Court To Rule On Whether Indian Guru Shri Ashutosh Maharaj Is Dead Or Just In A State Of Meditation
Though Shri Ashutosh Maharaj, a wealthy Indian guru and religious leader, died of a heart attack in January, some of his religious followers believe he’s just in a very deep state of meditation and will wake up when he feels ready. Until then, he’s sitting in a freezer being preserved.
Though law enforcement in Punjab, a state in northwestern India, declared the man dead, members of “socio-spiritual-cultural” organization Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan — founded by Maharaj himself — claim he’s still alive and basically just hibernating. The Punjab High Court thus overturned the death confirmation and ruled that his current condition is a spiritual matter, despite the fact that his family has fought to have his death made official. Local government officials say that his followers don’t need to be forced to accept his death, which means the matter is still up in the air. “Maharaj has been in deep meditation,” one of the man’s followers told The Telegraph. “He has spent many years meditating in sub-zero temperatures in the Himalayas, there is nothing unusual in it. He will return to life as soon as he feels and we will ensure his body is preserved until then.”
Deciding whether he’s dead or meditating probably has a lot to do with the man’s $170-million estate. Maharaj’s son and wife believe his followers are just trying to get their hands on his money.
According to a physician in Chandigarh, Dr. Harpal, who examined Maharaj’s body on Feb. 3: “Ashutosh is clinically dead. Last Tuesday night when I reached dera, a team of doctors from Satgur Partap Singh Apollo Hospital, Ludhiana, was already there. After several check-ups, including an ECG test, the team, too, concluded that Ashutosh is clinically dead.”
Maharaj founded the Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan sect in 1983 with the aim of promoting “self-awakening to global peace,” where “every individual becomes an embodiment of truth, fraternity and justice through the eternal science of self-realization.” On the group’s website, Maharaj is described as “an exceptional awakened being with a divine persona.” The group currently has thousands of disciples all over the world and even owns properties on several different continents.
The religious leader’s body is currently placed in a guarded room in a freezer, on his retreat in Nurmahal, Jalandhar. Only several elders and sect doctors are permitted entry.