Sanatan Sanstha seeks publicity

Sanatan Sanstha is a publicity seeking organization, even Ms. Amruta Acharya’s latest post subscribes to this view. One clear distinction is that most seek publicity to attract outsiders into joining them. Sanatan uses publicity; either negative or positive to bind its sadhaks more closely to itself. Dr Jayant Athavale uses publicity as a mind control technique and internalises its impact. He wants the sadhaks to fear their families and give them a reason to flee. They should see Sanatan Ashram Ramnathi as a safe retreat. Once inside the imposing façade, they are under his control and he can use them as he feels like.

Negative publicity and Sanatan Sanstha

Sanatan Sanstha actively seeks out negative publicity. Negative news spreads faster than positive news and stays longer in people’s minds. Sanatan is aware of this old psychology trick. It milks this philosophy to the maximum. Most organizations seek positive news, Sanatan seeks out negativity. Look at some of the most read or most watched videos on Youtube.com.  They publish such news prominently on the Sanatan Sanstha Marthi website (later translated in various languages). Several articles are posted on Sanatan.org in defence of the murder accused. They have raised many issues and questioned the tactics of the police, the media, and any other connected institutions. Do they consider themselves above the law?

Their daily newsletter in Marathi, Dainik Sanatan Prabhat contains several news articles for the exclusive consumption of the sadhaks. Many refer to controversial statements that are very vague in nature but the editors use their freedom of speech to give such comments their own interpretation. They are not bothered about the truthfulness of such news stories. Sanatan Sanstha’s sadhaks digest anything printed under this banner. Dr Jayant Athavale knows this and uses this for his maximum benefit.

The Underdog – Sanatan Sanstha

Projecting itself as an underdog gives it an easy escape route. Sometimes back, police raided the Sanatan Ashram Panvel and seized a considerable quantity of drugs. Sanatan Sanstha denied that any such drugs had been seized in any raid but had to go on the backfoot when the SIT followed it up with raids on Sanatan Ashram Ponda and taking a psychologist for questioning. Without blinking an eyelid, Dr Jayant Athavale and his followers changed their storyline and said that the drugs were used for the treatment of followers having psychological disorders. The quantity was quite huge according to the media and the logical question is; if Sanatan Sanstha teaches spirituality to overcome anxiety and depression, why should it require drugs?

The subsequent events showed that the sanstha projected itself as an underdog. It seemed to be aware that it will not be able to convince any outsiders. But, it was targeted at its sadhaks. Dr Jayant Athavale wanted to convince the sadhaks that they were not being fed any such hypnotic drugs, he was not trying to control them, he was not brainwashing them.

Poor fellows, they believe in such things; believe in such hard baked information thrown at them by Sanatan Sanstha.

Can Sanatan Sanstha control minds

Several people; particularly those associated with Sanatan Sanstha say that the sanstha does not control their minds. It has not hypnotized them nor used any mind control or psychological techniques on them. They challenge the critics to visit the Sanatan Ashram Ponda and judge for themselves. Visiting the ashram, particularly for journalists, is not easy. Sanatan handles such visits very diplomatically. They have very well trained sadhaks who would put receptionists at five-star hotels to shame. Dr Jayant Athavale is a hard-core professional and competent in many marketing gimmicks.

Hypocrisy at Sanatan Sanstha

Look at one of the press conference conducted by Sanatan Sanstha. It is a typical one. Amruta Acharya has identified very correctly the agenda behind such press conferences. The sadhaks at Sanatan Ashram Ramnathi first instigate the newly run-away sadhak against the family. They want to incite an adverse reaction from the family when the first meeting happens. And when they are successful, they launch into a full PR exercise. Watch the video for a typical Sanatan Sanstha drama.

The sadhak is always surrounded by sadhaks during the press conference. She has already been instructed by “professional” sadhaks on how to conduct herself at the press conference, which questions to answer and which to avoid. How to speak, which words to speak and how to provoke either the media or her relatives into giving an adverse reaction in front of the press. The whole drama is not for the consumption of the general public, it is meant for past, present and future sadhaks of Sanatan Sanstha and disciples of Dr Jayant Athavale.

Notice that the “chief guests” are siting between an extremely experienced sadhak in a similar situation and an advocate. Several sadhaks are also present among the press for added sense of security; both for the sadhak as well as for Sanatan. If the press conference does not go according to the plan, these sadhaks can wrap it up immediately. The sadhak is also under pressure not to utter anything against the sanstha.

The advocate gives a very elaborate introduction about himself. Is it required? He also clarifies that the press conference has not been called by Sanatan Sanstha. Does anyone question who has called it?

