Editor’s Note
To be able to search for a story, beyond our resources and limitations, and bring it out to the world, requires a tremendous amount of human endeavour and persistence. Today we bring to you a story, Bhagavan, a chain of events, which our writer VoxTheFox had ended up spending almost around 6 years procuring. To this day, the article took us 78 months to prepare, collate, verify, and edit. The initial draft of our finding which ran over 51,000 words, has been preserved. Someday we wish to bring it out as a published work, or a documentary work. However, over the past two months we have abridged our findings to mean something clear and concise, and yet capturing the essence of our work. Having said that, all the incidents have been verified to have happened and thus the evidence collected has been submitted to the concerned authorities. We are here bringing to you the article in the most neutral and humble of ways. It is not meant to hurt any religious sentiments or beliefs. As a writer, this is our calling, and thus storytelling becomes our sole religion. Nothing else.
We urge the reader to proceed at his own belief or the lack of it. Thus, we are not commenting or proposing the life of the religious head. We aren’t that knowledgeable yet. However, the events only depict what took place after the demise of the said religious head. For the sake of respect, and convenience, we have changed the names of people directly involved in these events and the places as well. The content remains true to the happening.
Our sincere thanks to – Parusika Janardhan, Saritha Naidu, Himesh Manchandani (Journalists of reputable media houses), Abdul Gaffur, Kiran Kumar Yerligadda, Lakshmi Prasad, Upesh Reddy and Vishwak (Academicians and Philosophers who’ve helped us all through), and lastly, Avinash Kumar, to have journeyed with us to bring this story out.
20th April 2011, Shanti Nilayam, Andhra Pradesh
The head priest, Ranjit Kumar had his routine defined. Bhagavan, for all the staff serving him and the lord almighty, not so long ago had brought in a structural discipline within the premises of Shanti Nilayam. The same practised lifestyle was to be reflected in their daily chores outside of the Bhagavan’s ashram and within the temple boundaries. Ranjit Kumar was handed over the responsibility of ensuring that one deed led to another in a seamless manner. He was after all the oldest friend of His Holiness, Bhagavan Sathyaroopa Baba.
As per the routine, Ranjit Kumar, now a 52-year-old man with a slight hump on his back, walked into Shanti Nilayam, and beyond the guards. It was 4 AM, and His Holiness was to be woken up by 4.17 AM precisely. That was the chosen time. If it was a Thursday, the time would be 3.45 AM, as that allowed for an early prayer in the temple grounds, before millions of devotees flocked through the gates of Kalaparthi, a small town near Anantapur. Ranjit Kumar, entered the private chambers, as he had on innumerable occasions over his association with Bhagavan over the past 27 years. The routine asked him to enter the chambers and carry with him a warm towel, and a glass of saffron laced milk, and sit beside Bhagavan, gently rubbing his legs with the towel. Once awake, he was to be helped to sit back on the bed and served the milk. Ranjit Kumar, as he walked in, gently turned on the chandelier which contained only of zero watt bulbs, so as to dimly light the chambers. Then, the old friend of His Holiness picked up the special silver stool, which was made for him, and placed it near the mammoth bed of Bhagavan. Thus, he started rubbing the towel, gently on the Bhagavan’s thigh and knees.
A moment later, he extended the towel to the hands and expected a slight movement by now. The Holy Spirit remained unmoved. He was asleep and remained asleep. Ranjit Kumar sensed a mild discomfort in his expectations. Something was wrong. Something was amiss. He got up the stool and started feeling the Holiness for his pulse. Bhagavan’s life had seeped out in the middle of the night. Ranjit Kumar stood there trying to understand the implications this moment would have in the lives of the millions of his devotees. His Holiness had ascended to the heavens, and the humanity had been left in his wake. For his believers, the world in that moment had come to an end. And therefore, Ranjit Kumar held onto his grit and strength through those chaotic moments inside his head and decided to follow Bhagavan’s protocol which was drafted a couple of years ago. More than the devotees, it served to a much greater and abysmal cause. It was to inform about the death to a selected few people across the world. The people who had defined his divinity all along, for the past three decades, and made Bhagavan the God’s messenger for Humanity, now in the 21st century, when Humanity faced its most vulnerable state. People who would help survive His Holiness multiple times, even through the chronic illness which struck him. People who were powerful enough to make or break a nation within the next few hours that were to follow.
