YOGI KRISHNARAJ

- A story by N K Srinivasan

We grew up in the same neighborhood in Chennai, India. We went to the same high
school, run by a merchant-community philanthropists. Yogi Krishnaraj, then called
Solaiappan , also belonged to the same community and was proud of this fact. We used to
talk to each other occasionally ; he also showed the superior air of belonging to a rich
family with a large bungalow a few yards from the school. I am a middle class family
Brahmin boy.

Solaippan was quite bright and studious. He had a penchant for religious literature and
memorized several poems and hymns of Nayanmars, the Shiva saints of South India and
canons of Shaivism in Tamil. I used to spend my evening time reading R L Stevensons’
‘Treasure Island’ or ‘Kidnapped’ and such children books.

After leaving school, we parted ways and never met again for the next 15 years.
It was a bright summer afternoon in New York .I was a student at Columbia University,
doing my graduate work in engineering and science. I was strolling around midtown
Manhattan, after buying some roasted chestnuts near 35th street, Lexington Ave. A
charming young white girl, about 20 years ,with dark hair and loose blouse approached
me with a small paper brochure. It contained the notification of a talk on Yoga by a new
guru in Brooklyn---Yogi Krishnaraj. She told me:” Hey, you are an Indian, right; please
attend this yogi’s satsangh” –in a typical nasal tone of a New Yorker.

On Saturday next, I made the trip to Brooklyn in the then-rickety subway train . It was a
dilapidated building , among row houses, with a small wooden board ,painted with white
letters: ‘Siddha Yoga Ashram—Minister: Yogi Krishnaraj. ‘ I entered the dim hall way ,
leading to a small altar room. The strong rose scent of burning incense sticks assaulted
my nostrils. I saw the altar, in Hindu style, at the far end ,with a large picture of Lord
Shiva [the Yogiraj in Hindu tradition] with his divine consort Parvathy [the Lady of the
Mountain].
Soon Yogi Krishnaraj emerged from a screened partition, in a long ochre robe and
flowing black beard. At first I could not recognize him, but soon the chubby face of my
high school-mate Solaiappan revealed him.. I greeted him in Hindu style with
‘vanakkam’ in our native language- Tamil. Solai immediately recognized me too and
asked the casual question: “ hey ,Srini, what are you doing here” in Tamil….Soon we
exchanged past information. I complimented him for the fine work he was doing in
spreading Hindu religion and yoga in the States. He occupied an arm chair,draped with
yellow cotton cloth, too big for his small frame. I sat on the carpet spread on the floor.

Solai, alias Yogi Krishnaraj, told me how and why he left India. There was a property
partition struggle among his brothers. As it often happens in Hindu joint families, the
brothers quarrelled ,fueled by the remarks of their wives—a scene familiar from the days
of Mahabharata… Solai inherited some lands, a large mansion and some stocks and

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shares. He sold most of them , disgusted by the squabbles he witnessed soon after the
death of his beloved father…He wanted to become a wandering sadhu or monk. He made
a trip to Haridwar and Rishikesh, and learned some yoga from a master there.. Then he
planned to visit the States and wrote to his relative in New York who was a UN official.
Then he reached JFK airport, met by his relative. The year was 1962.

He was now staying in an apartment upstairs and this hall was rented out to him for his
ashram. His students paid for the rent while his apartment cost him only $30 per month
due to a generous Jewish lady.

Soon nearly 30 ‘students’ had gathered, mostly young girls and a few middle aged
women—with their beads, loose clothing and ubiquitous cloth shoulder bag---in hippie
style. Yogiraj ,as Krishnaraj was called now , started his satsangh with some chants and
singing a hymn in Tamil, followed by a long lecture for nearly an hour in simple English.
The lecture was the usual fare about the soul or Atman, the Supreme Being or
Paramatman, the prayers and chants , and the yoga part –control of prana through breath
control, how it leads to a stress-free long life and so on.
Yogiraj or my friend Solai, was careful to emphasize that he belonged to a hoary
tradition of Siddhas from Tamil country, the peninsular India, where these masters
learned to use Siddha methods for robust health with long life, lived on hills and collected
rare herbs. They used mantras as in Vedanta, or its local version, Saiva Siddhanta, but
also tantras ,special secret ,esoteric rites and some herbal medicines found in Tamil Nadu.
This heady mix of yoga with tantra and herbal concoctions which he offered made a great
attraction to the jaded listeners who had studied enough of Vedanta of Vivekananda
teachings and other preachers who had swooped on the east coast of the USA. After all
you need novelty in yoga line too. I quickly complimented Yogiraj for cancocting the new
brew siddha yoga and tantra .
Soon I learnt that the name of Yogiraj appeared in local papers and a few NY TV
channels. Yogiraj is yet to make it big with Time magazine or New York Times or with
national networks like CBS/NBC/ABC….But he was getting there and was on the right
track---so I thought.

