Swami Nithyananda Sex Scandal Videos – Lessons to Learn
Nithyananda Sex Videos Scandal
Nityananda Fraud Allegations
I have recently received a few emails regarding the recent sex scandal involving Swami Nithyananda, asking for my thoughts on this matter and I will present those in this article. For those who are not familiar with this sex scandal, essentially Paramhamsa Nithyananda, a Guru who had claimed to be celibate and who had renounced worldly pleasures, was recently caught on video in some very compromising sexual positions with two (or same) women on separate occasions. His devotees are claiming fraud and conspiracy, but the evidence so far is looking very damning. I am not claiming one way or the other, but think this is a good opportunity to discuss some of the issues related to spiritual gurus, priests, swamis and sexual scandals.
There is of course a great deal of anger, hurt and disappointment amongst the faithful who feel they have been badly cheated by a Guru who had declared himself as Enlightened and Self Realized. This has led to a great deal of unrest at his ashrams and centers, many of which have had to take security measures to maintain decorum and safety. There are several aspects of this scandal which I would like to address and will do so individually below.
1. Sex is Not the Problem
I have explained in the past the great power of sexual energy. It is the most concentrated form of energy available to the physical body and properly conserved it is very useful for healing, strengthening and rejuvenation. In addition, this is the one form of physical energy that can be used for spiritual growth as well. Conserving sexual energy can boost your creativity and many Kundalini Yoga techniques, such as Sat Kriya, can help you raise the vibration of this energy and employ it for spiritual growth. That being said, you do not have to be celibate to be enlightened.
So having sex is not the problem and the sex videos would not have been as scandalous had Nithyananda not claimed to be celibate and had he not required the monks that join his order to remain celibate. Emphasizing celibacy and renunciation and requiring it of others, but not adhering to it himself, is where the problem lies. The videos, if true, reveal him to be a liar, which means he was not celibate and if he lied about that, then he loses credibility.
So the problem is the dishonesty and not the sex itself. Many great masters and enlightened teachers in the past have lived the life of householders and still do, so sex and enlightenment can coexist just fine. The hurt and anger being felt by his followers is due to the fact they feel cheated and lied to. They feel they have been taken advantage of and their trust has been betrayed. It can be heart wrenching. The followers now feel, if he lied about celibacy, perhaps he lied about being enlightened as well? They will have a hard time believing anything now. This is the problem.
I cannot over emphasize honesty. I have written about it time and again, and what is important is not just honesty in your interactions with others and the world, but brutal honesty when you look at your mind, thoughts and feelings. This is absolutely essential to spiritual growth and the following 3 articles go over this topic in more detail as well:
5 Key Principles of Living an Enlightened and Good Life
Silent Mind Meditation Program – Power of Honesty
2. How to Find Your True Guru
The topic of Gurus and Swamis is another important topic that this scandal allows me to discuss, so I want to share some thoughts on it with you all. Specifically with regard to Nithyananda’s sex scandal my friend and evolved spiritual soul Desika Nadadur discussed this scandal and wrote a great article exploring the importance of being your own master and you will find his wonderful analysis in the following article.
I suggest all those interested in the topic of self mastery and Gurus read this article. Paramahamsa Nityananda: A Saint or a Sham
I have written before that the true guru lies within us (How to Find Your True Guru). That we must find the strength and courage to follow our heart and inner voice, which is how life speaks to us. The true guru IS impersonal Intelligence and Awareness in action. Rely on that and you will never be led astray. This though is not to say that a teacher is not valuable.
A teacher, as I have pointed out in the article For Spiritual Growth can a Teacher or Guide Help, can be a source of great inspiration, great guidance and protection. He/She can point out the way and indicate the pitfalls. The teacher can thus help accelerate your spiritual growth. In addition, the company of evolved people will raise the very level of your vibration and direct you towards infinity, and remind you of the meaninglessness of worldly things. Thus, a teacher can certainly help.
In addition, a wise teacher can indicate techniques worth trying and by so doing you can find out for yourself the Truth in what they are saying or teaching. Such was the case with the enlightenment of Nisargadatta Maharaj, which you will find here: Transcendence Techniques from the Spiritual Science of Advaita Vedanta. But a Guru is not a requirement. Self Realization does not require an external Guru and with external Gurus come this danger of fakes and phonies.