The Four Hours That Changed Everything (4.45 AM, Shanti Nilayam)
The staff of His Holiness had summoned an unknown doctor by name Kathiyar Reddy, from the outskirts of Kalaparthi. The reason as to why they didn’t call the in-house group of 13 doctors, still remains unknown. The most popular theory about summoning Kathiyar Reddy was that Ranjit Kumar did not trust the in-house doctors. Also, he was concerned if the death of His Holiness, was unnatural, and if so be the case, he feared that the in-house doctors, might hide away the fact. After all, they were supposed to do a routine checkup of the Godly human, every night before he slept. Ranjit Kumar, some say, suspected a foul play somewhere. Either within the staff, or the prime priests, or the doctors. These all had the direct access to the Bhagavan, and if there was anything, even the slightest hint of misconduct, they would’ve been involved. Also, it has to be noted that, it was on the basis of a clean chit given by these doctors, that Bhagavan was shifted back to the ashram from Sri Satyaroopa Multispecialty Hospital in Kalaparthi. For the outside world, the Bhagavan was sick and was still in the Hospital awaiting strength and recovery. This careless move on the Doctors part would cost them dearly.
Kathiyar Reddy was driven directly into the Ashram, from North East entrance, behind the golden pillars, and silently ushered to His Divinity’s chambers. By 4.45 AM, the neutral unconnected Doctor, declared to Ranjit Kumar, that the Godly human, was no more. Was it natural? That question remained unanswered, as the Doctor asked for a detailed post mortem to be done by experts from Bangalore and Hyderabad. Why would he suggest that? That is a question for the academics and the observers to ponder upon. However, what ensued was something that had to be planned extremely carefully.
Ranjit Kumar convinced Kathiyar Reddy to stay back at the ashram, till all the ceremonial procedures could be completed. Kathiyar Reddy, a normal humble Doctor with a meagre practice, had no other choice. What he didn’t realize was that he would only go back home, to his wife and children, after three years. His hardships had only started. And life would never be the same again.
Ranjit Kumar swiftly got to the staff quarters and issued an announcement, that His Holiness was unwell, and so, therefore, all the morning prayers were to be cancelled. Also, the staff were to maintain peace and calmness in addressing devotees who would start coming into the temple, expecting to seek His Holiness’s blessings in an hour or two, for the early morning darshan. He called in Katherine Roebik, a Russian devotee of His Holiness, who had made the ashram her home for the past decade. She was admired for her managerial skills by all the staff members, and her knack for handling pressure situations had been appreciated by the Bhagavan himself on many occasions. What made her special was that she spoke thirteen languages, and thus making her a valuable diplomat with the people they were about to call in the next few hours. And more importantly, she was an ardent and loyal follower of His Holiness and his teachings, never overstepping or questioning them at any point, at any place and with anyone.
Katherine later was assumed to have strongly believed in the reincarnation of the Bhagavan prophesized to happen in forests in Karnataka. She had gone missing from the ashram in 2015 in search of her master’s new birth. Every attempt to find her had been futile. However, academics studying the after effects of Bhagavan’s demise, theorize that Katherine had known too much, too quickly. She had become a loose end, which needed to be tended to, while still glorifying her part in serving her master. The truth we can only assume.
