Ranganath Raghavan’s failed Sadhana

It makes one wonder whether Ranganath Raghavan (Ra.Ra.) is in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram (SAA) to pursue a spiritual life in which he wishes and seeks to practice sadhana in order to manage the internal life of his Self. Or whether, having lost his way – like many do – in the convoluted labyrinths of his Ego, he now believes that he is among the enlightened few who have appointed themselves as the custodians of Sri Aurobindo’s Faith. A Faith that is reshaped and modeled by the self appointed architects of a new Power Structure and  Hierarchy that is designed to suit his own and his coterie’s personal preferences and ambitions.

A cursory look at his recent post “The Sri Aurobindo Ashram and its Internal Management” reveals the real motivations of Ra.Ra.’s actions.

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Ra.Ra. says:

Our world is the sphere of imperfection and limitation, but it is moving towards perfection, though through a long, laborious aeonic process of evolution. But the affairs of men cannot wait for that far-off ideal to be materialised. Therefore the search for improvement in every field is constantly present and operative—again through stumblings, errors and blunders.

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Our comment:

So many words to state the obvious and attempt to sound wise and philosophical… but in vain.

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Ra.Ra. says:

There is absolutely no doubt that, after the Mother  left her body, the Sri Aurobindo Ashram has been beset with problems — externally, due to the pressure, impact and invasion of world forces and negative influences; internally, due to our own errors (inevitable, be it noted) of judgment, mismanagement and partisan attitude.  How then do we solve this fundamental problem not peculiar to our own institution?

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Our comment:

Ra.Ra. certainly describes himself and the problems that he has caused and encouraged when he lists out the fundamental problems faced by the SAA.

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Ra.Ra. says:

When a spiritual institution is led by spiritual, highly enlightened beings, capable of right action and control of the forces referred to above, they have access to superior powers beyond the mental plane from where solutions are initiated and worked out. The higher the consciousness of the leader, the more the control and better the management of day to day events.

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Let us note clearly that the problems spoken of earlier were not absent in the early stages of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. But Mother and Sri Aurobindo had recourse to a higher vision and a higher corrective action. They had the keys to the Master Control Room as it were, where the switches that determine and govern the lower levels are located.

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But when ordinary human beings, with all their limitations, misjudgments, misunderstandings and incapacities come into the arena, problems are inevitable. This is what we are witnessing today.

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Our comment:

Ra.Ra. once again states the obvious and attempts to sound wise and philosophical… but in vain.

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Ra.Ra. says:

All men of goodwill must think out ways and means to attenuate these problems, if not solve them. It is not enough to think or say that “the Mother will take care of everything” and remain indolently inactive. This is a tamasic attitude that is ignorant and useless. The reliance on the Mother is always valid, nay indispensable, but our responsibilities cannot be shrugged off by that easy, shallow excuse. Heaven helps only those who help themselves—even when the action is ignorant, limited, but done with goodwill and sincerity. What then is to be done?

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Our comment:

Why does Ra.Ra. assume or take it for granted that he is a person of goodwill? Because in reality, his acerbic and hypocritical behavior, more so during the last few years, have instead revealed a person full of personal grudges,  ill will and negativity that have only contributed to creating greater division and disharmony within his community. If there was any goodwill in his actions it would have shown in some form of harmony or greater understanding.

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Ra.Ra. says:

We must focus on the core problems of the institution itself and not on individual problems, which can multiply themselves without end. Are there any glaring defects in our organisation which we can try to solve?

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Our comment:

This is another of Ra.Ra.’s most ludicrous propositions, one that not only goes contrary to common sense but also against Sri Aurobindo’s and the Mother’s teachings.

Because it is individuals that make up a collective and therefore an institution and not vice versa. It is disgruntled and frustrated individuals like himself and his ilk that are the cause of the problems in an institution such as the SAA and it is these individuals who need to resolve their problems within themselves first before even attempting to solve institutional problems, which can multiply themselves without end. Ra.Ra. has got it all wrong and this explains much of his skewed reasoning and conflicting approach.

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Ra.Ra. says:

It is a well recognized truth that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. And this need not be grossly apparent but can happen in a very subtle manner. That is why everywhere in the world, dictatorships are frowned upon and in democracies no one is allowed to be in power for more than five years, with a possible extension only in the case of a really good performance. And we know that, in the spiritual field, this is even more true—that the ego and the vital are full of impurities, pretence, posturing and self-deceit (remember Vivekananda’s simile of the dog’s tail which reverts to its natural crookedness, however much you try to straighten it). And this truth is very conspicuous when the leaders feel secure in a situation where their position is unassailable, permanent, unquestionable and cannot be dislodged from their seats. This is a dangerous arrangement that cannot be allowed to continue.

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Our comment:

Ra.Ra. is a most confused person. He compares and mixes up governments with spiritual institutions. If after having spent decades in a spiritual institution he still doesn’t  distinguish the basic difference between a governmental setup and that of a spiritual institution, he has most certainly been wasting his time and the resources of the Ashram that he has been using and enjoying all this while.

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Because in a governmental setup, the institutions are designed to govern people by the setting up of a hierarchical power structure. Whereas in a spiritual institution, particularly in one such as the SAA, it’s just the opposite; the institution is instead designed to allow and encourage people to govern their own selves free of any hierarchical power structures. Moreover the interference in the lives of others is also discouraged.