There is another subtle but important aspect of understanding the risks of authority when it comes to spiritual growth, and I will mention that briefly here and address it in more detail in a future article. Authority of any kind when it comes to the mind, leads to pursuit and imitation. Whether that is the authority of your own past experiences or the outside authority of a guru. This authority sets the ideal, which leads to chasing and chasing IS the factor that prevents enlightenment. So when all authority is forsaken, including that of past impressions, you will discover true freedom.
3. Dangers of Gurus and Priests
In the article, the Helpful Tips to Avoid the Big Risks of Meditation, I pointed out that the charm, magnetism and powers gained from meditation are often misused. All too often we hear of spiritual leaders, priests and swamis, misusing their authority and taking advantage of their followers and devotees. The case of Nithyananda, if true, is certainly not a unique occurrence, although the sex was not forced in this case and was consensual.
Recently the Catholic Church in Germany is in disarray due to the sexual abuse by the Catholic Priests (German Catholic Church Sex Scandal) and the Church of Scientology is being implicated in abuse charges as well, by many of it’s former members. Those are just recent scandals, and if you were to do a quick check you will find endless such events tied to religious organizations and spiritual authorities.
Unfortunately, these organizations and gurus tend to prey on the innocent, such as children, or on the fears of others, when due to great stress or uncertainty people get conned by the false promises of these fake priests. Therefore, if you are a great meditator, do not be tempted by the pitfalls of power and authority, and if you are a person having difficulty in life, don’t blindly follow others simply because of the promises they make.
4. Money Money Money and Gurus
How do you detect the scammers and phonies? Generally, you will find that once they suck you into their organization they will start to try and suck your wallet dry 
. This is the tell tale sign that you are heading for trouble and heading for the poor house.
The “advanced” training will start to become more and more expensive and of course without it you have no chance of finding God, they will say. If thousands of dollars start to go from your bank account to theirs, start to be wary. Before all those who offer spiritual services for money start to yell at me, which happens too often when I speak on this topic, let me say I am not against receiving money for spiritual services, but I am just saying that if an organization starts to demand huge sums of money in order for you to continue your progress on the spiritual path, it is time to put up the red flag and do some serious thinking.
For more on this topic, you can read the following articles:
Should Spiritual Services Be Free Or Not
Summary of Nithyananda Video Sex Scandal
One final point I would like to also make is that the teaching is always far more important than the teacher. In addition, any thing or person can be a teacher for you, at any given time in life. So even if the teacher is not perfect, if there is something to learn from them, the teaching still holds value.
I believe many thousands of years ago, Buddha saw the changing role of Gurus in the future and he saw them transforming more towards being a friend (Maitreya) than an absolute authority figure. I find this very palatable. In the past, true Gurus were your friend as well as your teacher and guardian. Today, it is best if Gurus embrace this view and take on a role more of a friend, even as they continue to be teachers and guides. I think that will work best. After all, we are all divine beings, so there is no need for excessive hierarchy. We are after all just the One Consciousness, so from my divine aspect to yours, a warm and love filled Namaste.
TO DAVID PAUL.
So you say all christian priests are pure?!!!!!
Recenty what happened in the vatican? the po ignored what the priest did.
recently there was a case in europe where children were molested. Many cases are reported in papers. dont you read ?–
I was in a Christian institute and saw how the orphans were handled. They tell lies- but get it cleansed by going for confession. S easy Accoring to You only Christians are holy and truthfull and only you all go to Heaven–others go to hell !!!!! Y
Fronz: Focus on the Akashic ,eat prasad, go green,find a real guru,The Check Republic is where my gurus from, Lacto-Vegatarian diet rules,milk cow dont eat them, make your next car have an all electric drive system.chant hari krishna,gopal hari om. Lau Zhu saves
Father David Paul, Desmond and Son of David,
Thank you all for your input.
