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'''Prakashanand Saraswati''' or '''Swamiji''' (born 15 January 1929) is a convicted child molester from [[Ayodhya]], India.<ref name="watchdog">Miller, M. 2011. [http://www.texaswatchdog.org/2011/11/san-marcos-mercury-uses-public-records-to-get-bond-details-hindu-guru-child-molester-Saraswati/1320430570.column "San Marcos Mercury uses public records law to get $ details of bond deal for Hindu guru/convicted child molester"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111107190919/http://www.texaswatchdog.org/2011/11/san-marcos-mercury-uses-public-records-to-get-bond-details-hindu-guru-child-molester-Saraswati/1320430570.column |date=7 November 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2015/08/05/the-hunt-prakashanand-saraswati-escape.cnn/video/playlists/the-hunt-with-john-walsh/ | title=Spiritual leader uses influence for evil | accessdate=2016-07-08 | work=cnn.com/thehunt | publisher=CNN}}</ref> He founded [[Radha Madhav Dham]] in the United States.<ref name="Kurien">Kurien, P.A. 2007. ''A Place at the Multicultural Table: The Development of an American Hinduism''. NJ: [[Rutgers University Press]].</ref><ref name="washington_post">"Hindu Temple Opens in Texas", 14 October 1995. ''[[The Washington Post]]''. Section: METRO</ref><ref>Coward, H., Hinnells, J.R. & Williams, R.B. 2000. ''The South Asian Religious Diaspora in Britain, Canada, and the United States''. NY: [[SUNY Press]]</ref> <ref name=Nithyananda>Nithyananda, P. 2009. ''Bhagavad Gita Demystified, Volume 2''. eNPublishers</ref> In 2011, a jury found Swami Prakashanand Saraswati guilty on 20 counts of indecency with a child.<ref name=kxan>Sadeghi, C. 2014. | '''Prakashanand Saraswati''' or '''Swamiji''' (born 15 January 1929) is a convicted child molester from [[Ayodhya]], India.<ref name="watchdog">Miller, M. 2011. [http://www.texaswatchdog.org/2011/11/san-marcos-mercury-uses-public-records-to-get-bond-details-hindu-guru-child-molester-Saraswati/1320430570.column "San Marcos Mercury uses public records law to get $ details of bond deal for Hindu guru/convicted child molester"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111107190919/http://www.texaswatchdog.org/2011/11/san-marcos-mercury-uses-public-records-to-get-bond-details-hindu-guru-child-molester-Saraswati/1320430570.column |date=7 November 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2015/08/05/the-hunt-prakashanand-saraswati-escape.cnn/video/playlists/the-hunt-with-john-walsh/ | title=Spiritual leader uses influence for evil | accessdate=2016-07-08 | work=cnn.com/thehunt | publisher=CNN}}</ref> He founded [[Radha Madhav Dham]] in the United States.<ref name="Kurien">Kurien, P.A. 2007. ''A Place at the Multicultural Table: The Development of an American Hinduism''. NJ: [[Rutgers University Press]].</ref><ref name="washington_post">"Hindu Temple Opens in Texas", 14 October 1995. ''[[The Washington Post]]''. Section: METRO</ref><ref>Coward, H., Hinnells, J.R. & Williams, R.B. 2000. ''The South Asian Religious Diaspora in Britain, Canada, and the United States''. NY: [[SUNY Press]]</ref><ref name=Nithyananda>Nithyananda, P. 2009. ''Bhagavad Gita Demystified, Volume 2''. eNPublishers</ref> In 2011, a jury found Swami Prakashanand Saraswati guilty on 20 counts of indecency with a child.<ref name=kxan>Sadeghi, C. 2014. | ||
[http://kxan.com/2014/05/05/swami-ji-religious-leader-convicted-of-sex-crimes-disappears/ Religious leader convicted of sex crimes disappears]. KXAN</ref> He is still a fugitive and appeared on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] TV show ''[[America's Most Wanted]]''.<ref>[https://archive.today/20130203093616/http://www.statesman.com/news/local/guru-still-missing-one-year-after-he-failed-2219028.html?cxtype=rss_ece_frontpage Gurstill missing, one year after he failed to show up for sentencing in groping trial] [[Austin American Statesman]] 5 March 2012</ref> | [http://kxan.com/2014/05/05/swami-ji-religious-leader-convicted-of-sex-crimes-disappears/ Religious leader convicted of sex crimes disappears]. KXAN</ref> He is still a fugitive and appeared on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] TV show ''[[America's Most Wanted]]''.<ref>[https://archive.today/20130203093616/http://www.statesman.com/news/local/guru-still-missing-one-year-after-he-failed-2219028.html?cxtype=rss_ece_frontpage Gurstill missing, one year after he failed to show up for sentencing in groping trial] [[Austin American Statesman]] 5 March 2012</ref> | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
