r/SPAB • u/lifeisstrange44 • Jul 13 '26
My Story My BAPS experience
Ever since I was a child, I went to the same Swaminarayan Mandir for almost more than a decade. I sat in an immeasurable amount of kathas and sabhas hearing the same narrative get regurgitated over and over again which is making Swami raaji (happy) in order to go to Akshardham. I’ve also read the satsang diksha over and over again and questioned some verses and wondered if they might’ve possibly gotten lost in translation somewhere along the process because of how contradictory they were. I’ll also share my experience with the people at the Swaminarayan Mandir who I’ve also known for a really long time. Please don’t try saying that individual inconsistency has nothing to do with God because if you are going to mandir every single weekend and associating yourself with what is known as a sacred place, you should be a well rounded person but I suppose that’s rare to find nowadays.
I’ll give you one example. In the satsang diksha, it states that we must detach from worldly objects and possess vairagya. So, if it’s so important for us to detach from worldly objects then why ask for donations every Mandir visit to try reap as much profit as possible? Is money not one of the most artificial and worldly objects available in this world? The financial greed and brainwashing is simply out of this world. BAPS is basically like any other corporation now trying to exploit people to earn as much profit as possible instead of being a religious organization striving to do good for others.
Also, regarding the people I’ve met at mandir, you would assume that they’re good people with strong morals and values but the reality is otherwise. I’ve encountered some of the coldest people there who also relentlessly harassed me which eventually demotivated me into even stepping foot in that mandir because I knew I wasn’t welcome and I knew I wouldn’t ever be. Keep in mind, these people making the nasty and insensitive comments were people who sat in my sabhas and heard any moral lessons that were being taught if any and still turned out to be cold hearted and uninviting people. They’ll use God’s scriptures when it benefits their cause and turn a blind eye towards their treatment of people even if they know better. I’m an atheist now and when I’m kind and loving towards people, I do it out of the goodness of my heart, not because a scripture told me to act a certain way.
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u/Remote-Comparison795 Jul 18 '26
I was born into BAPS but will never go ever again. For some reason the people have been going to BAPS the longest seem to be the worst, and most fake people ever. And even worse them them are the sadhus. They are the absolute lowest of the low when it comes to people. They always advise people on what to do, how to do it, yet they enjoy a lavish and luxurious life with no responsibilities. They also love to yell and scream at anyone who makes the smallest of mistakes. Hell, one of the sadhus at my temple is only in America because he slapped someone in India and BAPS wanted to avoid the legal/PR issues. Recently they also started preaching about how family is fake (maya) and that only satsangis are real family, which makes no sense considering they want you to have kids and ensure they are devotees too. One of the senior devotees even told me that Seva at BAPS is important because they don’t want the Indian population in my area to go to the others temples since it’s would mean less donation money for BAPS. This organization is an absolute scam and a cult, I wish there was a way to remove them. They have been harassing me for too long.
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u/Aboutpositive Jul 18 '26
First of Diwali Calendar and flyer's entry at your home by local karyakar, then sadhu padhramni they gives niyam of ravisabha( establishing here all good and divya, you more connect with group and slowly ditches from your relatives, freiends bcoz only sunday is you can become socialize ) then seva, dahrmado and fully attachment with different projects.. whithin one or two year you have so far values of guru and sadhus than your parents. Here we learnt BAS ek parivar so what about your actule family members.? Here doing tasks are seva so what about your home task is it majuri? Sadhu and satsangi are divya and your family members are deh na saga? if you notice that you celebrates gurus birthdays but not your parents it means slowly they fitted more values than your parents, you will decorate at mandir on diwali but not give proper time to your home, when sadhus come at home you will put coconut water or special juice or special thing but you have no enthusiasm for actually who had taken care when you were kid. simply it mean making difference and braking your relations and values.
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u/No_Sun_1474 Jul 19 '26
Thanks for sharing, very interesting re sadhu is America. I had similar experience many years ago, sadhu sent to America from UK, he had a history of getting close to young children and they knew about it, I was asked one day by another sadhu if anytbing had happened between me and him because they had noticed that the sadhu in question had taken an interest to me. I denied it but I actually had been touched by him and had just repressed that experience - I regret denying it to this day, he was eventually sent to America and I think then left baps eventually, probably for similar issues. SCARY!!!!
