Brutal Initiation Ceremony at Satyananda Yoga Movement "Saw Seven-year-old Girl Sexually Assaulted after Leader Licked Her Blood"
By Amy Ziniak
The woman, given the pseudonym APR, said five or six male swamis were there. The man who raped her was the spiritual leader and founder of the Mangrove Satyananda ashram, Swami Akhandananda.
Akhandananda was jailed in 1989 for indecent dealings with four girls, but was released when the High Court overturned the conviction in 1991. He died six years later. APR told the commission of the fear and hardship she endured at the ashram where her mother was a devotee of Akhandananda. 'Her personality was so enmeshed with what was going on in Mangrove I felt I could not reach her,' she said. APR said she also had a memory of Satyananda, the founder of the worldwide yoga movement, lying on top of her. He visited Australia and she felt he chose her as his favourite and at times, he would say she was the only child allowed to touch him or sit with him on his special seat. APR is the second witness to recount sexual abuse by Satyananda, whose yoga movement had millions of followers and thousands of ashrams across the world. He was looked on as an enlightened god-like figure on his annual visits to Australia in the 1970s and 80s and preached abstinence from sex as a path to enlightenment. He died in 2009 at the age of 85. On Thursday, Bhakti Manning who lived at his ashram in India told the hearing she was just 17 when he had 'violent, aggressive sex' with her. Other women were in the room when this happened and she understood he had sex with them too.
She has only spoken out this year because in ashram society, if she spoke out, she would be considered the criminal 'for being a bad disciple for not accepting that what the guru had chosen to do to me for my own good'. She tried to get the Satyananda movement to address the child abuse issue in the 90s. Witnesses have told of violent beatings inflicted on children by Akhandananda and his partner Shishy, who became their legal guardians when parents signed over rights. Tim Clark, who was a child at the ashram in the 80s, said he was violently beaten and sexually abused by some of the female swamis. Bhakati Manning, also told the royal commission that said she was abused by two senior swamis in ashrams in Australia and 'by the spiritual founder of Satyananda yoga'.
She said the abuse happened when she was 15 at the Mangrove Yoga Ashram on NSW's Central Coast. She was 17 when she travelled to the famous Munger ashram in India in 1976 to study with the respected yogi whom she had met in Australia. Ms Manning, now 55, said shortly after her arrival, he fondled her genitals and said something to the effect 'this is our relationship, don't tell anyone'. He also taught her how to tie her dhoti - a traditional garment - so that it tucked between her legs.
He said something to the effect of 'you have to protect what is mine from being seen', she said in her statement. The world-renowned yoga master died in 2009. The commission has already heard that Satyananda's disciple Swami Akhandananda, who was sent to lead the Mangrove Mountain ashram, used underage girls for sexual gratification. It also heard celibacy was a requirement at the ashrams and Akhandananda would beat people who were found to be having sex.
Children were sent out on what one witness referred to as 'F*** patrols', to spy on couples and report back. Akhandananda was jailed for sex abuse in 1989, but the conviction was overturned on a technicality in 1991. He died in 1997. Witnesses whose parents brought them to the Mangrove ashram in search of a utopian life have told how they were subject to depraved sexual practices by Akhandananda, who often summoned them by loudspeaker or had his partner Shishy bring them to him.
On Wednesday APL told the commission that facilities at the Mangrove ashram were basic, with children often going hungry. Their heads were shaved, they wore orange robes and were made to do hard labour. APL later discovered the Swami and Shishy had a hot tub, a television and drank alcohol. Several witnesses have also said the swami forced them to have sex and Shishy was often present. They also said Shishy would beat them. A woman, known as APL, told the commission that facilities at the Mangrove ashram were basic, with children often going hungry. Their heads were shaved, they wore orange robes and were made to do hard labour. She later discovered the Swami and Shishy had a hot tub, a television and drank alcohol APL's sister also gave evidence on Wednesday, labelling an email sent by the ashram claiming a healing ceremony for victims last Easter was successful as an insult. She said it was particularly insulting that in the email the ashram was spouting rubbish about 'ego and embracing the darkness', because it was what Swami Akhandananda said when he was 'f***ing little girls and stealing people's lives'. Solicitor for the Mangrove ashram Aaron Keraghan apologised at the commission hearing on behalf of his clients and told two abuse victims on Wednesday the ashram would like to financially compensate them.
|
.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.