Oh Rajiv!

File under: The Siddhi of PR

Today a member of the Guruphiliac Facebook page turned up with this:

It was also reported that an American devotee who had fallen out of the ashram was working in association with Jody Razdik who specializes in guru bashing at a prominent web site. He was being helped by an Indian based in San Diego, who was once very deeply involved inside the Nithyananda organization but had turned malicious.

It's in an article by Rajiv Malhotra, who's been trying to be the pope of American Hinduism for like, forever.

Well, Mr. Malhotra, we'd like to offer a few corrections. While it's true that I know a former member of Nithyananda's inner circle, he was not from San Diego, although he was in California while Nithyananda was in Los Angeles. What is absolutely untrue is any accusation of maliciousness on the part of this former devotee. He never spoke ill of Nithyananda to me, not once. He was, however, acutely disappointed to see his former hero and mentor turn into such a showman. In fact, his refusal to speak any ill about his former master was a considerable display of honor and dignity, considering the circumstances.

Also, just to make it clear, I bash gurus who use they idea they have magic powers to make themselves famous. Nithyananda is a completely clear and pure example of this. It is this fact, and only this fact, that has been the impetus for my writing about him as I have.