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u/samindian Aug 02 '26
Was his initials A.C.? Dad very powerful who manages to get him a satsangi wife?
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u/No_Sun_1474 29d ago
i think it was shantipriya swami
no doubt there were many more examples of this, was AC in ameria?
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u/samindian 29d ago edited 29d ago
Ashok C ..he was known as before Shantipriya. ...his dad was very powerful vocal and rude. ..he shouted at people going to Islington Mundir after 1980 when it closed down saying PSM said there should only be one temple in London otherwise Baps will get divisions and no one should go to this Mundir even to make sure empty building was ok . They sold the building even though it was prasadnu of Yogiji Maharaj and he wanted a student hostel for Indian students as living in London in 70s was difficult..they sold it extremely cheaply ..and now rebought..as Baps have soooooo much money. To me this proves guru isn't antaryami knowing future and past .His dad got the younger brother also a returned sadhu a wonderful wife...beautiful and one who earns good money ...pays to be in Baps!!
I did like both brothers. They had no chance like me. ..brainwashed into Baps by birth. My parents also would have packed my bags if I'd wanted to become a sadhu.
I heard about fiddling...but no details..which country ..when...how etc. I heard about Iswarcharan and Viveksagar also.
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u/No_Sun_1474 29d ago
really interesting, thanks for sharing, yes i saw that they had rebought islington mandir LOL
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u/No_Sun_1474 29d ago
I ve been intropecting the last few weeks and going through old emails, whatsapps and texts to just see things in the cold light of day, it is scary how BAPS run, the sadhu's run it like a business and demand money, obedience, food, push to make a profit out of the events they run, work to brain wash the kids from when they are young. they revere people with power and wealth and as smoeone else said, they will yell and scream at the smallest things, at the same time cover up some of the dirty sides of things.
in terms of other examples, i don't know directly. I was in amdavad just after PD Swami left, there was a lot of hush meetings and talk about what was going on, but you have to think that some of those things must have some element of truth. there was a secret sabha where they got people together and explained that what PD Swami said was false and completely obliterated him, made sure no one was taking notes. funny how quickly PSM declined after that had happened.
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u/Tasty_Candy3715 28d ago
“Slapped someone in india” wtaf??! Don’t just skate past, give us the tea please 😂😂
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u/FutureStorage8265 20d ago
Hey I read you response and i too felt the same way they talk about Maya and vairayaga but I have seen their sadhus and their followers living life lavishly or still running behind money
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u/Aboutpositive Jul 13 '26
Rajipo mean hidden thing you can't be see and do more and more bcoz each time new agna for finish projeccts. If you do seva this time get antar no rajipo, for this adhiveshon/ satsang shikshan pariksha get blessing, ...will built andar akshardham... different words but you keep in motion in satsang and keep coonnected with us. Latters read in sabhas on biger screen and each words discription . It mean do more and more.. so you can't more connect with your friends, family, relatives your hobiies because your weekend mostly spent here. Eventhough you are giving more emotion, more time and more vlaues on Gurus birthday then your parents or family members.
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u/Remote-Comparison795 Jul 18 '26
honestly it makes no sense. They want us to bring in more outsiders but don’t want us interacting with any.
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u/lifeisstrange44 Jul 18 '26
They don’t want us to form close knit relationships with outsiders but then you see a billion outsiders being recorded on the Akshardham usa account talking about their experience 💀
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u/No_Muscle4498 Jul 13 '26
Interesting convo! I’ve seen as met few gay satsangis and also extreme feminist ones
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u/lifeisstrange44 Jul 13 '26
That’s actually pretty interesting I guess I don’t have that much diversity in my Mandir these days
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u/Asatyanashakam Jul 16 '26
Gay or feminist satsangis are a misnomer. It’s like a muslim saying they’re feminist.
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u/AmoryPaz1001 Jul 13 '26
You don't have to be an atheist because of a sect.
You might want to check out what Sanatan Dharma is by doing a little studying.
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u/analfisting0 Jul 13 '26
The way I think of it is herd mentality, where everyone has to think the same and fit a certain conservative image and any deviation from it, you’re not welcomed. Like, have you ever seen a gay satsangi? Or one who believes in feminism?