There’s no business like the guru business. The guru business is as market-driven as the forces that are pushing man to the edge of the precipice in the first place.

Over half a century after the great thinker and teacher J Krishnamurthy debunked gurus, the guru business is booming like the Sensex.

The emergence of Ravi Shankar coincided with the unleashing of market forces in India in the early 90s. He came up with just the sort of mind candy that the obscenely acquisitive middle-class needed. If he was not there, they would have invented one.

Dispensers of chocolate sauce for the soul come in limousines; seated in throne-like chairs. Their patrons include the mall-crawlers and the well-heeled.

Leave aside the pop spiritualism. Ravi Shankar’s Sudarshan Kriya, which is essentially a set of breathing techniques, has acted as a great healer. It has been medically proven that the Kriya helps combat lifestyle diseases like diabetes, blood pressure and even cancer. But its USP is as a stress-buster.

Sudarshan Kriya was born in early 1982 when Ravi Shankar observed 10 days’ silence. The first Kriya session was held in Shimoga. The Art of Living Foundation was established as an educational outfit in 1982.

French journalist Francois Gautier tells the story of the smiling guru in hagiographic fashion. He provides interesting insight into Ravi Shankar’s transformation as a guru.

Early beginnings
Before founding AOL, Ravi Shankar was an aide to transcendental meditation fame, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
Ravi Shankar was born on May 13, 1956 at Papanasam, a village in Tamil Nadu. He was named Shankar as he was born on Sankara Jayanti, the birthday of Adi Sankara.

According to Gautier, Ravi Shankar showed remarkable devotional powers at a very early age. He could recite the Bhagavad Gita when he was quite young. By the time he was 17 he had acquired a fair amount of Vedic knowledge and completed his traditional education getting a degree in science.

Gautier talks about the divine powers of Ravi Shankar, almost conferring godly status on him. Some of his devotees are even said to have experienced visions of Jesus Christ during Sudarshan Kriya.

The noted intellectual and humanist Richard Dawkins attributes such visions to hallucination or illusion.

Unlike the curative powers of Sudarshan Kriya, Ravi Shankar’s stated miracles have scant scientific evidence; just as the dubious miracles of other godmen.

The point worth making is— why put your devotees through all the trauma of a disease or condition and then help them out of it. Why not prevent it in the first place?

Vote bank politics
Going beyond the spiritual realm, Gautier would like Ravi Shankar to alter the political system as, “every party is playing vote bank politics”.

Gautier, whose penchant for Hindutva is well known, accuses the media of bias against Hindus.
He says gurus are being maligned by being called ‘godmen’.

Gautier is no Paul Brunton, but the land of Ramana Maharishi deserves better.

The Guru of Joy, by Francois Gautier. Hay House India, Rs 295.