Printing the book

The ritual humiliation, victimisation and frequently the expulsion of the designated 'black sheep' in some (but not all) trainings has left even some of the staunchest premies with dark thoughts.

This scapegoat would be picked on the basis a minuscule personal sin, which was then magnified out of proportion by M. S/he would be verbally humiliated by Maharaji at some length.

Most premies are basically nice people. Thus the group - often around 80 people - would not want to hurt the scapegoat by supporting M's abuse, but would not want to offend M either. So everyone would listen to the voluble obscenities in silence - many weeping.

Everybody realized that there but for a throw of the dice were they: the scapegoat was picked because s/he was a personality who would absorb humiliation, not because of anything s/he had done wrong.

Eventually Maharaji's anger at the scapegoat would prevail in the room. After much equivocation and many attempts at compromise, finally someone would stand up and move the motion that everybody had been dreading: the motion to expel the scapegoat from the training, and cast him or her into the outer darkness, where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth.

The motion would be duly carried by a shamefaced but intimidated group. The scapegoat would be sent out of the room permanently - everybody avoiding his gaze as he left.

After the expulsion from Paradise, the scapegoat was to be seen sitting alone and unloved around the campfires, silent and morose, like a recently disembodied spirit unsure of whether he was alive or dead. I tried to talk to the scapegoat from my group one night: he was unable to talk.

To make it worse, this 'spontaneous' collective scenario was a set-up:

Typically around Day 3, a suitable candidate would be taken aside during at dinner, and told that something 'really serious' was going to happen next day - that someone was going to 'take a fall' in order 'to bring the loyalty issue to a head'. And that s/he would be a suitable person to get up at that juncture and organise an apology to Maharaji, and move the scapegoat's expulsion. (Naturally the word 'scapegoat' wasn't used.)

Sure enough, at one stage during the next day's session, a member of the group would make the mistake M had been waiting for - and all hell would break loose.

After a protracted period in which the group failed to expel the member - which they were clearly required to do - the pre-chosen person would stand up and say: 'I move that ________ be expelled from the training.'

And so he was.

(Incidentally, the person so expelled in my training was subsequently flown to the Delhi training free of charge, on Maharaji's instructions: M is a tyrant/M is compassionate!)

I suspect that pre-chosen people were also employed for other crucial tasks, such as the Ritual Humiliation of the Dissenter, and the Begging for Forgiveness Ritual.

During one training, an attendee begged to differ with M on a particular point. Maharaji screamed that it didn't 'matter so much as a fart what you think!' After some more generalised screaming, he stormed out of the room.

When the wailing and gnashing of teeth stopped (that's not poetic licence this time), a (pre-selected?) person would step forward, and propose that a group apology be devised. There would then be endless argument and discussion and voting re the wording: this could literally go on for two hours because of the requirement for unanimity on every word. Finally a card would be drawn up, and signed by all.

The card would bear such wording as 'We are truly, deeply sorry', 'We apologise from the bottom of our hearts' and 'We wholeheartedly beg your forgiveness'. (The word 'pathetic' barely begins to describe these rituals.)

The card would then be sent to Maharaji, who would - after an appropriately suspenseful interim - reappear at the training, and gravely compliment the group on 'finally learning something'.

Anyway, what was the upshot of all this nonsense?

1. As a result of the trainings, there was a rush of 'trainees' to the doorsteps of physical and even psychological therapists. Several attendees quit Knowledge altogether.

2. Since the trainings tuned everyone up for 'greater and more focused participation', nearly the entire global community has 'stepped back' from doing service.

3. Back at Amaroo, because of the trainings' overwhelming emphasis on 'confidentiality', team meetings became covert operations.

4. Other than for the all-pervasive secrecy, and whilst teams do exist, the actual teamwork mechanisms instilled by the trainings are now widely viewed as unworkable.

Ultimately, the trainings were not at all about learning things like 'respect' and 'consciousness', as the training rules suggested. If they were, Maharaji himself would have been frogmarched out the door in the first hour. Nor were they about learning the techniques and approaches inherent in the exercises: most of these are now passe in the corporate world from which they derive.

