We are stunned and totally shocked by the news that Radha Ma died on Sunday, March 6th after an act of self-immolation the previous day at her ashram. She was rushed to hospital with 90% burns but doctors could not save her life.
It is rumoured that she left a letter blaming 3 of her former devotees who had become disenchanted with her after real estate problems!
There was also a pending sexual harassment case brought by one of Radha's devotees against the ashram's former caretaker. It has even been whispered that Radha was the guiding hand behind the case, which turned into a vicious dogfight. Emails where she threatened Yama (death) to one of her ex-devotees had recently been passed to lawyers.
Her funeral has been held today and it is said she will be interred as a saint. The question arises would a Saint commit suicide and lay the blame at the feet of those who had left the fold? And why was it necessary to kill herself in such a dramatic and painful way over petty legal wrangling?
With a horrid sense of hindsight, it might have been wiser if she had heeded the advice of Yogi Ramsuratkumar. Apparently he personally warned her,"not to play the role of a guru."
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Another beautiful soul has left us...No one can comprehend the horror....may she be at peace....
ReplyDeleteWhat bothers me is the incredible amount of crap published on facebook the next day, from statements about Arunachala washing it's feet clean (made by Tiru's favourite alcoholic Steve), to karma quotes and banal spiritual platitudes from the deeply stoned Shivani...It's this heartless inhumane behaviour that triggers hurt and damages the sensitive, causing severe depression and alienation. Wake up Advaitins and see the monsters you have truly become!...
I never had the pleasure to welcome her in my dungeon, but it looks like she didn't need it.
ReplyDeleteSelf-immolation is the perfect form of torture and she definitely made a statement about what has happened to the peaceful town of Thiruvannamalai.
A horrid place filled with satsang ego-maniacs and their silly devotees, with freaks like Steve and Shivani ( the creme de la creme of the local advaitins), thank you anonymous for reminding me.
I had to close my dungeon of despair, because now it is all out there, visit any satsang, sitsing or sad-sang, kasmiri shop, rip-off supermarket or manna cafe etc and you will be tortured like hell and feel the despair in the air.
Now i hear, even on facebook, of which i am not a member since i have and don't want any bloody friends.
Altough a real sadhak can always sit in Ramanashram, the only refuge left.
Radha Ma was just a silly woman who should have stayed in her cave and be happy.
She set a fine example for the environment polluting mooji's, spermenanda's and other idiots and (neo)advaita freaks.
Next season we will see and enjoy the self-immolation of all these lunatics and peace and happiness will be restored to Ramananagar.
And i will retreat to my cave again and live in bliss forever.
It's true that she had been had been experiencing difficult times because of accusations by some former disciples, but I think myself this had to do with a certain craziness in her trances.She was one of the most extraordinary beings I've met in my life.
ReplyDeleteIt is an embarrassment and a DISGRACE to the Holy name of Ramanashram and Arunachala that these IDIOTS charge money for satsang. These idiots disgrace that very soil..............Thousands of years of Holiness and now they charge money to go there to hear them speak of their own ''self'' realization......Go just to Ramanaashram and pay respects to a true man of god and true saint.....forget all the other idiots!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe thing is, her actions were seriously vengeful. Remember, it's still illegal to commit suicide in India, so by law there must be a police investigation. That leaves the 3 devotees she named in the letter in serious, serious shit. Never mind about the karma. Those 3 now have jail to worry about ...
ReplyDeleteSo if it is true she was really doing black magic and the fire took her, why the statement/rumour about the letter? Did one of RM's devotees make this up to cover things up? The plot thickens ...
ReplyDeleteSister Klaus - Tiruvannamalai is clearly not a horrible place - this is of course your projection that needs a big ego to label, focus, and be annoyed by ego maniacs. There are there mostly people who come and benefit enormously and advance in their spiritual path and many excellent rare masters, teachers and gurus (e.g. Ceaser, Mooji, Verner etc.) but the very fact that they are masters automatically sheds a stain on them in your competitive view. Pity how easily your mind manages to block you using your ego and keep you in the convenient rage storm and ignorance while all others are idiots while it allows you to access only an ashram of a dead guru - a known mind scheme. I really hope that for your own sake you will one day wake up from that.
ReplyDeleteLove.
Anonymous, Your response to Sister Klaus and your disparaging remarks about Sri Ramana Maharshi puts you in the catagory of those in need of compassion, for dismissing Ramana in such a cavalier fashion. Obviously subtelty is not your strong point.
ReplyDeleteMay you relocate next season to graze on pastures elsewhere along with your multiple masters.
glow
wow... reads like a real movie, all that this story needs is a snowmobile chase and an aston martin that changes into a submarine.
ReplyDeleteDear anonymous,
ReplyDeleteYou almost convinced me about having a big ego, projections, competitive view and specially this great sentence "how easily your mind manage to block you using your ego and keep you in the the convienient rage storm and ignorance", woh, it made me almost cry with remorse.
But then in the end you give yourself away and all your words are not more then a fart in a bucket.