Yogiraj attracted a lot of young students to his lectures/satsanghs. Rebecca Stein and
Mark Stevens were two bright, upper class Jewish kids---undergraduates at NYU who
were drawn to the Universal message of Yogiraj. Rebecca went to Brooklyn often with
her friends and formed voluntary groups to spread the ‘gospel of yogiraj’ as she put it,
among other students. Mark, for his part, undertook to sell incense sticks, beads and other
trinkets to raise money for the ‘cause’---to promote Yogiraj among several competing
yogis in New York.
Yogiraj got a used Chevy from one of the student-disciples or chelas for $1000 .Now he
could move about, driven by one of the adoring teen-aged girls with driving license..
Yogiraj had lecture sessions and mantra initiations for serious students in Manhattan,
Queens and elsewhere. He was sought after in the rich suburbs like Westchester county
and nearby Long Island.
In Long Island , he had a disciple Martha Whitaker, who belonged to Anglican Church
;but after divorce from her alcoholic husband, she read a lot about Hinduism and Yoga,

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and was drawn to Yogiraj, the foremost exponent of Siddha tradition in her opinion..
Martha invited Yogiraj to her home in LI so that he could initiate her and four of her
friends with Mahayoga at her home. Yogiraj fixed a date for this ceremony and he would
charge $200 from each initiate—a large sum those days.

Meanwhile , Rebecca being a student of English literature, wrote several articles on

yoga and Siddha tradition in the light of Yogiraj’s teachings. She would write first and
get it edited by Yogiraj, with additions of some Sanskrit terms. Later the articles were
published with Yogiraj as the author and Rebecca called herself copy editor. Thus ,in a
few months, Yogiraj became the author of several works--- mostly elementary treatment
of yoga. One book was published by a well-known publisher which sold about ten
thousand copies. Many excellent reviews appeared ,including one in NY Times ,thanks to
the skills of Rebecca.

Yogiraj reached LI in his car and was made to occupy an upstairs guest room in
Martha’s house one Friday night. The ground floor living hall was converted into a
shrine with a nice altar with pictures of Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesha [the elephant-headed
god ] and Lord Muruga with peacock, the two son’s of Lord Shiva in Tamil tradition.

Martha went upstairs to feed specially- prepared vegetarian food for Yogiraj. Yogiraj
was bare- chested wearing a ‘dhoti’ or a long piece of cloth tied around his hip---the
traditional dress of Tamil men. The appearance of Yogiraj had a fatal attraction for
Martha. Though he was dark in color, there was a glow in his skin, partly due to the
herbal medicines he took which purified his skin. He was muscular for his age of just 35
years and short stature. Martha gently asked how she could serve him after taking food.
Yogiraj suggested that she could massage his feet and thighs---a practice cultivated by
many gurus in India and abroad. Martha proceeded with gentleness known to middle
aged women. Yogiraj remarked that the massage was relieving his tension and that
Martha’s hands were small and soft. Soon Yogiraj was aroused. Martha noticed his
bulging crotch.

In Shiva worship, ‘lingam’ or the phallic symbol occupies an important place. A stone
lingam ,a vertical shaft is depicted-- coming out of a circular piece or ‘yoni’ representing
female vulva. Lingams are installed in temples and in altars as objects of worship—
symbols of union of male and female primal energies, representing life’s basic forces.
Lingams are also kept above the tombs of realized masters, as if they have attained
union with Lord Shiva. While yogis are supposed to sublimate sexual energies, such
instances are very rare. Most yogis , gurus and sages succumb to carnal pleasures ,in the
close proximity of a woman. Martha begged Yogiraj to expose his lingam or phallus. At
first Yogiraj hesitated. The gentle perfume from the blouse of Martha, her low neck-line
with large breasts jutting out and fair –skinned face with sharp features worked a magic
on his mind. Like most dark-skinned south-Indian folks, Yogiraj had a fascination for
women with white skin. He melted and opened his dhoti . Martha ‘s hands probed the
insides of Yogiraj’s dhoti. Martha spent nearly an hour with Yogiraj, before getting back
to her kitchen. Yogiraj got ‘his’ initiation from her.

