Talk of salvation, but fear of death: The secret of Baba’s safety
“Baba’s security: The soul is immortal, but a bodyguard is needed!”
Why do the saints who preach salvation, immortality of the soul, and freedom from fear of death keep themselves under heavy security cover?
How today’s spiritual gurus are more involved in event management than religion, and governments provide them security to pursue politics and vote banks. If Baba believes death to be an illusion and the soul to be immortal, then why does he need security? A real saint stands fearlessly with the truth, not hidden behind a security cover.
“The body is destructible, the soul is immortal. Death is just a change; it should not be feared.”
— This sentence is not from any spiritual discourse but is repeated again and again in any program of the country’s most popular young Baba, Bageshwar Dham Sarkar Dhirendra Shastri. But when the same Baba, whose voice flows with this nectar of freedom from the fear of death, is seen surrounded by the force of four police stations, hundreds of policemen, dozens of bouncers, and private security personnel in Y category security, then the soul of the common man screams, “Baba, what is going on?”
Last week, Baba came to attend the ‘Praveshotsav’ of the newly constructed building of a pious industrialist in the Nokha area near Bikaner. There was such a confluence of religion, devotion, and pomp that even if the Tridev himself had come, he would not have been able to reach the stage by breaking through the crowd. Flowers were showered in welcome of Baba, slogans were raised, and his darshan, preaching, and security system were glorified on two pages in colored newspapers.
The soul is immortal, but a bodyguard is necessary?
The guru whose words claim to remove the fear of death himself travels in bulletproof cars, has an army of personal bodyguards, and gets Y-class security from the government. Has this worldly security become necessary for saints walking on the path of salvation? If the soul is immortal, and death is only the abandonment of the body, then from whom is this security? Whose fear of insecurity? Is this not a betrayal of the public’s trust?
Who is afraid of Baba?
It can be said that saints may be in danger from opponents and antisocial elements. But this argument is refuted by Baba’s teachings. Baba says, “Only the ignorant have fear. When God is with you, what harm can anyone do?” Then, when there is a crowd of devotees, police surveillance, and the protection of the government, what ‘death’ does Baba fear?
Is this not the same Baba who declared the people killed in the stampede at the Prayagraj Kumbh as ‘salvation-seekers’? If the pilgrims who died in the stampede can go to heaven, then Baba must find bliss in this crowd!
Is this spirituality or event management?
It is no longer a rare sight for a sadhu to arrive with such a tight security cover. ‘Influencer saints’ like Baba Dheerendra Shastri now do more events and fewer satsangs. They enter the stage amidst a big LED screen, white lights, and drums, and the entire ‘protocol team’ follows them, as if a Bollywood superstar is arriving. Will the value of spirituality now be determined not by people’s faith but by police force and media coverage?
The nexus between power and saints
The question is not just about security. The question is, on what basis is a Baba given Y category security? Is there a dearth of people in the country who are really at risk of their lives—social workers, journalists, women fighting for women’s rights? But governments quietly give special security to saints, perhaps out of fear of facing the wrath of their followers. This is a spiritual version of simple ‘vote bank’ politics.
Faith or blind devotion?
Finally, we have to talk about the common man—the devotee who stands in line for hours in the hot afternoon, hoping to have a glimpse of Baba. Baba tells him to “leave all attachment and illusion,” but the same Baba accepts donations worth crores, sits in AC tents, and gives sermons under tight security. Is this faith or a well-planned illusion? Is this religion or a performance?
Sarcasm hits:
Baba said, “Don’t be afraid of death, the soul is immortal.”
But we move ahead, as securely as in a fortress.
The devotees said, “Baba, we have come on foot; please bless us.”
Baba said, “First cross the security cordon!”
Questions before we conclude:
If salvation after death is the goal of life, and Baba is the guide, then why should he be afraid of death? Why should he not leave his security and trust in the same faith that he preaches? Or should we accept that this whole game is just a stage where emotions are traded and salvation, illusion, and death are all just words?
Be it Bageshwar Baba or anyone else, whenever a saint takes advantage of security, wealth, and power in the name of spirituality, it is natural for questions to be raised on the sanctity of his sermons. Faith gets strength from truth, not security. If Baba believes in the immortality of the soul, then he should first give up Y category security, because a real saint stands fearlessly with the truth.