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As Ra.Ra. seems to be more interested in governing others – how people should think, what they should say, what they can or cannot write, what and how they should conduct themselves – he should consider resigning from the SAA and instead seek employment in the government where he will be more at home, trying to govern others.

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But as we know that he is past the employable age we therefore understand his frustration of being stuck in an institution which does not suit his temperament, but to which he is clinging on because it provides him all the comforts and necessities which he will find hard to get elsewhere.

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Ra.Ra. says:

Therefore the present arrangement by which trustees are appointed for life and their successors are chosen by themselves must be put an end to.

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Our comment:

Not only is Ra.Ra. a confused person, finding himself in the wrong place, but he has the haughtiness to suggest that the present arrangement that was established by the Mother must be put an end to just because of his misplaced ideas, positions or his personal preferences.

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Ra.Ra. says:

But this involves a legal arrangement and the best brains in the country must be tapped for this most important work. The exact details can be worked out in many combinations, depending on the advice given by the legal luminaries and their advice should be taken in our best interests.

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Our comment:

Ra.Ra. is suggesting that the present arrangement that was established by the Mother must be amended by people that he considers to be the “best brains” or “legal luminaries.” We instead think that the Mother’s brains were the best and sufficiently luminous to determine the best combination both legal and practical for her Ashram. If Ra.Ra. fails to recognize the Mother’s wisdom and insight he is certainly in the wrong place, wasting his time and the Ashram’s resources.

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Ra.Ra. says:

Basically, every five years, change must be made and the choice of the trustees must be left to the beneficiaries of the Trust. It is important to remember that the Trustees are servants and not masters. At present the practical arrangement is almost the opposite. It is possible that a large, representative body is empowered to make the appointments. This body may consist of  senior sadhaks above 70 years of age or of sadhaks having a residential record of more than 50 years in the Ashram.

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Our comment:

One wonders in which world Ra.Ra. is living. Because how can he say that the Trustees are “masters.” Either Ra.Ra.’s vision and sense of perception are completely distorted, or he is playing to the tune of his gallery and deliberately distorting and misrepresenting facts to suit his coterie.

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Because in the current setup, established by the Mother the Trustees are at the most servants of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust (SAAT). The only powers they have is to serve. It is ashramites like Ra.Ra. who have the luxury of serving when they want and how they want. It is ashramites like Ra.Ra. who have the luxury of throwing tantrums and wasting their time on irrelevant issues, even supporting his coterie in activities that go against the interests of the SAAT and its members. It is ashramites like Ra.Ra. who are not interested to serve and who would instead like to be Masters of the Ashram and therefore want to change the system so that they can dictate what happens in the SAA. This is the truth.

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Ra.Ra. says:

But these are ideas thrown off the cuff for general consideration by all well wishers: the final arrangement must be made after legal consultations.

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Our comment:

Ra.Ra. makes another of his ludicrous statements. Ra.Ra. belongs to those who are fighting tooth and nail to overthrow the Trustees of the SAAT in what is clearly a move to forever destroy the Mother’s and the Ashram’s liberal and plural legacy and a move that is meant to establish an “Internal Management” that suits the personal preferences of a handful of rabid radicals.

Ra.Ra.’s efforts are not a part of an intellectual exercise that is being conducted and casually shared “off the cuff” for some well wishers to consider in their spare time. Ra.Ra.’s ramblings – or rather ravings – are nothing else but a part of the propaganda that is an integral part of his group’s desperate political maneuvers. Ra.Ra. and his ilk’s pursuit is devoid of any spiritual purpose and the well wishers have no say in this matter as this group’s pursuit is purely legal and focused on exploiting any loophole that they can find. Like the rest of his ilk, Ra.Ra. is  a hypocrite who is trying to pretend to be undertaking a harmless intellectual exercise “off the cuff” which is in reality nothing else but a vital part of a  political design meant to establish a power structure which they can then occupy and control.

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Ra.Ra. says:

It must be recognised and realised that these suggestions are being made in the best interests of our institution and are absolutely bonafide. They are impersonal suggestions not aimed at any particular individual and are free of any malicious content.  Of course, the sitting trustees will not accept the arrangement easily and will put up a stiff resistance. It is to be hoped that a smooth change-over can be executed with harmony and restricted to a completely internal process. But if external pressure becomes inevitable and necessary, we must not shirk from that possibility either.

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Our comment:

Only a fool will believe that Ra.Ra.’s suggestions are being made in the best interests of the institution and are absolutely bonafide. The personal and political motivations behind these suggestions are visible to all.

Does Ra.Ra. really think that all the readers of the website “thelivesofsriaurobindo.com” are stupid, that he expects us to believe that his suggestions are “not aimed at any particular individual and are free of any malicious content”?

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Because the website which carries all of Ra.Ra.’s pseudo-intellectual ravings is nothing else but a website that is designed to malign the Trustees of the SAA. He and his ilk fabricate and propagate lies, fling one personal insult after another against the Managing Trustee and other members of the SAA on their preferred website which churns out and contains nothing else but malicious content. Ra.Ra.’s bedfellows share only one interest: to personally malign and discredit the current Trustees, particularly the Managing Trustee. For this purpose and this alone they unite on their preferred website. Their motivation is purely personal and full of mala fide.

