The Mushrooming of Sects and Fake Gurus

Listening to what is happening in the various religious sites these days and also what was discovered a few years back in Mauritius – creates fear for those who intend to embark on the spiritual journey. There is a mushrooming growth of sects and gurus even in our tiny country. Many innocent people in quest of God or seeking solution to their innumerable problems are caught in the net of sects and gurus. The fact is that these so-called gurus and sects have a unique interest – money and women.
Lofty lessons about sincerity, devotion and faith in the guru are not applicable to just any person who poses with the identity of a guru. This category of individuals is malicious and very dangerous for society, because they, in fact, hide under the banner of religion and spirituality to fool innocent God-seeking people to achieve their own selfish ends.
Such a fake guru asks disciples to leave behind all previous knowledge and certificates before crossing the threshold to him, so that they cannot use any reasoning backed by previous knowledge. They are thus made to blindly follow him. He asks for a mind qualified as tabula rasa to be able to fill it with conditionings of his own for his own selfish benefits. He asks the disciple to give him ‘carte blanche’ meaning ‘power of attorney’ supposedly for successful spiritual guidance, but then he is able to monitor their lives, their property and their decisions. By making you fill in forms to provide all details about you, your marital status, your job etc, he knows your whereabouts, he estimates your salary and assets so that he plans how and when to extort money from you.
How can one blindly follow a person whose credentials are not established as a genuine guru? A person who usurps the wealth and happiness of his disciples by hook or by crook has no ethical right to even call himself a guru. Whenever a guru preaches that blind followership towards him is a sign of true disciplehood, there is definitely something fishy. He tells you to leave everything else and come to him for he is the one who will liberate you from worldly attachments. In fact, faced to such claims from a gurucsi, one needs to be more vigilant. Why should a seeker not use his mental faculties? Why should a disciple see blindly, act blindly? Many who have followed blindly a guru in our days, have been badly fooled and deceived.
It is not the disciples who are fools by virtue of the fact that they are learners, unknowledgeable in divinity and therefore spiritually blind as says Kabir ‘the disciple is totally blind’. But it is the so-called guru who is a cheat, crooked and a fake. He teaches blind followership and asks the disciples to stop analyzing and reflecting over anything he says by calling this cunningness. In fact, he asks for blind followership because he has things to hide. If discovered one has to turn a blind eye and have deaf ears or is told that this is ‘leela’ or ‘divine drama’  or is taught how to defend the guru in the public. He takes a few disciples in trust and creates a network of informers who in a way spy over other disciples and reveal to him any rumours against him.   
A disciple, who blindly follows all the precepts with devotion, has in fact the qualities of disciplehood of the Sat Yuga and Treta Yuga, and is indeed a true disciple. Such true disciples and God-seekers need to be extremely cautious in the present age because among a few genuine gurus, they run the risk and misfortune of meeting a fake guru – a wolf who wears the mask of a sheep, i.e a fake guru who wears the mask of Satguru and proclaims Godhood.
Such signs in the character of any person feigning to uplift humanity, immediately reveal the true identity of his fakeness. In Kali Yuga particularly, many fake gurus use the attributes of Satguru mentioned in the scriptures to earn respect, cheat persons of their wealth and use their god-seeking nature and committed dedication – to fool them. They give all sorts of fake identification of model characters of scriptures to fool pretty innocent young girls who worship Krishna. They create a dream world in their young minds; then they use the gymnastics of psychology to convince them and exploit them physically for gratification of their sex appetites. Some even barter to buy off the silence of their prey so as to continue their hunt.
They are characterless, persisting in their immoral acts under the cover of satsang or spiritual gatherings. How can even the company of such a person be called satsang? His very presence and company is kusang – which blemishes the honour of others in society and is shameful. Such company leads to loss of self respect, health, wealth and character.
Lofty lessons about sincerity, devotion and faith in the guru are not applicable to just any person who poses with the identity of a guru. This category of individuals is malicious, very dangerous for society, because they hide under the banner of religion and spirituality to fool innocent God-seeking people to achieve their own selfish ends.
Therefore, what are the options left? Do God-seekers block their inner quest and refrain from engaging in spirituality?  Spiritual search is the inborn divine right of every human being. Knowledge and education is the birthright of every human being. So what can we do? Man cannot stay hand-tied and allow this issue to engulf those who seek the feet of the Lord, instead of becoming a prey to social evils when they are surrounded by problems.
Do whatever we want, spirituality is our inner force which has a constant pull. This pull becomes very strong at times. So strong that man has no choice. But he will have to choose the right decision! How does one discover the genuine Guru in the jungle of people? Rites and rituals are different matters. But does the state need to protect its citizens by coming forward with laws, rules and regulations about who can teach spirituality – a path to the unknown and beyond what is tangible, empirical and not visibly evaluable?  Do religio-cultural organizations have to tow the line ? Who will bell the cat?