Continued from "Quest of Truth: The Religion" 

A Guru tells his disciple, 

“Yani Maya Suchirtaani tvya upaasyaani no itraani”
"You should follow only good conduct of mine and not otherwise."

This is the basic premise on which Hinduism was created and developed. And this is the premise that makes Hinduism different from many other religions which insist on the finality of their commandments supposedly ordained by their Gods (although in fact expounded by the founders of those religions and interpreted by the future religious leaders to suit their convenience). However, due to long subjugation of this country under dogma-based peoples, many practices in this country have also become more faith-based than reason-based. Today more people are willing to get themselves duped by false Gurus, thug Faqirs, fake Gods and cheat Padres than those who use reason and see through their tricks.
 
These Gurus, Babas and Faqirs use such sophistry and ambiguity in their talk and trickery in their actions that most of the God-fearing individuals easily fall prey to their glib-talk. They put their reason, wealth, and honor on the Guru's feet and pass in deep slumber of unreason. By the time they wake up, it is often too late. Since the advent of T.  V. this art of duping the gullible has developed into a flourishing business because most of the channels are competing with each other to show these high T. R. P.  Programs of tricksters. Therefore Gurus, Jyotishis, Faqirs,  Miracle-makers, Numerologists, Tarrot-readers, Vastu-shastris, Astro-uncles are multiplying like frogs in the rainy season; and, surprisingly, all are getting more and more believers like bugs flocking in death-dance around a lamp. 

Such a maddening scenario must give rise to something like Nirmal Baba syndrome. It would have been most surprising if likes of Nirmal Baba had not appeared and proliferated in such favourable conditions. In a way, the society should feel obliged to Nirmal Baba for having used untruth to selfish purposes so blatantly that but for incorrigibly dunce everybody can see through the treacherous eloquence of the baba for duping people.  He has given golden opportunity to those who have not sold their reason to blind-faith to see the hypocrisy and jugglery of these Godmen. Nirmal Baba is neither new nor alone among those who have successfully made duping of the believers a lucrative profession. What is special about him is his boldness and unambiguity about his methods. If, even then, people are willing to believe him and squander their wealth on him, then he is hardly to blame. It is the people themselves who are to blame for putting their reason on the back-burner and having unflinching faith in the false religious miracles. Therefore, registration of criminal cases against Nirmal Baba appears to be a dubious use of law. In fact no normal police officer would have done it had it not been a matter of public outcry created by the media under influence from other tricksters. Nirmal Baba, with his gift of gab and superior persuasive powers, had become a threat to the business of other religious tricksters of various shades, who appear to have prompted the media to single him out.

In order to save people from being victims of such four-twenties, it is the bounden duty of all intellectuals to usher in an era of scientific thinking and rationality. If we adhere to one simple principle which is common among all religions that everybody has to face consequences of one's deeds, then no other argument is needed to explain that any 'Krupa or Ashirvad' bought by prostrating before and offering money to Babas, Faquirs, Padres , Gurus or Pujaris can alter one's situation. Such offerings and prayers even to God should not make any difference because God cannot be a bribery-prone or flattery-loving entity. 

Use of one's reason alone can save one from treachery prevailing all round.