Dhirananda Bashes PY - www.ezboard.com

>

SRF Walrus

Mt. Washington, Ca

Open discussions about SRF

SRF Walrus > SRF Teachings and Ideals > Dhirananda Bashes PY
	<< Prev Topic \| Next Topic >>

Author	Comment
Musicman Unregistered User (2/28/02 1:26 pm) Reply	Dhirananda Bashes PY Below is how B.K. Bagchi, formerly known as Swami Dhirananda, described Yogananda in an excerpt from an article entitled “Adventures of Indian Philosophy in America,” published in The Modern Review (Calcutta) in February 1936 (pp. 165-69). Although he does not mention Yogananda by name, it’s perfectly obvious that he is referring to his former employer in the US, against whom he won a lawsuit that brought much adverse publicity to Yogananda and SRF. I will be posting excerpts from the LA Times articles about the trial soon. Stay tuned, fellow cynics. The greatest tragedy, however, does not come from these psychics but from those whom they consider as older brethren in the trade. They are the Swamis, Yogis, Rishis or freelance lecturers and liberators at large. They are “intellectuals”; sometimes they have a degree or two from some universities. They have a facile tongue, pretentious idealism, cunning manners, orange robes and sometimes long hair. From the platform they either shriek, swear and scold, or orate, chant and mystify. If different, they posit just a saintly “halo.” Probably they represent some tiny religious organization of India; sometimes they are self-styled presidents of their own organization. They have adopted the high-powered salesmanship of American business to boost their course of philosophic and religious teaching to spiritually hungry and nervously sick American men and women, mostly women, using such bait phrases as “marvelous illumination,” “instantaneous healing,” “God-consciousness,” and charging each from 25 to 100 dollars for their courses of lessons. They hire halls at different cities, give free lectures for a week or so lauding their courses to the skies and yet cleverly phrasing their promises so as not to get into legal complications with the government. Then people pay cold cash for one course after another on calisthenic exercises to super-advanced metaphysics, pranic physical culture to highest vibratory healing. At the end of a month or a year a few of them revolt for being cheated, a few think they have received benefit because they have paid for it, a few keep quiet for their foolishness, and a few “loyal” souls carry on the banner because they feel they have got what they have been looking for for years. The master Swami (we wonder whence the adjective master sprang) or the liberator after a stay of a month or so moves on to conquer new territory leaving somebody in charge of the old. Their students run from 30 to 1500 in number, netting the guru from six hundred to twenty-five thousand dollars in each place. And the shrewd American sighs, “Another racket!” The Swami has an eager eye for newspaper publicity but he would rather not take care of such mundane matters himself. He lets his advance agent do that for him when a new territory is invaded. Of course, lesser Swamis cannot afford the luxury of a five- to six-thousand-dollar-a-year advance agent. These agents procure a list of wealthy men and women, especially widows, and the Swami worms his way into their confidences to relieve them of their earthly treasure in exchange for spiritual blessings. Sometimes his students include famous personages, such as symphony orchestra conductors, opera singers, society matrons and doctors from whom he manages to get testimonials when the lessons are fresh and hot in their minds because of the magic presence of the divine savant. A few of these he selects for closer association, and let none be so unspiritual as to think that this association has anything to do with soaking up their prestige! The testimonials are printed in the free literature and the magazine of the Swamis, and the unenquiring Indian and American public exclaims, “What a man!” The truth of the matter is that Americans are, as a rule, good sportsmen, they are noble, they admire Indian philosophies, especially if they are presented by charming, magnetic personalities in a forceful manner, but they are too busy to enquire into the subtleties of these personalities. And the Indian people, ruled and suppressed by a foreign nation, and not knowing the truth about these preachers of philosophy from a distance, gets a compensatory satisfaction when members of another foreign nation lend even