Secrets of pranayam

 

 

Samatvam yog uchyate (Yoga trains one to remain unperturbed under all circumstances), Yoga guru Baba Ram Dev often tells his disciples. It is probably time for the Baba to practice what he preaches. For, there is no trace of his guru, Baba Shankar Dev, 72, who taught him yoga and Ayurveda. Shankar Dev went missing from Divya Yog Trust headquarters at Kripalu Bagh in Hardwar on July 14 while Ram Dev was abroad. The mystery of his whereabouts continues to deepen even as Ram Dev is busy with his yoga camps in the United Kingdom. No body knows the original guru’s location or whether he is alive.

There is a hushed silence in the Ashram as nobody wants to talk about the incident. “Please talk to the authorities”, is the common refrain of the staff. Authority here means Acharya Bal Krishna, who along with Acharya Karamvir and Swami Ram Dev joined Baba Shankar Dev in 1992. Together, they set up Divya Yoga Mandir Trust in 1995 and started yoga camps and ayurveda pharmacy. They hit big time when Ram Dev started taking yoga classes on some religious TV channels in 2000.

With Karamvir parting ways in 2003, Bal Krishna now manages the Rs 500 crore spiritual empire. Besides spawning Patanjali Yog Peeth, the newly-opened swanky multi-speciality hospital at Bahadarabad, about 25 kms from Hardwar, they also have three pharmaceutical units, two nurseries and 800 bighas of land on which they are planning organic farming. Trust’s expansion plans include setting up a residential school, a university and a medical research center which would be doubling their assets within next two years. “Our present turnover is Rs 100 crore, a workforce of 1300 and 40 crore disciples”, says Bal Krishna.

There are life-size posters of Baba Ram Dev in each of Divya Yog Trust’s nine installations in and around Hardwar. There are also his pictures with President APJ Abdul Kalam, former Uttarakhand Chief Minister ND Tewari, Governor Sudarshan Agarwal and Acharya Bal Krishna, during the inauguration of Patanjali yog peeth last year. Those attending the function included chief ministers of 14 states, hordes of ministers and former Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. But, there is no picture of Shankar Dev.

Shankar Dev is chief patron of the Divya Yog Trust; Ram Dev is chairman, Bal Krishna is general secretary and Karamvir was vice president. But, all powers – administrative and financial - are vested in the chairman. Karamvir cites this as the reason for him to leave Divya Yog Trust three years ago. He also claims this to be the reason why Shankar Dev left the place. “How long can one suffer the agony and humiliation?”, he asked.

Karamvir claims Shankar Dev telephoned him to air his grievance on July 11th and left his ashram the next day. The ashramites were so indifferent towards him that for three days they didn’t notice his disappearance. Bal Krishna lodged an FIR with Kankhal police station on July 14th. Bal Krishna told TSI, “He often used to go to Badrinath and Kedarnath. But this is first time that he left without informing anybody”. However, Karamvir says, “Guruji told me he was going to Neeldhara (place in Hardwar where saints’ bodies are consigned to the river). He was so disgusted with his situation that he wanted to end his life. I tried to stop him but he was adamant. They forced him to commit suicide”.

The police recovered a hand-written note from Shankar Dev’s room saying he was unable to put up with his illness and was leaving. He also pointed out that he felt ashamed at being unable to pay debt of Yashdev Shastri, Beli Ram, Hari Das, Chakor Das, and Nirvanji and was dejected because of his protracted illness. The note was originally dated July 11th which was later changed to July 14th. The Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) found that the handwriting matched Shankar Dev’s, says SP (city) Hardwar, Ajay Joshi. But the police could not ascertain whether the date was changed by Shankar Dev or somebody else.

But, the letter and circumstances prop up more questions than answers. Why couldn’t a person presiding over a trust worth over Rs 500 crore pay his debts? Who are the creditors? How big was the debt? What were his ailments? Was he being treated and where? TSI tried to dig into them and came up with baffling answers.

One of the creditors, Beli Ram, died about 40 years ago. The other, Yashdev Shastri is Ram Dev’s brother-in-law and controls the pharmacy and publishing business of the Trust. Nobody has a clue about the identity of the other three creditors. His two bank accounts put together had a balance of Rs 2200 .

Suffering from bone tuberculosis and slip disc, Shankar Dev was, for past three years, being treated by a physician Dr KN Gambhir working with a charitable hospital near Kripalu Bagh. Its strange that the guru of yoga master and ayurveda propopent, was receiveing allopathic treatment. “He was a master of his will”, is all Bal Krishna has to offer.

Shankar Dev’s neighbours in Kripalu Bagh claim he hardly ventured out of the ashram. “He used to keep sitting in the verandah from morning to evening”, says Ramesh Chandra, owner of a tea stall next to the Ashram.

Karamvir claims, “Despite being the patron he did not have any rights. He was never consulted. He used to tell me that he committed a blunder by bestowing all powers in others. Though he was a joint holder of all trust accounts but couldn’t withdraw a single penny without Bal Krishna or Ram Dev’s signatures”. Nobody seems bothered about his whereabouts. Why? ‘‘Where is guruji?”

Acharya Bal Krishna

General Secretary,

Divya Yog Mandir Trust



On Shankar Dev’s disappearance:

He used to go out earlier as well. This time he left without informing us.

On efforts to track him:

We have mobilised all our sources. Will let you know as soon as we get anything.

On neglecting Shankar Dev:

That is not true. People are trying to malign us. Swami Ram Dev has been inquiring about him twice every day from U.K.

On Karamvir’s estrangement:

He was misguided by some vested interest. I hear he has set up an ashram near Pune.

On being in touch with Karamvir:

Yes, we talk on phone. But, haven’t met since he left.

On Karamvir’s meeting with Shankar Dev:

No idea. I am not aware whether he came here recently. ‘‘Traders, and not sadhus”

Acharya Karamvir

Former Vice President

Divya Yog Mandir Trust

On meeting Shankar Dev:

While going from Saharanpur to Moradabad recently, he met me in Tripura Ashram, had lunch with me, blessed me.

On reasons for Shankar Dev’s disappearance?

He was unhappy with the treatment being meted out to him. He was living in penury and pain. Out of disgust and frustration, he decided to end his life.

On Shankar Dev’s rumoured will:

How could he have a will. He did not have any property or assets. I was also a trustee and I know that he had bestowed all powers in the chairman, Ram Dev.

On his differences with Ram Dev:

I left the trust because I too was feeling neglected, humiliated. I had protested desecration of the ashram and the sainthood. They are businessmen now, not sadhus. Holymen, who were caught...

Their aim is salvation through prayers, meditation and social service. But, a large number of sadhus are targeting property. And they adopt any means and brook no resistance. Few examples:

Swami Gadadharanand of Swaminarayan Temple Trust killed in Vadtal (Gujrat) in 1998. Three persons including assistant kothari of the temple arrested.

Shankaracharya of Kanchi Kamkoti Peetham Jayendra Saraswati arrested on charges of conspiring murder of mutt accountant Sankaraman in November 2004.

Five sadhus of famous Hanuman Garhi in Ayodhya killed during past five years at the cash rich temple. The temple at present is jointly managed by four mahants.

Succession at Varanasi’s Avadhoot Baba Ram Ashram Trust having over 100 crore assets in 1991 decided after a protracted legal battle. Most akharas, mutts and ashrams (each having hundreds acres of land) in Hardwar and Ayodhya are facing litigation over succession and inheritance. These cities report a murder every third month in property related disputes.