"अनुवाद" का विकल्प चुनकर हिंदी में पढ़ें
Before you begin please make sure that you have read the introduction

Bageshwar Dham Sarkar – A Scientific Perspective

Disclaimer: This is neither a religious nor a political commentary but just an academic endeavor to inform the public about Bageshwar Dham Sarkar.

Chapter 3: Is Shri Dhirendra Krishna Shastri encouraging Superstition?

Promote Blind Faith?

Shri Dhirendra Krishna Shastri has been accused of promoting blind faith among the people resulting in the cultivation of superstitions. Later it was found that the allegations were false.

Almost everyone talks about superstitions but very few know their impact on our behavior. The usual tendency is to call others’ beliefs superstitions whereas one’s own beliefs become virtual facts!

Superstitions are passed on from generation to generation. People rarely want to verify and revise whether their beliefs are logically explainable or not, but continue to blame others for not adhering to the same set of beliefs as they do.

Superstitions and Science

Superstitions are opposed to science in that the latter provides clear explanations whereas the superstitions are strengthened by only the beliefs.

All one has to do is explain systematically and objectively the belief system one has. Otherwise, all beliefs are superstitions.

However, any given society gives more importance to beliefs than knowledge as they are emotionally stronger.

Unfortunately, we know very little about even ourselves. Our abilities, talents, skills, expertise, and proficiency are valued less than our beliefs. All attitudes, beliefs, opinions, and ideas are supported by bias, prejudices, stereotypes, and superstitions. Our ignorance lies in considering that they are all independent of each other but all these are connected and are detrimental to the well-being of the society.

It is so ironic that superstitious believers who are basically superstitious want to eliminate all non-believers because they have scientific knowledge.

Some Superstitions can be Explained Scientifically

People tend to think that whatever they know is science and the rest are superstitions. What appears superstitious for some people may have very genuine scientific explanations. Especially, due to Western influence, all practices and rituals in the indigenous societies were branded as superstitious as they were unable to explain their scientific basis.

Let us consider the following examples.

Example 1

Western Anthropologists who went to Andaman and Nicobar Islands came to the conclusion that the local tribes worship a “God” called Biliku. Biliku was described in great detail with specifics but that did not deter the Anthropologists from branding the knowledge as primitive and meaningless. They attributed the “belief” to illiteracy.

However, it was later found out that those aborigines were explaining the northeast monsoon very clearly and even showing the direction from which it would come. Every year they used to make preparations just before the onset of Biliku so that they could escape the wrath of the vagaries of the weather. They used to collect and stock firewood, food, etc., and move to a safer place.

They attributed female characteristics to Biliku and its male counterpart was called Puluga, which is the southwest monsoon.

Recently there was news in ‘The Times of India’ stating that the scientifically based weather prediction of monsoon had an accuracy of 10% in the last 10 years. This means out of the 20 monsoons they were right in their prediction only two times.

If those aborigines had depended on scientific weather prediction they would have died at least 18 times in the last 20 years. They wouldn’t have been alive to wait for the prediction as they would have died thousands of years ago.

The fact that tribes all over the world are thriving even today, despite the genocide by the so-called civilized people, is because they are precise in foreseeing the vagaries of nature.

Example 2

After a detailed study, medical specialists including neurologists and chiropractors, suggest those patients recovering from neck and spine injury to use a method called the ‘Log Roll Technique’ to get up from bed after sleep. Please watch the short video below to see how it works.

Now, every child in India is told to get out of bed from the right side. We used to call our parents superstitious for suggesting so, but we didn’t know the scientific reason behind it. Some studies suggest that even normal people should use this technique as some of the spinal injury cases are attributed to getting up straight from bed.

Hundreds of such instances were called and ridiculed by outsiders as superstitions but today every one of these customs and traditions is supported by scientific studies.

Watch the video below to learn about at least 10 of them.

Example 3

Scientists are baffled at the knowledge about stars that are held by the Dogon tribals of Mali in Africa. For thousands of years, they have been performing rituals that merge with the position of specific stars. Watch the video below to learn more about it.

Science as superstition

Thinking that science can solve all problems is in itself unscientific and superstitious. The point I am trying to make is that Newtonian science rejected everything ancient and traditional as superstitions without having the capability to understand them. However, very slowly, as tools and methods are getting sophisticated, and with the introduction of quantum physics each of these customs and traditions are being explored from a scientific point of view.

The WIPs (Well-informed Ignorant Persons) continue to have a scientifically outdated view of nature where they easily declare what they couldn’t understand, as superstition. Their knowledge of science itself is questionable. (See Chapter 1: Is Shri Dhirendra Krishna Shastri scientifically comprehensible?) We have already seen them branding the age-old customs as supernatural. (See Chapter 2: Is Shri Dhirendra Krishna Shastri Performing Magic?)

Witchcraft

Soothsayer, shaman, occultist, oracle, mystic, witch, witch doctor, medicine man, fortune-teller, spiritualist, medium, and so many similar words are used to convey the information that all these people are fundamentally trying to con the common man.

