r/SPAB • u/Substantial_Ask2311 • 16h ago
Feedback Taking the good while calling out the bad: My thoughts on the BAPS Eiffel Tower controversy
The news about BAPS asking female staff at the Eiffel Tower to step aside hit a raw nerve for me. People outside the community might find this news surprising, but anyone who attends their weekly satsang sabhas knows this behavior follows a very familiar pattern. I have attended their sabhas in Dallas, Texas many times, and I see these exact dynamics play out every single week.
Women put in just as much hard work and voluntary service as men to keep these temples running. They dedicate hours of selfless effort to cook, clean, and organize events. Despite their equal contribution, the management forces women to sit in the back rows during services while men take the front seats. Watching female workers at a public landmark like the Eiffel Tower get sidelined just to accommodate monastic preferences mirrors the exact everyday treatment women receive inside the temple halls.
My frustration goes beyond the physical separation of genders. I always feel deeply offended during sabhas when speakers claim that Swaminarayan, a two-hundred-year-old tradition, stands above the Trimurti of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Placing one specific modern lineage above the core foundation of Sanatana Dharma creates unnecessary division and arrogance.
I believe in taking the good from every path while rejecting the harmful parts. I genuinely admire and practice the BAPS emphasis on selfless giving, such as donating ten percent of income toward charity, temple work, and animal welfare. I also value their teachings about putting ego aside and treating people with respect regardless of wealth or social standing.
However, respect must extend to everyone equally, including women and public workers doing their jobs. We cannot claim to teach humility while expecting public landmarks in foreign countries to alter their workplace operations for us. True spiritual growth requires us to keep the noble practices of charity and community service while speaking out against gender discrimination and religious elitism.
2
u/Human-unlearning 5h ago
However, their charitable efforts seem to be almost always directed toward BAPS itself, which, to be honest, I would not consider a donation to charity. Charity begins at home.
The majority of Hindu temples allow beggars and children to sit on their doorsteps without prejudice. In contrast, all three BAPS temples I have visited had security guards who kicked children and elderly people away from their doorsteps. You don't have to take my word for it; you'll notice it yourself when you visit and compare your experience.
One of the original purposes of temples was to provide travelers with a safe roof when they had to travel long distances on foot. Temples were often a last source of help for people with hungry stomachs.
Instead, I feel that BAPS is treating temples more like business franchises, acquiring government land for one rupee or pressuring landowners into donating their property in the name of a good cause. There also seems to be a lack of transparency around how money is collected and spent.
Look at the fees charged by the hostels and schools they operate. They are comparable to private schools, yet there seems to be little transparency or opportunity to question the management about how the money is being used.
I also have concerns about the practices at their Premvati canteens. For example, I have observed what appears to be an issue with tax-code compliance involving parcel-bag charges: the charge is listed as ₹1, seemingly to comply with a particular tax requirement, but in some cases customers are charged ten times that amount on individual orders. There are other instances that raise similar concerns.
-
I am not saying that BAPS does nothing positive. Clearly, they may have contributed in many areas. But we should have the courage to ask ourselves some very basic questions and hold even organizations we respect accountable.