I live in Trauma Everyday🔗

Ma Abheda has survived mob attacks on her home in Bengaluru Aadheenam (monastery complex) and in Thiruvarur Mutt (monastery). Places of peace and service to humanity became settings for brutal attacks on her life while unsuspecting and defenceless.

Ma Nithya Abhedananda comes from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu and was born a Hindu from the Saiva Mudaliar community. She is fortunate that her parents were disciples of His Divine Holiness Paramahamsa Nithyananda and as a family, attended many programs. She finished her B.Sc Psychology degree. Abheda became a Sanyasi (Hindu monk) with the Nithyananda Order in 2010.

On March 2nd, she hardly could contain her excitement. She finally was there to start her life. All her dreams changed in a very short time. It was around 8:00 pm or 9:00 pm, all of them were to gather in the hall. A senior sanyasi told them that something bad and abusive was being played on television about Swamiji. They were also told not to worry, they will be safe in the dorm.

On March 3rd, in the morning, she was not aware of anything that was really happening. She just went to sleep. The following day, everything was cancelled including the daily routine. The temple was even closed.

“We were informed not to come out of our room. We remained there for about 5 hours when we were called out to the main hall. When we came out, we heard an explosion and saw a huge fire which was the male sanyasi dorm. I was shaken to the very core.”

Ma Nithya Abhedananda had never been that scared or frightened before: “All the kids were clinging to each other so closely and we were moved into an apartment room. We were there until the night without food or water. We didn’t know what was happening. I wondered if I would see my parents again? There was no communication with anyone. I actually came to know later my father came to the aadheenam and was pacing outside the gate; he knew my life could be in danger. He didn’t know if he would even see me again. He could see the fires happening and the mob was taking over the aadheenam.

We were sitting in the room, some of the girls were in tears, such uncertainty, such a terrifying moment. Never thought that this could happen at the aadheenam. I felt that new life had just crumbled.”

Instead she found herself in a war zone. She felt so lost and knew how much her parents must be worried about her. No child should ever experience this type of terror. Who would do that to children, not concerned about them? The whole night she could not sleep afraid who would come through the door and with what weapon. Will they be alive in the morning?

On March 4th, in the early morning, they were sent out in a car to get them to safety. She was so heartbroken as she was told to remove her mala; she felt like a knife just stabbed her heart. It was one of the most difficult things she had to do. This took her to a place she had never known before - a stranger’s home. What has happened to Swamiji and their aadheenam home? Later she understood it was to keep her safe until she could reach home.

The night she arrived home, the owner of the apartment told my family that we need to vacate the apartment. They were further told that since we were devotees of Swami Nithyananda, this was not good for his social status and image of the apartment building. So they were all to vacate the apartment immediately. Ma Nithya Abhedananda had never seen her mother cry like that before. Her parents were trying to explain but he wouldn’t listen. They were all devastated thinking of losing their Guru but also to return back to this unconscious society. Where would they go? Will others

feel this way? Where do they stay and all are things have to be gone so even to keep them somewhere? How can life have such a turn of events so quickly with such cruelty. The owner did agree to give them a few days to move so they could find a place.

We were so tired and hungry; we didn't have the strength to stop their attack "When Swamiji was appointed the Pontiff (Mathadhipati) of the four most ancient monasteries, called 'Shaivite mutts' in Tamil Nadu, South India, I went with a few other female monks to Thiruvarur (temple town) to offer the pujas (worship) there.

We thought that, since other sanyasis were already there, we could go inside the temple, but we were not allowed inside and stopped at the gate! We had to stand outside the temple the whole day, without being able to do our own spiritual routine or even eat. As monks we offer food (naivedyam) to the deities first, before having a meal ourselves. Even the monks who were earlier inside the mutt, were now standing with us outside the gate. After a long day of waiting, we decided not to stay outside, especially the women, and went to the bus stand. We boarded a bus; there were 8 of us and after the long day under the hot sun without any food, we were hungry and exhausted so everyone just sat and closed their eyes."

Masked men beat us in the night

"Suddenly we were rudely awakened, when out of nowhere, 3 men entered the bus with their faces covered with cloth and started physically attacking us. One man hit me hard on the head. I felt dizzy and could not focus my eyes. Another man pulled another female Sanyasi's saree and slapped another brahmacharini on her face multiple times. Never have I witnessed such a deep disrespect towards women, let alone a monk. They used the most vulgar language and started beating on the males who were with us. I was sure that they were not going to survive."

We were completely in shock and defenceless. Somehow we managed to defend ourselves and ran out of the bus. Quickly, we went to the police booth nearby. We thought we would get protection and they would try to locate these 3 men to arrest them for assault. But, they did not support us at all! Instead they told us, that it just happened because we did not move all day from the gate of the mutt and that we should have listened to them when they asked us to go away from there. What did that mean, we were wondering! Were the police part of the conspiracy? Did they send those three men? Why would someone do that to Hindu monks that are only there to assist the community?”

Video: Ma Nithya Abhedananda and Ma Nithya Aruneshananda - women sanyasis under attack - More of their story:

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: https://www.facebook.com/NithyanandaTruth/videos/213798562672170/

“The attack on my head was so hard that I felt the pain for more than a week. But what was far more painful, was the constant fear that at any moment I could be attacked again. When I had to travel, I felt tense all the time and afraid that someone would come from nowhere and start beating me. I felt unsafe, unprotected and disgraced! I am always afraid of what might happen and I will never rest my eyes in public again.

My purpose of coming to the aadheenam was to lead a blissful life but when incidents like this keep happening continuously, I feel completely disheartened, fearful and worried about my life. We are continuously under (the threat of) attack. It is not only a personal attack, it is an attack on my Guru and on Sanatana Hindu Dharma, that we cannot even peacefully practise our religion. Since the 2nd of March when the media portrayed my Guru as something He is not and therefore Hinduism as something it is definitely not. In spite of the fear I feel, I cannot do anything else than stand for who I am, for who my Guru is and for the lifestyle we are living.”