Ranjit Kumar also in the meantime, checked on Gnana Sunder, the chief and treasurer of Satyaroopa Foundation, which managed the assets and resources which were bestowed upon His Holiness by his devotees. The chief, himself a Chartered Accountant, was one of the only few men who exactly knew the net worth of His Holiness as at any point in time. And so, that morning, the net worth of Satyaroopa Foundation was vouched at Rs.21,878 Crores, with some financial payout commitments of Rs.456 Crores in the six months following. This becomes an important figure because as we come to the end of this article, we understand that the foundation would be left with a little over Rs.9000 Crores after the dust settles in.
The First Call Of The New World (5.15 AM, Principal Secretary’s Office, Hyderabad)
The call was short. Yogeshnanda Rao, the Chief Minister’s Principal Secretary received the call, redirected to him via the Secretariat office in Hyderabad. The Secretary was on a morning walk in KBR Park, situated in the heart of the city. The news he received was simple – “His Holiness Sri Bhagavan Satyaroopa Baba was no more. He had passed away in the sleep due to natural causes”. For this, the alert and spontaneous Yogeshnanda Rao sent across an unofficial decree, which prohibited the staff, everyone included, to declare the news of the death in any manner whatsoever, until further instructions. In a call back some ten minutes later, it was passed on to Ranjit Kumar that the Bhagavan be shifted back to the hospital. If the devotees knew that proper medical aid wasn’t administered to Bhagavan and that he wasn’t in the hospital while in ailment, they would literally destroy the place. Ranjit had to ensure that His Holiness reached the hospital unnoticed, to his dedicated room in the super speciality hospital. Meanwhile, the Secretary to Chief Minister needed to pull in favours, from the powerful and the rich, to solicit at the Begumpet Airport, 42 Chartered Helicopters in the next one hour.
The death of such a powerful man, couldn’t be kept a secret for long, and every minute which ticked away, pushed the existence of millions of people into a relentless risk.
440 Kilometers away, Ranjit Kumar with the help of two of his most trusted followers, arranged to have Bhagavan’s humanness, be covered with shawls and blankets, and carried it to the back seat of a Mahindra Scorpio which was owned by a local businessman, Janardhan Rao. The Bhagavan’s convoy was arranged on the South West entrance, as the Scorpio left from the North East. Devotees knew the convoy by heart, three ambassadors, and one CRV, within which the who’s who of the temple dignitaries would usually sit in, to go and visit the Bhagavan at the hospital. The routine was undertaken as usual. Ranjit Kumar took the CRV, and the convoy took off. The Scorpio had taken a different path, to the hospital without being noticed by anyone. While at the hospital, the Bhagavan was transferred to his dedicated room, swiftly and away from prying eyes.
The Arrivals and Departures, (6.40 AM, Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad)
Business Jets India, the biggest manufacturer of Helicopters, had received a weird request for 20 or more choppers for hire by 6.30, directly from Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister’s office. Ironically, the company could spare out only 15. And those took off from Pune Air base, Bhubaneswar Air Base and many such others. All headed to Begumpet. The ATC (Air Traffic Controller) on that day, Jaydeep Rawat remembers the urgent calling he had to face,
“It was unseen before. We were getting landing requests from Hawker 900 XPs, one almost every five minutes. Then there were choppers from Taj Air and BJT. One after the another, there were almost twenty-five and more choppers hovering above and one by one, they were given the permission to land. The job was getting tough, as we had a private jet coming in at the same time, at around 6.30, and we had to maintain with that. The curious thing was that these choppers were all awaiting their passengers, and even more strangely, they were occupied in less than 10 minutes as the passengers arrived. Everyone was a VIP, and those who weren’t boarding these chartered choppers, had their own, flying in. It became a nightmare for Directorate General of Civil Aviation offices here in the city”.
