JKP Past

The Truth Project for Barsana Dham and JKP on Facebook is Now Defunct — My Blog Will Now Tell the Truth About Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat

by Karen Jonson (Rishika)
written by Karen Jonson (Rishika)

RishikaXcult.com Delivers In-Depth and Insightful Coverage of the JKP Cult — As Well As Inspirational Essays About Spiritual and Life Transformation

This Rishikaxcult.com blog, along with my book, are now the main sources for learning the truth about Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat. These are more sophisticated information delivery systems than The Truth Project for Barsana Dham and JKP on Facebook (which is now defunct).

In August 2010, I started a Facebook page called “The Truth Project for Barsana Dham and JKP.” I created this Facebook page to share the truth about JKP, Kripalu Maharaj, and Prakashanand Saraswati. Its purpose was to cut through JKP’s ongoing propaganda and lies — and share what was really going on.

I used the word “Project,” because the page was just that: A project to share the truth with those who wanted to know it. The word “project” speaks to a specific task that has a beginning and an end. The beginning of my project was August 2010 and the end was August 2012.

The Truth Project Accomplished Three Significant Results

The two-year project was a huge success — better even that I could have ever predicted when I started it with just a handful of followers. Here is what The Truth Project accomplished in just 24 months:

1. The Truth Project grew beyond my expectations, reaching people around the world who wanted to know the truth about Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat. The Facebook page had many likes, but many more people who regularly read it without clicking the “Like” button. Many of the followers contacted me privately with words of thanks, encouragement, and new insights into the truth about JKP.

2. The information I shared on The Truth Project helped many ex-devotees better understand the spiritual con game in which they had been trapped, and it made them feel less alone in the world. That was one of my main goals when I learned the truth about JKP – I wanted to give ex-devotees a sense of solidarity instead of isolation. I’m happy to report that The Truth Project helped accomplish this goal.

3. Thanks to The Truth Project, I made several significant connections with JKP insiders, who had information to share with me. Some of that insider information changed the course of history at JKP for good – including being able to catch Prakashanand in Austin in early October 2011, when his lawyers were telling Hays County prosecutors that he could not fly from India to the U.S. due to illness. (Note: All of my contacts shall forever remain anonymous, unless they wish to reveal themselves.)

“The Truth Project” Reaches the Next Level — in a Book and a Blog

The Truth Project accomplished so much. However, it was a “Project” as the name implied. And now it’s time to take the Project to the next level — in my book and my blog.

For one thing, while Facebook is an acceptable general social media avenue, it has several serious flaws, including the fact that it is not a dependable vehicle to reach people. This flaw became even more pronounced last summer. Simply stated, Facebook only delivers page updates to about 10% of the people who “Like” a page. The reason for this low delivery percentage is that Facebook wants to charge people a fee to reach 100% of the people who “Like” each page. These costs are prohibitive for the average small business and non-profit, like myself.

A better, and much more sophisticated, way to reach 100% of the people who want to receive specific information is through a blog. The people who sign up on blogs will receive the updates 100% of the time (unlike on Facebook).

After contemplating Facebook’s disadvantages, I chose to move The Truth Project to my existing blog. I own this site, so sharing information is now under my control, versus under the control of Facebook.

My Supporters Stand Up for Me — and for The Truth About JKP

Many of the regular readers of The Truth Project were upset when it abruptly disappeared. I had notified the people who “Liked” the page of an upcoming change, but I had no way to notify the people who had never clicked the “Like” button. (At the time, I was mulling over changing the name of the page, since Barsana Dham ashram’s name had been changed to Radha Madhav Dham after Prakashanand escaped. But then I made the decision that my blog would be a more dependable delivery medium.)

After the page went down, I was very touched when so many people reached out to me, worried about what had happened to the original The Truth Project on Facebook. The primary reason for their distress was that JKP had immediately taken over the name and created a fake Facebook page. My supporters were concerned both about me personally and about the future of The Truth Project. I explained to them individually what had happened.

The bogus Facebook page is administered by someone with a fake name — apparently he or she is too ashamed to use his or her real name. There are allegedly many followers to this artificial Facebook page. However, JKP has another Facebook page, which is in support of Prakashanand. That page is administered by a man in Ireland, named David C., who is in his early 20s. Interestingly, the statistics for that Facebook page reported that the greatest concentration of people who “Liked” the page were people from Ireland in their early 20s. What this tells me is that David himself made up a bunch of fake Facebook pages, which he then used to “Like” his page. I assume the same is happening with the bogus Truth Project.

RishikaXcult.com is Already Attracting Many Followers

Already my blog, Rishikaxcult.com, has attracted many people who have signed up to receive regular updates. I’m hoping to expand membership to others who want to know the truth about the JKP cult, better understand cult tactics in general, and gain inspiration after living through a traumatic experience. The essays about transformation will celebrate our journey on this planet as both spiritual and physical beings.

Along with my blog, I have also published a website for my memoir, www.sexliesandtwohindugurus.com. I also maintain two Facebook pages for people who prefer to get updates on that social medium: Rishika Xcult and Sex, Lies, and Two Hindu Gurus. I know that those who want to find me will definitely find me — and when they find me, they will find the truht.

That is the whole story of The Truth Project for Barsana Dham and JKP — now and forever a book and a blog!

I hope to hear from you on one of my sites. Also, I’m always available by email at rishikaxcult at gmail dot com.

Best wishes to everyone! Thank you for reading and caring.

Karen (aka Rishika)

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A notorious letter exchange between two gurus.
JKP Past

Guru Wars — Why Did the Rapist Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Maharaj Try to Disown Convicted Felon Swami Prakashanand Saraswati?

by Karen Jonson (Rishika)
written by Karen Jonson (Rishika)

“Our plan to make millions of dollars in the U.S. for Barsana India.”

Photo: This is an image of the two notorious “smoking gun” letters that I write about in my book. In one letter, Kripalu is ordering Prakashanand to send him thousands of dollars in “black money,” which is illegal. But Prakashanand angrily writes back, telling him: “If you do anything wrong in this society [don’t follow the law], they will finish you forever. So, if this happens, our plan to collect millions of dollars for Barsana [India] will be finished.

By Karen Jonson (Rishika)

Originally Published: 23 October 2012

Updated and Republished: 22 November 2024

Note from blog post author, Karen Jonson (Rishika): This blog post is one of the 10 blog posts on Rishikaxcult.com, written by me, Karen Jonson (Rishika), that Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat tried to remove from the internet by devious means. Why don’t they want you to know this information?

Two Criminal Gurus Engage in a 50-Year Love-Hate Relationship of Scamming, Pillaging, and Raping — Then Kripalu Tries to Deny It

“He’s a disciple of Guru Dev, not of me.” 

Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Maharaj made this statement while trying to disown Swami Prakashanand Saraswati after he was convicted of 20 counts of child sex abuse in a court of law in the USA. 

Extensive receipts prove otherwise, including a massive number of photographs, videos, and documents of the two working side-by-side for over 50 years. 

Here is the True History of the Two Gurus’ Long-Running Con Game 

In the 1980s, among certain members of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) community living in Fairfield, Iowa, Swami Prakashanand Saraswati was a notorious personality. After arriving in the USA for the first time, he made a beeline to Fairfield with the express purpose of trying to recruit (steal) followers away from the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of TM. 

In one infamous advertisement, Prakashanand equated the Maharishi to Satan. In lectures, he claimed that Maharishi was “bringing people into darkness.”

What’s most interesting about these attempts to overtake Marharishi is that in the 1950s, Prakashanand and Maharishi shared the same guru — Jagadguru Shankaracharya Brahmanand Saraswati. He was better known as Guru Dev. 

Guru Dev had been the Shankarcharya of Jyotirmath, considered a very prestigious religious seat in India. Maharishi was Guru Dev’s secretary for many years, until he died in 1952. Maharishi was never a teacher when he was with Guru Dev. But he made himself into one to enrich his pocket — knowing that there were thousands of gullible people in the USA that he could recruit into transcendental medication.

Prakashanand was just a student under Guru Dev. However, in his official biography, he claims that he, at 22 years old, and with very little experience, was offered Guru Dev’s official seat. However, there were several actual successors to the position who were with Guru Dev for years and infinitely better suited for the role. 

“Of course, Prakashanand was never offered the position. It’s just another lie to build a myth.”

Rishika

Prakashanand Lies About His Past — Turns Out He’s Nothing Special

Here’s what Prakashanand stated in his bio:

“At the age of twenty-one, in 1950, he (Prakashanand) renounced the world and went to Jyotirmath in the Himalayas. In 1951 he took the order of sanyas (renounced person). Seeing his esteem of renunciation and deep feeling of God consciousness, in 1952, he was offered to be the successor of Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath, which is one of the most renowned religious thrones in India. He very politely refused by saying, ‘My final desire is to go to Vrindaban. I have given my life for the service of Radha Rani, so I cannot live forever in the math (organization).’”

