Tantrik fails to evoke response for his craft

MUMBAI, June 14: Godman Chandraswami's efforts to improve his image with appearances at a Chembur institute and Priya Tendulkar's talk show...

MUMBAI, June 14: Godman Chandraswami’s efforts to improve his image with appearances at a Chembur institute and Priya Tendulkar’s talk show proved to be a damp squib today. The Swami left participants at both the venues dissatisfied with his vague replies to their queries.

Chandraswami had agreed to give a lecture at the `Better Tomorrow’ institute on the condition that he would entertain questions only on tantra – the science of occultism. But for the talk, more journalists than students turned up at the institute, which professes to be a research centre in occult religion and astrology.

After blessing all and sundry, especially his disciples comprising a member of the Board of Directors of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, police officers and business men, the tantrik had to face a barrage of questions from reporters regarding tantra, and how it influenced the course of a man’s life. “Tantra is a spiritual science technology which is used to achieve goals in life,” he said.

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But he refused to elaborate further on how it could be used to help the society, stating that it is a science meant to solve individual problems. On being asked whether tantra was the cause of many a controversy, the Swami accused the questioner of being self centred. “Which section of life in our society is free from controversy,” he asked, “Where there is thought there is bound to be disagreements and controversies.”

Within half an hour, the `lecture’ on tantra came to an end with Chandraswami announcing his intention to proceed to Nanavati stadium for the talk show hosted by Priya Tendulkar. S T Sengupta, convenor of `Better Tommorow’ talk and P P Patkar, a city psychiatrist were along with him on the panel. Here again, specific instructions had been given to the organisers that no journalists be allowed to attend the show which was meant to deliberate on tantra.

The fun started as soon as the participants were allowed to ask the Swamiji various questions.

When asked why animals should be killed as part of various rites, he answered that it was the intention of the act that mattered and not the act itself. Calling the rites a form of sadhna, he said, “Sadhna atma kalyan ke liye zaroori hai”. (Spiritual achievement is necessary for the well being of the soul). Sengupta’s plea that the killing was just a part of the rite made matters worse as people then wanted to know whether human sacrifice could also be viewed in the same light.

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Another participant who claimed to have chanted the Gayatri mantra 21 lakh times said that evil had befallen her immediately after she had met the Swami at his ashram. Chandraswami denied having met her at all.

Many questions raised by the participants regarding the veracity of the powers of tantra, met with caustic remarks from the Swami. “The power of tantra is to be experienced, not told,” he said. He asserted that tantra could be used to solve only individual problems and not of the nation.