Finally, 27 choppers lifted out from Begumpet Airport. Their destination was to be any town near Kalaparthi, but not Kalaparthi itself. People being ignorant was still their biggest ally. Another 5 choppers touched down in Anantapur from different parts of the country, carrying within them, A Famous Movie Star, A World Renowned Cricketer, Ex Chief Minister of a North Indian State, An Industrialist within Telecom Industry and a couple of other big shots. Most of these choppers landed in Anantapur, Tadipatri and neighbouring towns and cities. All they needed was a playground to land, that’s all. Vehicles were arranged and routes were drawn. The least noticeable roads leading into Kalaparthi were chosen. The vehicles were picked to be simple hatch backs, just to pass off as visitors. However, the major problem was Press at the hospital. Although there was no leaking of information (yet), the press was anticipating the Divinity’s ascension, sooner or later. Hence, most of the newspapers had left a few of their journalists to stay near the hospital and were asked to be wary of what was to come.
For, Ranjit Kumar, it had been a truly testing job, when he and his fellows had to carry the body inside, undetected. But these many prolific People, coming to the hospital was sure to turn every camera in their direction. Thus, in consultation with members of Satyaroopa Charitable fund and Satyaroopa Welfare organization, he let out a word that an important announcement would take place at the Sanctum of Vata Vriksha, in the next hour. The press which was waiting for something like this, immediately made way for Vata Vriksha, leaving the way clear for People to visit Bhagavan at the hospital.
The Divinity And The Reflection Of Power (7.45 AM, Satyaroopa Super Speciality Hospital, Kalaparthi)
When they arrived, were they driven by their genuine admiration and love towards this holy figure, or was it to safeguard their assets before the IT department came out? Slowly the answer became clear, as Katherine Roebik, guided people into the Bhagavan’s room, noting down their grievances and their wonderings carefully on her notepad. Yes, they were saddened, the powerful men and women from across the country, Ministers, Industrialists, Stock Market Tycoons, Software Company Founders, and Doctors who ran the business of Hospitals all across, all of these people were kneeling down and weeping. Yes, they were saddened, as they felt lost and deranged because the God they knew had left them. Yes, they were saddened, because from now on he wouldn’t be available to them for counsel and well-being. Yes, of course, they were saddened.
We managed to talk to one of the chairpersons of a Nationalized Bank, who visited Bhagavan at that point in time. She had some interesting things to share about how the whole controlled chaos went about in those few hours,
“I arrived from Bangalore, as a representative of our bank. To be frank, we weren’t much into the Bhagavan’s teaching. Neither were we his followers. It wasn’t a religious calling, but a financial one. You see, while the Satyaroopa Charitable Fund, took up the construction of Water Canal across the district, we gave out a loan of nearly 400 crores. Yes, that’s a huge amount, but it was a man who was worth ten times more than that. So it was a calculated risk. However, we still needed a guarantor for that, and we drafted up an unofficial agreement between five MLA’s and us, for the amount, while the trust became the receiver. As we received the information of his demise, we had to rush to protect our interests. And literally, that’s what I did. See, at the end of the day, we need to do our job, otherwise who else will do it right? And we never trusted these Politicians. As a matter of fact, we didn’t exactly believe in the Godly human too. To be honest, we knew about his theatrics and parlour tricks. What worried us most was the sexual assault charges pressed upon from time to time. It is because, we were assured by the Chief Minister’s office, that we had no choice but to grant him the amount. We recovered it, to the tune of 412 Crores that day, in the form of Gold and Silver”.
Katherine Roebik, attended each of the visitors that day, assuring them that their safe keeping contributions were indeed safely kept. Each would be given a fair opportunity to take back their belongings either in the same form or the equivalent form in ornamental jewellery or Gold bars.
