Justice for Premananda

(Originally published in August 1996 by the German magazine "Wege und Visionen" distributed throughout Germany, Switzerland and Austria and in the Sri Lankan newspaper "Sunday Leader" of May, 1998)

THE CASE OF SWAMI PREMANANDA - HOW THE THOUGHTS AND BEHAVIOUR OF THOUSANDS CAN BE MANIPULATED BY MALICIOUS, FALSE INFORMATION

True or false - is it still possible to differentiate between these terms? Or is it only illusion to believe that this or that is true or not true? Very often we find out that people describe and evaluate different situations and things in a very different way. Everyone has his or her own subjective perception of truth. It is therefore very difficult - almost impossible to have an idea of a so-called objective truth, which should be the only truth for everybody.

Apart from our perception of what is true, saints and sages of the East speak of the HIGHEST TRUTH, a state of consciousness which is beyond any perception, feeling or ideas about what is right or wrong, good or bad, true or untrue. This state of consciousness goes beyond these 'polarities', beyond these extremes. During such a state of consciousness, so it is said, everything is one. All is one. As long as we think within the terms of polarity, we behave according to a scheme of thoughts determined by what is already within our minds. Our own mental programming provides us with imagination and evaluation about what is good and what is bad. The foundation of these different images and ways of thinking are usually already laid down during our early childhood. The behavior of our parents has been determined by their model programs. They only showed us what they considered to be good or bad by their way of life, their opinions, words and thoughts. Their fears have often become our fears and they have thereby determined our own restricted viewpoint.

Very often this technique is also used by journalists. They use special catch-phrases and slogans, knowing very well that this will cause fear to people who read sensational stories. Because people have programmed minds, these special catch-phrases evoke particular pictures and images and make people scared. By this technique they become victims of their own minds and can be manipulated and directed in any way the journalists choose. In the West already for a very long time this practice has been a popular 'tool' in order to achieve questionable goals - such as to ensure positions by manipulating the opinion of the people.

Also in the Eastern countries this technique is being used without restraint for the same reasons. The example of the sensational, manipulated press campaign against Swami Premananda in Tamil Nadu, South India , shows how a young monk from Sri Lanka can become a ball in the play of personal and political interests. It also shows how he became a pawn in the game of the fight between bad and good, truth and falsehood. Due to a clever, contrived conspiracy of former disciples, corrupt police officials, politicians and journalists, Swami Premananda - a worldwide, well-respected saint for many years - was overnight made to appear as the greatest criminal in the history of the state of Tamil Nadu.

However, Swami Premananda himself lives permanently engrossed in the Highest Truth. He is always smiling and beaming with joy and is completely detached from the outer events against him. He constantly shows his disciples and devotees all over the world that he always lives within the consciousness of the Highest Truth and that therefore, he is beyond all concepts of these mental polarities.

A REFUGEE BUILDS A PARADISE IN THE DESERT

Sri Swami Premananda was born in Sri Lanka in 1951. Already from his childhood his family and friends witnessed his supernatural powers by which he was able to perform so-called miracles. Since then he has materialized (as if from nowhere) different objects. At the age of 7 he created sweets for his school-mates. Later on he manifested about 50 centimeter high statues which represent different aspects of God according to the Hindu religion. As a teenager he attracted many people by his spiritual and religious satsangs, which showed his high knowledge of the ancient Hindu and other religious philosophies. When he was 17 he decided to dedicate his life and powers to the welfare of mankind. These powers, as he always emphasizes, are not his, but divine powers. Already as a young man he began his spiritual mission by serving mankind and guiding people on their spiritual way to God - viz. their own True Self. In 1983 he came to South India as a refugee. His Ashram in Sri Lanka was burnt down due to the ethnic riots. Close to Trichy, a town in the state of Tamil Nadu, he started a new Ashram. Within 5 years of hard work, Swami Premananda and his disciples transformed this desert-like area into a beautiful spiritual oasis, surrounded by exotic trees, flowers and animals. It is difficult to even imagine that this was a desolate, arid place. In November 1989, in the presence of many religious leaders and saints, the Ashram was officially opened. Since then Swami Premananda has admitted around 450 orphaned children and children whose parents are very poor and cannot afford to provide them with food, clothes or education. The children are educated by professional teachers at the Premananda High School . In Spring 1994 the Tamil Nadu Minister of Education gave permission to open the school.