The trainings were about re-learning and reinforcing deep psychological attitudes of gratitude and subservience to an omnipotent father figure, whom many of us encountered in our impressionable teens or early twenties. Basically, they were a mid-life re-boot.

For the founders of ex-premie.org (who deserve all the praise that comes their way) here is what a long-term insider, and a participant of two trainings, says:

'I have no doubt that the fanatical insistence on confidentiality which the trainings instilled - absolutely everything thereafter was 'on a need-to-know basis' - was to stem the flow of information to ex-premie.org. So all of that mindfuck was about Maharaji getting scared of the information being gained by the ex-premie website.'

So, that's all on the trainings.

Whilst I'm fairly confident that everything of a factual nature in these posts can be supported, I doubt there is any final 'truth' in the psychological realm. I put all that out there for what it's worth. For me, the real 'truth' lies in just being able to think it and say it.

Posts like this one are often initially seen by premies as 'the product of a bitter, twisted mind', a 'wild distortion of Maharaji's work', 'vengeful, malicious fiction', etc, etc. Hate, rage and personal attacks (shooting the messenger) are very much to be expected. (I gather we've seen some of it here lately.)

In my experience, all this generally continues until one has had the chance to sit down and discuss the subject one-to-one. On these occasions - when real communication can happen - the hostility gradually melts away, concessions are made, and in some cases the exiting process begins.

So I only regard this stuff as 'information' - useful to back up statements, and so on - but somewhat less useful than personal contact when it comes to changing premies' ideas, which are deeper-entrenched than any of us could have imagined.
The post I'd really like to write - if I knew how - is what caused us to have the experiences we had? I had some extraordinary experiences in meditation - which I'm fairly satisfied can be attributed to some rather complex brain chemistry.

But I also had some extraordinary experiences around Maharaji - and equally extraordinary ones around Bal Bhagwan Ji. Others have entered sublime states of consciousness around Mata Ji, Rasputin and Adolf Hitler. What causes this stuff? I've got a few superficial answers - e.g. projection - but they don't really satisfy me. Maharaji's cognac intake is all very interesting, but to me this is the real nub of the matter. After three decades - all thoughts are welcome.

Best wishes to all,
John

PS: These posts seem to be circulating through the premie community somewhat. Those premies who wish to discover more about their master and his activities might have a look at www.ex-premie.org

This a picture of Mahatma Jagdeo, who sexually abused and raped childrenwhile working for Maharaji. The webmaster of this site believes that Maharaji has known about this for many years and yet did nothing to bring him to justice, or to keep him away from children, or to warn parents. Read the webmaster's personal view here. Even after victims recounted their ordeals publicly, Maharaji's and Elan Vital's actions and inaction have been inadequate and shameful.

Although no one has explicitly said so, the webmaster of this site believes that Maharaji's representatives have reached a settlement with one of Jagdeo's victims. Hidden on their website, Elan Vital are finally, but clearly reluctantly, inviting other victims to come forward. To further publicise Elan Vital's invitation, it is repeated here.

POLICY AGAINST HARASSMENT Elan Vital has a strict policy against sexual harassment or other forms of sexual misconduct. If you have been subjected to any form of sexual harassment or abuse by anyone associated or formerly associated with Elan Vital or other similar organizations, please contact Elan Vital’s General Manager at P.O. Box 6130, Malibu, California, 90264-6130 or at generalmanager@elanvital.org. Complaints will be responded to promptly and treated seriously.

Anyone who is considering writing to Elan Vital and needs further advice is welcome to write in the first instance to the webmaster of this site at epowebmaster@yahoo.co.uk.

Mahatma Jagdeo

Mahatma Jagdeo was a full-time official in Divine Light Mission for many years. He has known the cult leader, Maharaji since he was a small boy.

Reports of Jagdeo sexually abusing children first appeared on the Internet in 1998. Two of his victims, 'A' (who wishes to be anonymous) and Susan, have since given harrowing accounts of his crimes. Although there are several accounts of his offences being reported to senior people in Maharaji's organisation, he was allowed to continue in his full-time role for years.