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Ra.Ra. says:

All suggestions are most welcome. The necessity of these changes must be realized by the beneficiaries of the trust and must be made known to all.

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Our comment:

The only suggestion one can attempt making to Ra.Ra. is to advise him to focus on his spiritual life and Self instead of indulging in petty politics of the worst kind and playing the game of power-brokers and -mongers.

Because the truth is that his spiritual life, as well as that of other “beneficiaries” that he is suddenly so concerned about, can flourish independently and irrespective of who the Trustees of the Ashram are.

The interest of Ra.Ra. and that of each beneficiary will be best served if they start changing themselves rather than focusing on what political equations – based on personal preferences – can be formulated to run the internal management of the SAA.

If Ra.Ra. is incapable of pursuing a spiritual life, then we suggest that he leaves the SAA in dignity instead of making a fool of himself, publicly that too.

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Ra.Ra. says:

It is a truism to say that problems are best known to those who face them and not someone sitting far away and uninvolved in the day to day action. This is the reasoning behind the Panchayati Raj in the Villages. So, in the Sri Aurobindo Udyog Trust, who could be the best trustees except the departmental heads? There could be a system of rotation every two or three years and a new set of  departmental heads taking over in regular intervals. Of course, they will be assisted by legal and financial experts.

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Our comment:

There are many other ways of managing the SAA which are possible, but why should that be of any concern to Ra.Ra. if he is there to pursue a spiritual life, free of politics? Moreover, he is not one who has been designated such a task, so why does he wish to meddle in the affairs of the Trustees or their appointed administrators without being asked? Ra.Ra.’s hankering for power and attention has obviously blinded him and led him astray from his spiritual aspirations.

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Ra.Ra. says:

Further thoughts on the question of the SAAT:

In the new arrangement, it may be asked how the future problems will be more easy to solve, given the fact that all human beings are plunged in ignorance.

The first point is that the institution has a greater chance for improvement, because fresh ideas, newer methods can be tried out, whereas the old group will not be easily willing to change their fixed habits. The second point is that if bad management continues, the responsibility is now not laid at the feet of the same old setup. The blame, as well as the credit is now shared by a greater representative group. The third point is that, in any case, the possibility of a change is always available to the community. The fourth point is even if the administration is no better than the previous one, we have lost nothing and the possibility of a change for the better is always open.

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Our comment:

The degree of irresponsibility and selfishness that is displayed by Ra.Ra. is monumental. Just because Ra.Ra. is unhappy with the way things are, because he is more interested in politics than a spiritual life and because he magnanimously throws a few ideas “off the cuff” he expects that the SAAT should put to risk the system that the Mother has established, just for the sake of trying out some of Ra.Ra.’s loose-headed experiments with the institution and the community. All one can say is that Thank God Ra.Ra. is nowhere close to the administration of the SAAT. He already messed up the Ashram Press which he mismanaged and he now wishes that the whole Ashram should follow suit.

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Ra.Ra. says:

The main point is that the existing trust deed was drawn up in a hurry when conditions were completely different. The Mother was present then and no one visualised the problems that would arise half a century  later.

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Our comment:

Ra.Ra. accuses the Mother of lacking vision and of having acted in a hurry and irresponsibly!!! What can one say to someone like Ra.Ra. whose Ego, arrogance and haughtiness is so great that he believes that he is wiser and more enlightened than the Mother herself!

If the Mother could see as far as the Supramental world (or does Ra.Ra. doubt the Mother?), does Ra.Ra. think that she could not foresee what was best for the SAAT a mere half a century after her physical departure?

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Ra.Ra. says:

Besides, one knows that there is always a deep rooted resistance to change in human nature.  One may indeed ask on the contrary as to what are the valid objections to a new arrangement. Even if there are any, other suggestions are always welcome.

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Our comment:

Ra.Ra.’s petty human nature is evidently steeped in deep rooted resistance and ignorance and because it is unwilling to change it seeks to change everything else that is around him, especially that which does not suit his own Ego.

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Ra.Ra. says:

The most important thing, however, is whether the community is convinced of the necessity of a change in the administrative set-up.

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Our comment:

Ra.Ra.’s propaganda is meant to try to convince the community that being preoccupied about changing the administrative set-up is more important that changing one’s Self. He is most welcome to keep trying to spread his politically motivated ideas at the cost of his own spiritual growth.

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Ra.Ra. says:

Points to be kept in Mind:

These suggestions are being made in the best interests of the Institution, although they will be opposed by some who stand to lose their positions in the organisation. Their acceptance or rejection will be decided by the whole community, who are likely to be affected the most.

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Our comment:

Ra.Ra.’s suggestions are only in the best interest of his personal preferences and at the detriment of the larger institutional interests. They will therefore be opposed by all those who seek the best interests for the Institution, irrespective of whether they hold positions in the organization or not.