SELFLESS SERVICE AS THE FOCAL POINT OF HIS TEACHINGS

Swami Premananda is very strict concerning self-discipline. According to his instructions the Ashram rules put much attention on celibacy, vegetarian food, renunciation of meat, alcohol and drugs. The main point of his teachings is selfless service to mankind. He himself is a living example of his teachings. He is continuously working for others - whether he is advising hundreds of devotees, teaching 450 children about the Hindu religion, or taking care in the practical work in the Ashram.

Although he was brought up in a Hindu family with the ancient Hindu values, he invites his devotees to seriously search for the One Truth within their own religion and to live according to it. According to his teachings all religions have one and the same origin. Therefore he accepts all kinds of religions. "There is only one God and one Truth - but many ways to find Him." This is the main point of many of his satsangs. He constantly encourages spiritual aspirants to look for God within themselves. God can only be found in the heart of man.

Within a few short years Swami Premananda's name has become famous throughout India as well as abroad. He is the living image of his name (Prema - Divine Love and Ananda - bliss, deep happiness). That means that he radiates pure love and lives permanently in the consciousness of divine happiness. Because of this he attracted more and more Indian people, Sri Lankans and foreigners who come from every part of the world. Since its creation they began to visit the small, peaceful Ashram of this young Avatar, in order to receive his blessings or to get help in solving their worldly and spiritual problems. The faith of these people grew, as they experienced that his help and simple advises very often can bring a positive turn in their lives. Furthermore, many of them have experienced spontaneous healing, which they regard as a result of his actions. Surrounded by a peaceful silence, the Ashram has developed constantly and flowered in the truest sense of the word.

WHERE THERE IS LIGHT THERE IS ALSO SHADOW - THE SILENCE IS SUDDENLY INTERRUPTED...

Suddenly the silence was interrupted and the peaceful life came to an end. On 19 th November 1994 two hundred policemen armed with machine-guns, forcibly entered the Ashram in order to arrest Swami Premananda and some residents. The responsible authorities justified this action by 28 charges against Swami Premananda. He was supposed to be guilty of murder, sexual abuse, support of the Tamil Tiger Terrorist group of Sri Lanka (LTTE), smuggling, possession of drugs and so on. After investigations by the police and customs officials, 26 charges were dropped. There was no evidence whatsoever to support them. However, the accusations that he murdered a young Sri Lankan man and that he raped two girls, still stood. The only evidence for these charges were the statements given by two young women who grew up in the Ashram and the fact that the skeleton of the young man had been exhumed by the police from the Ashram premises. Investigations made during three months in springtime 1995, as well as the information given by the so-called victims, policemen, journalists, editors, lawyers and politicians, exposed a conspiracy organized by a former disciple and some devotees, corrupt police, reporters and politicians who tried, with the help of a clever net of lies, to spoil Swami Premananda's name, the reputation of the Ashram and to destroy his mission in the world. As a result of these investigations the last two accusations have been made void, because there is no actual evidence. Ravi , the alleged murder victim, was in fact a young man who suffered from a psychotic mental illness. He got a severe infection caused by a wound, which he had covered with his own excreta. He constantly tore off bandages and spat out medicines. As a result of the strong infection, which could not heal because of his auto-aggressive behavior, he died. His body was buried in the presence of people from the nearby villages and foreign devotees.

The accusation of sexual abuse is based on the statements of two girls who lived in the Ashram since their childhood. They were promised a new life in the USA by outsiders (amongst them a disciple and some foreign devotees), if they accused Swami Premananda, in order that the holy man who had saved them from a miserable life would be convicted. The reasons for the betrayal by these people are clear and had already been exposed some time before the start of the drama by their behavior: expectations and desires which were not fulfilled, envy, jealousy and egoism which led them to plan this drama even one year in advance. Emotions resulting from bad thoughts and illusory ideas about the relationship between a spiritual master and his disciples, created this new, bitter reality for Swami Premananda and the ashramites.

