nilayam ashram INTERDEPENDENCE.
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I personally have no issues if some trustee eats non-vegetarian food. Yes, Swami did recommend that for spiritual aspirants it is better not to have non-vegetarian food. But running Swami's mission needs action guys and not reclusive spiritual aspirants (like me). The action guys needs muscle power and non-vegetarian food certainly provides muscle power. BTW Sachin Tendulkar, the cricket hero adored by so many Sai devotees, especially Sai university students and alumni, is also non-vegetarian. That does not make him any less nice a person or a lesser hero. Come on! I have read somewhere (perhaps in one of Hislop's books) that for those habituated to non-vegetarian food, Swami was OK with them continuing to eat non-vegetarian food.

If --Name1-snipped-- is raising an objection against RJR because RJR may be consuming non-vegetarian food, my personal view is that it is a very foolish kind of objection. Let us focus on the performance of trustees in the roles assigned to them rather than such minor matters like food preferences.
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A clarification: From a spiritual perspective, food preference (veg/non-veg) is not a minor matter. In my own case, I used to eat non-vegetarian earlier but have stayed away from it for over two decades now, especially after coming into Sai fold. But, in the context of the role of a trustee or other senior administrator (e.g. Director of a hospital), the food preference (veg/non-veg) is, in my view, a minor matter.
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Well, bro. Rajen Rajen, for many outside-ashram Puttaparthi people life is very harsh due to severe money problems after Mahasamadhi. You do not have exposure to their life or else you may not condemn them so easily. For sure, most Rayalaseema people DO NOT and CANNOT, as of now, follow Ahimsa teaching of Swami always, as if they do so they will be completely dominated over by bullies and by horrific levels of exploitation. Mind you, if you do not bother them and treat them decently, they will not bother you. But if you bug them, some of them react in the Rayalaseema way. .... BTW I am curious to know whether your view of Ahimsa teaching goes to the extent of not defending oneself with violence, when confronted by threats of violence (i.e. appropriate level of Himsa in self-defence). Maybe I have not understood Swami's Ahimsa teaching well. But I am certainly for appropriate level of Himsa to protect oneself from violent threat (self-defence). What's your view?
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Rajen Rajen: My view about the apology to the Radio Sai staff victim is that the apology should be both ways, if the local version of the story is true. The persons who slapped should apologize for the usage of violence and the Radio Sai staffer should apologize for inappropriate language used in the context of a trustee and the trustee's father.
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Thanks for your views Rajen Rajen. In particular, noted the words, "The right to self defence is inalienable", which, I guess, includes appropriate level of violence used in self-defence.
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Oh! Just in case you misread my comment as implying that you, Rajen Rajen, had condemned ppl of PTP, I never implied that. I was using the term, you, in general when I wrote: "Mind you, if you do not bother them and treat them decently, they will not bother you." ... put in another way "Mind you, if somebody does not bother them and treat them decently, they will not bother that person."

My comments on post, https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=733127413490412&set=a.305212276281930.1073741825.100003794812983&type=3&theater, dated Feb. 6th 2016

In response to the post contents, "--Name1-snipped-- was the one who first told that MDH seniors are a group of pissed of seniors at PN who wanted power didn't get it and took revenge on PN", I commented as follows:

I think that assessment of --Name1-snipped-- is correct. Further, many of the key chaps of Muddenahalli group are Sai university fellows and so they roped in many top Sai university administrators too, including its then vice-chancellor --Name4-snipped--. The saddest days in my stint in Sai university were when I came to know that some Sai university administrators conspired to target Prof. Anilkumar Kamaraju, initially with some show-cause type of notices and then made him resign from the Sai university (sometime in mid 2012, if I recall correctly). With Prof. Anilkumar Kamaraju out of the way, the Sai university was COMPLETELY UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE Muddenahalli group TRAITORS. Prof. Anilkumar Kamaraju must be made a trustee of SSSCT now so that he can reverse the HIJACK of Sai university by Muddenahalli group till Nov. 2014. He knows who were the fellows who BETRAYED SSSIHL for academic position and/or salary, by swinging over to Narasimhamurthy and --Name4-snipped--, instead of sticking to Bhagavan's teachings about never accepting any mediums/communicators. These Sai university administrator-fellows were DISLOYAL to the mother trust, Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, which was paying all the salaries of these fellows and meeting other institutional expenses of the Sai university.
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My comments on post,
https://www.facebook.com/sathyanarayana.raju.9/posts/733217973481356, dated Feb. 6th 2016