Prakashanand went out on his own after that. But he had very little success as an independent swami roaming around India. Four years later, he met Shri Kripalu Maharaj and — according to him — instantly became his foremost devotee. But, at that time, Kripalu only had a very primitive residence and very few followers. 

Kripalu welcomed Prakashanand into his fledgling “spiritual” organization, recognizing a fellow conman when he saw one. The two began a 60-plus-years-long love-hate relationship as they worked together to try and build a following and get rich quick. 

One of Prakashanand’s duties was to go to America and try to find new devotees and bring them back to India and to somehow collect millions of dollars. They knew that many Hindu gurus had gone to America and lured in a bunch of gullible followers into their cults — people like the Maharishi. In fact, Maharishi ended up being a very materially successful guru in America with thousands of followers. 

Prakashanand was only able to gather up a relatively small number of devotees compared to Maharishi. In fact, many other gurus who come to the U.S. seeking wealth and fame attracted a larger following than he did. 

But the small group of early followers who were largely comprised of formerly “TMers” turned out to be a stroke of luck for two main reasons:

  1. They were able to have close relationship with Prakashanand unlike with Maharishi. They were thrilled about that. 
  2. His early followers believed that Prakashanand was “God incarnate,” specifically “the incarnation of Radha-Krishna.” 
  3. A few of them created businesses in the informercial industry that eventually generated millions of dollars. Notable among the most-wealthy of Prakashanand’s small group of Western followers were a handful of former TMers, three of whom were minting money in the infomercial trade and giving large sums of it to the gurus: Peter Spiegel, Katie Williams, and Marsha Kent.

Kripalu was practically salivating because so much Western money began flowing over to him (and into his India-based trusts). He was able to build the massive temples in India in his name that he always craved. 

“Prakashanand achieved his primary mission in the USA — make millions to send back to India (see the image at the top of this blog post).”

Rishika

The Fake Guru Con Game Expands in the 1990s

The two conmen’s business partnership flourished in the 2000s. This culminated with the completion of the largest temple in Vrindaban, India, built by Prakashanand to glorify Kripalu — Prem Mandir. They spared no expense for the massive structure, including importing emerald pearl from China and pink marble from Italy, among two of the many extravagances. They even built railroad tracks to transport the materials to Vrindaban from the shipyard on the coast. 

The total bill for the temple and extras is estimated to be one billion U.S. dollars — which was primarily generated from infomericals selling people junk, as well as from followers who were told that the funds were going to “build hospitals.”

Prem Mandir was supposed to be a place with great devotional purpose. But it is so overdone and garish that it looks like a Las Vegas casino and Disneyland had a baby. The scene is pure chaos with flashing lights, loud music, too many decorations, and visitors acting like every day is a party. If you view the temple’s videos online, you’ll get a small glimpse of the monstrosity they created. 

And it wasn’t the last building the two constructed. They also added a wide range of buildings to Kripalu’s home village in Manghar, India. It was once a tiny rural village. Now it’s Kripalu-land, with everything as overdone and garish as the Vrindaban temple. They even built a very opulent home for Kripalu, even though he was in his 80s and near death. 

Kripalu Lies about Prakashanand’s Past in JKP

All their work to glorify Kripalu came to a screeching halt in 2008 when Prakashanand was arrested in the USA on 20 counts of child molestation. The victims were three girls who grew up in the Austin ashram, formerly called Barsana Dham. The name was changed to Radha Madhav Dham in April 2011, following his conviction and escape from justice. 

In March 2011, Prakashanand was convicted of his crimes, but before he could be sentenced, he ran for the border into Mexico and escaped with the help of several of his devotees. Nearly one dozen people were known to have directly participated in his escape from the U.S. to India, according to a document from the Texas Branch of the U.S. Marshals office. 

An article in the Austin American-Statesman at that time featured a report filed by the U.S. Marshals in September 2012 about Prakashanand’s escape into India. The details of the report were published on this blog.

Twenty days after the newspaper article was published, Kripalu’s organization in India issued a press release denouncing its association with Prakashanand. The news article, which JKP got scrubbed from the internet, stated the following:

Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Maharaj Denies Link with Wanted Godman Swami Prakashanand Saraswati

New Delhi, Oct.14 (ANI): A trust founded by Jagadguru Kripalu Ji Maharaj issued a statement over the weekend, refuting and rejecting suggestions and allegations of his link with wanted godman Swami Prakashanand Saraswati.

Saraswati has been declared a criminal in America, and a spokesman for the Jagadguru said that the spiritual leader was not in the habit of accepting or making disciples.

‘It is to be noted that Prakashanand Saraswati is a disciple of Jagadguru Shankaracharya Brahmanand Saraswati (a sanyasi). Jagadguru Kripalu Ji Maharaj is a family man and is a Vaishnava (Vishnu devotee),’ the statement said.

According to the trust, several people in India and abroad claim to be their guru’s disciples, impressed by his actions and his ‘irrefutable devotion towards god.’

‘Under such circumstances, creating a misconception, and, thereby, deluding the public by saying that a wanted criminal is his disciple or associated with any of the trusts functioning under his guidance, is definitely a condemnable action,’ the trust statement said.”

No Love Lost Between Two Criminal Psychopathic Gurus

This proclamation by Kripalu and Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat is, of course, a complete lie — easily refutable by anyone with an internet connection. 

The only person “deluding the public” is Kripalu himself, who has a dark, dark history, chronicled in my memoir, Sex, Lies, and Two Hindu Gurus.

Interestingly, but not surprisingly, when the U.S. Marshal’s statement was released, the Radha Madhav Dham website deleted the lat fact that Prakashanand founded the ashram and temple. They even removed all of his books from the online bookstore and his photographs from the ashram.

Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Maharaj and Swami Prakashanand Saraswati are notorious historical recreationists. They have always spouted whatever nonsense fits their needs at the moment — even if it’s different than something they said or did in the past. 

What Prakashanand’s devotees think of this latest fraud perpetrated by Kripalu is anyone’s guess. They’ve shown through their actions that they are in lockstep with every utterance from both lying, dangerous, and criminal conmen — even if they defy logic or the truth.

“This cult would be an utter joke — if it wasn’t so very dangerous.”

Rishika

Learn More About the Two Criminal Gurus

Learn more about the truth of my two ex-gurus, Jagadguru Shri Kripalu and Swami Prakashanand Saraswati — partners in crime for over 60 years — in my book Sex, Lies, and Two Hindu Gurus. It’s available around the world and in India.

Purchase in India: Sex, Lies, and Two Hindu Gurus

Purchase everywhere else: Sex, Lies, and Two Hindu Gurus

Tell Your Story — and Set Yourself Free

Do you want to tell your story and help people steer clear of this abusive organization? Please reach out to me. I will keep your name in complete confidence. 

Copyright © 2012-2024 Karen Jonson/RishikaXcult. All rights reserved. No part of this blog post may be copied or duplicated without the express permission of the author. 

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JKP Past

Who Aided and Abetted Swami Prakashanand Saraswati’s Escape? U.S. Marshal Releases Detailed Report

by Karen Jonson (Rishika)
written by Karen Jonson (Rishika)

Cover of U.S. Marshal’s Affidavit relating to a search warrant of an email account that devotees likely used to communicate about helping Prakashanand Saraswati escape from the Texas, into Mexico, and then, nine months later, into India.

Saraswati is the “Foremost Devotee” of Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Maharaj, Leader of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat

On September 14, 2012, the State of Texas issued a Search Warrant to access a particular Yahoo! Inc. email account — which they believed to be a source of “suspected place and premises property concealed and kept in violation of the laws of Texas.”

The email account is related to an individual or individuals involved with Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat. The U.S. Marshals researching the whereabouts of the convicted felon and fugitive from justice, Prakashanand Saraswati (long-time devotee of Kripalu Maharaj), have requested access to this account in their ongoing search for the missing pedophile.

The 12-page affidavit filed in support of the search warrant details just some of the activity and just some of the people involved in Prakashanand’s escape. However, it’s highly likely that many more followers were involved, all with different tasks, such as making phone calls, handling money, and securing false documents such as passports.

All in all, this document is a very interesting read. It shows the depths that blind-faith followers will sink to support their sociopath of choice, including breaking the law by aiding and abetting a fugitive — in this case Prakashanand. News of this affidavit was first reported by the Austin American-Statesman reporter who has been following the case since Prakashanand’s arrest in April 2008.

Affidavit from the Texas U.S. Marshal’s Office

On March 4, 2011, Prakashanand Saraswati was convicted by a jury in Hays County, Texas on twenty counts of Indecency with a Child by Sexual Contact, a felony in violation of Texas Penal Code, Section 21.11. On March 07, 2011, Saraswati failed to appear in Hays County District Court for the sentencing phase of the trial, and at that time a Failure to Appear arrest warrant was issued by presiding 22nd Judicial District Judge, Charles Ramsay.

