Identifying Fake Godmen & Recovering mind brainwashed by him!
A Girl devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Thank you Prabhuji for your guidance. I have few more questions that are kind of disturbing me.
1. How to identify fake godmen?
2. What to do if earlier we have been victim of such fake godmen? How to forgive ourselves and these fake people also as they are intervening with my mind?
I was also in association of this fake Godmen few years back but got saved. Many times I remember that people used to claim miracles. I am not believing but at times I feel what if this person is saint and am committing apradh against him? But on other side his teachings were not based on scriptures. He made his on mantra that is not found anywhere in scriptures:
(Manthra hidden to avoid identity)
Moreover, this person was always fond of clicking his pictures in different poses and in different robes. His many followers claim him to be avtar of Shivji. But, there is no sadhna paditi and if I compare life of our saints and his he is faraway. But, it is widespread that he used to refil his pens just by blowing air and so on and so forth.
I feel scared all the time what if mind is speculating and not letting me to focus on Krishna?
I am sorry but need your guidance coz am totally in wrong path and feeling bad.”
REPLY:
WHO CAN BECOME A GURU (SPIRITUAL MASTER)
“Upadeshamruta”, ie, “Nectar of Instruction” gives a Simple Capsule like advice for those who like to become the spiritual masters:
The First Verse itself goes like this:
vāco vegaṁ manasaḥ krodha-vegaṁ
jihvā-vegam udaropastha-vegam
etān vegān yo viṣaheta dhīraḥ
sarvām apīmāṁ pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt
“A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the mind’s demands, the actions of anger and the urges of the tongue, belly and genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world.”
These are the Basic Symptoms of a Spiritual master.
(Blaming Krishna Consciousness to follow fake Godmen! Solutions! READ HERE!)
Srila prabhupada has given extensive details in his purport for this important verse. Read Nectar of Instruction that is available in all the ISKCON Centers/ temples and also in our Amazon store. The details are in THIS PAGE.
These five URGES are required for a spiritual master:
(1) URGE TO SPEAK:
A Spiritual master should speak ONLY based on the Scriptures and his previous acharyas. He should avoid creating his own concepts, mantras, etc and he should never speak materialistic things to others.
(2) MIND’s DEMANDS:
Mind can’t be controlled by material means and artificial means. Because, mind is like a monkey that jumps here and there. It needs a target to be fixed. Right now, we have fixed our mind in material targets. Only if one always thinks of Krishna and how to serve Krishna best, one’s mind will naturally be controlled.
(3) ANGER:
Srila Prabhupada says that we cannot stop anger altogether, but if we simply become angry with those who blaspheme the Lord or the devotees of the Lord, we control our anger in Krishna consciousness. Controlling anger means regulating anger to be shown only to those who blaspheme the Lord.
(FOLLOWING BOGUS GURUS – STORY! READ HERE!)
(4) TONGUE & (5) BELLY:
Tongue can be controlled by honouring ONLY Krishna Prasadam. Prasadam is prepared only with the satvic ingredients and also offered to Krishna and thus purified and spiritualized.
(6) GENITALS:
Srila Prabhupada says:
“The urges of the genitals, the s..x impulse, can be controlled when not used unnecessarily. The genitals should be used to beget a Kṛṣṇa conscious child, otherwise they should not be used. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement encourages marriage not for the satisfaction of the genitals but for the begetting of Kṛṣṇa conscious children.”
If a person has all the above controls can accept the disciples.
(How Krishna reacts to one’s preaching of false concepts and manthras? READ HERE!)
SOME OTHER WAYS TO FIND A FAKE GODMAN
The following are my honest views that I give in the interest of the devotees for Identifying Fake Godmen:
(1) Primarily, a Guru will have his own bonafide guru and a bonafide Guru parampara. So, He may not create his own concepts and hence may be reliable.
(2) A guru will never say that he is God or avatar of God or empowered by God. He will consider himself as the servant of God and His devotees.
(3) A Guru will never sit or stand close to women and meet them in privacy. He will never call women or girl or even girl children to meet him privately.
(4) A Guru will never touch the women devotees even for blessing them.
(5) A Guru never write or speak materialistic contents. He speaks only about the God based on the scriptures.
(6) A Guru never advertize for himself to become popular. He feels shy for popularity. He always tries to add glories to his spiritual master. He also dedicates all the glories he receives to his spiritual master.
(How should the women escape from the bogus gurus who mock Rasa leela? READ HERE!)
(7) A Guru is never envious of other gurus and spiritual personalities. He never criticizes others.
(8) A guru never cut ugly jokes and he never uses unparliamentary words.
(9) A Guru, particularly, a sanyasi guru never likes to lead a posh life. He leads a simple life with the basic requirements to keep the body and soul together.
(10) A Guru, particularly, a sanyasi guru never adds wealth and properties. He does not own anything. He just distributes what he got from his Guru.
These are some important signs that may help you for identifying Fake Godmen.
RECOVERING MIND BRAINWASHED BY FAKE GODMEN
This is a painful situation for the followers to recover from the addiction to Fake Godmen after finding that he is fake.
However, Krishna Himself has given a medicine and recovery process.
(TYPES OF GURUS (SPIRITUAL MASTERS) FROM THE SCRIPTURES! READ HERE!)
What to do as per Krishna’s recovery process?
Nothing to do. After identifying Fake Godmen, just follow another genuine Guru filtering using the tips given in this Post.
The pains created by the fake godman may stay for a few months, but, TIME IS THE BEST HEALER AND MEDICINE FOR PAINS OF MIND.
Just keep following a genuine and bonafide guru.
Time will make you forget the pains of the past and engage in the genuine practices of the current guru.
All of us have seen many deaths of our relatives and friends. Time has healed everything in due course.
This too will pass. Simple.
Today’s Pains are tomorrow’s Lessons. Very Simple.
Just get up and look for a bonafide guru.
Hope you are now clear about Identifying Fake Godmen & Recovering mind brainwashed by him!
(How should the followers take if their Godman is found a violator? READ HERE!)