Trupti
I like the analysis. I see comments from Father david and wanted to just say that when god is one and is within us why this “I Am/my Religion is better than thou” attitude which is most unchristian like and christian fathers are not exempt from this human failure which is shown by many catholic scandals involving kids. this incident doesn’t prove or disprove any religion but only shows that expectation of some followers were not fulfilled. we dont say the same thing about OSHO as he openly talked about using sex for finding the god within. My suggestion is to use this incident as if it has happened to our own self and get the learning out of it and forgive the other person as our own Self. Be well !
am hoping to tell you all that my lord is the only true guru,i have been going to the temple for some times now but really no one have called me to tell me rules and the thing i have not to do a a Sikhism but i have to read from the internet all day , and i keep growing so try to be your self some times in other to know the thing you don,t know…………Desmond from Ghana, west african
see how Hindu swamigi’s,preists & their followers are fraud.No father will do such kind of things.Neither father nor pure christian(pure means whose name is also christian)will do such kind of things.All TV channels are good.They covered the swami news which is happenning from so many years & years.Now it came to know by every one. I think this happened only because in chennai 70% are christians and the TV channel & the person who covered the news are also christians.If they are not christians (they dont cover this news in tv channel) hindu swamijis like nithyananda will still enjoy his life for more 50 years.one thing I feel is they are not changing the names(still keeping hindu names)if they become pure christians by renaming their names to chirstian names i will be happy.
I think the fathers and the pure christians dont do such kinds so far because if they are fruad like Hindu swami nithyananda 100% TV channels will cover that news no.So far I think single father had not done like this,they are that much pure thats why no TV channel covered such news on us.so beleive in fathers not in hindu priests or swamijis
I am not saying it blindly.If u want to do any comments please check or catch us like nithyananda and then only u will have right to comment us.
Gokul,
Thank you for your comment.
All the best,
Trupti
Jagdeo,
Thank you for your comment,
All the Best,
Trupti
Anna,
Thank you for your comment.
Regards,
Trupti
Yogaloy,
Thank you for your input.
Regards,
Trupti
Luv,
Thank you for your input.
Regards,
Trupti
This scandals confirm again and again one thing: celibacy should be erased from the dictionary of all religions. If there are people who do not wish to express their energy by sexual means for whatever reasons, that is fine, but to confuse this with divinity is wrong.
I believe in the future, in the golden age, there will be no Monks or Nuns. The line between the mundane and the sacred will be crossed. And Monasteries will become obsolete, because people will practise all spiritual sciences and mysteries in schools and universities. All knowledge will be freely accessible for those who earnestly seek it , and preservation
will not be necessary.
Nice article, Anmol. Thanks!
As a former member of the Sri Chinmoy Center, which has been rocked with similar allegations over the past year, I’ve discussed some of these same issues with my own brother and sister disciples.
You’re right that it’s not the sex, per se, that’s the problem, but rather the dishonesty. I would add, however, that there’s an even greater ethical lapse on the part of the guru in these cases and that is the exploitation of his power over his female disciples.
Sure, it’s hurts my feelings that my guru lied to me when he represented himself as a celibate master. But my hurt feelings don’t compare to those of my sister disciples who were conditioned to surrender all to their master and then were betrayed.
That’s a wrong worse than fraud.
Anmol, thankyou for your valuable and generous insights, as always the thoughts and feelings that arise from reading them are healthy. Rebecca, I found your comment too very insightful and useful, and inspiring of peace. Thankyou
Anna
Anmol,
Swami Nithyananda is being crucified and the weapon is Trial by Media. The Swami and his organization have done much good work and helped many people but that is all ignored now because someone has invaded his privacy and twisted it all into an ugly scandal. It is a very sad thing with Mob Hysteria is unleashed on someone like this.
Swamiji’s teachings have helped me tremendously and I haven’t spent a penny. It is the unconcious masses who will believe anything they see on tv.
Namaste,
Sail
dear Anmol,
The article was nice
the yogis is working with the energies and the the yogi that canot to control will happend like this
the potentional of the spritul energy is cannot calculate ;we have to deal with the energy Very carefully just we handle the electricty if it is high voltage it will distory the equipment so that happend to many people if he guided by the true Guru it will not happned to him
As humen bean we can’t blame the fellow human becaus we dont know what is his karma in this birth and the purpes of his birth ,every human is born in this world with a purpose when his duty is finished he just leave his body an it decomposed in earth but the energy is there and will lake another body according his karma “If you start to blame some person it is obious the bad karma of that person will follow you and his bad karma will share with you ,
We are living in “samsarasagara” and there is many obsticles to get the other end of that sagara If we are good enough to solve the obsticles like this we will shurly swim and reach at the bank other wise we just drown in this “sagara”some times big shark or crocodile will eat us,
OM SHANTI
GOKULG