A dead guru does not exist, nor a living guru, there is only a guru, if you mistake a guru for a body-mind organism it is clear that you did not learn very much from your many excellent and rare teachers.
They have nothing to say, just repeating all the well know stuff, they might look and sound sweet, give you some candy and a pat on the head and have a stunning charisma, but that's all and you are taking in by that.
I live here a very long time and saw this place sliding down from a place of peace and meditation to the satsang circus and freak show as it is now, should i be happy about that.
I guess you see Arunachala also as just a dead hill, by that, missing the most important guru here, i hope for your own sake that you will wake up one day.
This is NOT a Bond movie! I think a Christopher Lee Hammer Horror film like 'the Devil Rides Out' is a much closer analogy!
ReplyDeleteThis circus with all these fake gurus began to manifest when many arrogant idiots from Lucknow started coming here in the early nineties.After Poonja(the root-fake one)died ,they started looking for gurus and satsangs, and what is going on in Tiruvannamalai nowadays is mostly due to their contribution.
ReplyDeleteAgree about the exodus from Lucknow to Arunachala, but that is what Papaji said where his flock should go, after his death.
ReplyDeleteDon't agree that he is the "root-fake one", he just attracted a lot of weird people, they just took a hint from him (he never actually told anyone to go forth and give satsang) and started to give satsangs all over the world in his and even Ramana's name.
So, some of the worst( you name them ) ended up here and perform their silly and disgusting show, why people are attracted to this jokers i don't know, but millions of people like to watch very silly American sit-coms and think these are the greatest tv shows ever.
That might explain a lot.
Kevinji
What about "the night of the demon" Hammer classic !!!!
Sister Klaus,why has Poonja basically attracted only weirdos and misfits?Ramana Maharshi attracted many intelligent people,great poets,philosophers,writers,etc.,as other great Gurus of the modern times did.Why has Poonja only attracted such a crowd?There must be a reason,don't you think? The master and the disciples are often mentally attuned to each other.David Godman,who is a good writer with little power of discrimination(judging from the subjects of his biographies)was honest enough,in his biography on Poonja,to quote the fact that Jean Klein,a respected western Teacher,didn't want to meet or to have anything to do with Poonja...
ReplyDeletePoonja Ji let a bunch of weirdo's lose in the world, yes, that is a fact, there might be a reason or maybe not, that is not for us mortals to decide.
ReplyDeleteGood observation on Godman he is like that.
And yes, Jean Klein was a real master , simple , without false pretensions, a rare gem.
Anonymous,
ReplyDeletePoonjaji said that he had met 7 or eight enlightened people in his life, and that he did not count any of his own disciples as 'enlightened'.
Agree with Sister Klaus: Arunachala himself is THE guru in thiru, and his guidance is all we need.
best,
m
Epitaph: "Radha:she couldn't burn her ego with the Fire of Wisdom,so she chose instead to burn her body with kerosene".
ReplyDeleteSo it is a group of 3-4 disgruntled persons who are talking so ill about a dead spiritual person who touched so many lives. I don't want to think what will happen to them when Arunachala straightens them out. I don't even want to think about it.
ReplyDeleteSo you think Arunachala is an avenging dualist deity? Maybe you have gotten confused with Yahweh in the old testament!
ReplyDeleteI know so. If you are in a power spot like Tiruvannamalai and indulging in anything but serious sadhana, you better watch out.
ReplyDeleteThe letter indicates Radha's deliberate suicide. This is no vengeful act by Arunachala or some demonic entity - only by Radha herself.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone confirmed the "letter" and its contents or is it gossip?
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know for sure who was with her at the time?
You know these 3 people are not very intelligent, instead of going straight to the police and explaining the situation (which is what I would do), they fled Tiru and are hiding somewhere, which off course looks very suspicious to the police.
ReplyDeleteI did not know her, but anyone who commits suicide so violently has huge issues and is clearly in great suffering.
ReplyDeleteHow can someone teach Love and Truth but hate oneself themselves so much, that they kill themselves in such a horrible way?
It may be a cultural thing. Lord Rama's consort Goddess Sita also stood in fire. What happened to Radha ma is really sad. She had something to offer, everyone wanted a piece of it and if they didn't get it, bad-mouthed her. It is so sad. May she rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteSita's purity of character and motivations for the fire ordeal are not to be compared with those of Radha Giridhar .We should keep a level-headed perspective,otherwise we might end up like Alan Jacobs,who has praised the book Advaitic Ratnas(misspelled by him as Advaitic Ratners),as a book which will be considered one of the masterpieces of advaitic literature!