Well, --name-snipped--, you are free to make any deal that you would like to with Mr. Ganti.

In my case, if I feel that I have to share the TRUTH of something that happened in the Sai university or PN system, to combat Muddenahalli FALSE BELIEF and to further the cause of Bhagavan's mission of re-inforcing Sathya, Dharma, Shanti & Prema in the world, I will do so.

I have always refrained from saying falsehood knowingly. Unknowingly if I have said something inaccurate which has been been brought to my notice by responsible persons, I never hesitate to make the correction, and if required, apologize as well.

So I am not indulging in any DIRTY POLITICS for me to stop any DIRTY POLITICS. However, I will not stay silent if people who I am benefiting from (e.g. Sri R.J. Rathnakar due to his POSITIVE INFLUENCE in outside ashram Puttaparthi environment leading to it being largely safe and peaceful, as well as Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust which provides very valuable services to residents of outside-ashram Puttaparthi like water facility as well as medical services), get targeted unfairly on social media. I will write in defence of them.
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Eventually Muddenahalli so called communicator may be forgotten as an unfortunate development, like Paundraka who tried to imitate Krishna and challenged Krishna as the original Vaasudeva, is largely forgotten. But it cannot be denied that thousands of Sai devotees are being MISGUIDED by Madhusudhan Rao Naidu via his Darshan, Interviews and Discourses, USING THE HOLY NAME of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. So, yes, the HOLY NAME of Bhagavan will not get tarnished when viewed from a larger time scale of decades in the future, perhaps. But the question is, should one quietly 'wait & watch' while Madhusudhan Rao Naidu supported by Narasimhamurthy MISGUIDES people in the name of Swami? I think that question is for the individual Sai devotee to answer. Some may prefer the 'wait & watch' approach - that certainly is a no hassles approach. Whereas others feel they should publicly condemn such MISGUIDANCE of Madhusudhan Rao Naidu supported by Narasimhamurthy in the HOLY NAME of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, even if such public condemnation gets them a lot of online and real-world enemies for free!

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Comments made on FB post: https://www.facebook.com/kpuvirajan/posts/10207623678423373, published Feb. 22nd 2016

Ravi S. Iyer wrote: This seems to me to be a PAID NEWS kind-of article as it focuses on the very short time PM Modi spent on the matters mentioned in the article AND OMITS ANY MENTION (in my quick scan of the article) of the main event, which was related to Chhattisgarh govt. Housing and Entrepreneurship development initiatives.

The big thing in the post you shared, of course, is what is additionally mentioned by the one of the main Muddenahalli group promoters in social media about an interview with PM Modi. I don't know whether this happened; the Muddenhalli group people have not shared any photographs of PM Modi with Madhusudhan Rao Naidu.

However, even if the event happened, I seriously wonder whether it was as is portrayed by the statement, "Swami also blessed Modi with a personal interview ". One has to note in this context that Madhusudhan Naidu was not seen in the entire video of the govt. event including the small 4 minute event involving Swami statue inauguration and some plaques being unveiled.