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If Ra.Ra. believes that he is wise enough to make suggestions for the Internal Management of the SAA, he should know that there is a place, time and manner in which positive changes are suggested. Making politically motivated suggestions and speculations on the public domain and on a website which has the only objective of fabricating and nurturing controversies, is certainly not the way to go about making suggestions for a better change. But if Ra.Ra. chooses to ignore such common sense and wisdom, it is because his political motivations compel him to act otherwise.

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Ra.Ra. says:

The proof of what has been said above is there for all to see in the recent events concerning Peter Heehs, who sitting in the centre of the department that possesses all of Sri Aurobindo’s and the Mother’s manuscripts, apart from so many other private documents, cold-bloodedly denounces, drags down the Gurus to the level of  ordinary mortals and our Trustees, far from taking punitive action, actually are trying their best to defend  this perfidious character, in spite of the mounting anger and just resentment of the entire Ashram community.

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Our comment:

Ra.Ra.’s “proof” with reference to the events surrounding Peter Heehs is THE PROOF that Ra.Ra.’s motivations are driven entirely by his personal preferences which are based on the worst elements of human nature such as the pursuit of personal predilections, arbitrariness and intolerance, all of which he is placing before and above the interests of the Institution which he is claiming to protect.

Because, if Ra.Ra. is incapable of accepting the multiple points of views that exist on the events surrounding Peter Heehs, which are all equally as valid as his, if not more valid – because they are based on objective, well-informed, educated perceptions – it does not mean that those who disagree with Ra.Ra. are necessarily wrong.

Because there are many others including Peter Heehs himself who denied such baseless allegations who do not believe that Sri Aurobindo and the Mother were being “cold-bloodedly” denounced and were being dragged down to the level of ordinary mortals. This rhetoric from Ra.Ra. and his ilk,  as well as the false claims that the entire Ashram community is angered and resentful, is nothing else but a part of their motivated, false progaganda.

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Ra.Ra. says:

The changes suggested are only a rough framework. Many details have to be worked out and certainly lawyers and experienced administrators should be consulted, apart from the elders of the Ashram itself.

In fact all suggestions are welcome as they aid the finalisation of the proposed changes.

September 14, 2008

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Our comment:

Instead of following Sri Aurobindo’s and the Mother’s guidance and trying to discover the great and numerous merits of the ideals and systems that They have put in place for living a life in the SAA, Ra.Ra. is more interested to spend his time with lawyers and administrators to ensure that his proposed changes can be implemented hook or crook.

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Ra.Ra. says:

Additional points written in June  2012

Points that we are quite certain about: 

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Our comment:

This is ridiculous. Either Ra.Ra. is certain or he is not certain. But how can he be “quite” certain and yet wish to be taken seriously?! Before making all sorts of preposterously irresponsible suggestions “off the cuff” shouldn’t Ra.Ra. at least take the trouble of making sure that he is absolutely certain before shooting his mouth off publicly?

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 Ra.Ra. says:

1. The present system of life-long appointment of trustees is NOT satisfactory. This must change.

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Our comment:

Who says so? Certainly only those who are in the Ashram to play their petty games of power politics and who are the least interested in sadhana and a spiritual life. Because all the other ashramites who have been in the Ashram for decades, both during and after the Mother’s departure, have been able to conduct their sadhana and live a spiritual life without any hindrance whatsoever from the present system of appointing trustees as was established by the Mother. It is those who have lost touch with the purpose of the Ashram and even Sri Aurobindo and the Mother one may say, who have nothing else to do but to hanker for a position of power to feel some sense of gratification.

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Ra.Ra. says:

2.  An improvement of administrative procedures must necessarily include:

 

a)  Openness, transparency, willingness to answer all legitimate enquiries, written documents for all  appointments, change of work, dismissals (if any, with written reasons after due legal enquiries conducted transparently).

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Our comment:

Any administrative setup can always be improved so there’s nothing new that Ra.Ra. is really asking for. Moreover, we have first-hand experience that there is already a large extent of openness, transparency and willingness to answer all legitimate inquiries.

But if Ra.Ra. feels that this is not so, it is presumably because he and his ilk have been making one illegitimate and frivolous inquiry after another just to create trouble. It is unreasonable for them to expect that every irrelevant question that they pose should be answered.

Moreover, with regards to Ra.Ra.’s demands of openness and transparency, why doesn’t he set an example and give us an example of openness and transparency of his and his ilk’s activities at the SAA?

For starters, let him openly and transparently share with all of us the numbers of hours of service he provides to the Ashram. Let him also share how many hours he has spent thinking, scheming, planning, plotting, talking, writing on the Peter Heehs affair during those hours of service to the Ashram in the last 4 years. Did he get a written order from the trustees or his seniors to spend time and resources on the Peter Heehs affair? Whose permission did he take?

And how about some openness and transparency on and from his colleagues and bedfellows whose website he shares to make such demands of openness and transparency? Can he request his brother in arms Sraddhalu Ranade, R.Y. Deshpande, Raman Reddy, Kittu Reddy, Alok Pandey to openly and transparently share the same information and answer our legitimate inquiries.

There are several other legitimate inquiries that can be asked to Ra.Ra. and his ilk, such as who is funding their legal battles against the SAAT or for the roadside Dharnas which are attended by hired protesters, but we will get into those details after they extend to us the courtesy that they demand from others.

