So what if he’s in deep freeze? Guru Ashutosh Maharaj still commands a following

On the face of it, there’s nothing remarkable about the sprawling dera, or spiritual camp, of Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan (DJJS). Located in the outskirts of Nurmahal town, in Jalandhar district of Punjab, the dera attracts followers of Guru Ashutosh Maharaj. The catch here isn’t that the spiritual leader, who founded DJJS in 1983 and headed it for 31 years, died in 2014. It’s the fact that the guru has been kept in a frozen state because his followers believe he will return. Here’s what’s weirder: his congregation is so convinced and convincing that after a couple of minutes in their company, you’ll find yourself thinking there isn’t anything particularly odd about a frozen baba who will, at an unspecified date, thaw his way back to the living.

In January, 2014, when Ashutosh Maharaj was declared “clinically dead” by doctors, following a suspected heart attack, he was believed to be in his seventies. Immediately after four doctors (three of them sect followers and one from Ludhiana’s Apollo Hospital) declared him dead, the dera authorities claimed Ashutosh Maharaj wasn’t actually dead but had gone into a samadhi (a deep meditative state). In order to replicate Himalayan temperatures – the traditional destination of gurus and yogis seeking a quiet samadhi spot – a cooling system was installed in Ashutosh Maharaj’s chambers at the Nurmahal dera to keep the temperature near freezing. And thus, the frozen guru and his legend was born.

You can’t avoid the story if you visit the dera. As devotees approach, a public announcement system relates anecdotes which remind and re-emphasise that Ashutosh Maharaj will be back. When we made our visit, we heard a disembodied female voice tell us that she had been one of the people that Ashutosh Maharaj had confided in and he’d told her that one day, he may have to leave his flock. “Fir woh bole, jab main wapas aaunga to tehelka mach jayega. Ye unke mukh ke shabd the,” she said, her voice ringing with certainty. (“Then he said that when I come back, there will be a sensation. These were his words.”)

To an outsider unaware of the cult of Ashutosh Maharaj, such proclamations sound incredulous and illogical. But for believers, the resurrection of Ashutosh Maharaj is not only plausible, it’s also imminent. And so they flock to the dera, feeding off each other’s belief, anchoring themselves in their community and soaking in the messages that dera authorities broadcast. Once you’re in the dera, there’s no absurdity in the idea of keeping a dead body in near-zero temperatures.

Assuming this writer was a first-time visitor, devotees eagerly introduced this lost soul to the wonders of DJJS. A sewadaar (volunteer) from Jalandhar, Ramandeep* pointed to an imposing multi-storeyed building behind the main Satsang [prayer] hall and said that was the place where in one room, Ashutosh Maharaj is spending his samadhi days. “Only doctors and Swamijis are allowed to see Guruji,” Ramandeep explained. “He is kept in a room with zero degree temperature. Thirty-six Swamijis stay in the room all day and conduct pooja.” The entire compound is out of bounds for common visitors. Access is blocked by a big iron gate and numerous security guards.

Ramandeep is a post-samadhi entrant into the sect. According to him, the strength of the dera has actually grown after Ashutosh Maharaj ascended to the samadhi state. His companion, Pulkit* from Ludhiana, whose parents have been involved with the dera since 1986, backed him up. “Just in the last month, we organized 15 kathayein (public readings of scriptures) in Ludhiana alone,” he said, pride evident in his voice.

Like most cults, DJJS offers salvation to its followers. The key ingredient in Ashutosh Maharaj’s recipe was Brahm Gyan, or ‘divine knowledge’, which is naturally only available to those who follow him. Shortened to Gyan by those in the know, it crops up in every discussion and is one way of establishing one’s insider credentials. “Aapne Gyan liya hai?” (“Have you received Gyan?”) is a common conversation opener. In DJJS literature, Brahm Gyan is a “self-realisation technique” based on the “opening of the Third Eye”. The literature also informs us that Ashutosh Maharaj’s aim was to bestow Gyan on every individual on the planet. For devotees of Ashutosh Maharaj, being accorded Brahm Gyan is a badge of honour.

This preference for spiritual succour over rational enquiry drives the massive popularity of the cult of Ashutosh Maharaj and hundreds of similar cults in Punjab. According to Dr Sipra Sagarika, Assistant Professor at the Department of Sociology at Panjab University, the craze for babas and deras is symbolic of the change that Punjab is undergoing from a rural, conservative society to an urban, modern one. It’s also an indicator of a crisis of faith that society is undergoing, made all the more severe by the fact that traditional sources of spiritual guidance (like gurudwaras and temples) seem inadequate to many.

“The increased pressure from industrial work culture causes great insecurity,” said Dr Sagarika. “This insecurity causes us to rely more and more on instant solutions to our problems. For example, if I say ‘here’s a tabeez [amulet] from a baba and if you wear it you’ll prosper economically and your health will improve’. Now, if you don’t get a tabeez, you have to visit the gurudwara every evening and read gurbani [teachings of Gurus]. But people don’t have the time to do that anymore.”