ReplyDeleteI wish to give a more balanced perspective on Radha's personality than those of Alan Jacobs or Faisal(the opposites):Radha had endearing personality aspects,a joyousness,a readiness to laugh,also at herself,a witty sense of humour,the capacity to embrace people and make them feel at ease,part of herself.At the same time,she could also manipulate,lie,and hurt people in such a way that she has been able to make life-long enemies,who would curse her.The Radha guru status and personality-cult has been raised and promoted by some morons,particularly Poonja's fans,as usual,otherwise she might have just remained just an interesting and charming freak,like some others who have been residing along the westrn side of the pradakshina road over the years.On the whole,she has not been a good influence in Tiruvannamalai,she divided people instead of uniting them,she played silly self-importance games,using the"inner circle"of her sannyasins (or better,pseudo sannyasins,as they have been initiated by a woman who was not traditionally initiated herself)and former devoted friends,some of whom became in time her worst enemies.Now we wish peace anyway to her,and this peace depends now very much on the behaviour of her monks residing in her ashram,hoping that they have learned something from Radhha's life parable in the last years(I hear that her former husband Giridhar is promoting legal action against those 3 westerners,if this is true he doesn't seem to have undrstood much).Let us hope that in Tiruvannamalai,apart from Ramana who unfortunately is not anymore alive in the body,may come a real Guru,not like these leeches populating this sacred land nowadays,and bring peace and unity among us.(The sermon is over).
ReplyDeleteSo in the end there is a story that sounds reasonable and credible and agrees more or less with what i know abd feel about her.
ReplyDeleteSo i am happy to close Radha's book and hope she is in eternal peace, united with her Satguru Sri Arunachala.
Hari Om
Many of these so-called Poonja people migrated from Rajneesh (aka Osho) in 1990 when he died. Rajneesh was the first to offer instant sannyass initiation to anyone who asked for it, breaking from the tradition of long years of sadhana and preparation before it could be given. But instant enlightenment was not on offer -only the promise of a gradual awakening for those who were ready.
ReplyDeletePoonja however, had a very different message. You are already that, prior to any idea ofinitiation or enlightenment. This came as a great relief for many of the old Osho followers. Now there was nothing to get. Great, we can call off the search and all go home now. So it should have all ended right there. But it didn't. WHY?
It didn't end right there because only the one who really got it can say at the end :"there was nothing to get",not a fake Lucknowian who pretends there is nothing to get!
ReplyDeleteWhy why oh why?
ReplyDeleteI'll tell you why. Its because in spite of all the in depth analysis and debate, the Bhakti Bullshit Brigade are alive and well!
Even as the master takes his or her last breath, the BBB are on the move once again, like locusts looking for new pastures, they will feed upon yet another mortal who has somehow acquired godly status. For these blatant
opportunists, there can be no worthier cause than to
aspire to godhood under the guise of love,surrender and
devotion. Whilst the new master, only too willing to be
accommodated in such a godly fashion, dictates to all,
these co-conspirators, all breathing as one, set about
creating their inner circles and outer empires, knowing
all too well that every great sangha has its use by date.
No. Totally wrong. Anyone can say anything they like. And there are enough people around who will believe it. The trick is all in the presentation. In the end, they are all fakes. Take a look. Show me one genuine master or one genuine seeker!
ReplyDeletei have seen radha ma 2 days ago at the chennai airport!!!,dressed in jeans make up etc. i called her:is this you radha?she immediately covert her face and rushed through security. i could not follow her,because i was at the check in cue.was her sueside staged?i swear it was her.i also heard that she was 2 times in syria with a false passport the last 2 years .anyone has more info?
ReplyDeleteElvis was seen many times after his death as was his ancient forerunner the Emperor Nero.
ReplyDeleteI saw her at Singapore airport a day before her 'death'. She had changed into a mini skirt and was wearing tarty makeup. I too believe her death was staged and she must be in Syria by now. We have many convenient non-stop flights to several destinations around the world. Come visit Singapore. Charles you go west looking for radha ma and I will go east. I am sure we will catch her. If nothing else we would have gone around the world and done ourselves a service.
ReplyDeleteRadha was deeply manipulative, unhinged and disturbed. She existed at the end of both extremes. A truly divine being, yet desperate for liberation which she felt had come to her then left. It would not surprise me if she staged her death but there was a body at the hospital. Also, the letter. The incredible thing about this event is that there was a letter. She planned it. It was intentional. You either have to be enlightened or plain crazy to do that.
ReplyDeleteWhatever you believe Radha Ma to be or not to be, it's only pointing at what YOU are. Whether you see her as Satan or Ego incarnate or as Divine, you simply see your own reflection. All is perfect. The screen doesn't care.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte
ReplyDeleteYes, we know that the screen is just there, though I would not give it the human quality of caring and that makes your point very weak. Also the "perfect" in "All is perfect" is not appropriate for what one "believes".
You apply human qualities to statements that are beyond human conditions. Stick to the statement that "all is", without attributes. Giving your loaded moral opinion as an advaitic true-ism is not of any value!
Ramana would not tolerate criticism of gurus in front of him. He also said that the intention of the disciple is generally more important than who the guru is. perhaps we would be as well to remember this.
ReplyDeleteRamana also taught that all things are acceptable and divine will because no one is doing them. So that includes criticism of gurus. All is predestined. So do your homework and read the texts properly!
ReplyDelete