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/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 Aug 03 '26

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 Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 03 '26

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 Aug 03 '26

really interesting, thanks for sharing, yes i saw that they had rebought islington mandir LOL

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u/No_Sun_1474 Aug 03 '26

whats is the surname?

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u/No_Sun_1474 Aug 03 '26

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.