Justice for Premananda

Gaurishwari

The good and the bad, it has always been there and it seems a never-ending story.

Ever since I loved every book or film, which described fighting for truth and love to win. I love Star Wars, I adore Harry Potter, I cried seeing Lord of the Rings and I do remember all the main songs from the Walt Disney's classical films.

My own life is a struggle to find the truth. I wished to have a teacher just as Luke Skywalker has Yoda, Harry Potter has professor Dumbledore, Pochahontas has Mother Willow, Simba has the Wizard Monkey. I also wished to have a teacher, who could guide me and who would not betray me. I was not looking for a teacher who would just tell me his knowledge, for, as a student you already have to swallow so much theoretical knowledge and I had already enough of that. I wanted a teacher who could give me the key so I could find my own knowledge. The following (from Kahlil Gibran, the famous author of "The Prophet") about teaching is a better explanation of what I wanted in a teacher than any explanation I could give:

No man can reveal to you aught but that which already lies half asleep in the dawning of your knowledge.

The teacher who walks in the shadow of the temple, among his followers, gives not of his wisdom but rather of his faith and his lovingness.

If he is indeed wise he does not bid you enter the house of his wisdom, but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind...

And even as each one of you stands alone in God's knowledge, so must each one of you be alone in his knowledge of God and in his understanding of the earth.

In 2000 I met Swami Premananda, a Hindu monk who lives in Tamil Nadu, South India. I was lucky to be able to go to India and see this Swami in his Ashram, because he was arrested in 1994 and has been in prison ever since then. When I came to India , he got leave for 17 days and all the people enjoyed being so close with him, though there were always guards around him. I knew for what he was accused, but seeing him, so radiant, jolly and humble, and seeing all what he did, talking with the devotees, listening to them, giving them advice, cooking for all the people, making jokes, checking all the ashram lands and telling the management what works needed to be done, I did not believe that the multiple rape and murder for which he was accused were true.

When I saw all what he did, I really could not understand that such a person was in prison. When I saw his way of doing things I had no doubt at all he was an innocent man. I saw the patience he had talking to devotees and answering their questions. I saw the simplicity and humility he had when doing abishekam, a Hindu ritual of which I didn't understand a single thing, but from where I could feel a very powerful energy. I saw the joy he had when he was playing with the children and when I saw the shining in the children's eyes, I was sure that the children - better then anybody else - understood, consciously or unconsciously, the great opportunity that was theirs inspending time with Swami Premananda. Further I heard such a devotion while he was singing mantras and bhajans, even that in the beginning I thought of giving him 3 rupees, because his singing voice is so hoarse that I compared him with a singing beggar. Anyway, I believe that each single action he did had a great value, not because of what it was, but because it was done with true and pure love. I really was puzzled why this man was in jail. (During the 17 days of bail in 2000, Swami didn't sleep in his bed, because he couldn't get used to the softness of a mattress after being in prison and sleeping the past 6 years on the floor)

I know the story of Jesus Christ, I know the story of Lord Rama, I know the story of the spiritual mystic, Osho. And the story had repeated itself many times. Jesus was crucified, Rama was exiled and Osho was poisoned. People didn't understand them. And the same is happening to Swami Premananda. It is an age-old story in 2005.

When you just look at Swami from the outside, you could think he is a madman. And yes, to be honest, I agree, he is sometimes like a madman; in his satsang (spiritual discourse) he sometimes says things from an angle that none would think of and which can be very confronting. Yes, this can be called mad, but on the other hand I can only see it as his game. He pretends he doesn't know anything, which for me proves his simple and humble nature, but I am sure he knows far more than we can imagine and he is just acting in this way for our sake. So yes, he is a madman, but he is just acting this. He says that he continuously experiences eternal bliss and true happiness and he wants to bring as many people as possible to this blissful state. That is his goal, to guide us there, where everlasting happiness can be experienced.

If I am honest myself, I can admit I need a master who is jolly and a little mad, for if he were serious all the time I would just fall a sleep. If you come little closer, he will become very strict, give a lot of tests and it asks a lot of courage and confidence to live so close with him. And even though it is hard, it really is a blessing. By all his actions he is keeping us awake and with his patience he guides us each individually to that highest state. At the same time, he is not forcing anybody in a particular direction, he gives freedom to everybody and allows us to make mistakes (as many as are needed to learn and to get understanding of our lives). He simply is there when we need him and whenever we call on him (inner or outer), he will just know it and be there to help us.

Now it is April 2005. On 5 th April 2005 the Supreme Court in New Delhi again confirmed the original conviction of Swami Premananda, which means Swami has another 18 years to pass in prison. Swami Premananda has been sentenced to a double life sentence in the highest court in India for multiple rape and murder, a sentence which itself is illegal according to Indian law!

