Need to inspire trust in Prasanthi Nilayam trustees' stand against Muddenahalli group; Two or three Sai students becoming trustees may worsen the problem!

Last updated on 20th Apr. 2020

20th 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.

Comment exchange on Stephen Rexford post, https://www.facebook.com/notes/stephen-rexford/mr-narendra-reddy-chairman-prashanti-council-should-resign-as-he-is-completely-e/418873328500963, is given below. Note that SSSCT stands for Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, Prasanthi Nilayam (Puttaparthi). Further note that the words 'firing the gun' or similar in this post are metaphorical, referring to verbal (words) vicious criticism targeting some person(s), and not literal.

Ravi S. Iyer wrote:
If it is true that there is (or will be) an orgn. about which an announcement was made in Sai Kulwanth Hall, having Dr. Narendranath Reddy's wife as a member of that orgn. and which has other members who OPENLY associate with Muddenahalli group, then Dr. N. Reddy MUST issue a statement on the matter clarifying his stand. About his in-laws being associated with Muddenahalli group - I think that is a different matter. Dr N. Reddy is not answerable to what his in-laws do. But in this case, I think a clarification is necessary.

I think the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust which is the mother organization responsible for Prasanthi Nilayam must also issue a statement in this regard (if the report is true).

I think that lack of trust in top office bearers of Sai orgn. with regard to Muddenahalli FALSE BELIEF is a POISONOUS PROBLEM for the Prasanthi Nilayam based Sathya Sai movement. I have personally faced that problem in the Sai university in 2011-12 (after Mahasamadhi), and have personally seen the GREAT DAMAGE that the Asathya-Adharma crook and traitor --Name1-snipped-- supported by Asathya-Adharma crook QUISLINGS in the Sai university (some of whom still continue to be in positions of power in the Sai university and elsewhere in the Sai orgn) have done to the spiritual ideals (Sathyam Vada Dharmam Chara) that the founder of the institution laid down for it. I think it will take decades, I repeat, decades for the Sai university to recover from the DAMAGE done to its founder's spiritual vision for the Sai university by the POISONOUS BETRAYAL of Sathyam Vada Dharmam Chara ideal by traitors and quislings in it (past and present).
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Vr Ganti wrote:
Stephen Rexford - WHY FEAR WHEN SWAMI IS AROUND. Dont you think, you should not be writing anonymous notes and comments. You come out in the open and make comments and thus many would rally behind you. Dont pass comments like COWARD Sir. Many, mostly from Sai Students, will join you and we all can work together. I am saying this because you are working in Bangalore for a software company. That is what you told me, if I remember right.
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Ravi S. Iyer wrote:
I should also add that SHAMELESS HYPOCRISY is very unfortunately a common feature in some people in Prasanthi Nilayam system. They talk great ideals but their actions are opposite! Cheppinattu Chestara is a question that can be asked of some of these persons. Surely, it can be asked of some administrators (past & present) of the Sai university.
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Vr Ganti wrote:
Stephen Rexford Garu - The entire SAI Fraternity holds SAI STUDENTS in high esteem and therefore, I am asking you to come out in the open and reveal your identity. Also identity those "OLD BOYS" who are working with you. What you are doing may be called PROXY WAR which does not augur well in the minds of SAI DEVOTEES.
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Ravi S. Iyer wrote:
Vr Ganti sir, I disagree with your statement that the entire SAI FRATERNITY holds SAI STUDENTS in high esteem. I DON'T. I hold those Sai students who make earnest attempts to follow Sai teachings, in high regard. I know some of them and cherish my association with them. But I also know Sai students who make only a show of following Sai teachings but do something else - hypocrites. And then there are others who frankly are into the material world full time, having a good time and do not associate with Sathya Sai movement at all - I don't blame them; their life their choice.

Where did the Muddenahalli group betrayal originate sir? It originated in the Sai university and Sai alumni group including Sai alumni-staff serving in the Sai university. Madhusudan Rao Naidu is a Sai student!!!!

How many of the top leaders of Muddenahalli group are Sai students (alumni)???

Don't be naive, Ganti sir. Don't be misled that all Sai students are great heroes of Sathyam Vada Dharmam Chara ideal. I was a (Lab. course) teacher in the Sai university for around nine years. I know what is what.

Like in the outside world and in the Sai devotee fraternity, there are good Sai students and there are not-so-good Sai students. I think your promoting all Sai students as saviours now is not correct.

I have PERSONALLY SEEN horrific levels of infighting between Sai students. And don't forget that the 1993 incident involved Sai students killing Sai student-servitors of Swami.

