As of: March 27, 2024, 5:00 p.m
By: Paul Eisbach
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Jan Böhmermann recently took on “God in Hesse” in his show.
© Jens Koch/ZDF
Bhakti Marga is a Hindu religious community with headquarters in Taunus.
Jan Böhmermann wonders in the ZDF magazine Royale “Why does God live in Hesse?”
Hesse - “So when the guru says something, then completely ignore what you feel,” says a guide from the Bhakti Marga community “Devotee Initiation Explanations”.
This seems to be somewhat at odds with the faith motto “Just Love,” which the faith community’s guru, Swami Vishwananda, is committed to.
This is also the opinion of ZDF presenter Jan Böhmermann, who dealt with Bhakti Marga and its founder and spiritual leader Swami Vishwananda in an edition of his show ZDF Magazin Royale last Friday (March 22nd).
“Living like God in Hesse” can be read in the thumbnail for the program on YouTube.
This refers to the headquarters of the religious community, which is located in the Heidenroder district of Springen im Taunus.
There, in 2008, Guru Swami Vishwananda purchased a former conference center for the Verdi trade union after, as he claimed, he thought he recognized a place from an earlier vision when he looked into the wooded valley, Böhmermann reported, expressing his astonishment that “God [...] .] is said to have dreamed of Hesse.
Who is the “God in Hesse” Swami Vishwananda?
According to the Bhakti Marga website, God is said to have realized himself in Guru Swami Vishwananda.
His real name is Mahadeosingh Komalram.
Guru Vishwananda was born in Mauritius in the Indian Ocean in 1978.
He came to Germany at the beginning of the 2000s and founded the Bhakti Marga religious community in 2005.
Culturally, Bhakti Marga, which translates as “path of devotion,” is part of Hinduism.
However, Bhakti Marga is not a religion.
As the FAZ reported in 2018, Bhakti Marga is a belief system that is rooted in the Hindu religion “Sanatan Dharma”.
But Christian elements also have their place in Bhakti Marga;
For example, there is a Christian Orthodox church in the ashram in Springen.
The goals of the community are to focus on the divine and to live other values such as eternal righteousness and renunciation of violence, a spokesman for the community told the FAZ.
Allegations of abuse against Guru Vishwananda in Hesse
The Hessischer Rundfunk had already reported on Bhakti Marga and Guru Swami Vishwananda in 2022.
At that time, four former followers filed complaints against the charismatic preacher with the Wiesbaden public prosecutor's office.
The plaintiffs accused him of sexual abuse and coercion.
An article from the Wiesbadener Kurier states, with reference to HR, that the proceedings were ultimately discontinued.
This was followed by a legal dispute between Hessischer Rundfunk and the guru's lawyers that continues to this day.
The HR-produced podcast “Just Love,” which deals with the allegations of abuse, had to be censored as a result.
The documentary of the same name cannot currently be broadcast (as of March 25, 2024).
Bhakti Marga and big money
In his broadcast, Jan Böhmermann focused primarily on the secular structures of the Bhakti Marga community.
He lists a whole series of companies such as Bhakti Ashram AG, Bhakti Event GmbH, Bhakti Marga Charity eV and others and makes it clear that the “path of devotion” also involves a lot of money.
Followers of the guru are encouraged to donate 10 percent of their income to the community, according to the HR documentary “Just Love,” cited by Royale magazine.
With an estimated 50 temples, ashrams and Bhakti Marga meeting points worldwide, the approximately 10,000 followers worldwide are likely to generate considerable amounts of money.
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During the course of the show, Böhmermann also highlights some of the marketing strategies of Bhakti Marga and Guru Vishwananda.
For example, paid virtual pilgrimages are offered where you can watch the guru on a trip to Bali virtually via video stream for €385.
The Bhakti Marga company also sells books and merchandise.
A resin cast of the guru's feet can be purchased in the Bhakti Shop for €999.
Bhakti Marga Event GmbH alone achieved annual sales of almost 6 million euros in Germany in 2021, reports the moderator, referring to an estimate by North Data.
Böhmermann against the “God in Hesse” in Hesse: Bhakti Marga guide disappears from the website
Bhakti Marga is a religious community like there are many.
The promise of finding spiritual fulfillment by surrendering to the teachings of a guru who is said to have succeeded in combining Western and Eastern traditions, religious practices and spiritual teachings is neither new nor unique.
History is also full of religious communities, including world religions as well as small splinter groups and sects, that have succeeded in integrating their promises of salvation into lucrative business models.
It is no longer a secret that cases of abuse occur again and again in such communities due to the power imbalances that arise.
It is therefore certainly advisable to form your own opinion and to deal with the content, structures and rules of a religious community before you end up in any kind of dependent relationship with the actors in such a community.
In the case of Bhakti Marga, this has now become a little more difficult.
The “devotee initiation explanations” quoted by Böhmermann disappeared from the Bhakti Marga website after his program was broadcast (as of March 25, 2024).
(Paul Eisbach)