In my personal opinion, Swami Premananda is one of the most amazing men who are incarnated at the moment, but that is, unfortunately, not the opinion of everybody. I am sure the case against him is set up, because I have no doubt that Swami is innocent. The people who accused him surely have not the opinion of Swami Premananda being an amazing man. The shocking results of the initial guilty verdict appealed in the High Court and Supreme Court proves that. But Swami Premananda is not affected. His joyful smile and radiant personality never fade. His courage, love and selfless service continue to this day, after more than ten years of imprisonment. By living and sacrificing his life, he has come to show us to go on and to strive for eternal bliss and true love. He is teaching those who sincerely seek the truth, but has a message of love, which is universal and can be understood by everybody.

It is a sad fact that throughout the ages people have accused those who stood up for love and righteousness as if they are afraid of the truth. Finally the truth is simply there, we can deny it and try to live other certainties, but I am sure of Swamiji's words "Truth will always win." I don't dare to hope for anything anymore in the judgment of Swami Premananda. It seems a fact that society always accepted people like Jesus only when they are dead. Society rejects them. Men become afraid of only listening to these people such as Buddha, Jesus, Osho and Swami. They are afraid of facing another reality than they know and they like to stay with their certainties and their joys. They prefer their cars, houses, money and they will say, "What nonsense is this man talking about?"

My own mother is afraid that I, her daughter, am listening to a madman who is telling me nonsense. She thinks I am a fool, but I always reply her that I don't know when I was the biggest fool, hunting for pleasures such as boys and alcohol or trying to go within to find peace, even though this means now to be confronted with all the 'rubbish' which is inside me. She further is afraid that I am brainwashed, but I don't know what that would entail, because I feel more free than I have ever before. Of course, I have fears to lose some certainties I have and I need faith to overcome these fears, but I do understand that the certainties are made up in my mind. Why would I be happier to be a married woman, than an unmarried woman? Why would I be happier with lots of money and luxury? Society made me think that happiness lies in a happy marriage, money and luxury. But until now, even the experiences are few, I am sure that the enormous peace that I felt during one of my meditations can't be given to me by any man, any gold or any comfort on this earth. I even don't want to say it was Swami who gave me this experience of peace, rather it was myself, it was my effort. It doesn't matter if I believe in God or not, nothing really matters, except for having faith in myself. And for this I need to thank Swamiji, because it was him who made me realize that self-confidence is a must.

Even though many friends always said that I am such a strong and courageous girl, I can admit that I was very shy. Fear holds you back from taking the risk to listen to these Masters. But in fact they only say what is already inside of all of us, but what we have forgotten. My inner master for sure can bring me there where Swami can bring me, but it will take much more time finding out everything myself. Swami is the guide, the spiritual guide. It is the same as a tourist guide. You get to learn about a lot of a places fast with a tourist guide, but it takes more time to find out about that place without one. The difference between a tourist guide and a spiritual guide is that the former will please you and always be friendly and a spiritual guide might be strict and might be a 'madman telling you nonsense'. For sure it is hard to be with a living master. For me it is much easier to worship Jesus than to follow Swami Premananda. And my rebellious character isn't very helpful.

If we look at Swamiji's case in a human way it is completely inhuman. Not one single man would deserve this. I myself don't know what we can do, because it seems that in whatever court this case comes up, the judgment is the same. Now even they wrote that Swami Premananda is like the devil. Swamiji is charged with raping twelve girls, all of whom he brought up like a father. Secondly, he and five others (Swami Kamalananda, Mr. P. Mayilvaganam, S. Balendran, S. Satish Kumar, S. Nandakumar) are accused of murdering a Sri Lankan man who lived in the Ashram. Mr. Ram Jethmalani who is a world-renowned advocate, famous as a legal genius, took Swamiji's case since 1995. He has had clear, extensive and brilliant documents, which uncovered the truth of what really happened, but somehow nobody really seemed to listen. The newspapers published and are publishing articles about Swami Premananda making him out to be the biggest criminal in India and maybe around the whole world. From the start the court was totally and utterly biased against our defence.

I want to tell once more that there is not a single doubt in me of Swami's innocence. I will always stand on the side of Swami Premananda, who is - for me - an example of a simple and humble man, sacrificing his whole life for the upliftment of humankind and for society. Even we, his devotees are called fools or wishful thinkers by judges and newspapers, I don't care. They can call me what they want or insult me for whatever they want. Justice C.V. Wigneswaran says, "Basically love for power and greed for money seems to be at the bottom trying to manipulate human behaviour under the pretext of bringing the private lives of public persons to public scrutiny for the benefit of the people at large. In this respect all journalistic restraints have been thrown to the wind. Princess Diana need not have died a premature death if the journalists had restrained themselves and shown respect for the private life of an individual. If some newspaper backs you, you can even make white appear as black and vice versa."

Swami says, "If you change yourself determinedly and full of confidence into a beautiful and noble person, the vibrations of your good thoughts will radiate from you towards society. If you are filled with compassionate and selfless thoughts, then slowly human society will change and be uplifted"

I hope that the day of Swami's freedom will be there soon and I pray that in the meantime we just try to change ourselves into beautiful and noble persons, because I believe that only when the change come from inside things will change. And of course I hope that Swamiji's innocence will be proven, so that whole India and the whole world will realize that this case is false.

Gaurishwari, 20.5.2005