After Saraswati failed to appear Affiant began an investigation into his possible whereabouts with other members and U.S. Marshals assigned to the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force. Deputy United States Marshal, Robert Marcum, was assigned to the case on the federal level and your Affiant on the State level.

Since the investigation began it has revealed that on the evening of March 6, 2011, followers of Saraswati held a meeting at the residence of Marsha Kent in Driftwood, Hays County, TX. Saraswarti is a leader for a religious organization based out of India called Jagadguru Kripalu Prishat (JKP) and is the founder of the International Society of Divine Love. Prior to being convicted of the sex offenses described above, Saraswati was the leader of the temple formerly known as Barsana Dham (currently Radha Madhav Dham) in Austin, Hays County, TX. The primary leader of JKP is an individual named Kripalu Maharaj. Followers of Saraswati discussed details of a plan at this meeting to take Saraswati to Mexico before his sentencing hearing the following day.

Followers Given Cash and “Dump” Phones to Help Saraswati Escape

On March 10, 2011, three days following Saraswati’s failure to appear, U.S. Marshals Service personnel interviewed a known follower of Saraswati named Ethan DeMitchell in Greenacres, FL. DeMitchell stated that he had spoken to a known follower of Saraswati named Allison Conn-Caffaro (alias Chitra Devi) on the phone four times that week from two Nuevo Laredo phone numbers. DeMitchell advised Conn-Caffaro called him from Mexico pleading for him to come to Mexico to assist her in helping Saraswati evade law enforcement. DeMitchell stated that a follower of Saraswati named Vishwambhari Devi (formerly Ranjana) was also present with Conn-Caffaro in Mexico. DeMitchell stated that Devi is the personal aide to Saraswati. DeMitchell stated that he spoke with Saraswati on the phone after speaking with Conn-Caffaro. DeMitchell stated Saraswati re-iterated the statements made by Conn-Caffaro.

DeMitchell was discovered to be in possession of $5,000 during the interview. DeMitchell stated that he was instructed to use this money to purchase a fake passport so that Saraswati could flee Mexico to India. DeMitchell stated he was working with others in Radha Madhav Dham to assist Saraswati in his flight from law enforcement. DeMitchell further stated that he was attempting to contact two private charter jets companies for the purpose of flying Saraswati out of Mexico and into India. The names of those two companies provided by DeMitchell are ElleJet Aviation Services and Blue Star Jets, LLC. DeMitchell stated that he was under instruction to continuously use more that one “dump” phone to switch SIM cards in order to evade detection by law enforcement. DeMitchell provided Deputy U.S. Marshals with two T-Mobile SIM cards to be used for this purpose.

At the end of the interview with DeMitchell, a known follower of Saraswati named Adolf Tonnessen arrived at the location. Tonnessen verified the statements made by DeMitchell regarding Conn-Caffaro as well as the plan to secure a fake passport for Saraswati. Tonnessen was also found to be in possession of $5,000 and several pre-paid phones. Tonnessen is a father of two of the victims in the Indecency with a Child by Sexual Contact case. Tonnessen stated that he thought his daughters were “lying whores” and he hoped Saraswati would escape detection by law enforcement.

Allison Conn-Caffaro Drives Prakashanand Across Mexican Border

Information received from Customs and Border Patrol indicates Conn-Caffaro traveled from Nuevo Laredo to the United States on the following dates: March 17, 2011 (twice); April 18, 2011; and June 2, 2011. Conn-Caffaro traveled from Tijuana to the United States on November 30, 2011. Information obtained from this investigation indicates that Conn-Caffaro was in the Tamaulipas area of Mexico from March 07, 2011, to June 2, 2011. Conn-Caffaro made brief trips to the United States during that time period on the above referenced dates. Conn-Caffaro spent August 3, 2011, to November 30, 11 in the Rosarito Beach area of Mexico.

On April 14, 2011, Affiant and other U.S. Marshals Service personnel interviewed a known follower of Saraswati named Sylvia Ustoy in the Oak Hill Community of Austin, Travis County, TX. Ustoy is a resident of Radha Madhav Dham. Ustoy was captured on video at the United States Port of Entry in Laredo, TX driving a 2001 Toyota, Texas license plate (number blacked out) on March 18, 2011. When approached by investigators, Ustoy stated that she “hoped Swamiji would never be arrested.” Ustoy refused to answer any questions during the interview. Information received from Customs and Border Patrol indicates that Ustoy traveled from Nuevo Laredo into the United States on March 18, 2011, and March 24, 2011. Additionally, Ustoy traveled from Tijuana to the United States on June 23, 2011.

Marsha Kent, Infomercial Queen, Offers Support from India to Escape Team

Information received from Customs and Border Patrol indicates that a known follower of Saraswati named Carla Roberts traveled from Nuevo Laredo to the United States on March 18, 2011, with followers Sylvia Ustoy and Jenifer Deutsch. Additionally, Roberts traveled from Tijuana to the United States on the following dates: May 27, 2011, and November 7, 2011. Information provided to the U.S. Marshals Service personnel indicates the follower Marsha Kent sent Roberts the following email message on May 26, 2011:

“I thought you might find it interesting that SJ (short for “Swamiji,” meaning Saraswati) strategically kept me out of things, not that I could not be trusted, but to be doubly sure I was protected from what was to occur. I mention this because if some information does come to me, please call me if you have any thoughts. All I can say is if I can ever support, assist, or help you in any way, especially on this side, I am hear for you.” Kent was in India at the time of the email.

On August 25, 2011, Affiant, Deputy U.S. Marshal Marcum and other U.S. Marshals Service personnel conducted a series of interview with followers of Saraswati at Radha Madhav Dham, which is located at 400 Barsana Road, Austin, Hays County, TX. During the interviews all of the members expressed a strong loyalty to Saraswati. There were a number of pictures of Saraswati on display throughout buildings and residences on the temple grounds. The members who were interviewed stated that they did not believe Saraswati was guilty of the convicted offenses, and they hoped he would evade capture and never go to prison. All members interviewed stated they did not have any knowledge of Saraswati since he failed to show up for the sentencing phase of the trial. The following people were interviewed: Jenifer Deutsch, Mary Maskell, Ram Persaud, Beatrice Sarnow, and Peter Melody.

Jenifer Deutsch and Dennis Wagner Engage in Suspicious Activity Together

Jenifer Deutsch (aka Vrinda Devi) is the public relations point of contact for Radha Madhav Dham in Austin, Hays County, TX. Information received from Customs and Border Patrol indicates Deutsch traveled from Nuevo Laredo to the United States on March 18, 2011 with Sylvia Ustoy. Additionally, Deutsch traveled from Tijuana to the United States on the following dates: June 2, 2011; June 22, 2022; June 22, 2011; August 4, 2011; October 23, 2011; and November 15, 2011. With the exception of the August 4, 2011 date, Deutsch traveled with fellow devotee Dennis Wagner from Tijuana on all of those dates. The cell phone of Deutsch was found to be in contact with numerous Nuevo Laredo and Tijuana phone numbers during those corresponding time periods. Travel documentation obtained by the U.S. Marshals Service indicates that Deutsch traveled to San Diego on Southwest Airlines Flight #740 on October 4, 2011, and stayed in the Rosarito Beach area of Mexico until October 23, 2011. Dennis Wagner was present with Deutsch in Mexico during that time period and during the November 15, 2011 trip.

Prior to leaving on October 8, 2011, Deutsch told other followers in Austin that she was going to Connecticut to visit her sick mother, and Wagner told other followers that he was traveling to Colorado. U.S. Marshals Service personnel received information containing emails from the account of (info blacked out) dated October 23, 2011 and October 24, 2011, in which Deutsch describes her trip with other followers. Deutsch stated in separate emails that her mother was dealing with “legal problems, miscommunication, anger, and grief.” Due to the fact Deutsch was in Mexico during this time and not in Connecticut to visit her mother, investigators in this case believe that Deutsch was referring to Saraswati when writing about her mother.

On August 26, 2011, a confidential source informed Deputy U.S. Marshal Marcum that Sudhakari Devi is a preacher at an ashram located in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India. The confidential source advised that Sudhakari was one of the first preachers who worked under Saraswati when he became a leader for JKP. The confidential source further advised that the relationship with Saraswati occurred over a long period of time, and Sudhakari and Saraswati maintained a close bond as a result.

