Can You Hear The Sound of Our Voices?

August 10, 2012, Texas USA — Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat is heralding the commencement of a “historic” event this evening, according to the organization. The organization’s leader is giving a lecture from Vrindaban that will be broadcast around India on several television stations. Likely millions will hear him and be impressed. Many of these people will know nothing of the real Kripalu Maharaj, a man who has raped, molested, robbed, and pillaged millions in his 60-year career as a “guru” and self-proclaimed “jagadguru.”

Kripalu Maharaj, whose real name is Ram Tripathi, comes from northeast India near Manghar in U.P. But he found his fortune as a “guru” starting in Vrindaban, when he opened his first ashram. His organization has gone through several name changes, the latest of which is the eponymously named Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP). Now he owns the largest and likely most expensive temple in that holy city, from which he will speak tonight.

For decades, concerned Hindus and Westerners in India and the U.S.A. have made significant efforts to warn people about this man, and his unscrupulous and criminal behavior, which includes his most despicable crimes: raping underage girls. But his immense gang of preachers and ardent (some say brainwashed) devotees work tirelessly to bury the bad news and exalt their leader.

While they have the money to put into massive marketing and image campaigns around the world, the people who have been hurt are left without a voice. This document combines many of the voices of the people who have tried to warn others about Kripalu over the years. Their message is important because it can help people learn the truth and save themselves from the clutches of Kripalu’s dangerous cult. These voices deserve to be heard.

1. On August 31, 1990, someone, who was too fearful of JKP to use his or her real name wrote the following letter to Mr. B.P. Singh, Prime Minister of India in New Delhi.


Dr. Mr. Singh,

I had been thing to write you for a long time but could not do so. Today I have decided to write you with the hope that something will be done to stop the corruption and abuse played by so called Sadhus of India. When you came to power there was and is a hope that corruption will be wiped out.

In U.S.A. there is a lady who calls herself the DiDi Parkari but her real name is KumKum G. Sharma. Her Guru is Kirpalu Maharaj and he has an Ashram in Mangarh near Allahabad up. Kirpalu calls himself a Jagatguru. This DiDi has collected huge sums of money from here and is envolved in Gold smuggling.

We Indians will appreciate it very much if an inquiry is made against this DiDi and Jagat Guru Kirpalu Maharaj. There has been threats on the lives of people by this sect. That is why nobody is coming forward to write directly.

We are enclosing all the documents we have here, and hope something would be done to curb the moves of this sect.

With Regards

Yours sincerely,

Indian People


2. Enclosed in the packet of information sent by the author of this letter were several articles published in India newspapers after Kripalu’s arrest for rape in 1991 with headlines like: “The Hedonistic Sadhu,” “The Cunning Kripalu Maharaj,” and “The Hypocritical Kripalu Maharaj.” The articles have been copied and shared so many times that they are difficult to read. But here are excerpts from one of them published on September 27, 1991, after Kripalu was arrested for raping two underage. He had been running from the law for months when he was finally apprehended by law enforcement.

“It was morning at Nagpur airport. Ten (10) police from Delhi went to the airport at 11:00. Inspector Takhur went to the airport for Tripathi. When the plane landed they were looking for one passenger whose name is Ram Tripathi. The police identified him as soon as he came out from the airport. He was apprehended and taken to the police station. People were saying that he was an ‘all-rounder’ saint, meaning the one who says he ‘knows everything.’ Yet Tripathi (aka, Kripalu) he didn’t know that police were waiting for him.

“After arresting him at the police station, he was taken to the Nagpur court before First Grade Magistrate, Kureshi. They stated his crimes and said they had been looking for him for the past five months. He was being accused of raping and abducting two underage girls named Meera and Hema, and keeping them in his ashram. He is not a saint; he is a shame on humanity. An investigation had found that he was arrogant, fake, and a womanizer. He had touched many ladies and many young girls. Many people in and out of the courthouse were shouting that this Kripalu was fake and arrogant. They said: Give him the death penalty. 

“In his life, he had access to a lot of young devotee ladies. He gained their faith and trust, so they will do anything he asks. So whenever he wanted to indulge in his desire for sex, he found a way. He could get his sexual desire satisfied at any time. An organization gave him the title of jagadguru. One time he gave a lecture sitting on a silver throne. He announced himself that he is the descension of Bhagwan Krishna and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He said: ‘Whoever is present here I am your guru. I am already above everything. You accept guru as a higher position; sometimes more than even God. I am every man’s father and every woman’s husband. Whatever I order, you have to accept. Otherwise it will be meaningless.’ Devotees accepted whatever he said.