The experienced sadhak now takes over and launches her vitriol on the media; accusing them of ruining her life through persistent coverage and accusations. She questions them why could they not meet her personally. Does anyone have the courage to counter her? Emotional blackmail in the hands of a woman, can anyone escape from it? Look at her accusations; to the point and forceful. She has built up the tempo for the real sadhaks and they also outperform themselves.

A challenge is thrown that they are ready to be diagnosed by a psychologist, but obviously, none is present. Even if one is present, he cannot carry out the inspection in full public view. Dr Jayant Athavale is aware of this. After all, he is a clinical hypnotherapist.

The drama folds up. Sanatan Sanstha has achieved its objective, Dr Jayant Athavale has achieved his objective. Two sadhaks are in the fold and they cannot return to their families ever again. They have burnt the bridges themselves. Isn’t this mind control or do we call this spirituality?

PDR and mind control by Dr Jayant Athavale

Dr Jayant Athavale uses two main weapons for achieving mind control; chanting and PDR or personality defect removal process. Both the techniques depend upon the concept of suggestions as put forward in psychology. The messages are devised in such a manner that they must pass the conscious mind and pass into the sub-conscious mind – without the conscious mind filtering the messages. The sub-conscious mind then perceives these messages or suggestions to be true and acts accordingly. The weapons used by Sanatan Sanstha are chanting and personality defect removal process. These suggestions are cloaked in spirituality so that the conscious mind does not filter them but allows the messages to pass unhindered into the sub-conscious mind.

We saw how Dr Jayant Athavale uses chanting as one weapon. Let us now look at PDR or personality defect removal process.

PDR and mind control

All of us have personality defects. We are aware of many of them and do not consider them as harmful. Don’t we have egos? Don’t we tell lies – white lies many times? Don’t we feel lazy sometimes; particularly on weekends and sleep late? Such personality defects don’t hurt anyone; in fact, many of us consider these as human failings.  We also try to address the serious ones among them and try to eliminate them from our lives.

Sanatan Sanstha and Dr Jayant Athavale have hit upon the perfect tool to use in their quest for mind control. They use chanting as a route to bypass the initial conscious resistance among the followers. Once the follower – sadhak in their terminology, falls in their trap, they focus on personality defect removal process.

Through a sustained use of PDR process, Sanatan repositions the belief systems of the individual. They change the behavioral patterns by suggesting that some of the defects can be removed by following their methods.

I came across one individual who would start the PDR process at 4 am in the morning. The sadhaks had suggested that early morning is the best time to do this activity as the mind is fresh and free from worries. Familial needs cannot disturb. The poor female changed her sleeping pattern. She would sleep for only 3-4 hours daily. As the first thought on waking up would be Sanatan Sanstha, she would spend the rest of the day thinking about it and Dr Jayant Athavale.

Psychological impact of PDR

I came across several such cases in which the psychological impact of PDR was very deep rooted and difficult to surmount. One individual would spend a major part of his day in chanting and the PDR process. It started affecting his job as he could not focus on anything else. He could not function properly.

Sanatan Sanstha had achieved its goal. Both the examples show that the individuals were so much taken up by both the processes that they could not get them out of their mind. Dr Jayant Athavale controlled their minds. He did it in such a manner that both did not realise the negative impact on their life.

Two main weapons – Dr Jayant Athavale and Mind Control

Dr Jayant Athavale of Sanatan Sanstha fame has two main weapons for use in mind control. These two weapons are chanting (referred to as naamjap) and personality defect removal process (also called PDR in short). These two weapons remove the initial resistance to the process of mind control. They also play an important part in modifying the behavior as per the requirements of Sanatan. Let us look at their usage at Sanatan Ashram Ponda for mind control.

Chanting

Chanting

Hindus have many Gods and Goddesses. We are spiritual and generally chant some Diety’s name most of the time. Over the ages, we have been told that this will help in surmounting obstacles. This is borne out by psychological research. Research indicates that when we are engrossed in any mental activity, our mind focuses on that activity and loses focus on other, possibly depressing thoughts. Positive thoughts force the negative ones from the brain and we learn to refocus. Several religions apart from Hinduism also have ritualistic chanting; a war cry can also be taken as a process of chanting.

Chanting also induces a kind of a trance. Naamjap – as this is referred to by Sanatan Sanstha creates a hypnotic trance. However, to create this state in a sadhak, Dr Jayant Athavale needs to connect his name with chanting. This is tricky. Sanatan uses two different methods in order to achieve this goal.

