Nirmal Baba, a Hindu spiritual leader, was on the list of “Fake Babas of India.”
It was a list of fraud babas in India, released in 2017 by Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad. As soon as the list was out, the print and electronic media started bashing Nirmal Baba and many other “Gurus” and “Godmen.”
But the media trial goes way back even before any such list was released.
I remember that one evening, I was watching an “expose” where the news anchor was yelling like a crazy blowhard:
“Is Nirmal Baba a fake guru or is he a genuine spiritual master? How did Nirmaljit Singh Narula transform into a Baba overnight? Nirmal Baba’s devotees claim that his third eye can reveal anybody’s past, present, and future. Could that be true?”
“Why is this Baba charging money? Shouldn’t he suggest remedies for free?”
“Today, we’ll expose Nirmal Baba and give you the complete truth about this conman.”
And he went on and on and on. He labeled the whole thing as nothing but a scam. The Nirmal Baba Scam.
But it didn’t stop there.
The News Channel Exposed “Fake” Nirmal Baba Further
The channel explained how the “Godman” was hilarious enough to be mistrusted. The anchor reiterated that godmen are supposed to be “serious” and Nirmal Baba didn’t fit the bill. Also, the channel played a few people’s bytes who claimed they were “saints”, and those saints revealed how Nirmal Baba was not a saint but instead, a fraud baba—a fake guru.
So, essentially, a group of self-proclaimed saints declared another self-proclaimed guru a “fake, “correct? 🙄
Nirmal Baba Stays Exposed?
(Later, in the year 2017, Nirmal Baba was officially blacklisted for being accused of tax evasion, cheating, and spreading superstition.)
Since Nirmal Baba was featured on the “fake babas of India” list, he stands exposed as a fake guru, right?
Let’s dig deeper and find out the truth.
The first thing that comes to my mind is: if Nirmal Baba is a fraud, why do so many people visit him?
The answer:
Because they WANT something. For example:
A retired man’s son needs a job. A poor widow dreams of getting her daughter married. And a frustrated middle-aged executive craves peace of mind.
The people attending Nirmal Baba’s congregation are desperate for something or the other. (Translation: They have their own vested interests.) And you know what’s strange? Nirmal Baba’s “remedies” seem to work for them, no matter how obnoxious or hilarious they might sound.
So, let me get this straight: People are visiting Nirmal Baba to seek solutions and (apparently), his advice benefits people.
So am I missing something here? Why would a news channel, or anyone for that matter, object? What are their vested interests?
Oh, I see.
This Baba or his “hilarious” advice is not the issue, rather the real issue is, “Why is he charging money?”
What’s wrong with charging money in return for useful advice? Don’t you visit your doctor for checkups, seek health-related advice, and pay a fee? You do, everyone who visits a doctor does, and you don’t expect the poor fellow to treat you for free, do you?
I get it. It’s the typical Bharatiya mind at play here.
The Problem With the Bharatiya Mind
Bharatiyas have a problem, a serious one:
We take spiritual and metaphysical phenomena for granted.
We shamelessly seek help to earn more money, buy nicer cars, and build bigger houses. Hell, we even seek help to experience peace of mind, but don’t want to pay for it. At the end of the day, freebies have their own charm, even if they destroy us left, right, and center.
“So what? Shouldn’t spiritual advice be given free of cost? After all, this has been the great Sanatana Dharma tradition.”
Well, I agree with you. Helping people without charging a dime is an age-old Hindu tradition, but who has the right to decide if Nirmal Baba should or shouldn’t charge? And who has the right to certify whether he is a genuine healer or a thug? Who’s the authority here?
Is Nirmal Baba Really a “Fake” Baba… a Conman? Who Has the Authority to Decide?
Tell me:
What right does a “news channel” have to declare Nirmal Baba a fraud?
We all know the true faces of these “news” channels, don’t we?
They play endless sound bytes to fuck your mind up like anything. They sensationalize the most trivial issues to gain higher TRPs. And not to mention how they serve their masters sitting abroad by running their propaganda in our country.
Let me refresh your memory a bit.
These “news” channels claim:
Sadhguru is a kidney smuggler and an elephant corridor destroyer. Baba Ramdev is a conman and tax evader, and Baba Bageshwar Dham aka Dhirendra Shashtri is a fraud. But as soon as “Christian missionaries” come into the picture, everything changes.
Remember “Teresa, the converter?”
That Christian missionary fraudster converted countless poor Hindus (luring them with food, shelter, and medicine). She did all this in the name of “love,” but she was not a fraud. She was “Mother.”
