Swami Nithyananda

[Necromancer]

Namaste. I didn't know where this topic belongs and if not here, I ask it to be kindly moved.

Whilst viewing religious content of the 'Lord Shiva variety' on Youtube (mostly Mantras, Kirtans and Poojas, like this one which is my favourite):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0ejpawrXTQ

I often see recommendations in my 'side panel' to this Swami, dressed in orange robes, giving lectures to crowded auditoriums...what strikes me, is that he's only a young boy! I mean, I realise age is totally unimportant and insignificant...but he's still a kid, nonetheless.

I haven't clicked on any link yet, because I don't know what to expect from this 'kid' and I wanted to get a bit of background about it first...like how that came to be and how he can pack out venues.

I also saw where some of his lectures are about Lord Bhairava, but I am still too skeptical to watch them.

So, any introduction to this would be kindly appreciated.

Aum Namah Shivaya

[Twilightdance]

I haven't clicked on any link yet....

What's stopping you, its not that a video can give you flu?

Nitty's own website and organization:-
http://www.nithyananda.org/

A nice blog against him:-
http://nithyananda-cult.blogspot.ch/

Background
Just search it out, too much to write.... Or....

Just watch his videos. Very entertaining things I have watched on the net ~ he is a 'mostly harmless' real life comic satire of Colonel Walter E. Kurtz [played by Marlon Brando in the Francis Ford Coppola epic 'Apocalypse Now'].IMO.

I like him and his video's for humor value if things get too dull.

[Necromancer]

Namaste and thank you. I'll check those out soon (busy totally lost in Bhakti at Pashupatinath again).

Aum Namah Shivaya.

[Necromancer]

Just watched two of his lectures on the Shiva Sutras.

Honestly, it was like going to the dentist...yeah, going to the dentist, do you understand? Noooo, not like thinking about going to the dentist, no, no, no....you don't get it, but if you've ever been to a dentist you'd know, right? Understand it now?

....and it just didn't let up exactly like that ad nauseum. If he said something once, he says it a hundred times and his 1hr lectures can be given in all of 15 minutes.

He had me laughing in parts, but I don't know if I was laughing more at him than with him, yup 'stand-up religious comedian' springs to mind.

He says a few good things amongst it all though and he's very knowlegable for a 'kid' - I remember being young, wise beyond my years and totally ingratiating....not much changes over time, except we can use time as a justification for it.

I'll go watch some more.

Aum Namah Shivaya

[Twilightdance]

I was being sarcastic. I found his videos humorous because it there is some humor in seeing a person so completely full of himself on tape. I don't think this much of self indulgence and narcissism has been caught in tape so clearly but for hours and hours of his nonsense talks.

[Necromancer]

I was being sarcastic. I found his videos humorous because it there is some humor in seeing a person so completely full of himself on tape. I don't think this much of self indulgence and narcissism has been caught in tape so clearly but for hours and hours of his nonsense talks.

Sarcasm is harder for me to detect online than it is IRL, unfortunately.

Yeah, that garland of fake skulls kinda gives that away and yeah, he is pretty much full of himself, I must admit that too.

I decided to try and just concentrate on 'the message' rather than the messenger to try and overcome whatever bias was there and to be totally honest with you, that blog 'against him' was nothing more than ad-hominem attacks using outdated internet memes from like 2006, with all due respect.

Still, his 'organisation' does good things it seems, like charity work, feeding the poor etc, so that's a good thing...but the 20ft high Shiva Lingam fountain in the middle of the swimming pool made me cringe lots...

It's not something I can see myself getting involved with, but the core of the teachings is interesting.

[Necromancer]

Oh dear lord. I am just watching the sex tape now and reading the phone convos he had with his driver, Lenin. His disciples also have a habit of beating people up and he's also been in jail...

One thing I got from the phone convo, is he said that he really wasn't spiritual, just knowledgable and other people made him a guru and he was reluctant to be one...he just 'went along for the ride' then everything started spiralling out of control. This, I can honestly relate to. *it also shows how desperate people are to find 'God' these days.

Still, he always had/has the option of saying 'go study stuff like I did and find a real guru'...I also have no doubt he has experienced something, but to actually call himself an 'avatar of Lord Bhairava' is a bit over the top. Can't he be content with just 'walking with Him?'

...but the thing that sealed this for me is where all this is actually happening. I just have too much love and respect for Ramana Maharishi to really bear any more of this tbh. I have learned a very important lesson by it though.

Arunachala Shiva Om.

[satay]

Admin Note

Nithyananda has been discussed here before. Do a search on his name in HDF and read those threads instead of creating a new one about him.

Thanks,