Swami Prakashanand Saraswati was born in a respectable ''[[brahmin]]'' family in 1929<ref name="Palaniswami" /> in [[Ayodhya]],<ref name="encylopedia-of-american-religions">Melton, J.G. 1993. ''[[Encyclopedia of American Religions]]''. [[Gale Research]]</ref | Swami Prakashanand Saraswati was born in a respectable ''[[brahmin]]'' family in 1929<ref name="Palaniswami" /> in [[Ayodhya]],<ref name="Palaniswami" /><ref name="encylopedia-of-american-religions">Melton, J.G. 1993. ''[[Encyclopedia of American Religions]]''. [[Gale Research]]</ref> India. His early life was fraught with intense religious feelings, and as a youth he became a reclusive mystic so that he might find God.<ref name="hindu_encyclopedia" /> He completed his studies and at age of 21, renounced the world and took the order of ''[[sannyasa]]''.<ref name="Palaniswami">Palaniswami, P. (3 September 1995). ''a Dham Blooms in Texas''. ''[[Hinduism Today]]''</ref><ref name="hindu_encyclopedia">Jones, C.A. & James, J.D. 2007. ''Encyclopedia of Hinduism'', pg. 200–201. [[Infobase Publishing]]</ref> In 1952, he was offered to become the [[Shankaracharya|Jagadguru Shankaracharya]] of Jyotirmath but he declined.<ref name="Srinivasan">Srinivasan, T.M. 2000. ''The True History and the Religion of India: A Concise Encyclopedia of Authentic Hinduism. (A Review)''. ''International Journal of Humanities and Peace'', 16(1): 105. [http://find.galegroup.com.dml.regis.edu/itx/infomark.do?contentSet=IAC-Documents&docType=IAC&type=retrieve&tabID=T002&prodId=AONE&docId=A73580084&userGroupName=regis&version=1.0&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&source=gale (full text)]</ref><ref>Saraswati, S.P. 2007. ''The True History and The Religion of India.'' New Delhi: [[Macmillan Publishers]].</ref><ref name="rediff">Kamath, A.P. 12 August 1999. [http://www.rediff.com/news/1999/aug/12us.htm ''Janmashtami Events In Cattle Country'']. [[Rediff.com]].</ref> | ||
He spent the next 20 years<ref name="encylopedia-of-american-religions" /><ref name="hindu_encyclopedia" /> as a wandering ascetic in the Himalayas and in the forests of central India, ending in [[Braj]].<ref name="hindu_encyclopedia" /> Following the strict discipline of sannyas, he first lived in the Himalayas (Joshimath, Badrinath, Rishikesh, Haridwar, etc.), forests of Amarkantak, near the Narbada River, Allahabad and Kashi for about four years. Later, he went to Vrindaban and then to Barsana where he spent over 18 years in the deep woodlands of Braj.<ref name="Palaniswami" /> In 1975, he emerged from his solitary life he began his mission of teaching the path of ''bhakti''.<ref name="Ludwig">Ludwig, M. 9 March 2002. ''Houses of worship''. ''[[Austin American-Statesman]]'' (Texas)</ref> He founded the International Society of Divine Love in India in 1975. The society was established in New Zealand in 1978. Later on he travelled to America and founded an ashram for his devotees and disciples. By 1981 Swami Prakashanand Saraswati, who had begun to be thought of as a distinguished sage and a saint,<ref name="hindu_encyclopedia" /> conceived of creating a global mission,<ref name="hindu_encyclopedia" /> establishing religious centres in India, England, Ireland, Singapore, New Zealand, and Australia.<ref name="hindu_encyclopedia" /> | He spent the next 20 years<ref name="encylopedia-of-american-religions" /><ref name="hindu_encyclopedia" /> as a wandering ascetic in the Himalayas and in the forests of central India, ending in [[Braj]].<ref name="hindu_encyclopedia" /> Following the strict discipline of sannyas, he first lived in the Himalayas (Joshimath, Badrinath, Rishikesh, Haridwar, etc.), forests of Amarkantak, near the Narbada River, Allahabad and Kashi for about four years. Later, he went to Vrindaban and then to Barsana where he spent over 18 years in the deep woodlands of Braj.<ref name="Palaniswami" /> In 1975, he emerged from his solitary life he began his mission of teaching the path of ''bhakti''.<ref name="Ludwig">Ludwig, M. 9 March 2002. ''Houses of worship''. ''[[Austin American-Statesman]]'' (Texas)</ref> He founded the International Society of Divine Love in India in 1975. The society was established in New Zealand in 1978. Later on he travelled to America and founded an ashram for his devotees and disciples. By 1981 Swami Prakashanand Saraswati, who had begun to be thought of as a distinguished sage and a saint,<ref name="hindu_encyclopedia" /> conceived of creating a global mission,<ref name="hindu_encyclopedia" /> establishing religious centres in India, England, Ireland, Singapore, New Zealand, and Australia.<ref name="hindu_encyclopedia" /> | ||