By Mata Press Service

Canadian devotees of a Hindu ‘Godman’ embroiled in a sex scandal in India are shocked and outraged at a video allegedly showing their spiritual leader frolicking in bed with a Tamil actress.
In addition to the sex tape, police in India are also looking at allegations that Swami Nithyananda Paramahamsa, has been sexually abusing women followers at his Bidadi ashram in South India where a Canadian devotee reportedly died in December of 2008.
Swami Nithyananda, who has millions of followers worldwide preaches the virtues of yoga and meditation and has several “Life Bliss” centers and ashrams in Canada, the United States, South America, Australia and Asia.
“I don’t know what to believe…we are all shocked and angry right now…the media has no right to air that film,” said a devotee near the  Nithyananda Meditation Academy at 111 West Broadway, which is also known as the Vancouver Life Bliss Tree.
“There are people out there who will do anything to destroy the Swami and his teachings,” she said.
The Swami’s followers in British Columbia also gather in North Vancouver, White Rock and Burnaby every week.
In a statement, the Nithyananda movement described the sex tape as “a mix of conspiracy, graphics and rumour.”
“In these trying times, we wish to reassure the devotees and well-wishers whose sentiments have been deeply hurt by this conspiracy. We thank all the devotees and disciples for standing with us during these times.
In the past 7 years of his public life, Paramahamsa Nithyananda has been a transformational force in the lives of over 2 million people across numerous countries around the world. The powerful truths he lives and shares and his personal authenticity have made his teachings relevant across religions, cultures and class.
For those who have experienced the blessings and grace of Swamiji, no further explanation is necessary.”
The statement however has done little to quell the fallout from the sex scandal as some of the Swami’s followers continued to vent their anger by attacking his ashrams Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
At press time, the whereabouts of the Swami himself was unclear with some reports saying he has gone into hiding in the Himalayas and others saying that he was attending a religious fest and would make an appearance soon.
India, a religiously-sensitive nation, was shocked on March 2nd evening to see on TV an explicit video of the spiritual guru getting cozy with a Tamil actress, identified as Ranjitha.
A former disciple, Nithya Premananda, alias Lenin Karuppan, who released the tape has told the police more about the Godman’s ‘sexcapades’ and other murky happenings at his ashram.
“He had intimate relationships with many other heroines too,” Dharmananda said, according to Indian media.
Nithya Premananda, who has been provided police security after reported attempts on his life, is also said to have handed over to the police two CDs believed to contain the Swami’s  dalliance with other movie stars.
Government officials, told media that they were also investigating a series of land transactions by the Swami “whose wholesome smile and youthful looks have become features of a lucrative brand”.
Pavan K Varma, an Indian cultural commentator, said the country’s vast demand for spiritual peace is often exploited by “godmen” who “are less than spiritual”.
“Everybody is looking for spiritual anchorage and anyone purporting to offer that peace of mind acquires a following but often behind the walls of the ashram they find the swamis have feet of clay and it leads to outrage,” he said.
“Ninety-five percent of godmen give the remaining five percent a bad name,” joked Dipankar Gupta, a former sociology professor at Jawarhalal Nehru University in New Delhi.
“Most of them are not (holy). They’re charlatans. That’s why they crave indulgence from the rich and the gullible. This happens all the time. I don’t know why people fall for them.”
Swami Nithyananda was not only worshiped among the commoners but claimed the credit of having many high profile followers including celebrities, artists, seers and politicians, an Indian newspaper said.
From Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa and Gujarat CM Narendra Modi to movie stars like late Vishnuvardhan, actress Tara and Mallavika Avinash - the high profile followers list of the Swamiji is a long one.
Nithyanda won over thousands of followers with his sweet promises of healing sickness and finding bliss.
Like any other successful guruji of India, Swamiji also enjoyed a good following from foreigners as well.
The traveling foreigners took care of global recognition of the Swamiji, the newspaper said.
Meanwhile, sources quoted in Tamil Nadu media said that the movie actress in the sex tape Ranjitha had tried to kill herself over the scandal.
The actress, who has also acted in Telugu movies such as Maavichiguru and Sriramulayya, was married to a army man. She is now a divorcee.There are rumours that Ranjitha herself created the tape to blackmail the spiritual leader. This, however, backfired when the video ended up in the hands of the media.

The Vancouver connection

According to a website maintained by followers of Swami Nithyananda, the spreading of Nithyananda’s bliss to Canada happened when five people from Vancouver went to Seattle in April 2005 to take one of the advanced courses with spiritual guru.
The group apparently left Seattle in such a state of bliss that they decided to immediately plan a visit of Swami to Canada.
The Nithyananda Meditation Academy on Broadway was created and first invited the Swami to Canada in September 2005, where 180 people “were entranced by his talks, energy and his advanced courses.”
Since then there has been a rapidly increasing group who set up events which happen 7 days a week in the Vancouver area. The Swami’s followers have four other centers in the Vancouver area.

At a glance

Who is Swami Nityananda?
Swami Paramhansa Nityananda is a 32-year-old self-styled godman, staying in a sprawling 29-acre ashram in Bidadi, about 30 km from Bangalore in Karnataka.

What is his background?
He hails from Tamil Nadu. His devotees claim the Swami’s goal is to spread the inner science of enlightenment by delivering physical health, mental wellness and spiritual awakening to all beings irrespective of their race, gender or nationality. The swami’s mission is to enlighten the people through yoga and meditation.

What is his business?
The Godman has founded “Nithayananda Mission” as a part of a worldwide movement for meditation and peace. He claims to have about 1,000 branches across 33 countries and about two million followers the world over.

How was he exposed?
Certain Tamil TV channels telecast video footage of the Godman indulging in sexual acts with two women, including one Tamil actress who has played leading role in many films and TV serials. The Swami was shown fondling and kissing the women and in a compromising position with them in turns. It was followed by arson as enraged mobs ransacked his ashrams, smashing his portraits, banners, billboards.