So please do not project all or most Sai students as some great saviours to solve this Muddenahalli problem. Some of them caused it in the first place!!! And most of the others have chosen to KEEP SILENT or try to fire guns using shoulders of others including anonymous Facebook profile users. Beware of PERSONAL AGENDA of Sai students firing guns using your shoulder too. You may think they want to improve Prasanthi Nilayam system. Later you may realize they were more bothered about power and position for themselves or their close friends or relatives. Sorry if my words are harsh but that's the reality that I have experienced in Prasanthi Nilayam system.
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Ravi S. Iyer wrote:
I should also add that PERSONAL AGENDA of some Sai students who fire the gun at others using your shoulder or some other anonymous Facebook profile user's shoulder, may simply be for purposes of taking revenge on some persons. Vendetta issues are quite common in Prasanthi Nilayam system, very unfortunately.
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Vr Ganti wrote:
Same way, I have seen so many Sai Devotees in general keep listening to and follow the Sai Students. May be after May 2014, people started realizing. Any way, it is neither here or there. Let us not get to debating onthis. The point is SAI STUDENTS are regarded as some special class of human beings. There is no doubt on that I suppose.
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Vr Ganti wrote:
See what is happening now - we both end up writing comments and no one is serious. May be there are very busy with their mundane material life and they dont have any time for participating in this debate at all.
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Ravi S. Iyer wrote:
I don't view SAI STUDENTS as special class of human beings, AT ALL. Others may. I know what is what. To be honest, as a group, I find non Sai student Sai devotees to be better examples of people making attempts to follow Sathya, Dharma, Shanti & Prema. I am VERY VERY SUSPICIOUS of most Sai students claiming to be Sathya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema heroes as I find that many turn out to be just HYPOCRITES who are more interested in leading good material lives and want money, power and position. But there are a few, I repeat a few, who seem to be genuinely inspired by Swami's ideals of Sathya, Dharma, Shanti and Prema. But they are not a big number at all.
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Vr Ganti wrote:
Yeah lah, what you say or what you feel many not be the feelings of many Sai Devotees, right or wrong
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Ravi S. Iyer wrote:
Well, you are trying to bring changes through your writings. I wanted to share my view of the situation. Don't forget that I have been living in Puttaparthi since Oct. 2002. So I know a lot about Puttaparthi and Sai students.
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Ravi S. Iyer wrote:
When I write in general support of SSSCT trustees, I do that because of this exposure that I have. Don't be under the impression that two or three Sai students becoming (SSSCT) trustees will create dramatic changes for the good in Prasanthi Nilayam system. Your suggested cure may turn out to be worse than the problem!
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Ravi S. Iyer wrote:
Besides, trustees have to be honorary (free service) people, haven't they? Most of the Sai students in Prasanthi Nilayam are salaried persons who very much need their salaries to manage their material needs. Have you thought about that aspect? Then, their exposure to the outside world is typically very limited. Trustee position people need exposure to the outside world for handling the challenges that they have to face.
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Given below are some comments from my Facebook post, https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/1820931954790040, associated with this blog post.

--Name-snipped-- commented:
Dear Sir, Sairam, I disagree to some extent with your views. I have seen many students asking Swami to be with Him. These students are top rankers in GATE and other exams. I as a student respect them though I am not equal to them. Jaisa raja vaisa praja....in the same way, if students are not given proper training or if they are trained by wrong ppl, then problems come. Madhusudan is just a puppet if BNM is not there. I blame BNM first.
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Ravi S. Iyer wrote (slightly edited):
Thanks for your dissenting view --name-snipped--. I encourage other Sai students to share their dissenting views on this post of mine. Perhaps I have a jaundiced view of some matters in Prasanthi Nilayam due to the very, very bitter experiences that I have faced in Sai university after Mahasamadhi. Prof. Anilkumar Kamaraju is also very, very bitter about his ill-treatment by Sai university administrators after Mahasamadhi. ... Our bitterness may have warped our view. I think it will be wonderful if you and other Sai students also give suggestions on how to counter Muddenahalli group influence in Prasanthi Nilayam system. Jai Sairam!
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--Name-snipped-- wrote:
Sairam Sir, I completely agree with you. If administration doesn't bother much, then how Swami's students and elderly devotees can do? After Mahasamadhi at least Prof. Anil Kumar should be given a chance to share his experiences everyday. I personally know people telling me that when they see him, they feel like seeing Swami. I can understand those feelings. Bcz he is the only person who translated every speech of Swami except on a few occasions. Its sad to know that he is illtreated. Perhaps this is the reason why MDH group is progressing. BNM sir knows proper man-management. When Dwapara age came to an end, Lord Krishna left his body and Arjuna could not fight robbers when they were openly looting. I think it is an indication Swami is giving.
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Ravi S. Iyer wrote (slightly edited):
Sairam brother --name-snipped--! I am happy to see your words of support for Prof. Anilkumar Kamaraju (AK sir). You mention that administration should treat him well. Do you know who were the Sai university administrators who forced Prof. Anilkumar Kamaraju to resign from the Sai university in 2011-12 after Mahasamadhi? --Name1-snipped-- the then vice-chancellor sent him a show-cause notice, through the Registrar, --Name2-snipped--, on some minor matter of AK sir going abroad without taking permission from Sai university administration. [I was informed by a very reliable source that multiple show-cause letters on this matter were sent by Registrar --Name2-snipped-- to AK sir and that AK sir gave fitting replies to it. It is the norm in the Sai university that the vice-chancellor directs the Registrar to send these letters. So I suspect that --Name1-snipped-- would have been involved in these show-cause letters to AK sir even if the letters were sent by and in the name of the Registrar, --Name2-snipped--.] If Bhagavan was in his physical form then, --Name1-snipped-- and --Name2-snipped-- may have found show-cause notices being issued to them by SSSCT secretary!!!