My guess is that like we could see Mr. C. Srinivas requesting PM Modi to greet the dignitaries of Muddenahalli group in the front rows of the 4 minute event conference room, which PM Modi graciously consented to, Mr. C. Srinivas may have requested PM Modi, after the main govt. event got over perhaps, to spend a few minutes with the so called communicator Madhusudhan Naidu. As Mr. C. Srinivas had lent his facility to Chhattisgarh state govt. for the govt. function (perhaps for free), PM Modi may have felt obliged to accept Mr. C. Srinivas request and so may have consented to meet Madhusudhan Naidu for a few minutes (IN PRIVATE out of view of TV cameras). If this is how the meeting happened with Madhusudhan Naidu (if at all it happened) then the above mentioned description of (so called subtle) Swami blessing PM Modi is not only a wild exaggeration but even an affront to Hon'ble PM of India, IMHO.

If what I have mentioned is what happened then the words should have been on the lines of:
PM Modi acceded to request of Mr. C. Srinivas to spend a few minutes with (so called) communicator, Madhusudhan Naidu.
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Ravi S. Iyer wrote:
Note that like in other MDH functions, Madhusudhan Rao Naidu was NOT on stage (and nowhere seen) when the statue was unveiled. That is very, very strange! Did PM Modi NOT WANT TO BE SEEN IN PUBLIC with Madhusudhan Naidu????
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Ravi S. Iyer wrote:
The big concern in my mind is whether PM Modi did actually meet Madhusudhan Naidu, and whether he has developed belief in his so called (FAKE) communicator claims. I mean it will be a big disaster if PM Modi is trapped by Madhusudhan Naidu like he has trapped some big names in Sathya Sai fraternity and caused so much HAVOC in Sathya Sai movement and Sathya Sai university and alumni community.
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Ravi S. Iyer wrote:
I am sure PN will be in tact and have full faith in that. But PM Modi should NOT GET MISLED by FAKE COMMUNICATOR Madhusudhan Naidu and the group that endorses him which includes some people known to PM Modi from previous interactions (before Mahasamadhi).
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Ravi S. Iyer responded to comment stating that PM Modi would have intelligence reports on what is happening in Muddenhalli:
I guess so. But we had thought that PM would AVOID meeting Madhusudhan Naidu. So that is a concern.
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Ravi S. Iyer responded to comment that PM Mod went to endorse some good work done in name of Sai and not necessarily believing in so called subtle body or its so called medium (communicator):
I would like to believe that. But I am VERY, VERY SUSPICIOUS of Muddenahalli group as I have DIRECT EXPERIENCE of --Name4-snipped-- (who was there in the front row at the statue inaugration event) BETRAYAL of Prasanthi Nilayam, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (Sai university) and Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, from Jul 2011 (when Narasimhamurthy publicly talked about dream instructions) till Nov. 2014 when --Name4-snipped-- stepped down as VC of Sai university. Very dangerous fellows!!!
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Comment made on Facebook post, https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=743929619076858&set=a.305212276281930.1073741825.100003794812983, dated February 25th 2016

Ravi S. Iyer wrote:
I believe MDH group has already started publicizing the NaMo "interview" and using it to attract people to their group. ... As I think about it I feel that the MDH guys have scored a major MARKETING win here. They will exploit it to the HILT. Very sad ... but they seem to have roped in NaMo very well. We have to just accept it and move on. ... God knows what else is in store for us .... A Madhusudhan Rao Naidu discourse in the HOLY NAME of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba with NaMo sitting on stage!!!! God help us!!!
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Ravi S. Iyer wrote:
Sathyameva Jayate! Sathyam Naasti Paro Dharmaha! Bhagavan's name itself was SATHYA SAI! I have DIRECT & PERSONAL EXPERIENCE in 2010 when Bhagavan showed me how much he valued SATHYA in the face of one of the biggest storms that I got engulfed in during my stay in His PHYSICAL DIVINE PRESENCE in Parthi. So I can tell you from DIRECT EXPERIENCE that, in the FINAL ANALYSIS, for Bhagavan, He will stand by those who follow the Sanathana Dharma teaching of Sathyam Vada Dharmam Chara, which he put up as the key mantra for his university, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. Bhagavan will stand by and shower HIS GRACE on whoever follows Sathya & Dharma wherever he/she may be, in Prasanthi Nilayam or in Muddenahalli or in our own homes and work places or wherever. I have NO DOUBT WHATSOEVER about this, due to my DIRECT EXPERIENCE of how Bhagavan stood by me in my hour of trial in 2010.
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Ravi S. Iyer wrote:
Rajen Rajen, Just wanted to add that if it is public conversation, one is usually more careful in one's arguments as one's views are read by others and one is held accountable (from a public perception point of view) for one's words. This holds good for me too.