However, witchcraft has been in practice since time immemorial and is still in use even today all over the world. Attempts were made in the medieval period to put an end to all these practices. The propaganda put forth was that these people are dangerous to society. In some places, they were ascribed to sacrificing children.

In the name of witch hunting millions of women were burnt alive or killed all over the world. Even today, now and then, we come across such news in newspapers not only in India but also elsewhere. The motive was to usurp the property of these women or take revenge against them. Anyone could accuse a woman of being a witch and with no questions asked, the woman faced death.

White Magic

There is a significant difference between black and white magic as we have seen earlier. (See Chapter 2: Is Shri Dhirendra Krishna Shastri Performing Magic?) Black magic is harmful and used for selfish purposes whereas white magic is used for the welfare of people. It is necessary to put an end to black magic though it is still used even today despite legislation. This is where the skeptics and spiritualists should come together to eradicate black magic once and for all.

People in earlier times (including our WIPs) could not see the difference between the two and called all “supernatural” acts witchcraft. Surprisingly, they even included yoga, too. Their motive was to stop these activities as these were affecting their businesses with vested interests.

Ghosts and Spirits

The greatest accusation against Shri Dhirendra Krishna Shastri is that he is promoting superstition by trying to ward off evil influences on the affected individuals. This is coming from the WIPs who are lacking in an understanding of how nature works. In addition, they are unable to think logically, too.

If people were not possessed by evil spirits, then how come they become alright after Shri Dhirendra Krishna Shastri recites a few mantras?
If medical or psychiatric intervention can explain and remove these problems, then how come so many people are still suffering from it?
If the evil spirits are purported to affect illiterate people, then how come there are so many cases present in affluent countries like the USA and Britain?
If possession by evil spirits is not true, then how come so many universities and institutes all over the world are trying to study it?

Discarnate Survival

Parapsychology, a scientific study of paranormal phenomena, considers the survival of bodily death under Discarnate Survival and Reincarnation. We have already discussed how parapsychology approaches its subject matter objectively and systematically. See (Chapter 1: Is Shri Dhirendra Krishna Shastri scientifically comprehensible?)

Dr. Alan Gauld, a British psychologist, published an article "Discarnate Survival" in the Handbook of Parapsychology, edited by B. B. Wolman* in 1977. Even though 45 years have passed by, people still think that life after death is a superstitious belief!

Life is cyclical

Western philosophy did not have a sound theoretical framework to understand the phenomena and hence they were rejected. However, Indian philosophy has always maintained that life and death are cyclical and not linear. I shall not go into details about the 14 worlds (Lokas) identified in Indian Cosmology but suffice here to say that modern physics has come to understand the importance of the multiverse.

All indigenous societies have an in-depth knowledge of death, dying, afterlife, and reincarnation. Accordingly, they have devised ways and means to counteract any kind of negative influence. Shri Dhirendra Krishna Shastri has also been successful and he uses mantras to ward off the influence of evil spirits or ghosts.

Beneficial

Shri Dhirendra Krishna Shastri is helping people to overcome their misery without any cost or investment. Most of these people (running into several hundred thousand) can’t afford either medication or hospitalization. And they know that these modern methods have failed them. When thousands of people seek and obtain solace after coming to him, I don’t understand why our WIPs are so annoyed by it!

My suggestion is that they should work more towards catching criminals in the guise of putting a curse on someone. Also, they can find out with the help of modern magicians if someone is faking to be a spiritual healer. Such people are a disgrace to genuine people like Shri Dhirendra Krishna Shastri.

Conclusion

To summarize, blind faith and superstition are being promoted not by Shri Dhirendra Krishna Shastri but by those who oppose his accomplishments. He is trying to remove the effect of evil spirits, black magic, and bad luck.

By opposing Shri Dhirendra Krishna Shastri and other practitioners like him, the WIPs are indirectly supporting those who perform black magic. When people see black magic as being effective, they will incline to make use of it. When people find out that the effect of black magic is getting neutralized without any cost or investment, they will not spend money and resources on a black magician.

So, before accusing something or someone of superstitions, it is better to update oneself about the recent developments in science.

* Wolman, B. B. (Ed.). (1977). Handbook of Parapsychology. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company.

Bageshwar Dham Sarkar – A Scientific Perspective

Chapter 1: Is Shri Dhirendra Krishna Shastri Scientifically Comprehensible?

Chapter 2: Is Shri Dhirendra Krishna Shastri Performing Magic?

Chapter 4: Is Shri Dhirendra Krishna Shastri a Mystic?

Chapter 5: Is Shri Dhirendra Krishna Shastri Removing Possession?

Chapter 6: Is Shri Dhirendra Krishna Shastri Religious?

Chapter 7: Is Shri Dhirendra Krishna Shastri Genuine?

To know more about different Siddis, Sadhana, and Sadhaka:

Parapsychological Phenomena Based on Patanjali's Yoga Sutras