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Ra.Ra. says:

b)   No ad hoc decisions should be made based on personal preferences, likes and dislikes.

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Our comment:

Evidently, it is to be expected that Ra.Ra. and his ilk would be exempted from this request. Because they are free to ad hoc decide that the trustees are wrong based on their personal preferences, likes and dislikes (for example in the case of the Peter Heehs affair).

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Ra.Ra. says:

3.  All outside interference, whether governmental or semi-official is to be avoided. But if there is stiff resistance from the powers that be, then outside help to initiate the internal modifications has necessarily to be considered.

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Our comment:

The Mother has categorically avoided all outside interference in the Ashram’s activities. But Ra.Ra. and his ilk are evidently the enlightened ones who will decide when they can go contrary to the Mother’s practice and therefore go to court, approach representatives of the government, even go to the extent of involving shady politically parties and activists who have nothing to do with the SAA, Sri Aurobindo and the Mother in order to desperately attempt to get their personal agendas executed.

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Ra.Ra. says:

4.  Some suggested changes to the Institution are:

a)  No trustee to be appointed for a life term, but only for a fixed period of time.

b)  Selection of trustees must be a prerogative of the beneficiaries

c) A larger body of elders, consisting perhaps of departmental heads and elders of the Ashram, perhaps with a minimum of 40 years of service should decide the appointment of the next set of trustees.

d) A system of checks and balances is essential and need of the hour.

e) All major decisions must be endorsed by a majority of the trustees and never by a single person forcibly thrusting his opinion on the others.

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Our comment:

Ra.Ra.’s suggestions in points a, b and c  go contrary to what was setup by the Mother. The Mother certainly had her good reasons for setting up such a system; or does Ra.Ra. really think that he has arrived at a point in his life where he has outsmarted the Mother?

On the other hand, having witnessed the petty politics, the misinformation campaigns and propaganda, the use of money and political power that has been adopted by those who are politically motivated to remove the trustees and replace the system that was setup by the Mother herself, we clearly see that if the Mother had chosen such a system it was specifically to avoid and keep away the politicization of the Ashram’s management that Ra.Ra and his ilk are surreptitiously attempting.

Regarding points d and e, we have first hand experience that the required checks and balances are already in place and that all major decisions are endorsed by the majority of trustees and never by a single person forcibly thrusting his opinion on the others. We do not know where Ra.Ra. gets his information from.

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Ra.Ra. says:

Let us not be afraid of change. Nothing is permanent in this world, and change for the better has always to be considered sympathetically and positively. If outside interference becomes inevitable because of resistance from the present management, which is afraid of losing power or is loathe to give up their well-entrenched  positions,  then efforts must be made to get governmental or judicial help to kick-start the internal changes with a temporary administrator until the new system is in place.   

Let us hope that the cooperation of all will be forthcoming willingly.

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Our comment:

Ra.Ra. seems to be particularly fascinated and reliant on “outside interference” despite the Mother’s clear repeated indications of keeping outside interference outside of the SAA, for obvious reasons. If Ra.Ra. has finally discovered that he and his ilk’s political games do not cut any ice inside the SAA, it might indeed be time for him and his ilk to move out of the SAA and belong to the outside world with which they are so enamored and dependent upon. After all he should not be afraid of change because nothing is permanent in this world and he and his ilk’s departure from the SAA will certainly bring about change for the better, a change that will be sympathetically and positively remembered by many, if not the majority.

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Admin.

Radhikaranjan Das – Traumatizing children

It has emerged that Radhikaranjan Das’s removal from the Sri Aurobindo International Center of Education (S.A.I.C.E.) is a move that will provide much relief to some of the children that he has traumatized and harassed during his classes. Radhikaranjan Das has been subjecting his students to “severe forms of corporal punishment” as evidenced by the following letter that was submitted by a parent of one of his students to the registrar of the S.A.I.C.E.

Radhikaranjan Das who boasts of an “unblemished record” despite his record of subjecting his pupils to corporal punishment and physical trauma, ought to know that according to the UNICEF’s Child Protection Policy he would be considered to be unfit for a position as a teacher. This is not to mention that he is member of a respectable instutition such as the Sri Aurobindo Ashram which promotes the practice of spirituality and a teacher at the institution founded by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother to whom he swears his devoted allegiance while he traumatises the children at the S.A.I.C.E.

Admins.

Radhikaranjan Das – New, blue-eyed martyr

Radhikaranjan Das is the new, blue-eyed martyr to join the ranks of the Public Ashramites. It is not really surprising that he has publicly insinuated that the Trustees of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust are “more enticed by the smell of dollars than the fragrance of Truth”; or that “the sweetness of money, power and sex have lured the Trustees away so much from the path of truth that they are ready to sacrifice the Ideals of his Divine Masters and are willing to turn their backs on Them.”

Having incriminated the Trustees without providing an iota of evidence, proof or even mentioning a single instance – except for the airing of his personal opinions and hallucinations on Peter Heehs – all that’s left to be done, according to Radhikranjan Das is “to write to the Puducherry Governor from all states and various sectors of life to make an inquiry in the Ashram and reveal why the Ashram Trust has been constantly nurturing and housing a traitor who has written so negatively about the Guru and Founder of Sri Aurobindo Ashram.”