Another aspect is that brother VijaySai B.S. has been a student, former faculty, singer & speaker with many personal interactions with physical form Bhagavan. I think, you bro. Rajen Rajen may not have had that physical proximity to Bhagavan, and so you may find yourself at a disadvantage when you engage in a PRIVATE discussion with bro. VijaySai.

If it is a public discussion, people like me (I may not read all the comment exchanges but may browse through it, and can be easily invoked into the discussion by a comment tagging me) who have had some DIRECT interactions (more of facial gesture kind from Swami; but some words too from Swami on occasion) and many INDIRECT interactions (accounts of what happened between Swami and other staff shared by other staff with me; being present in Sai Kulwant Hall for darshan and some events in Sai Kulwant Hall from Jan. 2003 to March 2011 as university staff (and so having clearer view as well as information about what was going on in Sai Kulwant Hall)).

Further, I am intimately aware of the Prasanthi Nilayam side of this SPLIT in the Sathya Sai movement. In particular, I am very well aware of the views of one of the top SPIRITUAL leaders of the Sai university, Prasanthi Nilayam and the Sathya Sai movement at large, Prof. Anilkumar Kamaraju, who was the main person who opposed the main founder of the Muddenahalli group, Shri B.N. Narasimhamurthy, but was forced out of the Sai university (SSSIHL) for doing that (in collusion with persons like Prof. --Name4-snipped-- (then vice-chancellor of SSSIHL), Prof. --Name5-snipped-- (then director of Prasanthi Nilayam campus, SSSIHL) and --Name3-snipped--, then and current Registrar of SSSIHL and perhaps others too (e.g the then Joint Director of Prasanthi Nilayam campus, --Name6-snipped--, who was known to be close to --Name3-snipped--, seems to have also played some role in the BRUTAL MARGINALIZATION of Prof. Anilkumar Kamaraju then)).

In this context I have to remind you that the history of the HIJACK of SSSIHL from Jul 2011 to Nov. 2014 (when --Name4-snipped-- stepped down as VC) by Muddenahalli group, can be viewed to have properly started with the letter written by Narasimhamurthy about his dream instructions from Swami, being circulated among faculty of Prasanthi Nilayam campus in Jul 2011 (and also perhaps with other campuses of Sai university). The letter can be seen here: http://ravisiyer.blogspot.in/2015/11/narasimhamurthy-july-2011-dream.html.

To conclude, bro. Rajen Rajen, it may be far better to have a public exchange with bro. VijaySai B.S. on this, so that others would be in a position to step in to provide appropriate TRUTHFUL information if required. I would also like to add that the MANTRA & MOTTO Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba gave to Sai university, which would include its administrators (like vice-chancellors, registrars, directors of campuses), teaching staff (including me), non-teaching staff, students as well as alumni, is Sathyam Vada Dharmam Chara. I know that it is not so easy to live up to the mantra and the motto (I fail at times; I do have my flaws), but I do hope & pray that your conversation with VijaySai tries hard to live up to the MANTRA & MOTTO Bhagavan has given not only to Sai university but all Sai devotees as well. Jai Sairam!
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Ravi S. Iyer wrote:
Bro. Rajen Rajen, I too have found bro. VijaySai B.S. to be a good & honest man. However, his honesty is about truth as he perceives it, and sometimes, good and honest persons do have wrong perceptions of some matters.
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