Sarcastic poster about online university for wannabe Gurus - the most recession proof job available today

Last updated on 9th Jul 2018

Here's sarcastic take on Gurus: https://me.me/i/nowy-you-can-train-for-the-most-recession-proof-job-14574509, and on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2219302238110112&set=a.110298339010523.6436.100000910722350

The sarcasm poster is an advertisement for "The Most Recession Proof Job Available Today". It then says, "Become a Guru" and welcomes the reader to "Guru U", "the Online University".. "for Wannabe Gurus".

It claims that in "2 short semesters" "you will learn how to:" "look and sound wise", "speak in spiritual riddles", "attract followers", "charge exhorbitant rates" ... It also gives a (supposedly toll free) number to call: 1-800 BEA-GURU!

I shared it on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2203759249840640, with the following share-text (slightly edited):

Disclaimer: This is NOT a recommendation :-).

Actually, just in case some folks fall in the trap, I am quite sure that this is SARCASM and there is no such university as mentioned in this poster!

But the sarcasm is reflective of real life! My advice is to STAY AWAY from anybody who offers any stuff like this. Even if a person does gain some money, fame and followers, by falsely claiming to be spiritually elevated and falsely claiming to have spiritual powers, how can that person escape from the very harsh negative karmic consequences arising from engaging in such miserable activities of being a false or fake Guru, and knowingly misguide innocent spiritual aspirants for the sake of money and fame!

I was debating whether I should publicly share what I have written below. I think it will help some spiritual aspirants and devotees to steer clear of false Gurus and so I have decided to share it without revealing identity of the person and related information.

Early in my association with Sathya Sai movement in the 1990s, I have seen what happened to one person who was well qualified in his medical field and was successful in his medical practice, but who made some controversial claims about his spiritual power, and had caused a split in a local Sathya Sai samithi (center) in India. He was viewed as a sort-of Guru by at least some of the Sathya Sai devotees who used to visit his place.

Later, I was shocked to see a person who I am quite sure was the same person, sometime in the 2000s when he seems to have come to Prasanthi Nilayam ashram for a visit. His face had lost the glow that he used to have earlier, and was looking rather haggard! Perhaps it was some health issue he was facing. But I think it may have had something to do with the spiritual trap that he had fallen into where he thought himself to be far more spiritual evolved than he actually was, and ended up splitting the local Sathya Sai samithi (center) and misguiding some Sathya Sai devotees who had got associated with him and viewed him as a kind of Guru.

Beware of anybody who claims to be a Guru communicating with some subtle body/astral body/light body/spirit-form of Sathya Sai. Especially those of such persons who directly OR INDIRECTLY solicit money from you OR solicit services from you, using the name of Sathya Sai.
-----end my FB share-text ---

Here's a comment I made (slightly edited) on my FB post in response to another comment:

--Name-snipped-- sir, I think there may be some validity to the point that such sarcasm in the West (presuming that this originated in the West) directed towards Hindu Gurus would not be so easily directed towards Christian religious leaders/pastors/priests.

But I must also say that I have seen comedy shows in the West where they have mocked Christian churches that are money crazy. I think I have also shared them on Facebook.

A particular person in the West may be anti-Hindu and pro-Christian but I would NOT generalize that the West in general is anti-Hindu and pro-Christian.

In the context of this sarcasm, I think given what one reads about in the Indian media where police register cases against fake Hindu gurus for duping their followers, this sarcastic poster is fair. Sarcasm does take a lot of liberty and exaggerates. But it helps to show faults in society and I would take it in such a spirit and help to make it more difficult for false Hindu Gurus to dupe their followers.
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V V Sarachandran wrote on my FB post (and was OK with sharing on this post):

Life is more fulfilling with a dose of sarcasm/ humor.
The art of laughing, at ourselves and our shortcomings, as depicted by others, is most humbling and a sign of grace😀😀
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