Preacher Sudhakari and Accountant Brenda Becker Involved in Handling Money to Fund the Escape

On August 30, 2011, United States Magistrate Judge Andrew Austin signed a search warrant for the email address of (name blackened out). Correspondence contained in this email account revealed two scanned, hand written letters from Kripalu Maharaj to Saraswati. Correspondence also revealed bank statements for Saraswati’s account with Axis Bank in India. The bank statements were sent by Sudhakari to Peter Spiegel, a known follower of Saraswati who signed a bond agreement for $10 million with the Hays County District Court that presided over Saraswati’s case. Additionally, an Axis bank statement for Saraswati was sent by Brenda Becker to Sudhakari on June 07, 2011. Becker is known to this investigation as being a financial officer at Radha Madhav Dham. Further email correspondence revealed that Sudhakari sent a number of medical documents from Saraswati’s doctors in India to Radha Madhav Dham devotees during the weekend Saraswati fled to Mexico. These documents listed extensive details about Saraswati’s medical conditions and summarized medical advice for those conditions. Additionally, Sudhakari used an email address of (address blacked out) to subscribe for this Gmail account. Activity in the Gmail account indicates that (address blacked out) is an active email address in use by Sudhakari.

On August 31, 2011, U.S. Marshals Service personnel interviewed a known follower of Saraswati named John Ancker at this residence in Phoenixville, PA. Information received from Customs and Border Patrol indicated that Ancker traveled from Nuevo Laredo to the United States on April 30, 2011. U.S. Marshals Service personnel who interviewed Ancker stated he was uncooperative and not forthcoming. Ancker stated he had not seen Saraswati since October 2010. A large shrine dedicated to Saraswati located in the residence was observed by U.S. Marshals Service personnel from outside of the residence.

Angela Gates (Prakashanand’s Criminal Legal Council) and Dr. Divyang Ayar (Corpus Christi Doctor) Linked to Escape

On September 16, 2011, U.S. Marshals Service personnel attempted to interview the mother of Allison Conn-Caffaro, Maureen Williams, in San Diego, CA. Williams immediately stated she knew where her daughter was and that she did not want to speak with investigators about the case. Willaims stated she would have an attorney contact U.S. Marshals Service personnel regarding this matter.

On September 28, 2011, U.S. Marshals Service personnel interviewed a known follower of Saraswati named Dr. Divyang Ayar in Corpus Christi, TX. Dr. Ayar was uncooperative regarding his involvement in the case at the beginning of the interview. Dr. Ayar was advised of his Miranda rights, and at that time he voluntarily gave the following information. Dr. Ayar stated that he donated a 2001 Ford Escort Texas license plate (number blacked out) to the JKP organization in February 2011. This vehicle was driven by Conn-Caffaro at the previous referenced border crossings on March 17, 2011; April 18, 2011; and June 2, 2011. Dr. Ayar stated that he was contacted by a known follower of Saraswati named Michael Roberts in June 2011, and Roberts informed him that Radha Madhav Dham no longer needed the vehicle for use. Dr. Ayar stated that he knew a woman named “Chitra” (Conn-Caffaro) was driving this vehicle. Dr. Ayar stated he was then instructed by Roberts to pick up the vehicle from a parking lot at the San Antonio International Airport. Dr. Ayar retrieved the vehicle and subsequently sold it shortly after that.

On October 12, 2011, Deputy U.S. Marshal Marcum received a telephone call from a California based attorney identified as Angelyn Gates. Gates stated she was the attorney for Maureen Williams and gave no indication of a previous relationship she had with Saraswati. Gates asked a number of questions regarding the status of the Saraswati investigation. Gates stated she would agree to have a meeting take place between U.S. Marshal Service personnel and Williams. Gates stated the daughter of Williams, Conn-Caffaro, was not with Saraswati and had not assisted Saraswati in his flight to Mexico. After being informed of this conversation Affiant informed Deputy U.S. Marshal that Gates was a defense attorney for Saraswati during the child molestation trial in Hays County. It was decided at that time to cancel any further plans to discuss this case with Gates and Williams.

On December 1, 2011, Deputy U.S. Marshal Marcum learned that Gates and Williams were in contact with the same Tijuana, Mexico telephone number during the week of November 22, 2011. Conn-Caffaro returned from Tijuana on November 30, 2011. On November 29, 2011, communication with Mexico creased for Gates and Williams. On November 29, 2011, Gates received a telephone call from India.

On December 21, 2011, U.S. Marshals Service personnel learned that the follower traveling with Saraswati, Vishwambhari Devi, had recently activated a life insurance policy in India with ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company LTD.

On March 5, 2012, Deputy U.S. Marshal Marcum interviewed a known follower of Saraswati named Dennis Wagner at his real estate business, United Country Real Estate in Driftwood, Hays County, TX. Wagner initially agreed to proceed with the interview. Wagner stated he did not believe Saraswati was guilty of the convicted offenses and that he had not seen Saraswati since the day of the sentencing on March 7, 2011. Information received from Customs and Border Patrol indicates Wagner traveled from Tijuana to the United States with Jenifer Deutsch on June 20, 2011; October 23, 2011; and November 2011, Wagner refused to answer any further questions and terminated the interview.

Prakashanand Escapes to India in November 2011 — After Nine Months of Hiding in Mexico

During the month of May 2012, Deputy U.S. Marshal Marcum received information from two separate confidential sources who stated that Saraswati was located in India.

On June 12, 2012, Deputy U.S. Marshal Marcum received information from a separate confidential source who recently visited the Bhakti Mandir temple in Mangarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. Mangarh is the birthplace of Kripalu Maharaj. The confidential source advised that he/she spoke in privagte with an ashramvasi at the temple who told him that Saraswati is safe under the protection of Kripalu, but that the location was secret due to concerns about law enforcement arresting Saraswati as well as negative media exposure JKP would receive in the event Saraswati was taken into custody.

On July 17, 2012, Deputy U.S. Marshal Marcum received information from a confidential source who advised that Saraswati was currently in India. The confidential source further advised that Saraswati was able to obtain a fake passport while in Mexico and JKP handlers from India traveled with him from Mexico to India in 2011. This confidential source stated that Saraswati was living in close proximity to Kripalu Maharaj under security. This source further stated that while in Mexico, Saraswati changed his appearance by cutting his hair.

Based on Deputy U.S. Marshal Marcum’s experience as a fugitive investigator and both his and Affiants familiarity with computer records maintained by Yahoo! Inc. and other internet service providers, it is belief of both that records associated with this active e-mail account will provide valuable clues as to the current location of Saraswati.

As this document shows, corruption in Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat is alive and well — and runs deep and wide. From my experience, the one and only thing this fake-Hindu-spiritual organization is good at is organized crime.

What are your thoughts?

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JKP Present

Who Exactly is the Latest Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat Preacher at Radha Madhav Dham USA? — Insider Reveals Secrets of “Swami Haridas”

by Karen Jonson (Rishika)
written by Karen Jonson (Rishika)


Swami Haridas of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat in Nepal. What exactly is he doing in Radha Madhav Dham USA?

There’s a new swami is in town — and at the formerly named Barsana Dham ashram (currently called Radha Madhav Dham.) “Swami Haridas” heralds from Nepal and is one of Kripalu’s many preachers in the field working to bring him warm bodies and cold hard cash. He’s been in and out of Radha Madhav Dham over the past few months, and is running a two-day program this weekend.

But who is this “Swami Haridas” exactly? I had the chance to speak with a person in India who knows the truth about many of the so-called preachers of JKP, including this man. Here is the scoop directly from my source — please warn everyone you know:

“The actual name of Swami Haridas is Hari Pandey. He has only a primary school education. He made fake certificates of degrees to go abroad. He used to do property business helping people buy and sell real estate in Kathmandu. HE WAS A PLAY BOY.

“He started attending Kripalu’s satsang after listening to lectures of Parikari in Kathmandu. He was actually attracted to her appearance rather than to the devotion. Eventually he became attracted to another girl named Sangita Pandey of BhatBhteni, Kathmandu, who was a good singer. She used to sing in the satsang, and her whole family was involved in JKP. They began an affair.

“Then other satsangis from Kathmandu objected to their behavior on the train while going to Mangarh from Kathmandu in October 1996. Then they got married, as there was no other option other than that. They couldn’t have child after marriage because Hari Pandey is defective. Also because of the nature of Hari Pandey they often used to quarrel, and I saw them quarrelling in the ashram in Mangarh as Hari was falling for other girls.

“As Hari Pandey was expert in convincing people for selling and buying properties, he used his talent for recruiting money for ashram and he succeeded. He didn’t have his own house, or even any money to pay for groceries. There after he got to stay at the ashram of Kathmandu freely. He bought some properties by collecting money in the name of the ashram. He engaged most of the satsangis in Nepal and got lakhs of rupees. He then became close to Kripalu and took over the Kathmandu ashram.

“Naresh Harjani was looking after the ashram before him, and he took it over by kicking out the main doner, Mr. Bhawnani (who died recently in USA). Now there are two groups in Kathmandu and Nepal. Those who go to Kathmandu ashram. A second group who are supporters of Naresh never go there, but are directly linked to the Mangarh ashram.

