Recruiting white Westerners brings prestige to Indian gurus

IanKovaic wrote:

Quote

While traditional gaudiya vaishnavas huddled in forests and around mayapur, puri and vrndavana and had few if any disciples—focusing mainly on their simple practice and belief system, there is much emphasis in modern day movements on worldwide preaching and initiations of thousands of "disciples"

Part of it is filthy lucre. The more disciples, the more moola. The various Krishna businesses in and around Vrindavan also get rich the more Krishnite tourists come to town.

There is yet another incentive to manufacture large numbers of disciples - doing so brings prestige. And if one can recruit many Western disciples, and better ye3t have lots of them grovelling to you in public, an Indian guru's status is greatly increased.

[forum.culteducation.com]

Prabhupada was a no name bloke when he left India and shipped off to the USA.

When he returned to India, waited on hand and foot by American and British converts, Prabhupada was lionised by the great and good of India.

Ditto for Mahrishi and the other commercial gurus. Having lots of submissive white Western devotees is sheer delight for these status conscious, caste conscious entrepreneurs.

Make no mistake, Hindu Indians are obsessed with skin color, the whiter the better.

[www.google.com]

Just look at the marriage ads.