Since the story became public, Elan Vital first tried to disassociate themselves from Jagdeo by saying they had nothing to do with the old 'Divine Light Mission'; who employed Jagdeo. When this was shown to be untrue they changed tactics and tried to play the matter down, while attempting to appear sympathetic to the victims. Elan Vital (USA) then issued a press release saying that DUO, Maharaji's organisation in India, had issued a civil writ against Jagdeo. At the same time, however, they issued a background statement attacking the victims!

Maharaji has been publicly silent on the issue throughout.

According to recently disenchanted followers, Jagdeo continued as an official and representative up until the mid 1990s. Jagdeo has been reported to the police in the UK, and the British Sunday Express almost ran a story on him. It was dropped at the last minute, around the time one of Britains best paid journalists, Maharaji devotee, Jonathan Cainer dumped his old paper, the Daily Mail, and went to work for them.

Two victims of Jagdeo, 'A' and Susan, have come forward and given accounts of his crimes. There are also other disturbing reports from victims who wish to remain anonymous.

In the 1970s, cult schools were opened, in England and the USA. 'A' and her family were part of Unity School UK. After the school closed, in 1975, the cult retained the property, an old Manor House in Cornwall.

During this period Mahatma Jagdeo visited the house and, under the pretence of teaching 'A' to meditate, raped her. Over twenty years later, her father, who had already reported the incident to another cult official, Mahatama Gurucharanand, told Anthony Ginn, a former teacher at Unity School about the incident.

Anthony subsequently got in touch with 'A', and then reported Jagdeo to the police in Cornwall, where the crime took place. He also corresponded with the cult about the incident and posts on the forum as AJW.

Around the same time 'A'’s story came to light, a second incident of abuse was reported from California, by another victim, Susan.

Susan is an ex premie who currently lives in California, USA. She was a premie from 1975 (at age 13) and began the process of exiting the cult when she was 17 years old. When she was 15 years old she had a disturbing encounter with Mahatma Jagdeo. The details of what happened to Susan and her subsequent reporting of Jagdeo to DLM and EV officials are described below. Susan became aware from another victim in 1977 that Jagdeo had molested several girls in the Miami community between the ages of 8-12. She did not only report the incident that happened to her, but the even more serious molestation that had happened to the children of premies in the Miami community.

Susan’s story is published here, along with her correspondance with the cult.

Mahatma Jagdeo was a full-time official in Divine Light Mission for many years. He has known the cult leader, Maharaji since he was a small boy.

Reports of Jagdeo sexually abusing children first appeared on the Internet in 1998. Two of his victims, 'A' (who now wishes to be anonymous) and Susan, have since given harrowing accounts of his crimes. Although there are several accounts of his offences being reported to senior people in Maharaji's organisation, he was allowed to continue in his full-time role for years.

Since the story became public, Elan Vital first tried to disassociate themselves from Jagdeo by saying they had nothing to do with the old 'Divine Light Mission'; who employed Jagdeo. When this was shown to be untrue they changed tactics and tried to play the matter down, while attempting to appear sympathetic to the victims. Elan Vital (USA) then issued a press release saying that DUO, Maharaji's organisation in India, had issued a civil writ against Jagdeo. At the same time, however, they issued a background statement attacking the victims!

Maharaji has been publicly silent on the issue throughout.

According to recently disenchanted followers, Jagdeo continued as an official and representative up until the mid 1990s. Jagdeo has been reported to the police in the UK, and the British Sunday Express almost ran a story on him. It was dropped at the last minute, around the time Britains best paid journalist, and Maharaji devotee, Jonathan Cainer dumped his old paper, the Daily Mail, and offered to work for them.

Jagdeo now lives a life of ease

Posted on forum V, on November 26, 2000

From Kelly

I have spent some time in the Delhi ashram in the past few years. Jagdeo (aka Mahatma ji) lives a quiet privileged life, waited on hand and foot by sweet humble young Indian premies, who put up with his incessant demands for attention and pander to his every whim. He is obsessed wih keeping a good supply of bottled water in his room, he has boxes and boxes. Not for him the regular ashram tap water. He must be too pure!

On several occasions I have seen ordinary premies touch his feet.

