Once known for preaching Hinduism, he is neither a swami nor a ‘godman’ now, but identifies as an atheist. Yes, we are talking about Swami Balendu. This 45 year old Swami was born in Vrindavan, a place known for Hindu values. He belongs to a highly spiritual family, where his father Balakram Sharan is a renowned preacher and, spiritually, a very advanced personality. Swami Ji’s grandfather Sri Bindu ji was a widely known speaker, scholar, writer, musician and poet. Mahatma Gandhi had invited him several times for delivering lectures. Swami Balendu speaks about atheism and says that development is necessary for people to deviate from religion to our Editor in chief Vaidehi Taman.
Tell us about the Atheist Meet being organized by you? What is an Atheist according to you?
Our atheist meet is an effort to bring like-minded people together, bring them onto one stage where they can meet, make connections, exchange thoughts and discuss about how to spread rational thoughts in a society which is full of superstition. An atheist is someone who doesn’t believe in any supernatural power but in himself. He avoids doing wrong, not because of the fear of going to hell but because he thinks it is wrong. An atheist doesn’t perform good deeds for the greed of deriving benefits in a fictional heaven but for doing good for others. He thinks from his own free mind, not directed by nonsense written in books thousands of years ago. He takes the responsibility for his own doing and doesn’t rely on any guru, religion and god. An agnostic performs his duty with self-confidence, not bribing the god with offerings, rituals and money, mannat in Hindi. He doesn’t live in the guilt of a crime he has not committed and which he didn’t have control over. An atheist will not charge you money with the promise of coming happiness in this life and taking you to heaven in next life. He doesn’t curse you, nor create fear of mysterious, fictional powers or sudden accidents. He atheist is not superstitious. I have told you who an atheist is and for theists, you can assume the opposite.
These days there are many religious groups, gurus and Ashrams. Why do you call yours as an unreligious Ashram?
I believe there is no hypocrisy in religion but religion in itself is hypocrisy. It was an outdated concept of regulating society with the weapon god for cashing in on the natural human feelings of fear and greed. With today’s development of science, we don’t need this anymore. In fact, we need to leave such concepts and remember that morals and ethics have nothing to do with religion. You don’t need to be religious to act morally right! On the contrary, I believe religion is a way which shows you how to do bad things without feeling bad. Religion always wants to keep you in the guilt of having done something wrong although you have not done it or was not in your control. I didn’t want this practice to be followed in my ashram. I wanted to keep my ashram free of any organized religion and that’s how we have an unreligious Ashram!
What is the difference between spiritual guru and an atheist guru?
The concept of a guru in the light of religion and culture is very strange to me. We all are equal. Why does anybody sit higher and others lower? I do not like the words ‘disciples’ and ‘followers’ – why can we not be simple students to learn from somebody? When it comes to learning, I believe we can learn from anybody around us. My mathematics teacher was also a guru for me in this way! I have no problem in showing respect to such teachers of my life! When it comes to those gurus however who are running a business of blessing and reserving a seat in heaven for their disciples, I don’t feel any respect. By the way, if an atheist guru started taking giving initiations against money, it would be the same! Atheism would become a religion! It does not work through initiations. You become an atheist because you have made your individual experience and thus turn against the fake belief in a god or his supernatural powers. Atheism is a reaction to theism, a rebellion against the lies of religion. If there was no theism, we wouldn’t need atheism.
I became an atheist because I was a theist. But my daughter, who was never a theist, will not become an atheist – she will just be human! Once one such generation has passed, theism and atheism will have no importance anymore! In the same way, you don’t need to be spiritual. Just be a normal human! Be natural and follow the morals which you have inside you – there is no need for spirituality! In the modern way, people who are fed up with religion but want to hang onto something to say ‘I am not religious but spiritual’. That means you believe in a supernatural power which doesn’t exist. It is actually the same thing. And if you don’t believe in any supernatural power, you can just have normal morals. If you want to call being in love, honest and nice ‘spiritual’, you can give it this name or any other. So if we don’t need spirituality, why do we need a spiritual guru? Spirituality is just a fake idea which leads you in circles, never reaching a goal.
How Atheism is necessary for the betterment of today’s society?
