Why it is a very bad idea to invite Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to your institute.
Reviewed by Pranav Minasandra and Kenneth Goveas
15 May 2023
Disclaimer: This piece was written after reading plenty of material, and losing plenty of friends to Mr. Ravi Shankar’s cult. We do not intend to hurt anyone, and thus are not liable for hurt feelings, misaligned cosmic vibrations, or other unwanted experiences that you might experience if you already have an opinion about this article without reading it.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who we will refer to as Mr. Ravi Shankar, is an internationally popular Indian god-man, and the leader of the Art of Living foundation. Mr. Ravi Shankar boasts an impressive record of awards for his humanitarian peacekeeping and his promotion of yoga. Mr. Ravi Shankar is also probably best known for being a common subject of various posters in elite institutions, where he often appears mysteriously to deliver talks, where he frequently does not take un-screened questions. Why is Ravi Shankar invited to deliver these talks? How does he access such institutions? What makes him a worldwide phenomenon, and who are his followers? Here, we argue that Ravi Shankar’s large following is bad news, propagating harmful pseudoscientific misinformation, displaying cult-like tendencies, and involving itself subtly in sensitive Indian and global politics. In the modern world, where lines of war are rapidly being drawn in a polarised world population, lending a platform to such a man can prove very costly in the long run.
Pseudoscience and misinformation
The main selling-point of Mr. Ravi Shankar’s talks and events is his trademark breathing technique, Sudarshan Kriya, an insight he says he has been granted, and which he now teaches to people at sometimes exorbitant prices. As eyebrow-raising as the phrase ‘trademark breathing technique’ might be, his legions of followers all swear by it, and there seem to be, at first glance, numerous research articles in peer-reviewed journals that attribute it miraculous powers.
How reliable are these publications? Consider this one. This paper by Zope & Zope (2013) provides a ‘review’ of the various almost-magical powers attributed to this cyclical breathing technique. They claim there are physiological, neurological, and endocrine benefits among others. Are Zope and Zope impartial authors and researchers? The Conflict of Interest section in the article says simply “None declared”. Where do these esteemed researchers work? The first Zope is affiliated to the Department of Periodontology, Maharashtra Institute of Dental Science and Research, Vishvnathpuram, Latur. While this man’s affiliation to a dental institute does not lend great credence to his work on a breathing technique, the affiliation of the second author is far more interesting. The second Zope works at the Out-patient Department, Sri Sri Ayurveda Trust, The Art of Living International Campus, Udaypura, Bangalore. How, then, is there no conflict of interest?
Not all research about Sudarshan Kriya is done by Zopes associated with the Art of Living foundation. This paper is written by Brown & Gerbarg (2005). They proudly say in the acknowledgements that “Neither Dr. Richard P. Brown nor Dr. Patricia L. Gerbarg receives any form of financial benefit from the Art of Living Foundation, a non-profit organization and UN-affiliated NGO.” Is this research then reliable? Brown and Gerbarg both seem to be affiliated with something called BREATH-BODY-MIND. They say “We hope to increase awareness of the Healing Power of the Breath using BREATH-BODY-MIND™ to enhance physical and mental health.” This organisation, composed only of these two authors, seems to be dedicated to establishing breathing techniques as equals of conventional scientific medical approaches. In a world swamped with alternative medicine claims, such as homeopathy, ayurveda, and crystal healing, this institute is also dedicated to the spread of harmful misinformation, no matter how good the intentions. We are going to ignore the suspicious, password-protected “Military Resources” section at the bottom of their website.
We admit that not all research about this breathing technique is flawed based on its authors. Some research even comes from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (although in the acknowledgements, we do see “This work was carried out in collaboration with Ved Vigyan Mahavidyapeeth. We acknowledge them for their support and the active participation of Delhi chapter of Art of Living. Financial support was provided by Indian Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy”). Maybe there is truly credible research supporting such a technique. However, like we have shown, a considerable amount of this research, which Ravi Shankar routinely points to in order to establish his techniques as ‘scientific’, is riddled with scientific corruption and misinformation. Even the journals where some of these papers are published have tarnished reputations. The BREATH-BODY-MIND authors published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, which Wikipedia describes as “quite ludicrous”, and says “papers like this do not add to human knowledge, they detract from it”.
