Gurus’ History

The True History of Kripalu Maharaj and Prakashanand Saraswati — The Two “Gurus” Exposed in Sex, Lies, and Two Hindu Gurus

1922 – Kripalu born
1929 – Prakash born
1940 – Kripalu studies trantric yoga with a tantric yogi near Chitrakoot
1952 – Prakash goes to Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath and says he’s offered the title, even though he was only 23 and just met him, but he turned it down (meanwhile, three other more experienced men are in line for the title)
1955

Kripalu and Prakash meet
Prakash “follows him like a shadow for six months,” then gets sent away for 11 years

1957 – Kripalu says he was given the title of “jagadguru” by Kashi Vidvat Parishad – though no one has ever vouched for this
1960s

Prakash travels out of India, including the U.S., and begins making connections
Prakash takes first group of devotees from New Zealand to India to meet Kripalu, but when some leave him for Kripalu, he announces that he will not take any more people to India
Prakash names his organization (an off-shoot of Kripalu’s) the “International Society of Divine Love Consciousness”

Prakash travels to TM community, Fairfax, Iowa; finds many devotees
Prakash starts his ISDL organization in the U.S. and begins propagating “divine love consciousness”
Prakash begins turning western women into preachers (Kripalu asks him disapprovingly at one point why he’s got so many “white women”)
Kripalu renames his organization “Divine Love Mission”

1990 – A Prakash Austin-based devotee buys 200 acres of prime Hill Country land at a discount and flips it to over ISDL the very next day
1991 – Kripalu captured, arrested, and jailed for child sex abuse allegations; the case meanders through the Indian court system, from the low court, to the high court, and back to the low court – it is unclear to this day if the case was ever resolved.
1999 – Prakash talks about Kripalu for the first time in a decade

October – Prakash gives 30-part The Life History of Kripalu Maharaj lecture series speeches at that year’s intensive
November – Prakash begins taking devotees to meet Kripalu in India

2004 – Kripalu and Prakash admit they are in the same organization and both rename their group as Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat
2005 – Kripalu’s first trip to Barsana Dham USA, collects $1 million in seva money
2007

April 1 – Kripalu arrives in Barsana Dham for second time (he is one month early, because he cancelled three other stops on the way-Fiji, New Zealand, San Diego)
May 14 – Kripalu leaves Barsana Dham for Trinidad
May 18 – Kripalu arrested for raping a young woman in Trinidad
July 4 – Kripalu leaves Austin in the middle of the night for Dallas with curtains on his Mecedes’ windows, he flies from Dallas to Trinidad
July 5 – Prakash holds a private meeting in his bedroom with wealthy devotees, and asks for money for Kripalu
July 6 – Prakash quietly leaves Austin for Trinidad, most devotees are unaware of this clandestine trip
July 13 – Prakash returns to Barsana Dham
July 16 – Kripalu acquitted after prosecutors drop case
July 21 – Kripalu leaves Trinidad for India—he never again leaves the country

April 24 – Prakash is arrested on 20 counts of indecency with children: these are two girls who grew up in his U.S. ashram in the 1990s.

October – After evading a criminal trial for nearly three years, including a claim that he was bedridden in India, Prakash is caught in the U.S.

February 24 – Prakash’s trial begins.
March 4 – Prakash found guilty by a jury of all counts (20) of indecency with children.
March 6 – Prakash leaves the U.S. and heads to Mexico to evade justice.
March 8 – In his absence, Prakash is sentenced to 14 years in prison. Prakash remains a fugitive from justice to this day, whose last know location is Mexico.

If you know the whereabouts of Prakashanand Saraswati, or have any information, contact U.S. Marshals: http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=77370