Children abused by yoga guru

The Australian
December 03, 2014

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/in-depth/children-abused-by-yoga-guru/story-fngburq5-1227142579535

A YOGA guru whose acolytes “looked up to him like a god” had children summoned by loudspeaker at his ashram on the NSW central coast before sexually abusing them, a royal commission has heard.

The guru, Swami Akhandananda Saraswati, arrived in Australia from India in 1974 and quickly built up his empire by forcing ­acolytes to renounce their possessions, past lives and family ties. Some parents even transferred legal guardianship of their children to the swami, the commission heard.

One of his teenage followers, identified only as Jyoti, told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that she “was strongly encouraged never to question the guru as he knew what was best for my spiritual growth. I looked up to him like a god”.

After sexually abusing her, the swami said, “Don’t worry about your own mind. Your mind belongs to me,” Jyoti said.