In the first method; they recommend a particular God or Goddesses name to chant, this is generally different from the name one is accustomed to chanting. Shree Hanuman bhakts generally chant His name, but the sadhaks advice such persons to chant our Kulkdeva’s name. Changing any set behavior results in a set of cognitive dissonance and the brain tries to rid itself of the dissonance. During this phase, the sub-conscious mind is open to any kind of suggestions. There is a dichotomy here within the sanstha’s preaching.

Dichotomy within Sanatan Sanstha

Though Sanatan Sanstha preaches that only one God’s name should be chanted but then it changes its stance in several ways. It recommends that different God’s name for different activities or to get different benefits. For example, they recommend chanting Shri Gurudev Datta for resolving ancestral problems, chanting Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudeyaa. Though these two thoughts appear to contradict each other, they are used in different scenarios. Sanatan has several such contradictions in its philosophy. Some of them are very obvious like the use of plastic chairs in their Dhyan Mandir and use of tables and chairs in their dining section. Sanatan preaches their own set of logic to suit their needs. They recommend that food should be eaten sitting cross-legged – this means one should sit on the floor, yet involve the Chaitanya of the Sanatan Ashram Ramnathi when questioned about sitting arrangement there. As such they do not allow any questions to be asked.

The mind control techniques have evolved over a long period and after studying all angels. Sanatan Sanstha and Dr Jayant Athavale have spent much time and effort on this as this is the cornerstone of their objective. 

Dr Jayant Athavale and Mind Control

Several people have alleged that Dr Jayant Athavle uses hypnosis or mind control techniques to attract sadhaks into Sanatan Sanstha. I don’t think hypnosis will work as the number of sadhaks is quite big. Ericksonian hypnosis, though a very powerful psychological tool, can work only when the subject is physically present in front of the hypnotist. Mind control, on the other hand, is possible even when the persons are not face to face.

Preparation and Planning

Dr Athavale has studied mind control techniques before starting Sanatan Sanstha. He spent a number of years as a very successful clinical hypnotherapist and also studied in London for many years. He understood that hypnosis can only affect 70% of the people. The effects were short term. He had to spend several years in order to perfect his technique. He needed a perfect cover so that the initial resistance could be easily overcome. To find this cover, he visited several saints from different spiritual paths and questioned them about spirituality. He would note down their answers. He was always a very meticulous learner and he had a very ambitious objective in mind. The objective was the establishment of a kingdom where he is the undisputed king.

Spirituality is a perfect guise; Indians consider themselves deeply spiritual people and digest anything with a spiritual flavor. Look at the recent controversies surrounding such spiritual gurus. Spirituality also gave him a delivery weapon. Meditation is the main-stay in any spiritual pursuit. Dr Jayant Athavale had hit upon a perfect plan.

Mind control techniques

The practitioner must identify the right person and his vulnerabilities in order to achieve control over mind. They should understand the working of the mind, identify barriers and have a strategy to overcome these barriers. Let us look at them one by one

• Identification of the right person: This is not a major issue. Sanatan Sanstha conducts road shows, satsangs, dharmasabhas, direct contact programs at various places. The main focus in these interactions is always attacks on Hindus and the issues facing Hindu Dharma. Anyone showing a slightest interest in these issues can be converted. If you read Ms. Amruta Acharya’s blog, this was used very effectively on her.
• Understanding the person: Once a person has been identified, Sanatan chases the person either personally or through phone calls. A personal visit happens within a couple of days. This is very important because as time passes by, the person loses the positive impression. Though first impression is said to be the last impression, it is not ever lasting. Dr Athavale stresses the importance of the personal visit to all his sadhaks.
• Identifying vulnerabilities: Each one of us has vulnerabilities. They can be very small in nature. Sanatan Sanstha identifies these during the one to one sessions. It is very simple. They just ask the person. Before doing so they share some of their own vulnerabilities and gain his trust.

A very complex issue has been so simplified by Dr Jayant Athavale that it can be replicated very easily and even ordinary people can use them on others. 

Dr Jayant Athavale and dominance at Sanatan Sanstha

Dr Jayant Athavale founded Sanatan Sanstha in 1990 with the noble aim of educating people on spiritual issues facing Sanatan Dharma and Hindu Dharma. This concept has attracted many people to its fold. The sanstha has a major presence in Maharashtra, Goa and parts of Karnataka and Gujarat. Many of their followers are spread across several states.

However, over a period of time, the focus has shifted. Sanatan is now increasingly dominated with the concept of Guru-shishya parampara. Sadhaks are now increasingly taught that the Guru is absolute and service to Guru is equivalent to service to God. Hindu Dharma has a totally different understanding. A Guru is required in spiritual practice, but his job is limited to showing the correct path. The student; shishya, has to walk on the path and find his own way. He must surrender himself before the Ultimate Entity i.e. God. Service has God only can lead him to moksha.