THE INDIAN POLICE - DEFENDER OR OFFENDER

From the beginning the so-called investigations of the CBCID (Criminal Investigation Department) were not carried out correctly. On the contrary, they intimidated the people by all kinds of methods, to try to convict Swami Premananda. From the outset their aim was to prove that he was the guilty offender. To this end the police used sticks to beat the children of the Ashram, Ashram property was looted and private premises were vandalized. While searching for evidence against the Swami, the police seized valuable items such as photo- and video cameras (which were actually used to take photographs and films during religious festivals). Private rooms of the Ashramites were left in a despicable filthy condition by the police. During their stay in the Ashram they often were under the influence of alcohol. 20 Ashram girls were taken away by force. With disregard for the most elementary human rights, these innocent girls who had never given any statement against Swami Premananda, were forced by doctors to undergo painful, so-called 'virginity' tests.

During interrogation the girls became victims of tortures and brutality by female police staff, who forced them to undress and thereafter beat them and put needles under their fingernails in order to obtain false statements accusing the Swamiji. Some of the girls are orphans and some still have a father or mother. They are around 18 years of age and have been kept in a home in Madras against their will and against the law. Until now they have not been allowed any contact with people from outside. In this way positive statements for Swami Premananda have been nipped in the bud and have never been mentioned in any police protocol - not even on one occasion. Genuine witnesses from India and from abroad, who could have quickly invalidated the accusations of murder, have neither been questioned by the police, nor were they mentioned as possible witnesses. The Ashram secretary, a well respected 75 year old man who was already in poor health, was beaten and forced to stand for 24 hours. Also a young man from Sri Lanka , who lived for several years in the Ashram, was tortured and beaten because he refused to give any statement against Swami Premananda. As a result he was ill-treated by the police to such an extent that he was bed-ridden for 2 weeks after his ordeal. Swami Kamalananda, a sannyas monk and Swamiji's personal secretary, experienced similar treatment. In front of the schoolchildren and foreign devotees, the Ashram school headmaster experienced merciless treatment too. Why? Because he handed over documents, which proved Swami Premananda's innocence, to the Court instead of to the police.

The Swamiji was taken to prison in handcuffs, although recently a Madras High Court judgement stated that even terrorist prisoners may not wear handcuffs. Furthermore, six doctors forced him to be subjected to painful tests in a degrading manner.

THE ROLE OF THE PRESS - SHAPING THE OPINION THROUGH MIND MANIPULATION INSTEAD OF TRUE INFORMATION

From 14 th November 1994 onwards, one sensational story led to another. Tamil magazines and large wall posters depicted the Swami in obviously cut and paste photo-montages giving the impression that the young monk was the worst criminal in the history of the Tamil Nadu state. Photos, which had been seized by the police, were sold to the yellow press by them in order to prepare these forgeries. Only photos showing Swamiji with female devotees were published and never those with men or children. False articles were published by the press without any true inquiries being made about the Ashram or its spiritual aspirants. This clever and virulent campaign created a dangerous atmosphere amongst the population against Swami Premananda and the people close to him. The resulting pressure quickly alerted the responsible government officials. Not willing to lose face, the responsible politicians had to act according to the pressure cleverly created by giving false information in words and pictures. Although there was still no actual evidence against him, they instructed the police to arrest Swami Premananda and some of the Ashram residents, very soon after the publication of the first defamatory article in the local press. The state of mind of some of the population was so excited that an unknown group threatened to burn down the Ashram on the 6 th of December. Furthermore, they incited the public to join them. Many wanted to give instant justice to Swami Premananda and hundreds demonstrated in front of the jail. The calls for help on behalf of the Ashram sent through human rights organizations or embassies were ineffective. Completely left alone by government, police, press, friends and neighbors, Swami Premananda, the Ashram residents and especially the 450 children were exposed to this slander campaign.

Only 9 months after the arrest of the Swami a reporter of a famous Tamil magazine came to the jail to try and have an interview with him. Only in July 1995 the Ashram residents were questioned and their statements recorded for the very first time. The atmosphere amongst the population relaxed. But the bitter fight of the lawyers for the truth and justice went on...