An article which appeared in The Hindu on 28th of April, 2011, post the official death of Bhagavan, which was termed as Assets Unfound, spoke of how the wealth equivalence arrived at Kalaparthi
“……Kumar Reddy, the ruling party MLC elect, today was arrested for illegal transportation of Gold Bars worth 93 Lakhs, on the outskirts of Tirupati. On further investigation, the Police Commissionerate concluded that Kumar Reddy had been transporting Gold, as an exchange to the equivalent monetary contributions he had presented to Satyaroopa Trust. The black money, he confessed, which he made from his real estate venture Yuktha based in Hyderabad, was given to the trust to convert it into income. Thus, the trust used it. After the demise of His Holiness, the Trust was to be dissolved, if rumours were to be believed. Hence, Kumar Reddy in a panic took the equivalent of such amount in Gold. The Police Commisionerate went onto declare at the press meeting that, they would start an enquiry into the flow of black money into Trust, and how they were being interchanged into Taxable white money. The Commissioner, also added that such activities were highly condemnable and the same would be eradicated from the present society. Godmen who were aiding such tax evasive money, he said, were also not above the law”
A Doctors Plight And A Servants Fight (8.15 Am, Shanti Nilayam, Kalaparthi)
Kathiyar Reddy was kept back at Shanti Nilayam, with guards ensuring that he didn’t utter a word. It had been almost 3 hours since he had made his declaration. Ranjit Kumar had left him and hadn’t got back to him since. The only instruction for him was to not leave until expressly instructed by the servant of God himself. The Doctor was not allowed to go anywhere else, not even the washroom, which was located in the next block behind the Sanctum building of His Holiness. As the Doctor, expressed his desire to take a piss, the guard brought him a small basin which he pissed into. Such was the level of tightening things around. Ranjit Kumar could simply take no chances with any potential leak. And if the People knew about the Doctor, there was no telling what could happen. After all, their multi million businesses depended on the fact that they could keep the holy demise a secret for as long as they could. That would allow them to clear off their Owings and receivables, before the Government started poking their noses, Officially.
In this context, Ranjit Kumar, and the chief of Charitable trust, Gnana Sunder, sat up for an emergency meeting, in the office of the trust not too far away from the Sanctum. They drew out the log sheets, of all the receivables. Around 72 commerce students were brought into the offices and crammed together, to find out precisely how much the People owed and got. The accounts which showed Rs 21,878, had to be distributed in the next one hour. Or at least promissory notes issued to the effect of these clearances. Hence, the 72 people and the chief got to adjusting the day journals and balance sheets from ten years past, to bring out a clear window for such an expenditure to be shown going out every year. The task was getting too much for these graduates, and so Gnana Sunder called in other CA’s from nearby towns and villages. Around 15 to 20 CA’s were brought on board to immediate notice. One of them was Shiva Bhavani Reddy. In years to come, he would disclose the whole practice that was undertaken on that day, to the esteemed Board of Chartered Accountants on a bench hearing. His findings and report, have been used by us to bring you the nearest exact numbers within this article.
Ranjit Kumar, who had already promised the Press something to chew on, at Vata Vriksha, arrived there to make an announcement. He had carefully picked his words to bring out an abstract essence of what was happening, while also maintaining discretion and secrecy. In an orthodox and professional manner, this is what the official spokesperson for His Holiness Sri Bhagavan Satyaroopa Baba, said to the press.