Later --Name3-snipped--, then Director Prasanthi Nilayam campus, went to Prof. Anilkumar Kamaraju's house and told him that he should resign from Sai university otherwise he (AK sir) will be terminated by Sai university administrators. AK sir fell into Asathya-Adharma crook and quisling --Name3-snipped--'s trap and gave him a resignation letter. Within a week, --Name2-snipped-- (student-staff), then and now Registrar, sent AK sir a letter that his resignation had been accepted! --Name1-snipped-- did nothing to prevent it. That's it. AK sir was thrown out of the Sai university in a relatively short period of time (in 2012, I believe) after Mahasamadhi!!! If Bhagavan was in his physical form then, SSSCT secretary would have forced --Name3-snipped-- to write his resignation letter from the Sai university!!!

AK sir wrote about this ill-treatment to many Sai university staff, many of whom were Sai students. NOBODY did anything to support AK sir.

--Name2-snipped-- is a student-staff. He has humiliated his own teachers (Anilkumar Kamaraju sir, Prof. Krupanidhi and others). He has committed a CRIMINAL OFFENCE UNDER THE INDIAN PENAL CODE of malicious record tampering against me. He is UTTERLY UNFIT to be Registrar of a Sathyam Vada Dharmam Chara and Love All Serve All Sai university.

Where was the gratitude and Sathya, Dharma, Shanti and Prema values of all Sai student-staff in the Sai university when AK sir was thrown out of the Sai university? In my view, it was UTTER FAILURE and HORRIFIC INGRATITUDE (INGRATITUDE IS A SIN) from Sai university student-staff to have done nothing when AK sir was thrown out of Sai university. They behaved like Bhismacharya and Dronacharya and others behaved as silent watchers of Adharmic humiliation of Draupadi in the court of the Kauravas.

I am sorry if my words are hurtful. But that is my view of the matter based on what I have heard about AK sir's removal from the Sai university from many reliable sources including AK sir himself, and my own horrific experience of Teacher-Drohi Paapis --Name1-snipped--, --Name2-snipped--, --Name4-snipped-- and --Name3-snipped--.
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Ravi S. Iyer wrote:
Vr Ganti sir, Please do not make any comments about adding/changing trustees to Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust on my post. Thanks.
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--Name-snipped-- wrote:
Sairam @Ravi S. Iyer sir, I completely agree with you and understand the situation. If our own people did it and they are in position now, then how truth can win. I think seeds were planted when Swamy was in His physical form. That time Swami took care. Now the way things run here and MDH both are causing pain to all. May be, Swami wants people to come out of past and realize His mysterious ways, and serve without any tags.
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Ravi S. Iyer wrote (slightly edited):
Thanks for your comment, brother --name-snipped--. Jai Sairam!
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Terry Reis Kennedy wrote over email (and was OK with public sharing):
Such despairing thoughts so early in the morning.  I am saddened that people are just giving up and turning away without investing their lives in Swami's mission.  This is exactly what the Dark Forces want!  Fight to the finish......?