“While giving this lecture he saw a beautiful girl in the lecture hall. And told his servant to take that girl to his bedroom. When she was in his room. Kripalu closed the door. He ordered the girl to take off all her clothes. She got scared and asked why. Kripalu said I am giving you prem dhan.’ (This means ‘gift of love,’ and is used here as a euphemism for sex.) All your disease, misery, and pain will be gone. She said: no I will not do that. Kripalu said: If you don’t do it, something bad will happen to you. Think about it. Whatever I’m ordering, you do it. Then she got scared and took off all of her clothes. He raped her. This was in 1970.

“In this way, Kripalu gave prem dhan to many young girls. Educated young girls were also getting caught in the trap to get the prem dhan. There was a line to get the prem dhan. He made Mangarh the main center for prem dhan. At the time of his arrest 84 girls were gathered over there to get the prem dhan. Also, in Vrindavan where he built an ashram, other girls were waiting for his prem dhan. The manager of his Vrindavan ashram was his elder daughter. He was not able to give all the prem dhan to all the women who wanted it. So he got some of the devotees to do some of the prem dhan. He gave them the opportunity to do, such as Priya Sharan.

“In July of 1984, in a small village near Phat Poor, there was a young man name Priya Sharan, who became his devotee. Kripalu selected him to help do the prem dhan, and he did it four years. He then left Kripalu, went to his own village, Sarovari, and opened his own ashram. 

“Kripalu has many devotees in many cities. But very important ones in Bombay included: Jai Shankar Maphur, Kantibai Patel, Bhagwan Shaw, and Videsh Jain. They were in the clothing and diamond businesses. He had devotees who gave lots of money. Some devotees were actresses and politicians. Kripalu’s fame was going to the ditch by February 1991 when he went to Nagpur where one of his devotee’s requested him to give a lecture on 16th February 1991. While giving the lecture, he noticed two very beautiful girls, Meera and Hema. They came with their father to listen to the lecture. Once he saw them, one of his devotees escorted them to his bedroom and Kripalu convinced them both to give him prem dhan. But one devotee created trouble.

“One young man named Niteen Pandey was a trusted devotee servant and very faithful. He thought of Kripalu as God. Kripalu changed his name to Swami Nityanand. One of his duties was talking care of a cooler outside one corner of Kripalu’s bedroom. Nityanand didn’t know about prem dhan. After the two girls had passed many hours alone with Kripalu, Nityanand thought, let me see what this prem dhan is and why it takes so long. He climbed on the cooler and from the window crack he saw things that shocked him. Kripalu and the two girls were all naked. He saw Hema and Kripalu naked on the bed and Meera naked on floor. He ran away from that place. He later found out that Kripalu went to Mangarh and at the same time the two girls disappeared. Then when he found that the girls were in Mangarh with Kripalu. He went and told the father the whole thing. Once he found out exactly what kind of person Kripalu really was, he got very very angry.”

3. One of the articles also speaks to his legal troubles: “With the help of a politician he got out on bond after his arrest for rape.” Presumably, he paid off even more officials, because eventually the case just went away. Here is a description of his rape of these girls, from official documents in India:

On 10th May, 1994, Shri Purushottam Wasudeo Deshpande lodged report with the Police Station, Dhantoli, Nagpur, alleging that his two young daughters, namely Hema and Meera were kidnapped by the applicant No. 1 Priya Sharan Maharaj in connivance with one Sharvaridevi and Suhasini Narkhede. He further stated that his two daughters were attached for the last two years with the movements of Sanatan Dharma Shri Krishna Bhakti, under the auspicious of the applicant No. 1 i.e. Kripaluji Maharaj of Sadhna Bhawan Trust at village Managarh, District Pratapagarh (U.P.). On the basis of the report lodged by Shri Purushottam Deshpande, P.S.O., P.S. Dhantoli, Nagpur, registered an offence on 11-5-1991, punishable under Sections 363 and 366 of the Indian Penal Code, against the applicant No. 1 Shri Priya Sharan Maharaj, vide Crime No. 149/91.