Not only does Radhikaranjan Das believe that he is right, but he believes that he can indict all those who do not share his personal beliefs because He occupies the highest moral ground, He claims to have an “unblemished record”  and considers Himself to be one of those Children of The Mother who are Worthy of being Her Children!

Thus, from his privileged pulpit, Radhikaranjan Das screams his “Cry of a child of the Mother to all worthy children of the Mother” and also makes the following claim, publicly: “I, Radhikaranjan Das, have been a … teacher in this institution teaching … from 1980 till date…. My teaching record has been absolutely unblemished and I have never received any complaints from the School authorities regarding it.”

It might therefore be of interest to take a look at Radhikaranjan Das’s self-annointed claim of an “unblemished record” to understand why he finds himself in the ranks with the other illustrious Public Ashramites, and also one who is more than willing to insult and malign the Trustees, even though he considers himself to a Child of The Mother.

Because the following facts do tell a different story(!): 

:- When Radhikaranjan Das joined the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, he was assigned work at the Ashram Sanitary Department. Reluctant to take up this important, essential job and being choosy, he found a way out by starting to take a few, occasional classes at the Ashram School. Over time he would just show his face at the Sanitary department as a sign of “attendance” and escape to the less tedious environment of the Ashram School.

:- Radhikaranjan Das spent more and more time away from his duty at the Sanitary department as it appears that he found that the Ashram school also offered him better prospects. But in the early 1990s all his teaching activities were abruptly stopped by the registrar of the S.A.I.C.E, the late Paru Patil. Radhikaranjan Das’s teachings activities were terminated.

Why, one may wonder and ask?

Because, the registrar of S.A.I.C.E., late Paru Patil had found out that Radhikaranjan Das was raising personal funds meant to finance some of his personal activities by conveniently placing the name “Sri Aurobindo International Center of Education” on the letterhead of the documents which he was sending around for his personal fund raising activities.

This disgraceful incident resulted in Radhikaranjan Das’s immediate removal and dissociation from the S.A.I.C.E. which lasted several years. But the authorities of the Ashram and the S.A.I.C.E. being forgiving as they are and with the belief that mistakes can be made, forgiven and forgotten, eventually let Radhikaranjan Das resume his teaching activities at the S.A.I.C.E., more so as he was not serving the Ashram in any other useful way.

But, although Radhikaranjan Das was given a second chance, he once again proved that when personal ambitions and opinions matter more than collective ones, worse still, when an unabashed Ego and arrogance take over, history is bound to repeat itself. Indeed, once again Radhikaranjan Das finds himself expelled from the S.A.I.C.E. The high moral ground that he has tried to occupy, while publicly insulting those against whom he has an axe to grind, appears to be nothing else but the heap of personal grudges and blemishes on which he is standing.

Admins.

Solving RYD’s Great Mystery

On May 1, 2012 at 10:21 PM, RYD publicly enquired [highlights added]:

“Three hours before the broadcast was due, the promos mysteriously stopped, and the program was cancelled without giving any reasons. No explanation has been forthcoming to this day.”

But what had happened on 13 April evening seems to be a greater mystery. The news flash at 6.30 PM was very clear, that no extension of visa was given to Peter Heehs. At 9.30 PM came the news that the visa period was extended by one year. This is a puzzle wrapped in a riddle which is an enigma.

The Home Minister granted the extension overruling the recommendation of ministry and immigration officials.

How has this happened in less than two hours? Can you please shed some light on the matter?

Thanks

__________________________________________________

Below is our public response to RYD:

Following RYD’s public quest for an answer to the great mystery which has visibly left him puzzled and clueless, we took it upon ourselves to ask our experts the above question in order to throw some light and much more lightness on this issue. Our experts were quick to unwrap the puzzle and solve the riddle which was RYD’s enigma.

Our experts’ unanimous response was that in all likelihood, at the 11th hour and on the brink of the precipice that would have steeply tumbled the Government of India and the Ministry of Home Affairs down to RYD’s level of intelligence,  they also found themselves faced with the prospects of reducing the Indian State and its Administration down to RYD’s regressive levels.

In order to uphold the Nation’s pride and stature as well as it’s democratic, liberal and secular values it must have been an easy decision to take once the perils of following RYD’s vision of an India that resembled more like the Medieval Ages of the darkest era of Christianity were taken cognizance of.

On behalf of all the forward-looking and tolerant citizen of India and the World we are grateful to the Government of India and the Ministry of Home Affairs for upholding the larger interest of present and future generations.

Admins.

Vijay Poddar: Personal Preferences before Institutional Interests

Vijay Poddar, the self-appointed chief ideologue of the Puducherry Center or “Head Office” of the Sri Aurobindo Society (S.A.S.) is following his father’s tradition of placing personal preferences before institutional interests and of manipulating and pulling strings from behind the scenes in order to influence the public with his personal opinions.