“The main job of Haridas and his wife was to mindwash the new girls and get them ready to be in front of Kripalu (when he visits Nepal). I have also got to know that while convincing girls to have sex with Kripalu, Hari Pandey says: “If I had a women’s body I would have RAS with Maharajji.” Because of his full support for all evil doings of ashram, he was made a pracharak of ashram to preach in Nepal, and to worked to get more and more people of higher society, like media and judges, involve. After becoming preacher Hari Pandey became Haridas. His wife always travels with him in Nepal.

“Haridas also has sex with new girls. Young girls are his weakness. But he chooses only those who do are poor and materially weak, and long for a luxurious life.”

By the way, if you are wondering why Haridas is making trips to Radha Madhav Dham now, rather than Mukundananda, it’s because Prakashanand never liked Mukundananda, so he doesn’t want him taking over “his ashram” now. Despite his ability to charm some people, Mukundananda is not without sin either. He apparently also likes the ladies.

Please resist the urge to put these people on a pedestal, believing they are holier than thou. Not only are they as corrupt as Kripalu Maharaj, but also it takes very little to become a preacher in this organization. The people are chosen for their ability to spread the scam, not for any pure devotional qualities.

It’s no surprise at all that the people who represent Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat are dishonest and corrupt. What else could you expect of an organization where the leader is among the world’s biggest sex addicts, child molesters, and scam artists?

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Cult TherapySex Abuse

Young Girl Tells Her Shocking Personal Experience in the Bedroom of Kripalu

by Karen Jonson (Rishika)
written by Karen Jonson (Rishika)

This image is one of my personal photographs that I took of Kripalu during my second trip to Barsana, India. He is laying back on his bed in his bedroom in Rangeeli Mahal. This is one of the beds on which he sexually violated an uncountable number of underage girls during his 60+ year career as a serial rapist and fake guru.

By Anonymous as told to Karen Jonson (Rishika)

Originally Published: 16 September 2012 

Updated and Republished: 22 February 2025

(Note from the owner of RishikaXcult, Karen Jonson/Rishika): This blog post is one of the 10 blog posts on this site that Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat tried to remove from the internet by devious means. Why don’t they want you to know this information?)

(A warning to sensitive readers: This blog post covers a topic that may be upsetting to some readers. Please do not read this article if the topic of child sex abuse is triggering or upsetting to you. The topic involves the first-hand experience of a child victim by Kripalu Maharaji and goes into detail.)

Dear brother,
“My English is not so good. Still I will try my best to put everything in front of you regarding my experience in Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat — at the hands of Kripalu and his followers.“

Anonymous girl Repeatedly raped by Kripalu

These are the heartbreaking first words of a letter written by a young girl who was repeatedly raped by Kripalu Maharaj, founder of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP), in his ashrams. 

Sadly, there are uncountable victims of Kripalu from his over sixty-year career as serial child rapist and so-called guru. But not all the girls he abused have been brave enough to share their experiences with the world. One young woman was. Her story is tragic and terrifying. It took extraordinary strength for her to share it. English is not her first language, yet she wrote hundreds of words in English that detail:

  • How she was lured into the cult
  • How she was brainwashed by followers (mostly women)
  • How she was groomed for sex (rape)
  • What Kripalu did and said to her when they were alone

Shortly after Shri Kripalu Maharaj’s arrest for rape in Trinidad and Tobago in 2007, she shared her story with an ex-devotee of JKP to help that person warn other people about the true nature of JKP. She gave him permission to share her letter with me, so that I could publish it on RishikaXcult.com and share it with the world. Her heartfelt desire is to help educate people about what really went on in Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat and in the bedroom of Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Maharaji is touching and heartbreaking. 

As she confessed that she does know English well, I have taken the opportunity to lightly edit her words, so her story is easier for everyone to understand. I took extra care not to change the power of her message in any way. I also added English translations to Hindi words and phrases in parenthesis, including the words Kripalu said to her while he was raping her.

Heartbreaking Words from of a Rape Victim of Shri Kripalu Maharaj

“Dear Brother, My English is not good. I will try my best to put everything in front of you regarding my experience in JKP at the hands of Kripalu and his followers.”

These are the heartbreaking first words in a letter written by a young girl who was repeatedly raped by Kripalu. Shortly after Kripalu’s arrest for rape in Trinidad and Tobago in 2007, she shared her story with an ex-devotee to help that person warn others about the organization’s true nature. She gave permission for him to share her letter with me so that I could publish it and share it with the world. Her heartfelt desire is to help educate people about what really went on in JKP and in the bedroom of Kripalu. 

She explained that she does not know English well. I have taken the opportunity to lightly edit her words so her story is easier for everyone to understand. I took extra care not to change the details and power of her message in any way. I also added English translations to Hindi words and phrases in parentheses, including the words Kripalu said to her while he was raping her. Here is her story. 

My name is Jiya. I will share with you in detail about the dark side of the JKP organization. I am now living with my husband in Cuttack, Orissa. My request is for you to please keep my name secret, as it may destroy my happy married life. My husband does not know about my past experiences in JKP. 

In the name of Lord Sri Krishna, this organization attracts people with their nice musical chantings and the authentic philosophy of sanatana (eternal) Vedic Hindu dharma (right behavior). Many are attracted to the organization after listening to the philosophy of Kripalu. But once you entered the boundary of their ashrams, their disciples act just like street dalals (barkers). They pull you. Once you are in, they work to brainwash you. And, if you are a young girl, they prepare you for sexual relations with Kripalu.

It all began for me when I started listening to Kripalu on Sanskar television. After listening to the tattva gyan(spiritual knowledge) of the scriptures, I became interested in having darshan (vision) of him. My parents objected. But I went to his ashram anyway, the one in Mangarh, near Kunda and Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh. 

Upon viewing Kripalu in person, I got a hug from him. I never expected such a great personality as him to hug me. At that time, I thought, I am the luckiest person in the world to have such a nice and great guru like Kripalu.

I also became very impressed by his devotees’ discipline and behavior. I met many of his disciples in his satsang(prayer meetings). Some had been followers for five years, some for ten years, and some for twenty to thirty years. And I met ladies who had been living in his ashram for ten to twenty years or more. Most of them were from Orissa and Nepal. They became my friends while I was there. They told me that the Vedas say that there is no difference between a guru and Bhagwan (God). They instructed me to do bhakti (loving devotion) of the guru as if he was Bhagwan. They gave me hours of lectures to listen to so that I could do sadhana (spiritual practice). At that time, I blindly believed everybody in the ashram.

I stayed for one week. On my sixth day in the ashram, one of the ashram ladies, who is a personal assistant of Kripalu told me that the highest philosophy is to love God as you would love your husband, just like the gopis (divine lovers) loved Krishna in Divine Vrindaban (celestial world).

The gopis loved Lord Krishna with kama-bhava (worldly desire). They got the chance to perform raslila (divine dance) with Sri Krishna. Because Kripalu teaches that there is no difference between guru and God, and we can see and touch the guru, but not God, we should love the guru as if he is God in the same way—kama-bhava. 

The women of Kripalu told me repeatedly, “There is no harm in it. See, you are a lady, and you cannot live a lonely life. You want sahara (support) in every field of life. For that, you will marry a worldly, material man who will want your body only. You will get nothing after death. But if you love Kripalu and surrender yourself completely in front of him, you will receive benefits both in the material world and spiritually.”

The women of Kripalu told me repeatedly, “If you love Kripalu and surrender yourself completely in front of him, you will receive benefits both in the material world and spiritually.”

Anonymous Rape Victim of kripalu

Under the Spell of Kripalu Maharaj

His assistants’ words touched my heart. By that time, I was completely under the spell of their music, philosophy, and the personality of Kripaluji. I started believing that Kripaluji is God himself. I decided that I wanted to live my whole life in his ashram, doing sadhana (spiritual practice) to attain the divine love of Shri Krishna.

On the seventh day, I told Kripaluji, “I want to stay in your ashram.” 

He replied, “You need written permission from parents and at least one lakh rupees ($1,200 US) in your name. After that you may stay here.” 

Then he hugged me tightly. This time I felt a little awkward, but I didn’t resist as his assistant had told me that he is God himself.

I returned home with sweet memories. At that time, I felt very happy internally that, at last, I got the chance to find Shri Krishna in the form of the Jagadguru, Kripaluji. Now, I wanted to live in a great environment for my entire life without any worries or tensions.

Upon returning home, I quarreled with my parents. When they opposed my plan, I warned them, “If you don’t allow me to move to the ashram, I will commit suicide. I want to live a spiritual life, like the Hindu saint, Mirabai. Mirabai is my idol. Why are you trying to stop me?”

At last, my parents agreed and made the necessary arrangements to move me to one of the JKP ashrams. I was very, very happy, as if I’d won the lottery. 

However, this is the light side of my story. Now, the dark side begins.