Personally the only thing I have against him is the very loud and intrusive way he has of clearing his throat and sinus passages. He is also very fond of his food and usually the first to every meal.

Sure, he always sits with the other Mahatmas at events, or did when there were Mahatmas. I don't know what they are called now I have not been there in the last year.

From Susan

That is really disgusting that he is still living a life in which he is revered.

Do you recall if there were ever any kids at this ashram? I really hope that at the very least they are at least keeping children away from him.

The way you describe it, if premies are touching his feet and waiting on him hand and foot, they probably would be just as honored now in India if he wanted to spend time with their children as the premie parents were in US and England when he wanted to spend time with theirs. This is truly appalling.

The women who were once the children of Divine Light Mission wish to thank everyone who has been so supportive of their telling the difficult truth about Mahatma Jagdeo. All these years later, to have the truth acknowledged, and to have people care, it is still very healing for those who were victimized both by this predator and by those who seek to cover up the fact that Jagdeo was reported, on at least two continents, in the 1970's and early eighties.

Susan and 'A' especially wish to ask the help of anyone who may know more facts about this situation. They both know other victims of Jagdeo who do not wish to speak out and these wishes are respected. But anyone who knows anything about other incidents of abuse by Jagdeo or is aware of evidence to corroborate the fact that they reported this man in the 70's and 80's is encouraged to come forward. Of course, being ex premies, we know that the prospect of telling the truth about this is frightening. But as the years pass, if no one tells it, Jagdeo, and those that are willing to protect him in order to protect their "Master" stand a greater chance of never being held accountable for what happened to the children who were unfortunate enough to cross paths with Jagdeo.

Please write epowebmaster@yahoo.co.uk.
Corresponding with the cult about Jagdeo

Forum posts from AJW

Hi,

I had some private correspondance with Glen Whittaker, organiser of Elan Vital in the UK, about Mahatma Jagdeo's paedophile activities, involving children who were in my care, as a schoolteacher, some years ago.

Elan Vital seem extremely paranoid about the attention being given to this matter on the forum. Jagdeo has been reported to the Police, and the British press have been interested in the story for some weeks, increasing their fears that this matter may somehow reflect on the cult and its master.

The two letters from Elan Vital, and my reply to the first letter, have already been published on the forum, but I thought I'd put all four up together, so they can be read in context.

Anth the Archivist

Anth’s Reply

Hi Glen,

In response to your letter of 26th August, 99, I did indeed make allegations on the ex-premie website, last year, on November 1st, in my ‘Journey’, based on communication with a parent and ex pupil of Unity School, earlier that year. I’m sure you remember when my story appeared on the Internet, as you wrote to me about it soon afterwards. (I’m not sure if by reminding you of this, you’ll have to take legal advice, but what the hell.)

In your letter you mentioned that you conducted some enquiry. I’d be interested to know what form this took. You knew that the alleged offence took place at Unity School 74/75, as this information was in what I’d published in November. Did you ask anyone who was at Unity School at that time about what happened? If so, who? Both Dot and I were there, why didn’t you ask either of us? It doesn’t sound like a very thorough enquiry to me Glen. Do you even know the names of his ‘alleged’ victims.(there is more than one).

You say that allegations of this nature are extremely damaging. They are only damaging if they are untrue. Sexual abuse of young children is extremely damaging, and allegations of such acts, if true, are the first step in healing the damage done.

You also say if the allegations are untrue, they may destroy the life and reputation of an old man and may cause damage to any victims who might rather put the matter behind them or have it approached more discreetly. Surely Glen, if the allegations are untrue, how can ‘not putting the matter behind them’ cause distress, if nothing actually happened.

I do have further information that will assist an enquiry Glen. There are reports on the Ex-premie website of offences commited by Jagdeo in the United States, in the Journey’s section, in the Journey by Gs mom. You should read it.

More detailed information about the crimes and the victims have been given to the Police, who’ve probably contacted you by now.

I’ve been in close communication with both victims, at every stage since this affair floated to the surface of the pool. I can assure you that they are both extremely glad that things have finally been taken seriously and been brought out into the open.