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 The next day, early morning at around 5 AM, the auspicious time for such Yoga
initiations, Yogiraj gave diksha to five women. That night he could not sleep. He had a
light dream. His house maid , Valliammal , a buxom woman of forty years, appeared in
that dream. She was lying next to him in bed, in his country home near Madurai, for a
paltry sum of rupees ten. Yogiraj startled from the dream, woke up and took a short walk
in the garden, chanting Shiva’s name.

Lady Luck smiled on Yogiraj. Stephanie Miller, aged 80 years, a friend of Martha,
came forward to let her cottage near Martha’s house for free to Yogiraj for his mission.
Yogiraj set up a retreat centre there, where he would conduct yoga sessions and mantra
diksha or initiations on weekends. Yogiraj spent his time in this retreat with frequent
visits to Martha’s home.

Rebecca Stein and Mark Stevens were working hard to brand Yogiraj’s Siddha yoga.
Soon they were deeply in love. Mark was keen on marrying Rebecca and approached
Yogiraj for his approval. Yogiraj gently dissuaded him about the marriage and suggested
that he would initiate him into higher aspects of yoga for which married life is not
appropriate. Yogiraj knew fully well that Mark was not celibate among the boys who
came to him…yet as a strict teacher of Indian traditions, he wanted Mark to remain
unmarried. The same advice he gave to Rebecca too.

With Martha’s large circle of friends, the Retreat Center in LI grew steadily into a major
place and earned good income with the initiations given by Yogiraj. Martha , using
clever protestant business ethics, gathered lot of assets ; Yogiraj became her business
partner. Her interest in yoga as such was marginal. She ,of course ,was interested in the
company of Yogiraj which was maintained as a discreet affair.

Mark Stevens showed a spiritual restlessness common among young people of his
generation. Yogiraj suggested that Mark should undertake a tour of spiritual places in the
south East, including Nepal, South India ,Ceylon [Sri Lanka], Thailand and Cambodia.
He could perhaps write a book on the East , like Evan-Wentz , Paul Brunton and such
scholars. Mark took the suggestion seriously and planned his trip with help from Yogiraj.
Yogiraj was generous in giving money to Mark for his travels and send him away.

Rebecca Stein showed no such interest in touring the East. She was bent upon a writing
career and also planned to do her Ph D on comparative religion with a Columbia
University professor. So Rebecca and Mark broke up. Now Yogiraj saw the opportunity
for teaching Rebecca advanced Tantric methods.

There are two streams of yogic practices in Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Mantra
chanting is an easy and gentle practice, but a slow, pedestrian approach to divine Bliss or
Ananda. On the other hand , tantric method with certain rites is a bit risky process, but
faster air-plane flight path to Ananda..

There are many approaches to tantric practice ---,employing symbolic worship with
yantras or instruments [metal plates with engravings] or worshipping an idol of a

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goddess with several rituals. In one form of goddess worship, it is common to do puja
with bronze images or a living woman. In former times, both Hindus and Buddhists
worshipped small virgin girls seated on an altar---that is before they attained puberty.
The methods became degenerate and many worshipped with any woman who would
cooperate to undergo rituals, often exposing naked genitals. . The efficacy of such
procedures is told in many Tantric texts. Yogiraj had not experimented with this puja
before, but was now bold enough to try. He felt that western women would easily be
willing partners. He pitched upon Rebecca for such a puja..

He gently broached this subject under the pretext of ‘advanced esoteric course in yoga’
at his retreat in Long Island. Rebecca was fascinated. With Mark already disassociated
from her, it was tempting for her to plunge into new adventures. She now moved into
the retreat centre and became a partner in conducting programs with Yogiraj.
Yogiraj , one full-moon night ,initiated Rebecca into tantric worship with her
representing the Goddess. Rebecca was indeed restrained and showed no sense of sexual
passion. In fact she entered into a trance –like state, almost like a three –year old child
playing with abandon on a beach, fully naked. Yogiraj became passionate and drew her
close and made thrusts to enjoin with her---one thing he is not supposed to do.

Rebecca became pregnant with Yogiraj’s child.. Martha became happy that she had
initiated the dark skinned yogi from Tamil Nadu into carnal pleasures so that he could
become a father now. Rebecca gave birth to a baby boy who was named Chidambaram by
Yogiraj, a common name among Tamil saivites. In fact this name was Yogiraj’s grandpa’s
name. This development did raise some eye-brows among close disciples of Yogiraj.
About one third of his disciples left the Siddha Ashram in a matter of three months after
the arrival of Chidambaram….But many remained.