Sanatan Sanstha turns spirituality on its head

Ms. Amruta Acharya has rightly identified that Sanatan Sanstha is controlling the mind of its sadhaks. It is using mind control techniques to ensure that spiritually inclined sadhaks follow the Guru’s words. Dr Jayant Athavale is using his experience and expertise to ensure that he gets a very dedicated army of unquestioning followers who will do anything for him. There is no spirituality involved in all this. Dr Athavale is defining his own brand of spirituality; one in which the Guru is everything.

Look at his expertise in mind control. The people accused of bomb blasts and murders are not opening even after sustained interrogation. This is mind control. They are just pawns in his hands to be used as per his whims and fancies.

The focus of Spiritual research is on establishing that the words of the Guru are supreme. They cannot be questioned. If you question them, you are a non-believer. You cannot belong to this group.

Sanatan Sanstha and its front organizations like Spiritual Science Research Foundation and Hindu Janajagruti Samiti have laid a very wide web. Dr Jayant Athavale has translated the techniques of mind control into small processes and implanted spirituality into them. This has three advantages

Ordinary sadhaks can implement these techniques on others. They do not require any specialised training.

Nobody understands that mind control techniques are being used on them. The sadhaks using them are also not aware that they are using dangerous techniques on others; including their near and dear ones, families, relatives and friends.

As the techniques are cloaked with spirituality, there is no resistance. Any resistance of the mind is suppressed by spirituality.

The basic entry point for implanting such techniques is to open the sub-conscious mind and make it receptive to suggestions. The mind should also be wired to accept suggestions from only one set of people. The genius of Dr Jayant Athavale comes into play again here. He uses a very old and nearly forgotten technique, one first suggested by Emile Coue as early as in 1908. This technique was further developed by Milton H. Erickson and is known as Ericksonian Hypnosis.

But, Dr Jayant Athavale knew that the main drawback of hypnosis was that

1. It could be practised on one person at a time. He could not use this on a group of people.
2. The second drawback was that the person had to be present physically in front of him.  
3. And the third one was that it had to be administered by a very skilled person.

Not one to be cowed down by such small drawbacks in his grand master scheme, Dr Jayant Athavale developed a technique of his own, one that would help in creating his own kingdom; Sanatan Sanstha.

Association with Sanatan Sanstha and Dr Jayant Athavale

I have spent almost 20 years in association with Dr Jayant Athavale and Sanatan Sanstha. Though not a founder member; Sanatan was founded in 1990, I was among the early pioneers. I was a very active member and deeply affected by the sanstha, though not to the extent of Amruta Acharya. I did not leave my home to seek the comfort of Sanatan Ashram Ponda, though I used to devote most my free time in the sanstha. I gradually drifted apart; mainly because of disillusionment and when I felt that it had diverted from its core objectives; spreading the message of Hindu Dharma or Sanatan Dharma.

Her blog sanatanveil.blogspot.in propelled me to share my experiences with the sanstha. I follow every word that she writes and can experience her feelings – bittersweet to me, as I live that life once again. I feel her agony in her words and empathize with her and want to share her pain. She is a brave lady; she has the courage to speak out and share her innermost emotions and experiences. I did not have the courage; I have now mustered up the courage.

My experience at Sanatan Sanstha

I spent many years contemplating upon my association with Sanatan Sanstha. I went into a deep study and focussed my attention on the various methods used by them (I had collaborated in developing some of them), the logic and the science behind them, how human psychology was involved and how these impacted the sadhaks. I also understood how these were used by Sanatan to control the mind. The sanstha begins very small, it identifies potential victims and then increases the force. Not all of the sadhaks are made to leave their homes, Sanatan does not want this, it has no desire to fill the ashram with such persons. That will bring financial ruin. It wants them to stay at their home and go about their normal day to day routine. But, they are supposed to spend their free time in furthering the cause of Dr Jayant Athavale. They are supposed to spread his words as gospels of truth and bring in more recruits. These recruits bring in the money through contributions and donations. They actively seek donations.

Members are the armies and the one with the maximum strength wins the battle. Provided that the army has dedicated soldiers. This is where mind control techniques come into play; this is where Sanatan Sanstha uses human psychology and the experience and expertise of the Guru. The process of induction and indoctrination is a very well thought of process. It has been simplified to such an extent that even normal people can use it -  without knowing about the theory behind the practice. Dr Athavale has managed to turn his army into recruiters; psychological recruiters.

If you think that the sanstha is engaged in spiritual activities, think again. Think, look and analyse. Look at their sadhaks, they all speak the same language, they talk in the same language and behave in the same manner.