These so-called research articles lend Ravi Shankar something very crucial, which he very much covets: legitimacy. A recurring theme is Ravi Shankar’s brilliant modus operandi, squeezing every drop of legitimacy out of every research article, every talk, and every public appearance in an esteemed institute, and then using it to promote further talks and further such research. This is a particularly vicious cycle. Unknowingly, many institutes fall prey to this scheme, and the man cunningly leverages the little legitimacy he gains, moving on to the next event. This marketing strategy ensures that many organisations, some as important as the Indian Institute of Science, invite Ravi Shankar to help with mental health crises (where he was mercilessly opposed, but to no avail).
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Yet another type of pseudoscience that Ravi Shankar propagates, like many of his spiritual compatriots, is nonsense cosmology and nonsense science generally, which might even seem harmless at first glance. Consider this article, where Ravi Shankar (or some ghostwriter for the organisation) claims that “Everything in this creation has certain vibrations. Each animal is connected to the macrocosm and brings down a particular type of cosmic ray into the planet, that manifests particular vibrations.” This vibration nonsense is all-pervading: everyone has some aunt, some grandfather, some teacher, someone who spouts the life-is-quantum-vibrations theory. Where did it come from? It seems to originate from New Thought, and must have been enforced further in the atomic era as the western bloc explored physics at breakneck speeds in pursuit of the next atom bomb, while the soviets delved deep into psychic research nonsense. Every corporate Indian guru (at least, the kind that plays their pipes for an educated audience) re-amplifies this—for lack of a better term—bullshit.
Why is the idea of life- or mind-as-vibrations so popular? We argue that it is a symptom of a terrible lack of good scientific communication: where most of the population heard about the new physics fads that had then invaded the zeitgeist: particles, string theory, etc., but the details were never accessible to them. A particularly interesting case is the Indian populace, mired deep in the Guru-Shishya (teacher-student) relationship where the teacher is revered as god. Such a population has turned to gurus to satisfy their need for knowledge, and the gurus, most of whom are ill-educated (Ravi Shankar seems to hold a Bachelor’s degree in science, we are mentioning this just so that the information is complete) spread this nonsense which then takes deep root in society. In a polarised society where trust in science is vanishing like breath on a mirror, these gurus have become the source of ultimate truth for all of their followers. It is a tricky situation, and one which should not further be encouraged.
Mr. Ravi Shankar’s cult
When thousands of members around the world, all deeply influenced by Guru-Shishya thought, devote themselves to Ravi Shankar and treat his words as truth and law, his followers seem more and more like a large multi-national cult.
How are cults characterised? Paraphrasing Wikipedia, a cult is a group which is typically led by a charismatic and self-appointed leader, who excessively controls its members, requiring unwavering devotion to a set of beliefs and practices which are considered deviant. Does a typical follower of Ravi Shankar seem like a cultist? It is difficult to make literature-informed arguments here (but see this), so some of our arguments will be anecdotal.
A charismatic and self-appointed leader who receives unwavering devotion
Do yourselves a favour, and visit Ravi Shankar’s website. Few other public figures have as many pictures of themselves on their websites. This is because Ravi Shankar’s following is held together solely by his persona, and not much else. Our interactions with our friends who ended up in the Art of Living and now work for the organisation have shown us that their leader, Ravi Shankar, holds the central position of a demigod in their lives. Art of Living members greet each other with the phrase “Jai Gurudev”, or “Victory to the Teacher God”, referring to Ravi Shankar. They spend an inordinate amount of time preaching Art of Living philosophies and practices, all the time believing that they are doing good in the world.
A set of beliefs and practices which are considered deviant
Art of Living members seem to be identified by both, an utter and complete devotion to Ravi Shankar, as well as their strong belief in their way of life, which they consider superior to alternatives. Great importance is given to meditation, prayer, and satsang (meeting other devotees). Members also dedicate great time to spreading Art of Living thought, and organise various recruitment activities, including talks at reputed institutes and universities. This specific aspect of recruitment—the targeting of university students—leads to Ravi Shankar’s followers being those who are well-educated and often people in positions of power and influence. As a result, Ravi Shankar is very well-connected, and revered by often very powerful people.
