[Reader-list] [issuesonline_worldwide] Fwd:Treasure of Faith

[A. Mani]

Most of past Kings were glorified gangsters who used religion to
subjugate the masses and make everybody's life miserable through
endless wars and loot. The Travancore dynasty was no different. The
accumulated wealth clearly shows that the rulers of the dynasty were
utterly brainless when it comes to development, planning and
management.
Apart from a few objects of historical value, the whole of the wealth
should be used by the Govt for public good in a transparent manner and
without the involvement of any religious bodies.

The so-called godmen have a long legacy of fooling common people for
the vested interests of ruling classes. All the godmen that you
mention are plain frauds who spend paltry amounts on charity in
relation to the funds they receive from the ruling classes and
temples. Sai baba the serial child molestor was more pro Congress,
while anadamayee is a well known sangh parivar stooge.

Human beings do not need a religion to discern between the good and
bad. The brainwashed among you should try to free yourselves from the
same.

An interesting excerpt from the large amount of material on the web on
the irrationality of religion and  'godmen':

 "She is a handmaiden of the Sangh Parivar, especially the VHP, with
its global fund-flows. The hug is her USP. Her media managers and
fund-managers are the real miracle-workers, considering what they have
made out of a simple woman with a knack for popular religious
enactment and the energy to hug all and sundry...RELIGION MAKES lots
of money because of the universal belief that you earn merit by
giving. The best of faith-founders have stressed compassion; so has
humanism. For the modern individual, directly helping the needy is a
messy business because you are forced to get involved. Presenting
money or goods to a place of worship or to a godman/woman solves the
issue neatly. Hinduism has a special place for the parityagi — he who
renounces all. The way things turned out, it is the so-called
parityagi who ends up making all the money! What fun!Usual places of
worship do not do so well in money-catching because they have no
special charisma; or they must build up the god as a miracle-maker
through competitive marketing. Big money flows only towards the
talented individual who can create popular spiritual appeal and
surround him/herself with a group of committed disciples.Disciples are
the key. By him/herself the godman/woman is like a nuclear reactor
waiting to go critical. It is the disciples who trigger the
money-machine and the supporting media blast. They have more at stake
than the guru. Almost none of them is guru-material. They control
immense wealth and power because of the guru’s talent. And when the
guru is dead, a statue with an offerings-box can do pretty well
too.Mata Amritanandamayi Devi née Ms Radhamani fits Malayali decadence
to a T. She is reckoned to be one of the country’s richest gurus. She
is a handmaiden of the Sangh Parivar, especially the VHP, with its
global fund-flows. The hug is her USP. Her media managers and
fund-managers are the real miracle-workers, considering what they have
made out of a simple woman with a knack for popular religious
enactment and the energy to hug all and sundry...Amritanandamayi has
invested well too. She has an expensive TV channel which is a great
conduit. All the millions invested into medical/engineering and other
professional institutions go under the head of charity. But the same
charity also demands capitation fees of about Rs 30 to 40 lakh for a
seat in the professional institutions. Some millions were spent on
building homes for the tsunami-hit. That was a God-sent credibility
exercise because it looked almost like charity. It was the best mask
Amritanandamayi’s millions have yet worn. It increased her
money-gathering power a hundred times. As we know, what all godmen/
women don’t like is auditing and accountability. But then, can you
audit God?"

Nice links:

Article and website on SSB by Brian Steel

[www.saiguru.net]

Kevin Shepherd--problems with Sathya Sai Baba

[www.kevinrdshepherd.net]

Timothy Conway--concerns about Sathya Sai Baba

[www.enlightened-spirituality.org]

Robert Priddy--SSB Deceptions Exposed

[robertpriddy.wordpress.com]

http://www.kevinrdshepherd.net/html/23___sathya_sai_baba__problems.html

http://www.saibaba-x.org.uk/8/More_untoward_events_at_Sai_Baba_ashrams.htm

On many cults and religion:

http://www.rickross.com/

http://forum.rickross.com/


Best


A. Mani



--
A. Mani
ASL, CLC,  AMS, CMS
http://www.logicamani.co.cc




On Sat, Jul 30, 2011 at 9:41 PM, S kumar <kumar_8134 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> >>The source of his wealth was taxation of poor farmers, tax income from slave trade, and by appropriating the wealth of other kings.>>
>
> Ram Puniyani has projected a totally distorted view of the entire topic of wealth collected/ accrued to the temples and God-men, a hot topic of today, to vilify the past Hindu Kings as if they had collected these from the toiling people by taxes..etc.
>
> Let Puniyani study the history before passing such castigating remarks on Hindu saints and shrines.
>
> 1. In case of the so called God-men be it Satya Saibaba or Amritanandamayi or Sree Sree Ravishnkar..etc. the people who have faith in them donate their hard earned money to these saints so that these are used for public good. None of them are drunkards or fritter away the wealth in Worldly pleasures or park them in safe havens like the Politicians who control and run the Govt.
>
> 2. Baba Ramdev is a simple Yoga teacher propagating the use of Ayurveda medicines and compositions for various illnesses and started as an insignificant villager learning Yoga and Ayurveda from his Guru-s. If his followers including several politicians have donated funds to his enterprises and the foreigners were generous enough to donate even an island off Bristish Isles for Yoga developement, he is a pride of our heritage.
>
> Ramdev has not looted the public funds like the many politicians right from Jagjivan Ram or Kairon downwards to Sonia and Raja bringing disrepute to India having the largest share of black money stashed in safe havens, more than all other Countries put together.
>
> If Ramdev heads the movement for Swadeshi products and against corruption to bring back the looted funds stashed abroad, it is in Nation's interest eventhough it might damage the reputation and integrity of several high up in the ladder of politicians irrespective of Political affiliations
>
> 3. Amritanandamayi was born as a fisherwoman in Kollam and was thrown out of her hut, spending hours by seaside praying Krishna. She was not even allowed to sleep within the hut and was half fed with left overs in the house. I have myself seen her temple and prayer halls at Karunagappalli near Kollam in 1980-s, and access to her prayer hall was two coconut-tree trunks over a canal and a four feet wide muddy passage with bamboo thorn fencing on either side!! Two people cannot walk side by side and there was no access by any vehicle, even cycles had to be rolled and not ridden!!
>
> If she has thousands of Crores now and even the Mayor of NY comes to her prayer meetings and bows before her, it is her music and prayers as she knows only Malayalam and no other language. If Puniyani goes and addresses a meeting, perhaps you would get a few seniles in a drawing room with sadistic and pessimistic outlook in life, criticizing the successful.
>
> Amritanandamayi is running one of the best multidiscipline hospitals in Kochi with free treatments for the poor even in cardiac surgeries or kidney transplants. She runs several educational institutions without any Govt. grants taking students on merit only evethough she is a fisherwoman and all these institutions are headed by qualified Saffron Swami-s who do not draw any salaries or other expenses for themselves, but for their bare neds and subsistence!!
>
> Amrita University at Ettimadai was established in Tamilnadu bordering Kerala as Kerala Govt. refused permission or land preferring only Minorities to expand educational activities. When Tsunami affected South India, she constructed over 400 houses in TN coast and donated them free. So was Earthquake at Kutch when she donated over 200 houses and a School and Hospital at Bhuj.
>
> Kerala Govt. refused her offer of free houses for Tsunami affected on justification that equal opportunity should be given to Christian and Muslim groups to serve the people- projects that never took off even today except tinsheet sheds.
>
> 4. The same is the story of Satya Sai baba. Has he looted and got the money like Sonia or other leaders? It is volunatry donations that has built up all these philonthropic activities and if some cash and Gold were found in his secret chambers, they were not to be taken by Sai Baba but belongs to the trust run by well known retired Judges and officers of high integrity.
>
> 5. Travancore Kings were never flamboyant and were riding horse drawn carts when many other Maharaja-s were in their Gold Rolls Royces enjoying the hospitality of foreign rulers. Wearing only an unstitched Dhoti, the Kings visited temple daily and ruled the people on behalf on Mahavishnu SriPadmanabha in Ananthashayana.
>