But Wait! What About the Rational Thinkers? Can’t They Decide?
Oh, yes.
The “rational thinkers.”
Another name (mostly) for rice-bag converts, missionaries, and missionary sympathizers. They label Hindu Gurus and spiritual masters as frauds but never lose a chance to glorify the Savior (who could not save even himself). Not only that, they also boast about how “the one and only son of god” healed the blind, and the crippled, and brought back the dead to life, with his “magical” powers (of course!)
This non-sensical behavior exposes their hate for pagan cultures. The fact of the matter is, that they consider Hindus as lesser beings and insult them by calling them names such as “Heathens.”
Essentially, if it’s from the savior or his followers, it’s because of the grace of God, but if it’s from a Hindu, it’s “superstition,” right? Like they know what superstition is.
Superstition—What Is It, Exactly?
Ever heard the name, Ram Gopal Varma?
Yes, the film producer.
The promo of his movie, Phoonk (based on black magic), reads, “Everything is superstition until it happens to you.”
So, here’s the thing:
People who can see spirits, experience miracles, or understand that “bad karma brings bad luck” are superstitious. But, when a corporate employee says, “Touch wood.” (with a grin) and tells his friend about his promotion, that’s not superstition, correct?
Seriously?
Let Me Tell You What Superstition Actually Is
“Believing” is superstition.
Here’s the definition of the word “Believe” (Oxford Languages):
accept that (something) is true, especially without proof.
Of course, you can believe whatever the hell you want but remember, life doesn’t end at believing. There’s also something called “knowing.”
Now, I can almost hear you thinking:
“But . . . isn’t believing the same as knowing?”
Nope. Not even close.
Here’s why: You believe when you don’t know. In Sadhguru’s words, “Do you believe you have two hands, or do you know you have two hands?”
You know, right?
Why don’t you believe you have two hands? Well, because there’s no need. Because you KNOW. So, essentially, believing doesn’t make you progressive, modern, or rational. But it sure makes you a fool, or dare I say, a damn fool. Alright, since that’s out of the way, now let’s talk about “knowing” a bit more, shall we?
Believing Or Knowing?
Hindus consider Mukti (liberation) the highest level of consciousness and Knowing the path to achieve it.
And for a good reason.
They know that knowing is liberation, and that’s why they don’t believe in some “imaginary god” sitting in heaven. Instead, their gods are right there, in front of them:
The bright sun, the dreamy moon, the twinkling stars, the sparkling rivers, and the joyful trees—in fact, the entire universe is their god. And still, they never claimed their way is the only way, and their god is the only god—something the “seculars” need to learn from the Hindus, like right now.
So, let me make this clear:
Nobody has the right to typecast a person superstitious or a phenomenon as superstition. Just because you don’t understand something doesn’t mean you’re right.
Fair enough?
Okay, let’s get back to…
Nirmal Baba
The people calling Nirmal Baba a fraudster were nothing but jealous of him. They’re jealous of the fact that an ordinary man became a “guru” overnight (and now earns huge amounts of money while they’re still living on charity). And they were also angry that now they needed an appointment to meet him (undoubtedly a blow to their egos).
Now, stay with me for a moment because I want your attention to an interesting thing:
Did you notice that the people labeling Nirmal Baba a fraud are also desperate to make money? But since they didn’t have the skills to attract huge crowds, they failed. And now, the only thing they can do is complain.
Also, let’s dig a bit deeper and question the intentions of the “saints”, “rational thinkers” and “seculars.”
When politicians loot public money in millions, why don’t these “saints” raise their voices? The missionary thugs convert poor, helpless Hindus in the name of service, but the “rational thinkers” never seem to have a problem. “Secular” and “progressive” insult Hindu culture and Hindu values almost daily but neither the “saints” nor the “rational thinkers” seem to protest or even criticize.
What’s the logic?
Why is Nirmal Baba on the “Fake Babas of India” List? Is He Really a Fraud?
This guy, Nirmal Baba, has every right to charge money for his advice, as long as he doesn’t do anything illegal. Notice I said illegal because unethical is almost always subjective.
And the incompetent saints and the so-called rational thinkers? Well, they can continue labeling Nirmal Baba a fraud.
Now, could it be possible that Nirmal Baba is being targeted because he’s a Hindu?
No?
Okay, let’s say Nirmal Baba was a missionary. Or a Sufi.
Do you think he still would’ve been targeted and labeled a “fake” baba?