Two examples are sufficient to drive home the cult-like tendencies of the Art of Living. First, Ravi Shankar’s devotees are hell-bent upon getting him a Nobel Peace Prize, something he allegedly doggedly craves. The second is a more personal example. A dear friend of both the authors, a clever man with a Master’s degree in chemistry, who specialised in computational chemistry and published his thesis at the Indian Institute of Science, fell prey to the machinations of the Art of Living. This well-educated man, after joining the cult, eventually began to speak Art-of-Living drivel, claiming that prehistoric India was an idyllic, matriarchal, violence-free land without caste and prejudice. While such dreams might seem attractive, these claims contradict known history as well as logic.
The Politics of Living
As already established, Ravi Shankar wields great influence over his followers and their associates. Naturally, he can influence their political views and ideologies. What political opinions does Ravi Shankar harbour and publicise? At face value, it would seem that Ravi Shankar does not exclusively support any single political ideology. However some of his opinions become apparent from his public political commentary.
As an Indian guru, Ravi Shankar’s political comments are largely Indo-centric. India is a diverse country, and has recently become divided on communal lines. Various minorities are subjected to violence and are being increasingly ostracised by the ruling party. Opposition to these happenings is through protests and strikes by the masses and competition by opposing political parties. Ravi Shankar seems to prefer an obedient, non-confrontational, and conformist population. He also recommends that regional political parties steer clear of national politics, saying “Regional parties who try to play a national role create havoc and more hurdles for good governance because their vision remains limited”. He also urges Indian citizens not to oppose government decisions. To quote Ravi Shankar, “I will appeal to young people not to go on a strike like this. This is not going to help you or the nation”. He also portrays Indian political protests as generally violent and destructive, and also portrays the participants as ignorant of what they are protesting against. This is downright false. Such propaganda by Ravi Shankar influences the minds of many and has no place near any educational institution.
Ravi Shankar is a controversial figure. He was part of the court-appointed committee which ruled unjustly and unfairly against victims of the Babri Masjid case. In this case, a mosque was destroyed by a large Hindu mob, spurred by actions of the now-ruling party of India. It is unclear why Ravi Shankar, the head of a Hindu-leaning organisation, was a committee member in this case. His involvement in the pollution of the Yamuna river, and his subsequent indictment but his punishment with a laughably low fine highlight his political connections. When the government of India came up with two draconic laws to, in effect, threaten the citizenship of Muslim Indians, Ravi Shankar came out in support of these laws. His self-portrayal as a politically neutral figure resonates with his following, who thus largely side with the current, increasingly totalitarian government of India and see no wrong in them. This is dangerous, and harmful to many Indians who are victims of this government. His presence at various institutes could influence the political ideologies of Indian and other students towards the right, which can be alarming in certain contexts.
A plague of gurus
Ravi Shankar is only one among a growing number of celebrity spiritual leaders, who preach new-age Hindu ideology, mostly centred around yoga, prayer, meditation, wisdom, vibrations of the cosmos, and other such concepts. These gurus, such as Jaggi Vasudev and Baba Ramdev, are all uber-rich popular figures, largely in support of the government of India. All these gurus are also avid spreaders of misinformation, albeit misinformation unique to their own styles. Such gurus are contradictory in a religion that expects its leaders to live a frugal and ascetic life in pursuit of truth.
Ravi Shankar’s strategy is probably unique. He mainly garners support from younger people, mostly university students and recent graduates. He is, like we say before, a clever man who plays his cards close to the chest. However, upon closer examination, we see striking and alarming patterns: A tendency to be the centre of a variety of pseudoscience and scientific fraud, a central role in a large cult-like organisation that grants him significant power, and a belief in a conformist, conflict-free ideology where the populace agrees and cooperates completely and unquestioningly with the government.
Educational institutes are meant to be hotspots of debate, learning, and pursuit of truth. The presence of such a figure in an educational institute is questionable at best, and harmful at worst. This is why it is a very bad idea to invite Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to speak at your institute.