During the investigation, the statements of Hema and Meera came to be recorded. From the statements of these two girls, it is revealed that the applicant No. 2 Kripaluji Maharaj is highly immoral man so also greedy of money. Those who attended the discourses, used to be persuaded and prompted to bring their wives and daughters to attend the discourse of Kripaluji Maharaj. The applicant No. 2 has two female disciples or agents viz. Neelu Chourasia and Sarasvati Yadao, who used to entice the women and girls to attend the discourses as well as pursuing the women and girls to appear in a lonely place before the applicant No. 2. These two agents used to impress on the girls that the Maharaj is the incarnation of God. 

In the lonely place, according to Hema and Meera, Maharaj was most immoral and vulgar person who perforce (by physical coersion) used to commit sexual intercourse with the women and girls. Maharaj committed intercourse with them perforce. It was also impressed on their mind that it is nothing but a ‘Prasad’ of God and they have been blessed accordingly. In spite of this, the girls continued to stay in the vicinity of the Ashram and thereby they had no other go than to succumb to the desire of the applicant No. 2. Therefore, according to these two girls named above, the applicant No. 2 Kripaluji Maharaj exploited the religious sentiments of the innocent girls in the name of God. 

4. Sometime after his arrest, someone sent the following warning notice on a flyer out in India. 

Alert. Alert. Alert. 

Here is information about the human demon — Kaliyug Chaitanya Mahaprabhu — the fake Jagadguru — Kripalu’s deceptive conduct. This notice is for all of the religious person in this area to inform them that a man calling himself a “Jagadguru” is living here and there in these places (Raigurth, Vilaspur, Mugali, Raipur, Rajnundgav, and Bhatchara). This Alert is to inform good people about him. A pundit from Kashi was contacted to confirm this information. 

Kripalu does kirtan and has a little knowledge of Sanskrit. So people go to hear him. It is known that during one kirtan in Kanpur he claimed to make a girl feel like a gopi and himself to feel like Krishna. Then he kissed her and engaged in immoral behavior with her (had sex). When this happened many people got angry. So someone threw acid in his face during a ras leela. The skin around his eyes was damaged, but he got treatment. However, there is still one small spot from the acid below his left eye. That is the mark that identifies him as the one who performed these immoral activities (with underage girls). He tried to pretend that that mark is some disease. 

He has used the title of “Jagadguru,” which he had never received, but with which he’s trying to cheat the people. According to the Kashi Vidwat Parishat (who he claims gave him the title), he was never given the designation of Jagadguru. He made it up. He artificially awarded this upadhi (title) to himself. Related to his man, on the 28th of February, a journal article (page 853) was published to inform the world (about him). The title of the article was: “God Save Us From this Extremely Demonic Mahatma.” A journalist received a letter that was written by one devotee and it’s described here. 

The person who wrote the letter one time saw this mahatma doing kirtan, during which he became unconscious, fell on ground, and had tears coming out of his eyes. So the man became impressed and accepted him as his guru, and he (Kripalu) accepted him as his devotee. But later he saw on he man’s true character and behavior and was shocked. Then he started thinking all kinds of thoughts about him in his mind; then he got scared. He felt that if he told anyone he would be committing “guru aparadh” (a transgression against a guru). 

At that time, Kripalu was staying at many rich people’s homes and giving a lot of eloquent lectures, and he was impressing the people. But he was playing with the people’s emotions and stating that he himself was the avatar of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. 

When that devotee (who wrote the letter) was staying with him day and night very close to him, he realized his character and manner of dressing, which was exactly like family man. But his lustful behavior was at a peak level. During the day, he was eating 100 pan with nicotine. And he was raping beautiful pious young girls and taking their virginity. All these things he saw with his own eyes and quit his association and went away from him. 

After three months this devotee wrote the letter. At that time, the guru was staying at a lawyer’s home. The devotee wrote to Kriplau: He stated that his behavior is not that of a real mahaprabhu and he gave the example of a true mahaprabhu from Gosai Chalissa (Ram charan punkaj anurag …). 

Because of his eloquent lectures, people were becoming impressed and inviting him to stay in their homes. But at that time he was taking advantage of the innocent beautiful young girls and destroying their virginity after telling them: “I will destroy your material desire and I will reveal God to you.” Innocent girls did not understand, and under his influence were having sex with him. Wherever he was staying, his sexual behavior with the girls was getting worse and worse. Those innocent people were not recognizing his behavior and were thinking about guru aparadh and so did not expose his behavior.