> Ram Puniyani, there were no taxes in Travancore except land revenue, insignificant compared to other incomes. The main income of the State was by export of spices, monopoly of Travancore since three millenea, spices weighed against Gold coins in Rome even before Julius Caesar. That is why the Roman Gold coins were found in sackfuls in the temple rooms. They were not looted by Marthanda Varma. Marthanda Varma brought all fragmented States of Travancore together under a single rule like Sardar Patel did after independence.
>
> The funds of the temples or the so called Godmen belongs to Hindu-s and Hindu-s only. Govt. has already been looting the incomes of temples all these 60 years and spending them for Christian and Muslim purposes besides for paying salaries to Govt. servants. Would the Govt. dare to loot the Churches and Mosques and use their money for general welfare? Even the landed properties of temples have been alienated and now owned by Muslims and Christians documented by design and not right.
>
> There were no SC/ST differences in Kerala until 1950-s. They were looked after well by the Landlords, who used to work with them in ploughing, weeding, harvesting..etc. and their needs were met well. I have seen my grandfather sitting in the fields and taking food with the workers. Only reservations have alienated them in next generation and they all hoped for Govt. jobs, abandoned acquiring the inherited sjkills of carpentry or pottery or leatherwork and are a loitering lot today taking part in politics of violence and opportunities for making a quick buck as middle-men in Govt. offices.
>
> Truth never fails humans. But spreading outright lies Puniyani exposes one's ignorance, pettiness and pessimistic attitude to life. better study history and realities before you write such damaging articles betraying your own heritage and Country.
>
> 6.Upper Caste contemporaries of Kabir, Tukaram, Narsi Mehta, Dadu or Raidas were no different from them and there are no Sc/St saints today as most of them are hankering for Govt. jobs and earn by corrutpion be it Raja or Jagjivan.
>
> 7. Till now, Karnataka Govts were looting the temple incomes and 75% of the funds so go were spent on Haj Travels, mosques and Churches and 25% left for running temples so insufficient even to pay salaries so that many temples have closed down. If Yeddiyurappa has donated some funds to temples, he should pay back all the funds taken from temples since independence and spent on wining and dancing by the non-Hindu and SC/St officers of the Endowment Boards.
>
> 8. If the wealth of the temples are to be used for Socisl upliftment programmes, it would be another NREGA or similar projects and most of the funds would go underground and surface at Swiss Banks or Mauritius when managed by the Govt. of Politicians and officials. These funds belongs to Hindu-s and would be used only for uplitment of Hindu-s, revival/ renovation of temples, restoration of the labnded properties of temples and running of schools teaching the noble heritage oof the Country, the ancient astronomy, vedic mathematics and so many fields, ignored by the so called experts in Govt. Do not expoect these funds to be used to fund Haj or Bethlehem pilgrimages.
> From: A. Mani <a.mani.cms at gmail.com>
> To: sarai list <reader-list at sarai.net>; issuesonline_worldwide at yahoogroups.com; pragoti at yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Saturday, July 30, 2011 5:35 PM
> Subject: [issuesonline_worldwide] Fwd:Treasure of Faith
>
> _____________Forwarded Message___________________
>
> Treasure of Faith
>
> Hoards of Wealth in Padmnabh Temple
>
> Ram Puniyani
>
> It seems that in this profane world, the ‘Holy’ seem to be most
> monetarily wealthy. Recently the material goods of the men of God have
> come to be known more openly than before. Bhagwan Satya Sai of
> Putthaparthy, not only had over 40000+ crores of wealth; some of this
> was kept in his personal quarter, in the form of cash and Gold. Not to
> be left behind the most successful Yoga Guru and the champion of
> unearthing illicit money stashed abroad, Baba Ramdev, also has hoards
> of money. It is said he controls over 11000 crores. All this came to
> prominence once Ramdev began his campaign by undertaking fast at
> Ramlila maidan. These are just two samples from the Godmen, who are
> currently ruling the spiritual realm. Other Godmen like Sri Sri
> Ravishanker, Morari Bapu, Maa Amritanand Mai, Asaram Bapu and other of
> their tribe are also wealthy to the hilt. Unlike the low caste saints
> of the genre of Kabir, Tukaram, Narsi Mehta, Dadu or Raidas, most of
> those in the God market today have made humongous riches.
>
> The other centres’ of faith, the temples, also have infinite wealth.
> It is known that Tirupati Balaji Temple, Sai Baba of Shirdi Shrine,
> Siddhivinayaka in Mumbai and many such places are troves of treasure.
> This wealth comes from devotees’ offerings. Lately some BJP ruled
> States, e.g. Karnataka, Governments are also donating money to holy
> places. Many claim that this wealth is devoted for public welfare. In
> is reported that only 0.5% of Bhagwan Satya Sai’s wealth was used for
> social welfare.  How much of these offering are tax paid or comprise
