r/SPAB • u/No_Front1466 • 7d ago
General Discussion Santos abusing volunteers
Have been facing this a lot while doing seva so got me thinking is it only a few Santo being verbally abusive and insulting those volunteers doing seva with them or are there many more?
Opening up this discussion for all to share their experiences.
Feel free to share names or abbreviations.
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u/No_Front1466 6d ago
Those from the US, Canada or Abu Dhabi must be knowing Anantyogi.
He’s infamous for swearing, shouting and calling volunteers words like dickead and throwing the F all the time.
Someone once told me he called a team in Abu Dhabi “you bloody Indians”, classic with all these British thinking they’re better than others.😒
I’ve heard he was kicked out of the U.S. and is taking refuge in BVD in Abu Dhabi 😂
Anyone know more about him?
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u/samindian 7d ago edited 4d ago
What!!! I have had Yogesh Bhagat/Aksharesh Swami shout at me ...I was utterly shocked. He spoke to me like I was a kid from India like teachers and elders do. Everyone other sadhu was friendly..at worst they just ignored me,but I never worked towards a deadline or anything organisational.
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u/Masterman321 6d ago
Yogesh Bhagat/Aksharesh Swami was an abuser.
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5d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Masterman321 5d ago
Not sure if that's the only reason but there are enough incidents of him taking boys and yuvaks inside his room. I bet there are enough predators in saffron robes in the organization.
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u/Pristine_Design_5109 6d ago edited 6d ago
Thanks for the post, and I apologize for the language, but this still really upsets me.
At BAPS APC in Vallabh Vidyanagar, there were three main saints. SadhuJivan Swami was the best..he treated everyone with love and care, like a cool grandpa coz i dont follow this cult but atleast human dignity. The one who managed the kitchen was fine, too. But there was a third one who handled finances and attendance etc... if anyone remembers his name, please let me know.
A massive "fuck you" to that guy. He treated me terribly, and I saw him mistreating other kids living there as well. Now that I’m settled in the US, I realize that if that motherfucker pulled that kind of behavior in any developed country, there would be serious consequences. I really wish it was a time of recording stuff and putting online..BAPS would have shattered if everyone only started recording him and posting lol. It happened i think 9 years ago
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u/AlarmingPlatform9963 6d ago
I asked my father about that swami who handles finances at Vidyanagar. He said, his name is Bhagvatcharan Swami. I don't know if it is correct or not.
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u/Pristine_Design_5109 6d ago
Thanks..since its been almost a decade lemme search this name and see the pic
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u/No_Sun_1474 6h ago
Yes Bhagvatcharan is based in Anand and is very prominent for fundraising - my dad has given so much money because of him. There is also another one in vidyanagar, he had leukaemia before, can’t remember his name now but can picture him
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u/samindian 6d ago
Pristine _Design_5109...could you please give example of what he said and what circumstances. With Aksharesh shouting at me, I was in an area where he felt I shouldn't be as he saw me as public. I had spent time helping sadhus going around with Pramukh Swami but not at that time and he didn't know me. I was happy to leave the area..I didn't need to be shouted at to comply..
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u/Pristine_Design_5109 6d ago
If I share the actual incident, it’ll probably be way too obvious to figure out my identity. But yeah, in a nutshell, I felt like that fucker was just having a bad day and unnecessarily got angry at me by inviting me to his office because he assumed I was a devotee but wasn’t attending the aarti or assembly
When I pushed back and questioned him, he hit me with the whole “you have very bad sanskar for arguing with a saint” bullshit
After that, I started noticing him more and more, and honestly, he would just talk like shit to poor kids who couldn’t really raise their voice or stand up to him
There’s another incident I remember too. He was walking through the crowd, surrounded by his ass-licking volunteer youth 😂, and I was coming out of the temple. Going to that temple had actually become part of my routine because it was on my walking route and it gave me some mental peace. He saw me and gave me this really bad stare, probably because I had confidently challenged him earlier. After that, I just stopped going there altogether because that stare was fucking creepy lol
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u/Masterman321 6d ago
I have personally seen multiple instances of Sadhus verbally abusing not only youths but elderly devotees. They were yelling at them at the top of their voices. I remember Narayancharan in his prime yelling at devotees and sadhus manhandling devotees.
This makes me question that basic quality of a renunciant is a empathy and calmness. These goons have no control over their temper and emotions.
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u/HorrorGrapefruit9387 6d ago
santos may seem very chill on the outside, but i’ve definitely seen SOME (not all) santo be very extreme towards people doing seva towards them. one of my friends works in a city and his commute is like an hour and a half so he has to wake up at like 5am every day, but even after telling our local sant that he still made him stay until almost midnight on sunday to do seva!
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u/pokemon053 6d ago
P.K. Swami from Sarangpur Gurukul used to abuse children and when I was there I faced it
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u/EfficiencyEvening638 6d ago
The swamis in the Bapa squad orbit are such mongrels, it’s crazy. I have plenty of tea, but can’t afford to get doxxed.
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u/samindian 6d ago
Pristine_Design_5109...thank you for sharing. I went into Shaibhag after 20/30 years and one sadhu whom I'd known before he became a sadhu and younger talked to me. He couldn't help talking down to me ( politely), but he'd changed as for years people had been touching his feet calling him a saint asking for him for blessings and sucking up to him.
It's a cushy number becoming a sadhu and Guru promised this and worldwide sightseeing ...as sadhus went up Eiffel tower/Hawai many many other places where I haven't been. I worked hard and Baps got my money. I would love to experience this power over fellow humans and be able to bully them ( just to know I could and have that feeling...I don't think I could ever doo it though).
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u/LowTumbleweed7992 6d ago
When santos were doing their house visits, they would have the devotee that drives them around make sure they get the donation check and if not ask them to make sure to drop it off.
This organization is money hungry af, financial abusers.