“His Holiness extends his warm wishes to all his devotees on the auspicious occasion of Dhruva Purnima, and blesses each soul to be always happy and prosperous”
Yes. That’s it. That’s all he said, to the 40 odd press members who had rushed to Vata Vriksha expecting an announcement which would perhaps shatter the whole world, and leave them in frenzy. That was it. No body questioned what Dhruva Purnima was? In an ironical way, Dhruva Purnima marks the ascension of Saptagurus to the precipice of summer. In effect, it is a change of weather over night. And thus, Ranjit Kumar may have hinted at something, but again it seemed unintentional even at that point of time. One of the journalists, who used to work with Andhra Prabha, was quoted as saying,
“It is uncharacteristic of someone who is known to be straight to the point, to have said something which was utterly nonsensical given the time and location of the press meet. I could say that there was something different in the way we were summoned, or perhaps it was just the morning blues. A few moments earlier, I had received a call from one of my sources in Anantapur, that a famous cricketer was spotted there, and was headed to visit His Holiness. That wasn’t abnormal. Over the past decade or so, famous personalities had flown into the town, at any hour as per their convenience. But not with an important one-day match coming up on the same day. That was suspicious. It so happened that a few of my colleagues swore to have seen Ex MLAs, Politicians and others, near Satyaroopa College. The situation led us to believe in only one thing. Consensually we believed that the Holy man had passed away. And this meeting would only confirm that. Curiously, it didn’t”
Goods, Golds And Greater Causes (9.15 AM, Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh)
Samhita Transport, a local truck carrier service, operated under the patronage of Obula Nagireddy, an MLA nominee within the town for the political observers, and a factionist for others, received a call to divert his trucks to Kalaparthi. There were Goods which needed to be transported to different towns. Samhita Transport trucks which usually traded in the transport of Rice bags, Cotton, and Sugar Cane, was pressingly asked to make room for other containments to be loaded on the outskirts of Kalaparthi. Thus, the trucks arrived, at the outskirts of Kalaparthi, lined one after the other by a little past nine. One by one the trucks were given an instruction, as to where they should arrive at, to take their load. A few trucks were diverted to Satyaroopa College, some to the banks of Chitravarthi river, and some others to the nearest viable places at temple premises. And then the loading started. Cash, Kind, Furniture, Paintings, Gold, Silver, Jewelry and just about everything. A truck for a destination was the idea. Hence, all the belongings which were towards People from Bangalore were loaded in one truck. It was easier to distribute at the destination. Most of the transactions were overlooked by Gnana Sunder and Katherine Roebik. Some containments were left out, for the eventual transfer via school buses to academic colleges in various cities.
At around, 9.45, the offices of Satyaroopa Trust, and the almost the hundred people crammed into it, working furiously in disposing of the assets, arrived at the figure of Rs. 9,421 Crores from an erstwhile figure of Rs 21,878 Crores. It would further go down as it was but would remain unrecorded and uncollated. An estimated figure of 12,457 Crores had changed hands eventually at the very least.
In this point, it becomes an interesting study to look at the official Tax Department statement which opened up the offices and chambers later that month. The report on the assets and ornaments came out as,
“In the private residence, which had been sealed since the Bhagavan’s death, the trust inventoried 98 kg of gold ornaments, of approximate value Rs 210 million (US$4.7m), 307 kg of silver ornaments, approximate value Rs 16 million (US$0.36m), and Rs 116 million (US$2.6m) in cash. The cash was deposited into the Sai Trust’s account at the State Bank of India with payment of government taxes (thus transferring them from religious gifts to Trust assets.) The gold and other items were inventoried, assessed, and placed in secure storage. In July, district authorities inventoried an additional Rs 7.7 million (US$0.17m) in valuables in another 4 rooms. The total value of these items is believed to exceed 7.8 million US dollars”.
The trucks were loaded with all the pieces of evidence which could trace back to these transactions which happened in the first four hours. Nothing could bring them back to haunt them, as the Trust members needed to bring the world to a stop about the demise as early as possible.
Post 4 Hours – The Unwanted Stops And The Horrifying Things Discovered
On the outskirts of Bangalore, at a small town called Devanahalli, one of the trucks of Samhita Transport, was stopped for routine checking by the Excise department. The Driver who had been hinted that he would be killed if the truck stops, or the containments revealed, stopped the truck and fled the scene as soon as the Excise barricades appeared at a distance. The Excise officials led by Murli Mohan Hegde, suspected a foul play and seized the truck and started unloading its containments. As they removed the piles of Rice bags, they discovered that underneath them were hidden, Humans. 13 Children and one man, all gagged up and tied to the hooks on the wall. The children were aged between 7 to 15 and were all boys. The man identified himself as a medical practitioner near Kalaparthi. His name he said was Kathiyar Reddy.