> of illicit wealth is anybody’s guess. As Godmen are prominently
> visible currently, more facts about the stinking wealth of these
> centres of faith are coming to light. Some of these are plain
> shockers.
>
> One such shocker comes in the form of the news (July 2011) that Shree
> Padmanabhswamy temple of Tiruvananthpuram’s lockers have incalculable
> wealth. These lockers were opened on the orders of Supreme Court. It
> seems that the deity of this Holy shrine is the richest ‘God on
> Earth’. The mind boggling wealth of Lakhs of Crores has been locked up
> there from last few centuries.  The source of this wealth is multiple,
> part of this came from devotees offerings and the major chunk has came
> from the wealth of King Marthanda Varma, The source of his wealth was
> taxation of poor farmers, tax income from slave trade, and by
> appropriating the wealth of other kings. The source of wealth is known
> but its controls are in the hands of the temple trust. The surfacing
> of such a vast treasure has raised the issue, to who does this wealth
> belong?
>
> Marthanda Varma the king who defeated small kings to garner this huge
> wealth was under the influence of a Brahman priest. In due course King
> dedicated all his wealth and his sword to Padmnanbha Temple and
> declared himself as Padmanabhdasa, and acted as the custodian of this
> wealth. The same regime and temple wealth was partly used for opening
> up feeding houses for Brahmins, but overall the whole wealth has
> remained intact in the coffers of the temple. The temple is being
> managed by a Committee with the heir of Martanda Varma as the
> controller of the treasure.
>
> Does the God, deity, need so much wealth? And can this vast ocean of
> riches be of any good to the society at large in the material sense.
> One concedes that the wealth with the deity is `serving various
> emotive-spiritual’ purposes, and many a Hindu groups  and even the
> Congress politicians have claimed that the wealth should remain as it
> is where it is and a small part of it can be diverted for social
> welfare.
>
> With Independence and later with abolition of privy purses to the
> Kings, who were enjoying privileges by claiming to have divine right
> to rule, the rule passed on to the state, the elected representative
> of the people. So should mere legality decide the use of this wealth
> or should the needs of society at large decide the utilization of such
> wealth. What will make God most happy; the hoarding of this wealth
> under the control of few or use of this wealth for the larger good of
> society?
>
> As such when we are hearing that a lot of wealth kept by Indians in
> banks aboard should be declared national asset and used for the
> welfare of the people, should we also pay our attention to this
> ‘Temple-Baba’ wealth as well? Those shouting hoarse, and correctly so,
> about nationalizing illicit money are keeping quiet on the issue of
> wealth with God, and wealth with Godmen, both. It is a bit of a riddle
> that those who have been fasting and agitating on the issue of illicit
> wealth seal their lips when this social wealth under the control of
> Deity or a small group of trustees is concerned.
>
> As such there are interesting historical incidents about Holy places
> and wealth. Earlier also these places of worship were the places with
> good amount of wealth and many a Kings, motivated by the lust
> plundered it. Mahmud Gazni had the clear motive of grabbing Somnath
> temple wealth, but he claimed that he does not believe in idol
> worship, so he is destroying the temple. Such historiography became
> the stuff on which communal divides were drawn and divisive politics
> sustains itself. Here one forgets that even Hindu Kings have plundered
> the wealth in temples. Kalhan’s Rajtangini mentions that 11thCentury
> ruler of Kashmir, Raja Harshdev, had created a new designation of an
> officer, Decottpatan Nayak, whose job was to uproot the precious idols
> of Gods in the Holy places. The matters of faith are very delicate and
> have become more so during last three decades as the temple issues
> have bypassed the issues of poverty and dignity of weaker section of
> society.
>
> One should also make it clear that similar wealth is locked up in
> other religious institutions, like in Churches and with Wakf board,
> though the source of this may be different. All this needs to be
> brought to the service of the community at large.
>
> In current times while there is a need to respect the faith of people,
> there is also a need to think of social welfare in all possible
> manners. Such treasures have to be brought under social control and
> every penny of this must go for programs aimed at alleviation of
> poverty or empowerment of the weak and poor.
>
> --
>
> Issues in Secular Politics
>
> II July 2011-07-20
>
> www.pluralindia.com
>
> Response only to ram.puniyani at gmail.com
>
> ___________________________________________
>
> --
> A. Mani
> ASL, CLC,  AMS, CMS
> http://www.logicamani.co.cc
>
> ------------------------------------