half an ear to their philosophy and impart it as much as a faint shadow of recognition. Someone may inquire, aren’t these people doing some good? Yes, but that depends upon the questioner’s viewpoint, and upon whether or not he likes to see cultural values deliberately mangled by them in the process. In the name of Indian teachings, in the name of founding big organizations for the glory of the Hindu race and adapting Indian philosophy to American life (which some of these teachers vaunt as their chief motives in life) Indian philosophy is certainly vulgarized and dragged in the mud. From Tagore to a certain Swami was an excruciating contrast and disappointment to those Americans who have heard and known both. Their souls sank, so they remained silent. Tagore through his writing and his personality, through his philosophic aestheticism and lyrical expression, through his quiet independence, broad vision and deep humanity has been enshrined in the hearts of lovers of letters and seekers of freedom. His books have been an inspiration to thousands and thousands of those who are looking for a non-sectarian philosophy of life. There may be assumptions in it with which the Westerners may not be familiar, but its sublimity and delicate beauty have lifted them high from the commonplace. Tagore would not make any concession to the jangling of the American pragmatic instinct of the street. So a powerful Swami had to do it and give a high finish to the job.
Musicman Unregistered User (2/28/02 4:29 pm) Reply	Swami @#%$ Swami The lawsuit of Dhirananda against Yogananda, which the former prosecuted with success, was reported on in the LA Times on May 12, August 22 and 23, 1935. Yogananda claimed that Dhirananda was trying to extort $8,000 from him by threatening to expose Yogananda’s supposed violation of his monastic vows (simple living, and all that). Dhirananda had visited Yogananda in New York in 1929 and was appalled by what he observed there as a blatant deviation from the life of a swami. He demanded compensation for his services to SRF, and Yogananda signed a note promising him this. In court, Yogananda countered by saying that it was Dhirananda who was cashing in and violating his vows. The judge dismissed Yogananda’s counter-claims as ridiculous and awarded Dhirananda the full sum requested. What’s interesting here is their mutual sensitivity to accusations of living beyond the means of someone dedicated to making only enough money to get by on. A swami, in other words, must not only be celibate, but he mustn’t be living in the lap of luxury either. Both were in agreement on this point. This throws into stark relief Daya Mata’s appropriation of SRF funds to buy herself and her sister a fancy house in an affluent suburb of LA as early as the mid-60s. No wonder she chose to keep it a secret, even (especially) from fellow “monastics.” This was a flagrant violation of her “vow,” whatever that may have been and for whatever it was worth (not much, obviously). The article of August 23 sheds the most interesting light on Yogananda’s modus operandi vis-à-vis associates from India. It highlights his obvious determination to be regarded as the top dog in the yoga wars, and to make sure that everyone around him (especially other swamis) remained firmly in the background, even if that meant humiliating and misrepresenting them. Anyone who can read this and not perceive more than a little spiritual ego on the part of both men is obviously in serious denial. This is what money does to friendships, even among “God-realized masters.” It also alerts us to something that by now should be obvious: the omniscient guru was not above fictionalizing or at least distorting his past in order to cut a more impressive figure before a fawning and credulous public, which in America was always ready to shower favors and money on a modern-day Yogi-Christ. On the basis of this, we might well wonder whether Yogananda claimed too much credit for founding the school in Ranchi and inflated the importance of his position there. “In India those who knew Swami Yogananda and Swami Giri-Dhirananda, knew them as college chums, but in the United States Swami Yogananda conveyed the impression that he was the preceptor and Giri-Dhirananda was but his disciple. Swami Giri-Dhirananda, who now is known as Dr. Basu Kumar Bagchi, Hindu scholar and philosopher, told Superior Judge Willis yesterday this impression that his former friend created for him on his coming to America was quite embarrassing. “Seeking to collect $7900 from Yogananda, assertedly due him on a promissory note signed six years ago, Dr. Bagchi testified at length yesterday so that the judge might have the complete background of the two personalities in determining the validity of the claim. “‘In the school at Ranchi established by the Maharaja of Kasimbazar, we were both teachers,’ Dr. Bagchi testified. ‘We were friends and then Yogananda went to America in 1920. He wrote me urging me to follow him and help him carry on his work and finally after he sent me passage money I consented.’ “‘But I found a disgusting situation,’ Dr. Bagchi continued. ‘He had given people the impression that I was as a foundling, a puny little boy that he might have found in the gutter. He was my preceptor here, although in India I held higher scholastic degrees and received higher salaries.’” Well, there's no accounting for taste.
True Enuf Registered User (3/15/03 8:23 pm) Reply	Re: Swami @#%$ Swami Looking at the same evidence and more, I came away with a completely opposite view of the Dhirananda authorship issue. 1.- One can safely assume that for nearly 10 years, Swami Dhirananda had no problem with being listed well underneath Yogananda, both in "The Science of Religion" and the "Yogoda" booklet. It’s only SY’s picture opposite the title page. Dhirananda is listed below simply as an associate. There are several honorifics under Yogananda’s name: founder of Ranchi schools, Yogoda Boston, Sat Sanga Summer School, Truth Research Institute of NY, VP of Sadhu-Sabha India, delegate to the Congress of Religions. Copyright is by PY. 2.- Yogananda had the idea, Dhirananda put same into writing. No different than a book authored by some celebrity and put into readable English by a ghost writer. Does one believe Dhirananda was afraid to speak up about less than equal billing? That he resented being second fiddle? 3.- In the "Yogoda" booklet, SY’s name is first, in a much larger font. The only book at that time (1925) completely authored by Dhirananda was "Philosophic Insight", which he dedicated to SY as "My College-Friend, Teacher and Guiding Inspiration in Life, With Deep Love and Faith." All the other books are listed as authored by SY. Again, just a picture of SY and a gazillion more SY honorifics noting him as founder of MW, various Yogoda Centers, Publisher of E-W, Author "Songs of the Soul, Science of Religion, Scientific Healing affirmations, Psychological Chart." Did Dhirananda strenuously object? Complaining to everyone who crossed his path? From 1920 to 1929? That edition after edition of the two works are being published (by 1926, it was already the 4th ed of Science and 8th ed of Yogoda) without full recognition of Swami D? 4.- One might assert they were co-equals, one being the "inside" man, the other the more public "outside" face. But in the "Yogoda" book, a history was set forth about SY’s development work in India and the US. A couple of lines out of the entire 44 page booklet are devoted to Dhirananda, that SY sent for his co-worker from India, who took charge of the Boston Center, then as residential swami of MW while SY traveled and lectured. Was Swami D protesting that the history was all a pack of lies, edition after edition? So if one looks at the early works, Swami Yogananda is unquestionably the preeminent figure. The Yogoda work is his. Once the split occurred, why shouldn’t SY as main idea author be within his rights to drop Dhirananda as ghost-writer? What’s the big deal? What’s the big smoking gun here? This is a non-starter to me, but everyone’s entitled to their opinion. Edited by: True Enuf at: 3/15/03 9:28:12 pm
True Enuf Registered User (3/15/03 8:27 pm) Reply	Re: Swami @#%$ Swami Here’s an interesting Yogananda/Dhirananda footnote. Under the title of the first and second editions of Scientific Healing Affirmations (1924 and 1925), it reads ‘by inspiration of’ Swami Yogananda. I know what that means, but what else might it suggest, possibly more help in the actual writing? Maybe, maybe not. It is a curious phrase.
chela2020 Registered User (3/16/03 4:56 am) Reply	Re: Swami @#%$ Swami (This message was left blank) Edited by: chela2020 at: 7/1/03 4:57 pm

<< Prev Topic | Next Topic >>

Add Reply

Email This To a Friend

Email This To a Friend
Topic Control Image

Topic Control Image

Click to receive email notification of replies

Click to stop receiving email notification of replies

jump to:

- SRF Walrus - SRF Teachings and Ideals -

Powered By ezboard® Ver. 7.32
Copyright ©1999-2005 ezboard, Inc.