Navajata, Keshav Dev Poddar, whom the Mother with much hope and optimism would call “my faithful”, was instead quick to betray the Mother not long after she had passed away when – to serve his personal preferences – he dragged the S.A.S. in his attempt to reduce Sri Aurobindo’s and the Mother’s spiritual work to that of a religion. Navajata regretfully implicated the S.A.S. in a sordid court case (S.P. Mittal Etc. Etc. vs. Union of India, 1982 ) in which he sought to convert Sri Aurobindo’s spiritual teachings and philosophy into a religion that would be controlled by the S.A.S. That his attempt failed seems to have slipped out of Vijay Poddar’s aging memory.

Barely thirty years later, when with much difficulty the S.A.S. was starting to regain some of its deeply scarred credibility, Vijay Poddar has demonstrated that genetic bondage is stronger than spiritual integrity. The S.A.S.’s recent announcement of its disapproval of the book “The Lives of Sri Aurobindo” by Peter Heehs, publicly reveals and exposes Vijay Poddar’s inherent propensity to place personal preferences before institutional interests.

In stark contrast, the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust (S.A.A.T.) chose to neither proscribe or prescribe the said book –  even though individual Trustees in their personal capacities may or may not have expressed their critical or favorable opinions on the book  – thereby choosing to uphold the teachings, philosophy, principles and values of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Vijay Poddar, who has publicly voiced his criticism against the S.A.A.T. has instead chosen to uphold his personal preferences over the S.A.S.’s largest interests as envisioned by the Mother.

Because there is indeed absolutely no justification, moral, ethical and particularly spiritual, more so in relation to Sri Aurobindo’s and the Mother’s Integral Yoga for the decision that Vijay Poddar has thrust upon the S.A.S.’s Executive Committee. The only justification for taking such a position is to satisfy Vijay Poddar’s publicly known position vis-a-vis Peter Heehs’ book, which besides being an approach which is undoubtedly limited, dogmatic and un-Aurobindonian, is obviously influenced by the politicking initiated by Navajata.

The many members of the S.A.S. who have chosen to associate themselves with this institution have done so because of their devotion towards Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. They would wish to follow the S.A.S.’s motto which was given by the Mother herself: “To know is good, to live is better, to be, that is perfect.”

Instead, Vijay Poddar has once again chosen to go against the very spirit and grain of the Mother’s motto given to the S.A.S., preferring to substitute it with his own dogmatic and hypocritical approach: “Not to know is good, pretending to live is better, and if you can’t be, succumb to the imperfect.” In other words, if Vijay Poddar is unable to understand, live or be according to the Mother’s vision, all others should follow the path that he has chosen to tread.

Finally but not insignificantly, that Vijay Poddar has chosen to publicly align himself with the most despicable and hostile lot of anti-Ashram elements that the Aurobindonian collective has ever seen – most of whom are frequent and privileged speakers at the S.A.S. – when their chips are down, gives a clear indication of what lies ahead of the S.A.S. under the ideological leadership of Vijay Poddar’s personal preferences.

Admins.

Alok Pandey: spitting on people a “work-offering”

Alok Pandey is suggesting that spitting on people associated to Peter Heehs is a form of “work-offering” to Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. That disciplinary action was taken by the administrators of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust (S.A.A.T.) against Suddha Sinha for spitting on a lady just because she is associated to Peter Heehs appears to escape Alok Pandey’s memory when he tries to portray Suddha Sinha as a poor victim of the administrators of the S.A.A.T.

In spite of Alok Pandey’s attempts to distort the truth, he however does utter a few truthful words – while attempting to be sarcastically self-depreciating – when he calls Suddha Sinha and his other colleagues “some stupid devotees whose mad brains have picked up words like sadhana, yoga etc.” But indeed, words like sadhana, yoga, etc., must be really empty words for people who join a respectable organization like the S.A.A. and then like mad and stupid people start spitting on and abusing people just because they think or behave differently.

Once again, this is Alok Pandey The Public Ashramite at his best!

Sraddhalu Ranade’s anti-West Rant

Those who had any doubts about Sraddhalu Ranade’s anti-Westerner sentiments in his hateful and vindictive pursuit of Peter Heehs’ expulsion from the Sri Aurobindo Ashram (SAA) as well as from India, can now put their doubts to rest after his public outburst and anti-Western rant on his website “www.thelivesofsriaurobindo.com”.

For, it is now evident that Sraddhalu Ranade who uses Human Unity and Global Oneness as a mere commodity that helps him earn airline miles and pockets-full of funds, cares little about the values he preaches during his lecture tours.

In fact, Sraddhalu Ranade believes that “Western” Aurovillains have no sense of justice or ethics as he accuses them of blind favoritism. Therefore Sraddhalu Ranade exclaims:

“So after all, the WC members [Working Committee members of Auroville] (who are mostly Westerners) are basically supporting another Westerner!”

and a little later he accuses “Westerners” in Auroville of being chauvinistic and of having colonial attitudes:

“I would like to remind these Westerners not to take such chauvinistic positions…”

and

“Or … are [Indians who are] overly tolerant of the whims and fancies of Westerners who have still not got over their colonial hangover…”

However, if Sraddhalu Ranade had limited his outburst to an anti-Westerner rant against those “Western” Aurovillains who have touched him where it pinches him most – his propaganda and money-making activities – one might have forgiven him for letting himself get a little carried away.