As most yogis do in such circumstances, Yogiraj made a clever move. He shifted his
base of operations from New York and Long Island to the west coast. He built a large ,
modern ashram near San Diego, in the liberal state of California.. He left behind Martha
to look after the LI retreat centre. .Yogiraj took Rebecca and Chidambaram with him to
San Diego.

The Siddha Ashram of Yogiraj took a new turn at San Diego.Yogiraj was now a great
tantra master who could heal women of their sexually- oriented problems and diseases.
His tantric healing seemed to work at least for some of the women.He used liberally
Siddha medicines , largely herbal medicines imported from Chennai. Many Hollywood
celebrities were his regular clients. He also initiated them into tantric methods on full-
moon nights--- pairing them with males of suitable temperaments or uniting with
himself.….Did they reach heights of spiritual Bliss or Ananda ?

Chidambaram grew up into a fine boy and was attending a primary school. Yogiraj
wanted to send him to India to do schooling there. Rebecca had other plans. She was
disgusted with the lecherous activities of Yogiraj . She took a flight to London under the
pretext of touring Europe with her son. She reached Holland and took up residence as a

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citizen and started teaching yoga….She never returned. Yogiraj was stunned. He received
a polite letter from her .

Martha was now the ‘chosen leader’ of the Siddha Yoga movement in the east coast.
Yogiraj visited her once in two months , mainly to look at the accounts and collect money
from her. He also gave lectures and initiations to several students .Once he had a violent
argument over finances with Martha..Martha silenced him telling that she would expose
his past lascivious activities. Most of the students knew very little about his past doings.
After all the saying goes: “A saint has a past; a sinner has a future.”
Yogiraj ,with his popularity also organized many international conferences and
seminars.He even received a UN prize for promoting world peace. Martha had already
planned a foundation for Siddha yoga in the name of Yogiraj.

Mark returned triumphantly from his eastern travels and met Yogiraj. He felt like a
Roman general after one of his conquests in the East. He laid before Yogiraj a collection
of photos to be used in the coffee-table book he was writing: “Adventures of a Yogi in the
East”. Mark had married a Tamil speaking Sri Lankan woman, Mallika , dark in
complexion like Yogiraj. Yogiraj had a soft corner for this young woman who spoke his
native Tamil. Mark lived with Mallika in a Santa Barbara beach resort and started his
own “Siddha Ashram”. All the students of Yogiraj now flocked to Mark…Yogiraj was
fuming at this turn of events and accused Mark of taking secrets from his teachings. But
Yogiraj was a spent force already and became very ill at times.

A few years passed by.. Yogiraj wanted to give all his ashrams and assets to Martha.
Martha had her noble ways too. She made a trip to Europe and located Chidambaram
doing doctoral work in philosophy at the University of Gottingen in Germany. She spoke
to him in a coffee bar about his father,Yogiraj ,unknown to him. His mother Rebecca
never told about Yogiraj ,though his name sounded Indian. He was enrolled as a German
student with name: Erwin ..Martha tried to convince him to return to USA and take over
the ashram empire built by his ‘famous’ father. Chidambaram listened carefully and told
that he would have nothing to do with his father—the charlatan. It was at that time his
mother Rebecca entered the café. She looked stunningly beautiful at her age—she was
now forty years old. She was a fashion model in one of the Italian firms. She recognized
Martha immediately and spoke to her in a gentle manner. She also enquired about Mark,
her first lover. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She told Erwin that he should remain in
Europe and find his own destiny.Erwin agreed.

Martha returned to Long Island .empty –handed and narrated everything to Yogiraj. Next
day Yogiraj officially handed over all his ashram assets to Martha. That evening he took
a flight from JFK airport back to San Diego . Two yoga students met him at the airport
and took him to his ashram. The next day was a full-moon day. Yogiraj initiated four
students –two boys and two girls. He chanted and blessed the audience of eager Siddha
yogis. He walked in the garden for ten minutes and entered the altar room. He
complained of severe headache. One attendant near by, Stella Stevens ,rushed to get some
tablets from a chest of drawers in Yogiraj’s bedroom. When she returned with a cup of

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water and tablets, Yogiraj slumped and died in his seat. He was 55 years old. A distant
church bell tolled.

Disclaimer: The characters and the events are purely fictional and does not represent
anyone ,living or dead.
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