Murli Mohan Hegde in his FIR filed on 23rd April spoke of these things – “the arrested occupants of the said loaded Truck, are named as per the below affidavit. In addition to them, Kathiyar Reddy, a Doctor of repute, was also found to be transported from Kalaparthi along with the below-mentioned findings of Rice bags. After the initial enquiry, the Doctor is unwilling to disclose the names of his abductors. He maintains his initial version of events, as being and here repeated, On his way to Bangalore journeying on his bike, some robbers attacked him, and snatched away his wallet, and his bike, a Hero Honda Splendor in specific, of the undisclosed plate number. We are yet to find the culprits of both the Human Trafficking chain under sec 372 of Indian Penal Code and robbery and theft under sec 378. All 0f these children, boys, refuse to tell us anything. We intend to employ psychological evaluation experts to attend these children”.
On 25th April, a few people from the Trust found Kalaparthi Reddy and humbly took him away from the Police, shoving an insanity plea upon him. He was later relocated to a small flat in Mysore, and was left there with guards, and was promised to let go, once everything settled down. That took three more years.
The Trust has no idea about the children and claimed no responsibility for their present state. However, they offered education and well-being under Satyaroopa foundation of Schools and Colleges. After psychological evaluation and medical affirmation, these boys were joined in Satyaroopa Saivay Educational Institute in Bangalore.
It is interesting to study a point which was raised upon Bhagavan’s sexual innuendos. Evidently, in 2002 the Parliament of the United Kingdom discussed the possible danger to male children of British families intending to visit the ashram of Bhagavan in the case of individual audiences with the guru. In 2004, the BBC produced a documentary titled The Secret Swami, as part of its series “The World Uncovered”. We managed to procure our hands on it, and are awaiting the consent for Public exhibition as of the day of publishing this article. It is shown and evidenced via an interview with one of the ex-followers of Bhagavan that, a common practice within the ashram, is rubbing of genitals with oil by the spiritual leader. Among his claims were that one ex-devotee confessed that the Bhagavan “put the oil on his hands, told me to drop my pants and rubbed my genitals with the oil”. The truth, of course, is yet to be uncovered.
The Day Of Ascension Of Bhagavan (24th April, Shanti Nilayam, Kalaparthi, Andhra Pradesh)
After the evening prayers, held in the Shanti Nilayam, Ranjit Kumar took the convoy to the Hospital. He walked straight to the ICU where Bhagavan had been kept for three days. The Andhra Pradesh Police Commissioner had been summoned to the hospital. The then Governor had ensured that the Police and Army forces had been deployed across the state and specifically within the radius of 15 miles of Kalaparthi. The entry gates and the prayer halls by 6.45 PM had been shut down unceremoniously. The Press media had come been verified by the temple officials. Only those with IDs were allowed inside, and those without were gently asked to leave. All the roads leading to the Kalaparthi were barricaded with regular check posts and compulsory tickets.
The Bhagavan was looked at for one final time, by the Doctors, flown in last night specifically from multi speciality hospitals in Hyderabad. The cause of death, for all purposes, had to be natural and clean. Not a single strand of evidence to the contrary could be afforded or entertained. After all the arrangements were made, the moment had finally arrived. Ranjit Kumar walked out of his hospital and onto a small podium the hospital staff had arranged for him and spoke to the world media.
“His Holiness Sri Bhagavan Satyaroopa Baba has been suffering from a chronic ailment for the past few days as we all know. Although it is his will to take up the next journey, he has fought valiantly to stay with us, here in this holy land, and amongst his beloved people. But, he has decided to walk to his next kingdom. In his last words, he has prayed for our utmost prosperity and the welfare of the world. Peace unto the world has and will always be his biggest teaching, and he wishes that we, as his subjects and disciples abide by those words. We at Satyaroopa Foundation would like to state that amongst the best of medical aid and resources, we have failed to convince His Holiness to stay back in our mortal world for just a few days more, at the very least.
And thus, we would like to officially state that, Our Beloved Bhagavan Is No More…”
!!Sarve jana sukhino bhavanthu!!