But, when Sraddhalu Ranade ups the ante and threatens the Westerners in Auroville by instigating the Indians against the Western population and rumbles:

“…for one day or the other, the tide will turn and the docile Indians will rise up en masse, and then it will be too late to lisp beautiful quotations of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother on world unity.”

it becomes evident that Sraddhalu Ranade has no inclination to bring about any form of Unity or Oneness, but will instead go to any extent, even manufacture and instigate cultural and racial divisions in order to execute and achieve his personal agendas.

Sraddhalu Ranade has already invested heavily in trying to create divisions in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Is he now planning to expand his divisive activities in Auroville too?

Admin.

Spiritual Gain in Public Speaking

R.Y. Deshpande (RYD) who will always find something wrong in anything and everything that Peter Heehs does or says, has evidently not appreciated Peter Heehs’ comments that were broadcast by India’s NDTV 24×7 News Channel.

R.Y.D. who has recently taken over the website “www.thelivesofsriaurobindo.com” in his post “An example of mischief” complains:

“What is the spiritual merit, what is the spiritual content, what is the spiritual gain in publicly speaking something which is totally non-spiritual, in fact is unspiritual, even anti-spiritual?”

It is interesting to observe that RYD who spends much of his time making public statements on totally non-spiritual matters, in fact even un-spiritual and anti-spiritual, particularly against the persons he hates most (i.e. Peter Heehs and Manoj Das Gupta) should be the one complaining. Because RYD who publicly postures like a spiritually accomplished visionary, fails to recognize the pettiness, narrowness, hate and most lower expressions of his nature he harbors and cultivates within himself.

But if RYD failed to look at himself when he had his Mirror of Tomorrow, there certainly isn’t any hope that he will discover his own contradictions and monumental failures now that he is mirror-less.

Admin.

Ranganath Ragavan’s Response to “A Declaration of Solidarity”

Introduction:

While Ranganath Ragavan (Ra.Ra.) keeps asserting that he is against legal actions or public demonstrations against the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust (SAA Trust) it is more than obvious that his sympathies and loyalties lie with the anti-SAA Trust camp whose only purpose in life appears to be to create trouble to the SAA Trust.

Because whenever the legal or moral position of the anti-SAA Trust camp suffers a setback, out comes Ra.Ra. to the defense of his select band of brothers. What makes his personal and deep resentment against the SAA Trust most obvious is that he jumps to the rescue of his anti-SAA Trust brethren even when their position is indefensible.

The best example is Ra.Ra.’s response to ”A Declaration of Solidarity”. What certainly irked Ra.Ra. is that ”A Declaration of Solidarity“ was widely circulated and also received patronage from large numbers of senior ashramites, thereby undermining and contradicting the claims of the anti-SAA Trust camp that they represent the voice and the sentiment of their community.

Ra.Ra. was not at all required to respond to “A Declaration of Solidarity” as it was not addressed to him. But when making public proclamations have become a way of life – especially if you chose to belong to a select group that will utter whatever crosses their mind on a website named after their preferred book “The Lives of Sri Aurobindo” to which they have chosen to dedicate their lives – every opportunity to shout from the roof top is grabbed.

Ra.Ra.’s response to “A Declaration of Solidarity” is understandable though his rebuttal is completely incoherent… understandably. We will delve on the points that Ra.Ra. raises or touches upon, one by one, and expose the gross fallacies contained in his response.

Admin.

Divine Intervention?

03/02/2012:

Has the Divine decided to intervene and silence one the most notorious Public Ashramites and obsessive blogaholic by closing down R.Y. Deshpande’s blog the “Mirror of Tomorrow”? (See the “Announcement” below)

Is the closing down of BlogHarbor’s service on which the existences of the “Mirror of Tomorrow” depends, an Act of God that is meant to serve R.Y. Deshpande a lesson on his unnecessary, compulsive public activities?

But given R.Y. Deshpande’s track record, it would appear that he has become too accustomed to lecturing at others and has therefore become incapable of learning anything at all. The only purpose of his existence clearly continues to be: Himself. For it would appear that R.Y. Deshpande believes that the best use of Sri Aurobindo, The Mother or Their Ashram is for public self-promotion.

Moreover, if we have to go by R.Y. Deshpande’s invitation to follow him on his new “Savitri.in” website, it would indeed be too much to expect some wisdom from someone who suffers from a chronic lack of attention and self-adulation.

But by misappropriating the name “Savitri” for his own personal use he is choosing to follow the footsteps of the founders of the several other “bazaar blogs” that have used the name “Savitri” (e.g. Savitri Era…etc.) for their own promotion. Because deep down, R.Y. Deshpande is aware of the fact that if his website has been registering visits it is because his blog has provided the “food” for many of those very “bazaar blogs” that he himself criticizes. Because R.Y. Deshpande has never missed an opportunity to publicly criticize and insult those Ashramites who did not agree with him and to “feed” these bazaar blogs with a good doze of rumors, gossip and misinformation.

The timing of the forced closure of R.Y. Deshpande’s blog “Mirror of Tomorrow” is certainly intriguing. Could it be some sort of a Show Cause notice coming from up above?

Admin.

An Announcement (Click image below for an enlarged view).

Source: http://www.mirroroftomorrow.org/blog/_archives/2012/3/2/5008342.html (Link valid only up to end March 2012).