Thanks for posting, Ravi.
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Given below are some extracts and few comments from Facebook post of Saibliss,
https://www.facebook.com/saimemories/videos/1238406102872627/, dated Nov. 22nd 2016

It is high time Sai university students get into serious introspection as what way he/she is contributing to His legacy. Sparing a handful, others have let down Swami very badly. When some have started imitating Him, some are fooling devotees by starting small ashrams, wearing ochre robes and flashing a beard giving satsangs (of course it's all His literature).

Some are comfortably sitting idle enjoying the "show" and some say "none of my business", "I got a busy job and family obligations" and so on.

Swami has called His students as His property and if every student who received free education spends at least 20% of the life in His mission every Sai centre across the world will transform into Prasanthi Nilayam.

It is high time devotees stop IDOLISING Sai students and eventually feed their egos by making them feel they are "super humans".

Let this 91st birthday remind us to re-dedicate to His mission and every devotee should take the responsibility of taking the message of Sai to the society.

Swami's blessings will always be there with us...
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Given below are a few comments from abovementioned Facebook post:
Terry Reis Kennedy wrote on Nov. 22nd 2016:
I agree. They should not be idolized. Some of them are sadly selfish, greedy, and worse....
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Ravi S. Iyer wrote on Nov. 26th 2016:
Saibliss writes, 'It is high time devotees stop IDOLISING Sai students and eventually feed their egos by making them feel they are "super humans".'

Ravi: I agree. Sai education system alumni (referred to as Sai students within Sai fraternity) should demonstrate by their actions and life that they are Sai students, and not simply claim the mantle of Sai student, talk about big ideals but behave in a way that does not fit their talk. They should walk their talk. Cheppinattu Chestara is a question that they need to address to themselves and answer honestly.

I know of many Sai students who have simply disassociated with Sathya Sai movement and have focused on regular material life (money, power, position etc.). To be honest, I don't blame them. Their life, their choice. I mean, I don't think it is fair to put emotional pressure on those Sai alumni who prefer not to get involved with Sathya Sai movement. Perhaps they prefer to do what they can in terms of Sai message, within their own family and friends circles.

But what bugs me are the HYPOCRITES among Sai students who talk about big ideals and teachings of Sai, but their actions show that they are more interested in leading a regular worldly life focused on money, power and position. Let such Sai students simply stop lecturing about Sai ideals and teachings (Ceiling on (material) desires is an important teaching of Sai, IMHO). I mean, hypocrisy, sometimes shameless hypocrisy, can lead to even psychological problems that may need mental health medical treatment, and is surely not conducive to spiritual development.

Now there are a few Sai students who are genuinely contributing to Sathya Sai mission, and can be held up as examples of ideal Sai education system alumni. I pray that Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba showers His Grace on them and their efforts to contribute to Bhagavan's mission.
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In response to my above words, a person wrote, "Instead of finding fault with students let us concentrate on our faults and correct them" and more on those lines. He also wrote, "Riches and positions are also his gift".

I (Ravi ) responded:
Thanks for your dissenting comment. I think your view is that one should not criticize. I disagree. I think it is the attitude of not criticizing people in power in Prasanthi Nilayam system after Mahasamadhi that led to this crisis situation where the Sathya Sai movement has been split worldwide. Do you know that PM Modi is expected to inaugurate Muddenahalli group hospital near Delhi today evening? I hope the PM does not share the stage with Madhusudan Rao Naidu, and give implicit encouragement and even endorsement to Muddenahalli group FALSE BELIEF.

My view is that it is my duty to my beloved Guru Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba and the Sathya Sai fraternity from whom I gained so much, to criticize the Sai university born Muddenahalli group FALSE BELIEF which is misguiding thousands of Sathya Sai devotees worldwide, using the name of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. The key person of Muddenahalli group, the so-called communicator, Madhusudan Rao Naidu, is an alumnus of Sai university and is BLATANTLY going against the teachings of Bhagavan as Bhagavan has publicly and unambiguously said that he never uses intermediaries/mediums to communicate with his devotees.

So I think we will have to agree to disagree on this point of not criticizing Sai students. Of course, such criticism should be fair criticism with evidence and rational arguments. It should not be malicious and false propaganda.

Of course, there are some Sai students who are doing good and great work. Further, I am not saying that being wealthy is bad or wrong. A lot of good works worldwide, including within Sathya Sai system, has been through the funds provided by wealthy donors. An enlightened view of wealth of individuals is that the wealth is a sacred trust that has been given by God to them which should be used for benefit of society.

I simply pointed out that 'ceiling on (material) desires', in my view, is a VITAL teaching of Sathya Sai. Jai Sairam!
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