You say that Elan Vital wasn’t aware of these ‘alleged offences’ until recently, and then hint at legal action if I disagree. If you read G’s mom’s Journey, on Ex-Premie.org you’ll see she told two instructors, both close to Maharaji, who have both since been named on the Internet. The instructors were Randy Prouty and Judy Osborne, both of whom I know, respect and like. I’m quite sure they would have passed the information on.

You say you’d like to pursue the matter, you could start by asking Randy and Judy what happened, who they told and what the response was. You could also make an announcement through your organisation, worldwide, that any possible victims, or parents of children may have been sexually abused by Mahatma Jagdeo should contact you. You could then pass this information to the police.

The reason I did nothing for 25 years Glen, was because I didn’t know about it until last year. As you’ve noticed, I’ve now done something.

So, I guess you’d better go and get some legal advice.

Anth the Whistle Blower

SECOND LETTER FROM ELAN VITAL

Anth’s Reply

Hi Glen,

Looks like you’ve been to see your lawyers. You requested the names of Jagdeo’s victims. I didn’t give them to you and I have no intention of giving them to you. I’ll try to explain why.

Imagine, as an 8 or 9 year old child, you are taken to live in a place run by a religious cult. Or maybe you’re a 14-year-old teenager who’s become interested in meditation or something, and you start going along to cult meetings. Whatever, you end up being sexually abused by a full time representative of that cult.

Imagine, in the case of ‘g-mom’, after you’ve been abused, you report it to another full time cult official (‘mahatma’ or ‘instructor’ or ‘initiator’, whatever the current jargon was) in the case of ‘g-mom’, this person was from her home town and knew her personally. You ask him to tell your master. You meet him later and he tells you the master was informed. The instructor who assaulted you is still at large, so you tell another instructor. She gets back to you a week later, and tells you, ‘Yes, the master knew already and was glad that this was not a new episode’. Or maybe in the case of the 9 year old, her parent tells yet another ‘mahatma’, and aquaintance of the master, and nothing ever gets back to them either.

The years roll by. November 98, I publish allegations about Jagdeo on the Internet. (I wasn’t the first.) August 99, Jagdeo is reported to the police, the press get interested. , Lo and behold, the two ‘instructors’ ‘can’t remember’ anything that they were told, can’t remember telling Maharaji, and can’t remember telling the victim what they’d done. Not only that, the cult are suddenly concerned and want the victim’s names.

(And didn’t you or Heather tell the ‘Express’ that Elan Vital was nothing to do with Divine Light Mission?)

Forget it Glen. They’ve lost faith in you. Your main aim seems to be keeping your master out of this. Their experience tells them the cult cares little for the victims of child abuse.

If you’re really concerned about sorting this mess out, and, as you say, assisting the Police, you could start by telling them where Jagdeo is living. Is he still in the ashram in India? Is he still a Mahatma? Is he still a ‘premie’. Does he still do special ‘children’s knowledge sessions’ ? Does he still have access to children.? Do the Police in India know about his pedophiliac activities?

Your third paragraph is interesting Glen. You say, ‘The sole aim of Elan Vital is to promote an inner experience of peace and an enrichment of the experience of what it means to be alive.’ Hmmmmn, haven’t you missed a bit out there, about the teachings of Maharaji or something, that justifies the personality cult that surrounds him? He’s the one who gives you this ‘experience of what it means to be alive’, and ‘inner peace’, through his teachings, right?

You say in your last paragraph, how disturbing the allegations are, and if the ‘alleged victim’ comes forward (there are serious allegations of offences against at least three young girls), you will offer her all the help you can, with the co-operation with the authorities. I’ve already explained why they don’t want to talk to you, but are happy to talk to the Police.

Whether Maharaji knew about Jagdeo’s pedophilic activities or not was never an issue with me. You’re the one who brought that up.

I’m not ‘Anti Maharaji’. Now I no longer worship him, as a fellow human being I have sympathy for his plight and I hope he sorts himself out one day. He’s a cult victim too, and I hold no personal animosity towards him whatsoever.

Yours truly,

Anth the Unruly

Another response regarding Jagdeo, correspondence between

Michael Dettmers and Terry Yingling (For the EV PR Team - USA)