You can check out this particular article and whatever is described here in the “Kalyan Journal.” It was published in Gita Press. After noticing this article, it was made public. Now we are sharing this information to alert people about this bad demonic person. If you go for kirtan, be aware of the true nature of this “religion.” Do not let your mothers and sisters anywhere near this deceptive person, who has obsessive sexual desires. 

You can identify him by the mark below his left eyes. 

5. Someone posted the following message on a blog about fake gurus following the arrest and conviction of Kripalu’s “foremost devotee,” Prakashanand Saraswati, who fled into Mexico following his conviction for child molestation. It addresses Kripalu’s claim that Kashi Vidwat Parishad gave him the title “jagadguru.” 

It is nothing new to hear sex, rape, harassment and sexual abuse scandals of the so-called “Jagadguru Kripalu Maharaj” he is an all-time sex and fraud Guru. I remember reading a leaflet about him released by “Kashi Vidwat Parishad” printed in 1940s, the text was (translated):

“To let everybody in India know that so called “Jagadguru” Kripalu is misusing the title “Jagadguru” pretending that we, the “Kashi Vidwat Parishad” have given it to him. This however is wrong and a lie. We did not give any title to this fraudulent man and he should not be using this title at all on the name of “Kashi Vidwat Parishad” as “Kashi Vidwat Parishad” do not know him and have nothing to do with him. With this misuse of the title and our name he cheats the innocent public of India on the name of “Kashi Vidwat Parishad”.

Signed, Kashi Vidwat Parishad


6. Since I launched a Facebook page called The Truth Project for Barsana Dham and JKP, many people have written to me and detailed their abuse by this organization. Further, since the launch of my book, Sex, Lies, and Two Hindu Gurus, this year, I have heard from many more. People write to me with shocking and heart-breaking stories of sexual molestation, pressure to give vast sums of money, and the intentional and unrepentant tearing apart of families. Here are a few of their voices:

Dear Karen,

I was a JKP devotee from Turkey since 5 years, never visited Barsana Dham but went to India 3 times. Since my first moment I entered the ashram in Mangarh, I sensed something very wrong, something very contradictory with spirituality was happening there. As the boyfriend of a 10 years devotee, trusting her spiritual senses, I tried hard to understand the spirituality behind what my eyes were seeing. Each time I failed, all I could see there was a crazy effort to make us give whatever we have and the guru’s hedonism. I even witnessed kripalu replacing a young girl’s hand on his privates during charan seva as they started to allow men to this seva to prove it was OK. One day a didi asked me (we told them that we were married in order to stay in a room together) if my wife would like to make a very special seva with maharajji. I think my look told her the big NO WAY, she told me to ask her and think about it. Now I know what it would be. 

Best Regards, Arman


Hi Karen, 

My wifeis currently involved with Barsana Dham and has been affiliated with them for the past 15 years or so.  The contents of your book resonates with what is going on with her and I really appreciate you writing about your experiences.  Hopefully I can get some insight on how to pull her out of this mess after reading the details of your book.  She currently is in India to attend the ceremonies for the new temple there. She’s been under the influence of these people and they’ve basically brainwashed her to the point of extorting money which I’ve been saving for the past 30 years for our retirement.  

Narendra 

Hi Karen,

I read your book & the story is eerily similar to what I have gone through for 17 years of my life. Unfortunately my parents ignored me when I told them about the story when Maharaji was in US in 2005. I was called one morning to go to his room for the “private time” & was molested by him. I also saw many other girls from the Bay area & also girls who were visiting from other parts of the country including Canada go in & come out crying & devastated. This all happened without the knowledge or any parents. I could not believe myself.

Last year my brother took his new wife to see Maharaji for which I had warned him in advance to not let her see him in private. He knows what goes on too because his ex girlfriend actually slept with Maharaji. The devastating part is that he STILL believes in this person & his organization. 

I just hope that I am able to get my family & extended family out of this. It is uphill battle trust me. There is just way too many lives destroyed. There are kids who were involved in this organization with their parents have end up drinking heavily, doing drugs or getting involved in gangs. This HAS to stop. This is a battle for me with my parents & brother mostly because I have gone through this & don’t want to quit.

Thank you for listening. 


Millions of people tonight across India will hear Kripalu’s voice. Can you help them also hear the voices of the people he has abused? 

Thank you from those who have regained their voice and stood up to tell the world the truth about Kripalu Maharaj, and from those who are still too afraid of JKP to speak out.

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/india-unity/conversations/messages/47860