As I always say, religion and its weapon god have been used for centuries to manipulate the minds of the innocent, cashing in on their fear and greed, which are natural feelings to humans. In this way, they are able to exploit people. When people have rational, scientific thoughts and minds, nobody can take wrong advantage of this fake god phenomenon. The condition of women in today’s world is in its bad state only because of religion. All religions were man-made and suppress women as second-grade citizens. The caste system here in India degrades other humans who are just like you because they were born in a certain family. This, too, has its roots in religion. God is the biggest superstition, the father of all superstitions. That’s why a group of clever people were able to manipulate and use superstition to suppress others. Once god is not relevant anymore, this manipulation will finish.
Religious people live in a dream world hoping for a miracle to happen. It never does. They accept and live in an illusion. Because of religion and faith in god they have to accept that they are poor, in a bad situation and cannot get out. Poverty, too, is justified in this way: god made us poor. They accept it as an act of god.
The theory of Karma is closely related to this: you just have to accept it and you cannot get out of it anyway! Religiosity has caused the biggest loss to this world: the wastage of human resources, their manpower. If these people worked something practical, not having beads in the hands but tools instead, imagine how much our country could have progressed already. How much could be done in just one day with the help of so many hands? The rituals that religion created make the mind numb. You chant the same thing again and again – it is as though you are brainwashing yourself! At the same time you are feeding a statue, spilling tonnes of milk on a piece of stone. While others in the country are starving to death! You call it superstition if someone sacrifices an animal in front of a goddess statue – but offering food is different? It seems like the same thing! All of this shows that religion actually harms society. In fact, modern research and neuroscience says that religiosity is a mental disease which can be treated in a psychotherapy clinic in future! Another report says that children without faith and religion are more intelligent.
The effect of religion and god is much higher in those societies which are poor, illiterate and uneducated. When education and prosperity reaches these places, they go further and further away from religion and faith. Look at the UK, at Sweden and Switzerland for example – a lot of people don’t give too much importance to religion. Development makes people turn away from religion and by supporting this movement, we bring intelligence and prosperity further!
That’s how atheism will be better for society in all ways!
Religion is viewed by the common people as true, by the sage as false, and by the leaders as useful, what is your take on this?
Religion gives common people a fake instant relief to their minds. It is an unstable effect which will not remain. In fact, it is exploiting them and making their mind numb. It seems useful and true but is not really. Leaders and politicians take advantage of separating people, provoking people and polarizing them for their own benefit. Obviously, this is useful for them. A wise person who knows the reality doesn’t fall for this, which makes him immune to the manipulation of leaders.
Religion is about Morality or Myths?
Religion has nothing to do with morality. It actually hijacked morality. It is only about cashing in on fear and greed.
Since you don’t believe in religion, why does it bother you so much?
Well, it does because I feel responsible as a member of this society to contribute to its betterment. I believe we will create a much nicer world without the concept of religion and God. Religion has stolen the natural honesty and morality of humans. Crime and religion are very closely associated. First, you commit sin. Next, you perform rituals, pay a bribe to God, take a dip in the Ganges and all is fine again and you prepare for the next sin. Many robbers and corrupt people get seen as the biggest devotees of god. They practice devotion to get release from their criminal guilt! That is how it bothers me. We would live in a better world without religion. That’s how I want to make people aware that it is not only possible to live without religion but actually better for each individual and society as a whole!
You disprove God (the super natural powers) exists? You might say, if God is there, let him prove it to me.
Many people ask ‘Who made and runs the universe if not god?’ There are scientific explanations and if you want an answer, you can read texts by geniuses like Stephen Hawking about how it came into existence and how it is all running. Even if we leave this explanation however and I can say in simple words: if he is not running me, how can I believe he is running the universe? Or you can say it is his wish that more and more people are turning away from religion and towards atheism. So does he wish that people don’t believe him anymore? In that case, too, believers should respect his wish, come out of the illusion and let atheism grow in this way!
The Government of India is in every sense founded on the Hindu religion, prayer meets, Kumbh, Utsav. How an Atheist like you react to this?