Now the Dark Side Begins

“What I did not yet understand is that everything I experienced on my first trip to a Kripaluji’s ashram is 100% dhokha (deception). They are cheating people and making fools of the innocent. They are playing with people’s bhavanas(emotions), their simplicities.”

Anonymous Rape Victim of Shri kripalu

His assistants’ words touched my heart. By that time, I was completely under the spell of their music, philosophy, and Kripalu’s personality. I started believing that Kripalu was God himself. I decided that I wanted to live my whole life in his ashram, doing sadhana (spiritual practice) to attain the divine love of Shri Krishna.

On the seventh day, I told Kripalu, “I want to stay in your ashram.” 

He replied, “You need written permission from parents and at least one lakh rupees (one thousand two hundred dollars) in your name. After that you may stay here.” 

Then he hugged me tightly. This time I felt a little awkward, but I didn’t resist, because his assistant had told me that he is God himself.

I returned home with sweet memories. At that time, I felt very happy internally that, at last, I got the chance to find Shri Krishna in the form of Kripalu. Now, I wanted to live in a great environment for my entire life without any worries or tensions.

Upon returning home, I quarreled with my parents. When they opposed my plan to live permanently in Kripalu’s ashram, I warned them, “If you don’t allow me, I will commit suicide. I want to live a spiritual life, like the Hindu saint, Mirabai. Mirabai is my idol. Why are you trying to stop me?”

At last, my parents agreed and made the necessary arrangements to move me to one of the JKP ashrams. I was very, very happy, as if I’d won the lottery. However, this is the light side of my story. Now, the dark side begins.

“One thing I noticed is that at 11:00 a.m. every day, after Kripalu had a two-hour nap, we prepared a light snack for him. Different female devotees who lived in the ashram would take it into him. At those times, nobody was allowed to peep into his room from outside. The door was closed for 20 to 30 minutes with just him and the female in the bedroom alone. “

Anonymous girl raped by kripalu

When I asked one of the long-time female devotees about this, she yelled at me. She warned me not to ask anything, not to think anything, and not to utter a word about it to anyone. 

As the days passed in my unrelenting work schedule, including a lack of sleep and a lack of personal pleasure, I became increasingly depressed. I missed my mother so much. Whenever I was allowed to talk to my parents, the ashram’s strict order was not to discuss what was going on in the ashram and to just tell them that I am okay. 

A Special Invitation into Kripalu’s Bedroom

After spending one month in this condition, one day Kripalu’s primary assistant came to me and told me that I was going to feed him his next morning snack. I was thrilled at the news. I was amazed and happy that an ordinary jeev(soul) like me was getting the chance to feed God himself. I felt so much joy that I could not sleep the entire night. But I was nervous, too. 

I asked one of the elders, “How do I feed Kripalu?”

She laughed at me, then said, “Once you enter his room, his assistant will help you.”

The next day when I went to Kripalu’s room with his snack, his assistant and three other girls were with him. After finishing his food, Kripalu waved his hand at the other girls, indicating they should leave the room. He waved his hand at me, suggesting that I should stay seated on the floor next to his bed. 

“After they were gone, his assistant locked one door from the inside and walked out the other door, locking it behind her from the outside. Suddenly, I was scared. What was happening? My heart started beating very fast.”

Anonymous girl raped by kripalu

After they were gone, his assistant locked one door from the inside and walked out the other door, locking it behind her from the outside. 

Suddenly, I was scared. What was happening? My heart started beating very fast.

Then Kripalu looked down at me and said, “You are doing sadhana and loving me so much. Tum meri pyari and mane tumhara pyare. Aa gale lag jaa.” (“You are my lover, and I am your lover. Come close and hug me.”)

I could not comprehend what was happening. I could not think straight. My mind was swimming in circles. I could only stand in front of him with my head down, looking at my toes. 

Then, Kripalu stood up from his bed and hugged me tightly. He said, “Maine tumko bahut pyar karta hun tum mujhe pyar karo.” (“I love you so much. Now, you love me, too.”) 

Then he kissed my head, slowly moving down to my lips. 

Helpless to stop him, I did not utter a word. He then held me tightly and kissed me for about five minutes on different parts of my body.

He said, “To tell pyare tum mujhe aise pyar karte raho.” (“My love, keep loving me like this.” He was telling her to do to him what he was doing to her.)

Then he ordered me to take off all my clothes, and lie down on his bed. The only thing I could think at that time was, I am with God and experiencing raas leela (divine dance of love) with him. I was totally hypnotized by him at that time and quietly surrendered in front of him.

Then he took off his clothes and he laid down on top of me. He told me to say to him, “Pyare tumhare ling mere andar rakho.” (“Now, my love, put your private organ inside my private organ.”) 

I repeated his words. He then put his penis inside my secret organs. I felt severe pain. 

He said, “Don’t worry. Everything will be okay. Don’t be scared.”

Kripalu Maharaj told me to say to him, “Pyare tumhare ling mere andar rakho.”
(“Now, my love, put your private organ (penis) inside my private organs.”) 

Anonymous girl raped by kripalu

I repeated his words.

He then put his penis inside my secret organs. I felt severe pain. 

He said, “Don’t worry. Everything will be okay. Don’t be scared.”

For the next 20 minutes, I lay on his bed, and he raped me again and again. After he stopped, he told me to put my clothes back on. 

It Was All Just a Lie — a Fantasy

When I was dressed, he said, “Aaj ka din yaad rakhna tumhara ek aloukik purush ke sath sambhog hua hai.”
(“Always remember, today is the day that you had sex with a very extraordinary man.”)

Anonymous girl raped by kripalu

I was feeling severe pain in my genital area and my whole body. Slowly, I moved from the room directly to my bed. I fell on my bed in a deep depression.

I slept for five hours. In the evening when I got up my roommates came near me and stared at me. Then they tried to convince me that every bhakta’s (devotee’s) aim is to experience raas leela with Sri Krishna. 

“You received it so easily. You are very lucky,” they all assured me. 

I did not know what to do. I wanted to tell my mother everything, but I feared what people would say in the ashram if they found out, so I kept my mouth closed.

After that, my turn to have sex with Kripalu came regularly—every twenty to thirty days. I decided that this must be my destiny.

When my mother came to visit me two months after I moved there, she was happy seeing my charming face. But with some doubt forming in her mind, she asked me, “Are you okay?” 

I could not stop my tears. She guessed what was wrong. But still, I didn’t admit it to her because I didn’t want to spoil my reputation. After all, I had chosen to move here and had quarreled with her to let me live in the ashram.

Now I had a good reputation among our relatives because I was living a sacred, divine life in Vrindavan.  

I Had Been Tricked — It Was All a Corrupt Fantasy

But the struggle within my inner self was getting harder to contain. I was beginning to have panic attacks.

WWith clear vision, I realized many of the other females in the ashram were in a similar condition. All of them were jealous of each other. All of them quarreled with each other over simple things, just like so-called materialistic people out in the world.

I began to realize that I’d been tricked. It was all just a fantasy. The other women were not divine gopis in any way, shape, or form. They were just worldly people, like humans from dvapara yuga (a materialistic era).

Anonymous girl raped by kripalu

Real gopis are divine personalities who have full knowledge of all Vedic scriptures. They are far beyond maya tattva(the world). I and the other females living there were just materialists.

We possessed all the same manasika vikaras (negative thoughts and mental disorders) that worldly people possess, like kama (desire), krodha (anger), lobha(greed), moha (attachment), matsarya (jealousy), and alasya (laziness).

I decided to leave the ashram and return home. I lied and told my mother that the extreme climate in Vrindavan was not suitable for my body. So, instead, I would stay in our family home and do my sadhana practices there.

My parents agreed. I could continue writing about my dark experiences in Kripaluji’s ashram and produce a complete book.

But for the past seven months, I’ve been living a married life. I am still sad, though, because the near and dear people in my life still think that I am a great, devotional person. But I know that I have been cheated. If I say anything to anybody about what really happened, it could harm my married life. 

“While it looks inviting from the outside, it is ugly on the inside.“

I am writing to you because you have the capacity to help people being cheated like I was. I will give you whatever details you need about anybody in JKP ashrams.

One rape case that occurred in 1992 put Kripalu in jail briefly. But the case dragged on for thirteen years. Then the case was dismissed due to his old age. But I swear he is capable of having sex even in old age. His times for sex in the ashrams are eleven-thirty in the morning and four o’clock in the afternoon.

I hope my story provides valuable information so you can start an investigation on this corrupt organization. While it looks inviting from the outside, it is ugly on the inside. All the people living in Kripalu’s ashrams are worldly people. Many of them will flatter visitors to impress them so they think they are living a godly life. But that could not be further from the truth. 

Signed,
A poor girl

Were You Abused in JKP? Tell Your Story.
Regain your voice and help others. 
You can stay anonymous.

Rishika

Learn More About Kripalu’s True History in My New Book.
Sex God — The Secret Life of a Dark, Dark Guru

COming soon!