She also pointed out the pressures and tensions that arise from the newer, more urbane world order that sits uncomfortably over non-urban traditions and conventions. “With urbanisation comes hectic industrial work culture,” she said. “Another component is women empowerment, something like the BPO culture where women stay out late at night for work. These shifting roles cause conflict. And all these things lead to a religious crisis.” Enter panacea like Brahma Gyan.

Speaking about its power, Nandini*, a volunteer from Amritsar, said, “I’ve been coming here [to the dera] since I was in ninth standard, when I got Gyan. Humko bhagwaan ki practical knowledge milti hai [through Brahm Gyaan].” (“I get practical knowledge of god.”) Like everyone gathered at the dera, she didn’t have a shred of doubt that Ashutosh Maharaj would come back from the dead. “Guruji has taken samadhi many times before,” she said matter-of-factly. “This is the first time the public has come to know about it, that is why everybody is making a big fuss.”

Contrary to Nandini’s convictions, there are other reasons Ashutosh Maharaj’s uncremated body is raising eyebrows. Claims have been made about the samadhi spectacle being the result of a succession dispute among Ashutosh’s disciples. With reports indicating that the dera’s assets amount to approximately Rs 1,500 crore, it’s not surprising succession is a contentious issue.

Speaking to the press on February 4, 2014, Swami Adityanand, President of DJJS, addressed the question of succession. “Uttaradhikari ko leke humare yahan koi parampara nahi hai” he said. (“We don’t have any tradition of succession.”) He also dismissed questions about a property dispute by saying, “Maharaj Shri has no property because he has never bought anything in his name. Nor does he have a bank account anywhere in the world.”

Unfortunately, he hasn’t convinced the naysayers.

Soon after the spiritual leader’s demise in 2014, Pooran Singh filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court charging four major dera figures with holding Ashutosh Maharaj in illegal custody. Speaking to Newslaundry, Singh said that between 1988 and 1992, he worked as Ashutosh Maharaj’s driver. He blamed the dera of spreading lies about Ashutosh and also decried the fact that he was being denied last rites. “Yeh jo kar rahe hain, ye kanoon aur kudrat dono ke khilaf hai,” he said. (“Whatever they are doing, it’s not only against the law but also against God.”)

According to Singh, a power tussle between dera followers has led to the entire charade. “Three factions have formed within the dera,” he claimed. “Now they can’t decide who will succeed Ashutosh.”

The three factions want to install their chosen candidates as dera chief. Local followers want Arvindanand to succeed Ashutosh, but the governing body of DJJS are backing Narendranand and a section of followers are rooting for Suvidhanand.

Another twist in the tale came in the form of Dalip Kumar Jha, a resident of Bihar who claimed to be Ashutosh Maharaj’s long lost son. He approached the High Court, demanding Ashutosh’s body be handed over to him so he could perform the last rites. Jha also demanded that a post-mortem be conducted on the body and alleged that Ashutosh had been poisoned by his followers in order to grab his property. The court, however, quashed all his demands.

As far as the followers are concerned, these are all vile rumours. Kishan* – a devotee for 11 years, ever since his mother took Gyan – was unconcerned by what the outside world thought about the whole samadhi business. “My friends say things about it,” he said. “I read about it in newspapers. But I have complete faith that Guru Maharaj will come back. Aur jis din wo wapas ayenge, yaha khade hone ki jagah nahi hogi.” (“The day he does come back, you won’t find place to stand here.”)

Mayank*, who seemed to be an assistant to a prominent Swami within the sect, swatted the controversies away with this: “Some people who are jealous of Guruji spread lies about him. Like they are saying he has a son. How can he have a son when he isn’t even married?”

Leaving aside Mayank’s apparent ignorance of elementary biology, his belief that Ashutosh Maharaj wasn’t ever married isn’t without dispute. According to reports, before he became a godman, Ashutosh Maharaj was known as Mahesh Jha, a native of Madhubani district in Bihar. He was married to a woman called Anandi Devi and the couple had a son together. When his son was a month old, Jha left home and a few years later founded DJJS.

But facts and testimonies and evidence belong to the world outside the dera. Within its environs is a concerted effort to deify Ashutosh Maharaj to the point of absurdity and followers are assured repeatedly that he will come back. To believe the unbelievable is a test that will sort the truly faithful from the faithless. And unsurprisingly, there is a certain comfort in subscribing to a worldview that gives the believer both a sense of community as well as offers something that transcends the angularities of modern, everyday life. As Ramandeep put it, “In books, you get knowledge of the outside world,” Ramandeep said. “Brahm Gyan gives you knowledge about your aatma [soul].”

It’s also left Ashutosh Maharaj in a limbo between life and deep freeze, but unless you step out of the dera both physically and psychologically, the awareness of this absurdity is lost to you.

*Some names have been changed upon request.