Yes, you are right. This is an unfortunate situation prevailing in our country. They are taking our country backwards. I feel ashamed when I read International media making fun of our Prime Minister saying the surgery of putting an elephant’s head onto Ganesha was the first cosmetic surgery of the world, where the scientific temperament of a modern government is? It is unfortunate for our country. When the ISRO launches a rocket, they go for rituals and pray for success, too. If these people show their superstition, what will happen to the common man who does not have access to higher education?
If you believe in god, you can as well believe in ghosts. And if you believe that people can use ghosts and negative energy and the like, we are not far away from burning women alive again for being witches! I am positive however and believe it all is a matter of time. People have to start opening their eyes and refuse leaders who use religion to separate instead of focusing on improving the situation of the Indian people.
Don’t you feel religion and God/Allah/Wahe Guru/ Jesus etc. are the brilliant paraphernalia for keeping common people quiet and united to some extent?
No. As I already said, religion is not made to unite people. Maybe you have heard people say: religions was invented when a conman and a stupid person came together and invented god. In older times, people didn’t understand why it rained, why storms blew over the countries and why sun eclipses happened. The idea of a supernatural power was convenient not only as an explanation but, as I said, for leaders to cash in on the fear which is at the base of the invention. Had gurus and religious leaders not promoted this further, science and its development would have erased the concept of god, because some day it was proven that the earth is round and not flat or standing on the head of a snake! Organized religion and those who benefitted from it, kept this thought alive. The quietness and unity of people is thus only based on untruth, fear – not on a positive base like common principles, love and friendship!
What is common between a believer and an atheist?
I believe this question should be the other way around. There can be many things common in between an atheist and a believer! One should ask what is uncommon in between a believer and an atheist. I have explained that in short already: the atheist does not live in the illusion of an omnipotent and omnipresent god.
Tell us something about your recently opened restaurant with Ayurvedic food.
I have been teaching and giving workshops for cooking in Ayurvedic style and healthy food all around the world for many years. The aim in Ayurveda is to balance the doshas in the body and preventing diseases and problems already before they develop. Until a certain extent, this can be done with food, so that people don’t even need to use medicine. It is an easy concept, simply based on healthy nutrition.When I started living more in India and spending more time here, I sometimes wanted to go out for food. On these occasions, I missed food that is health-conscious. I believe Indian food probably has the richest variety of dishes and ways of preparations in its culinary culture! Unfortunately however, the cooking style is not very healthy.
We love eating, we love feeding people and we love cooking, so we thought why not to turn our passion into a business venture. Keeping health-conscious principles in mind, we created this restaurant with the concept of Ayurvedic body types in our dishes. We make our own spice mixtures so that we can balance the meals according to Ayurveda and we train our cooks in our own recipes. Food here is not extra fatty and not overly spicy, which makes it easy to digest and leaves you feeling light.The wonderful thing is that we got an overwhelming response, people love the food and the natural bamboo ambiance in our restaurant! People see our success and are already inquiring from Delhi, Mumbai and other cities around India for opening franchisee restaurants. I told them however that our aim is not commercial. With the benefits from our restaurant, we support our charity school where 250 children receive education, uniforms, stationery, medical support and meals, all completely for free. We have been running this school for unprivileged children for the past nine years and I would like to open a school with each other branch of Ammaji’s that will be opened anywhere!
Our Government’s and your real fight is actually with poverty and exploitation, will this ever end?
Of course this is my aim, I always say this. You are adding that it is the aim of our government as well – but I don’t think so. The action of our government show that they are actually working towards empowering the rich more and more and giving them more benefits. Life for a middle class or poor person is getting more and more difficult. Exploitation of the poor and labour class is increasing. It should be the government’s aim to fight poverty and exploitation but unfortunately the reverse is happening. As far as an end is concerned, I believe it can only happen with the help of education, scientific temperament and termination of superstitions.
What is your message to our readers?
We were born as human beings but unfortunately we were demoted to be Hindu, Muslim or Christians. From the very beginning we plant religious seeds in the minds of innocent children. We should not do that but give them the possibility to develop and expand their minds freely. Keep your children, this next generation, away from religious teachings. Don’t tell them what to think, teach them how to think!