Meanwhile, the most famous lawyer in the country has taken up the case. Many lawyers come to the courts just to listen to him. Despite his brilliant explanations and arguments and his convincing stand for Swami's innocence, the High Court Judge in Madras refused the application for bail more than 10 times. The questionable reason he gave was that he must comply with public opinion (which has been created by the news in the media) and also that the Swami might run away from India if he is given his freedom.

ALWAYS IN WISDOM HE ONLY SMILES AND BEAMS

Some weeks before his arrest Swami Premananda predicted this entire drama. He had said that like Jesus he would be betrayed by one of his disciples. Truth and falsehood was always the subject of his satsangs. He advised his devotees and disciples repeatedly to rely on one's own experiences and inner knowledge, instead of listening to the gossip and talk of others. He compared the human mind with a dirty rubbish-bin. It was only many weeks later that the devotees remembered and understood his words. After his arrest he explained that this drama was the Divine Mother's wish and that he had surrendered totally to her will. Further he said that no-one should worry about the situation. He was always in a state of supreme happiness and would remain so wherever his physical body might be. He advised all to wait patiently and to have faith in the fact that the Truth would win. Nothing could go wrong with Divine Mother's plan. After all, he stated, it was only a divine play. One should not lose faith and trust. At the same time this was a great test for the devotees. Finally all will work out positively. Just like many saints and sages who had completely surrendered themselves to God's wish, he must also undergo difficulties and hardships during his lifetime.

In prison he beams and smiles as always, advising his devotees who come to visit him, giving inspired talks to hundreds of prisoners. The charisma of this exceptional man and the indescribable power of his selfless love also touched his new environment. More and more jail employees come to him as devotees in order to get his blessings. His blessings especially benefit the thousands of prison detainees who in their dreary reality can hardly understand how it is possible that someone is there who still can beam and smile so much, somebody who is obviously completely detached from disgraceful insults and physical brutality, which very often characterizes the miserable, everyday life in prison. He who eats mostly fruits and bread and distributes food brought by disciples and devotees to the prisoners, who rarely feels the need to sleep, is a bit of a mystery to those around him and he is certainly someone who cannot be understood by the logical mind. He once stated in a talk, "even if you take the intelligence of the entire world, you will not be able to understand me." And he predicted that many people will only recognize his value once he has left his body (attained samadhi). Then thousands more would come to seek for his presence...

THE FATE OF MANY SAINTS

During the history of the world there have always been great souls who have been accused in error and have been publicly humiliated and imprisoned. In this way Jesus Christ was crucified, Mohammed had to flee from his own town, Rama lived 14 years in exile. The press published nasty articles about Swami Vivekananda and some organizations which worked against him sabotaged his mission. Even Sri Aurobindo had to stay in prison for one year. Sarada Devi, the wife of the great saint Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa said, "Saints and sages have to undergo agonies and suffer. They sacrifice themselves for the welfare of mankind."

IDEOLOGICAL BLINDNESS AS A SIGN OF THE TIMES

Nowadays Swami Premananda is only one example amongst many others of victims of blind fanaticism. Recently, some of Sathya Sai Baba's students tried to murder him - how many more cases might be there that we do not know about? Recently an article with Swami Premananda was published in a famous Tamil magazine wherein he explains: "at present there are manifold forces planning vicious activities. A strong campaign is being organized against Hindu saints, monks and monastic leaders and false accusations are made against them in order to try and destroy the traditional Sanathana Dharma." (the eternal religion from the time of the ancient sages - one cannot trace it back to a particular origin or founder)

The fight between religions can be watched all over the world. Fanaticism as opposed to tolerance, lies instead of truth - these are their breeding grounds to thrive. India seemed to be spared this... but now the traditional holy land, beloved by spiritual seekers for God and the Truth, has also become afflicted by this worldwide sickness. In which way the Sacred Land of saints and sages can still win by the Truth has to be shown in the future. At the time when the case of Swami Premananda is coming up again at the Supreme Court in New Delhi , then whole India will show which forces are going to rule in Bharata Mata, the holy earth of India . Then it will be demonstrated in which direction this ancient country will go - whether it will move on the correct or on the wrong way!