Copyright © 2012-2025 Karen Jonson/RishikaXcult. All rights reserved. No part of this blog post may be copied or duplicated without the express permission of the author. 

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Cult Therapy

Transformation After a Cult — The Freedom to Be Authentically Me

by Karen Jonson (Rishika)
written by Karen Jonson (Rishika)

I can’t stop smiling while enjoying dinner at an Austin restaurant on a Saturday night.

After 15 years of force fitting my personality into a process that I was told would lead me to God, I ended up in the darkest, dankest pit imaginable: My “gurus” were frauds and child molesters.

Shortly after I moved out of my one room in a group home in the ashram, I had a chiropractic appointment. I’d been seeing the chiropractor for five years and we’d had a few discussions over the years, usually about how I needed to relax more (perhaps take a vacation) and get more sleep to help cure the raging migraines that had taken over my life.

After adjusting my neck, he looked at me with genuine delight on his face and said, “Wow. You have really changed.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“You’re a different person.”

“Really? In what way.” I was thrilled at his unexpected declaration, and curious to know exactly what he meant.

“You’re smiling, your bubbly, your glowing. You used to be so quiet and withdrawn, and you never really smiled. It’s like you’ve come alive. I’m blown away.”

“Wow!” I said, smiling. I was blown away too by his glowing commentary.

“I have only seen such a dramatic transformation one other time: When a drug addict kicked his habit.”

Recognizing My Transformation

I left my chiropractor’s office floating on air. I knew that I felt better since leaving my oppressive cult: I truly felt reborn. But to have someone else recognize my transformation made me extra joyful.

While his reaction buoyed me even higher than I was already at being free of the cult, it also reminded me of how far I’d come from being that perpetually sad spiritual seeker.

But then, what other outcome is there for a person who joins an unnatural, closed community that takes away their individuality, eliminates their freedom of speech, and rules their lives like an overbearing psychotic parent? There is only one outcome possible in this environment: A deconstruction of yourself and your identity, a diminishment of your self worth, and an infantilization of your personality. This was exactly the result of the rigid, dogmatic belief system I lived within for 15 years.

The Freedom to Transform

Whether it’s called God realization, self-realization, or whatever, people on a spiritual search are ultimately looking to be transformed. However, any rigid structure of any religion, or spiritual path, or ideology boxes us in and diminishes us, instead of doing the one thing it needs to do: Free us to truly transform.

My transformation came only after my body, mind, and soul were outside of the gates of my former guru’s ashram. As I drove away from his gated hell for the last time, I rolled down the windows in my car, turned up the radio, and sang loudly all the way to my new home. This was something I never would have done while living there, because I never was happy.

Once out, my transformation continued in various stages, including three months of debilitating grief. But even the grief was a necessary step in getting over and moving beyond my negative experienced. In fact, the four years it took me to get completely over getting conned by fake spiritual leaders were the most profoundly transformative period of my entire life.

Now I understood where everything I ever wanted existed: Within myself.

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Cult Therapy

Former Insider Makes an Offer to All Victims of Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Maharaj, Leader of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat

by Karen Jonson (Rishika)
written by Karen Jonson (Rishika)

The following comment was posted on this website in the comments section by a concerned person who knows the Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP) organization very very well. Please take his message seriously and spread the word. Let’s see what we can do to expand the message and get to the bottom of the complete truth of JKP, Kripalu Maharaj, Prakashanand Saraswati (wherever he may be hiding), all JKP preachers, and anyone who helps them commit their crimes, which include child molestation. Thank you.

Thanks for your good work.

I would like to reflect upon a comparison of two organizations with similar, though not identical situations. Both are cult-like environments. Both have a glorified leader who is viewed by adherents as a god man. Both have aided and abetted enduring child molestation by leaders of the organization.

I am talking about Penn State University and Barsana Dham/Radha Madhav Dham/Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat. Though a comparison with the Catholic Church might also be appropriate. Maybe another time.

But let us look at how both organizations have handled the situation.

Penn State has managed, at least, to finally openly adjudicate the crimes of their past leaders in a reasonably fair and transparent manner. They have acknowledged the failings and are preparing for the consequences.

RMD/JKP , on the other hand, have covertly helped their convicted leader to abscond and have taken an Orwellian approach to wiping out his past existence, in their preferable view of history.

Both of these reactions provide us with real evidence about the true nature of the respective organizations. Such an analysis will yield a result that is fairly close to the real truth. We can say that Penn State does have a core democratic and legal administration. We can say that they are truly interested in the future of their academic community.

We can also clearly discern that RMD/JKP are totalitarian organizations where complete adherence to the organization’s dogma is required for participation. The facts include substantial and undeniable evidence of a long history of sexual abuse within the organization. Criminal proceedings against both primary the leaders of the organization have been prosecuted or are pending in several countries. There are claims of financial exploitation against the organization.

This shows us that RMD/JKP are very clearly criminal and dangerous organizations. BD/RMD/JKP neither recognizes nor adheres to the laws and constitution of the nations in which they operate, including the U.S. Their greatest victims are their very own adherents, who are blind followers that have given up any hope of survival outside the organization. There is a significant attrition within the ranks, and those leaving the organization after having witnessed the criminal and offending acts. This means that BD/RMD/JKP must constantly recruit new people.

Therefore, in an effort to prevent any future damage by RMD/JKP, it is imperative that those who have been expelled come forward and tell their true stories. I will gladly offer to provide and arrange legal counseling for anyone who steps forward. Your full discretion is guaranteed. The goal is to record and catalog testimony from a large number of individuals from around the globe. Those from outside the U.S.A. are also encouraged to get in touch.

Thank you.

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JKP Past

Official Word from Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat is that Swami Prakashanand Saraswati has “Left the Earth Planet”

by Karen Jonson (Rishika)
written by Karen Jonson (Rishika)

Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat helped this man escape justice.

Someone passed on this information to me today. One of Kripalu Maharaj’s preachers was giving lectures in Dallas, Texas, recently. An elderly couple walked up to him afterwards and asked him: “What is going on at Barsnaa Dham? Where is Prakashanand Saraswati?”

He looked at them with a straight face and stated: “He’s left the earth planet.”

What lies won’t they tell?

First of all, if he were dead, they would produce legal documentation so that the law would not keep hunting him down. He is, after all, still a fugitive from justice.

Secondly, the official word from the U.S.A. ashram, confirmed by several sources, is that he slipped out of Mexico with a disguise and fake passport. Now he presumed to be hiding in India or Nepal. And according to my sources he is “well protected.”

Third, where is his long-time companion, Vishwambari Devi, who is also missing? Did she “die” too? Or is she hiding out with him in some remote village on the other side of the world?

Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat is an organization that will help a convicted felon get away, hide him, and then lie about it.

The next best question to ask is: who exactly helped him escape, starting the day he left Hays County, Texas?

Really, spiritual place, isn’t it?

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JKP Past

Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat is a “Dark, Dark Place”

by Karen Jonson (Rishika)
written by Karen Jonson (Rishika)

Someone recently told me the following story.

“When I was in Vrindaban one time, I was standing  with a Swami on the roof of an ashram building looking over Kripalu’s ashram. I asked him what the Hindi words on Kripalu’s ashram said. He said, ‘Shyama Shyam Dham.’ I asked him what that meant. He said, “A dark, dark place.”

Kripalu Maharaj being arrested in Trinidad. He is using someone else’s cane to fake being infirmed, as he never used one. Just another example of his dark tricks.Someone recently told me the following story:”WHen I was in Vrindaban one time, I stood on the roof of a temple over looking Kripalu’s ashram. I asked the Swami next to me what the Hindi words on the ashram wall said. He said, ‘Shyama Shyam Dham.’ I asked him what that meant. He said, ‘A dark, dark place.'”

This Swami clearly knew the truth about Kripalu’s organization, as do many others in Braj. I’ve heard other stories of people in the Braj District of India knowing the truth about him. He is not liked anywhere in Braj. Why? Because he runs a dark, dark organization.

The darkness of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat includes:

    • Raping underage girls. This is an activity that has been going on since he started his “guru” career in the 1950s. She was one of his many sex partners when she was young. Although he was arrested twice, he got off both times. So, he has never been held accountable for these crimes. The first time he got off in the corrupt India judicial system. The second time in the corrupt Trinidad judicial system. However, there is currently another rape case being investigated in the U.S.A.
    • Engaging in sexual activities everyday in his very own “sex factory” with willing adult devotees, and surprising those who don’t know with molestation and sex. As one higher-up woman told me, “You never know what will happen when you go into his bedroom.” Indeed, I’ve heard of everything from touching to digital rape to blow jobs.
    • Squeezing every dime he can possibly get from people. Typically, he “charges” hundreds of dollars for anything from giving you a bite of his food to selling you items such as jewelry and clothes that others have given him. Other times he just demands the money. Whenever a group of devotees call him to say hello, he talks briefly, but always manages to instruct the group to send him several thousand dollars.
    • In JKP ashrams, devotees are worked to the bone, doing everything from cleaning, to cooking, to construction — all for free, and all in the name of “seva.” Meanwhile, there is little time for sufficient rest. Which enhances the ability to control a person.
    • Strong-tactics by his many preachers around the world to get more people to follow them, so they can also squeeze them for every dime, and bring Kripalu more girls and money. The preachers can only go visit Kripalu in India if they bring him several thousands of dollars.
    • Threats and intimidation of anyone who leaves. This is why so many people have left quietly over the years, and never spoken out. They are all afraid of what could happen to them once they escape.

Thousands of people follow Kripalu Maharaj with the fervor of people afflicted with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Only a few who are in deep will ever wake up, accept the truth, and get out. They are too addicted to and brainwashed by the JKP propaganda. The rest just resign themselves to the steady abuses, believing Kripalu is God walking on earth and so they must put up with everything, the abuse, monetary excesses, and sexual activities, to attain the divine world.

The sad reality is that these rabid fans are destroying their lives, and the lives of their families who want them out of this destructive organization. Meanwhile they are helping to make Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat stronger — and darker.

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My Books

The Authentic Guru-Disciple Tradition in Hinduism – A Discussion by Dr.Madhu P. Godsay

by Karen Jonson (Rishika)
written by Karen Jonson (Rishika)

Dr. Madhu P. Godsay, a life-long Hindu and business professional living in the United States, graciously offered to write an Afterward for my book, Sex, Lies, and Two Hindu Gurus. Years ago, he and his wife met one of Kripalu Maharaj’s many preachers in New York City, Parikari. Like many Hindus, they were happy to find someone who could sing shlokas and give discourses on Hindu topics. However, it did not take long for them to recognize the deception and wrong motives of a Kripalu preacher. Dr. Godsay and his wife immediately stopped attending the satsangs. Later, in Austin, he visited Prakashanand Saraswati at his new ashram in Austin, Texas. When he recognized the style of satsang as that of Kripalu’s and saw Kripalu’s name mentioned on the chants, he questioned Prakashanand. Prakashanand denied even knowing Kripalu. This was in the early 1990s right after Kripalu had been arrested for raping two underage girls in India. Dr. Godsay’s discussion in my book (posted here) presents an excellent perspective on the vital importance of verifying the validity of claims made by so-called “gurus” before getting involved with them.

Afterward for Sex, Lies, and Two Hindu Gurus by Dr. Madhu P. Godsay

First, verify the authenticity, purity, and legitimacy of any person calling themselves a guru, before you put your spiritual well-being in their hands.

In the preceding pages of this book (Sex, Lies, and Two Hindu Gurus), you read the story of the Barsana Dham ashram, the two JKP “gurus,” and the experiences of this author. It is natural to feel disappointed, angry, and frustrated when we meet people possessing demonic dispositions. It is our misfortune when we fatefully get involved with such people, who will stop at nothing when it comes to lust, power, insatiable desires, and money. These types of people strive to amass, by unfair means, hoards of money and other things for the enjoyment of their sensual pleasures.

All religious traditions suffer from these types of guileless people, who constantly deceive people and prey on the innocent and gullible believers. The exploitation goes on, whether it is a religion or any other organization. These people, posing as “gurus,” are beyond any conscious ethics and morals. In most cases, therefore, it is not the tradition that is at fault. It is the fault of these deceptive personalities, who are exploiting the people who come to them and the traditions in which they faithfully believe.

It is my intention to describe, briefly, the authentic guru-shishya parampara (guru-disciple tradition), which dates back to literally thousands of years in India. It is still alive and well in India to this day. However, this tradition is not monopolized by India. The Western world has also seen the epoch of teacher-student relationships, which existed in Greece in the fourth century B.C., such as the famous triad of Socrates-Plato-Aristotle.

Although the word “guru” is used very loosely today to denote an expert in any particular field, it is mainly related to spirituality. In Sanskrit, the letter “gu” stands for darkness (in other words, ignorance) and the letter “ru” means that which removes the darkness. Thus, a guru is a teacher who removes the ignorance (darkness) from his disciple and helps him evolve into a person with appropriate spiritual knowledge.

“Shishya” means disciple. The root of this Sanskrit word is “shas” meaning to teach, instruct, or provide a discipline. Traditionally, the student is seeking knowledge, particularly spiritual knowledge. He or she desires knowledge, and is ready and willing to follow a teacher’s instructions and discipline. The teacher, on the other hand, is the wellwisher of the disciple, is capable of imparting the knowledge, and is of clean character and above worldly affairs. The place where teaching takes place is called an ashram, which should be a quiet, simple place, away from the city environment, and conducive for spiritual development. Typically, the teacher and student are celibates. No material exchanges and transactions of any kind take place between them. This fact is a very important aspect of this relationship in Hindu tradition. Otherwise, it opens the door for exploitation of the student by the teacher.

This lack of a business-type relationship between the student and guru is essential. The student should never put his trust and devotion in a teacher who requests anything, either money, possessions, or anything physical. Once the student has found such a desire-less, non-self-serving teacher, only then can the student have confidence in the teacher’s capability and show respect for his knowledge. This relationship must remain pure for the entire duration of the relationship.

It is very important that this relationship remains pure. The student should be seeking nothing else but knowledge, and the guru should be taking nothing from the student. The student’s “surrender” to a guru should be based on the secure knowledge that he or she is not being taken advantage of or exploited by the guru.

What’s more, it’s important to understand that the student’s trust and devotion are not supposed to be based on blind faith or an expectation of miracles from the guru. Trust in the guru is supposed to be verifiable. In other words, there must be clear proof that the teacher actually possesses spiritual knowledge and is capable of imparting it. Without veracity, a person posing as a guru can say or do anything.

There are various famous pairs of guru-shishya in Hindu scriptures. In the Upanishads, one finds many philosophical dialogues between teachers and students. For instance, in the Mundakopanishad, the creator teaches his son Atharva, and Atharva teaches his disciple Angiva, and so on and so forth. Another famous scriptural pair is Lord Krishna and his disciple Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita. In modern India, various saints such as Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Ramana Maharshi, Swami Chinmayananda, Swami Dayananad, etc., have imparted knowledge to hundreds of their disciples.

In India, Hindu children learn that their mothers and fathers are their first gurus. Then other gurus follow throughout their lives, including a spiritual guru. The highest guru is the one who teaches and gives the experience of “tat twam asi,” meaning, “You are Bhrahman (God).” Guru Dattatreya was once asked by King Yadhu the secret of his happiness and the name of his guru. He said atman (self) is my guru, yet I learned wisdom from nature.

Gurus can be roughly divided into two main classes:

    1. Bhakti (devotion) tradition, which is related to loving a form of god.
    2. Gyan (knowledge) tradition, which is related to impersonal devotion.

The bhakti form of the guru-shishya relationship generally incorporates:

    • Devotion to the guru as a divine figure.
    • The belief that such a guru will eventually impart moksha, peace, or divine power to the shishya.
    • The belief that the shishya, with strong devotion and preparedness, will gain the merit.

The danger in the bhakti tradition lies in the choice of a guru. There is real danger that ignorance and blind faith can mislead a shishya from what he or she is really seeking. In the gyan-based relationship, there is less danger of deceit, because the student does not worship the guru as God.

Some learned and God-realized people, like J. Krishnamurti and Lahiri Mahasaya, refused to allow their followers to organize any kind of organization or sampraday around them. Their relationship was strictly based on the exchange of knowledge. The guru’s only goal is to help the shishya accomplish his or her spiritual advancement via his or her own ability to look within from a healthy, unattached perspective.

In the annals of guru-shishya tradition there are various types of sampradayas (organizations). There are the demonic types—like the Bernie-Maddox-type, which prey on people’s innocence, beliefs, and gullibility. This is what we witnessed with the Barsana Dham episode, and its fake “gurus,” who were clearly only interested in exploiting people.

However, despite the people with ulterior motives acting as gurus, having wrong intentions, and no true knowledge to impart, the tradition of the teacher-student relationship in spiritual advancement has endured over thousands of years—and will continue to endure long into the future. With so many calling themselves “guru” today, it is more important today than ever before for every student seeking a guru to hold that guru up to the standards that have endured through the ages: true knowledge, right motivation, and pure intentions

Om, Shanti, Shanti, Shanti

Peace, Peace, Peace.

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A Personal Message to Readers of RishikaXcult.com

All information and photos shared on this blog, Rishikacult.com, are for educational purposes about the worldwide, public organization called Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat.

All articles are written by me, Karen Jonson (Rishika), or by contributors who want to share their first-hand experiences in this cult (usually anonymously). I won’t share your personal information without permission.

If you have questions, please reach out to me direction at:

Rishika@RishikaXCult.com

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