Now, this is reality TV at its best. This month, Indians were glued to their television as India’s leading tantrik or black magician Pandit Surinder Sharma tried repeatedly to kill atheist Sanal Edamaruku first with a death-causing tantra and then later with the “ultimate destruction ceremony” on live TV. This display was the result of a high-ranking government official Uma Bharati (former chief minister of the state of Madhya Pradesh) accusing her political opponents of using tantrik to cause disasters in her life.
In what may be one of the single most productive uses of television in India’s history, the live attempt to kill Edamaruku probably did more to combat ignorance than non-stop showings of Nova. Pandit Surinder Sharma is apparantly the tantrik to the stars and powerful with many , top politicians as clients. He had simply appeared on the show to debate black magic versus science. He began showing items that could cause death quickly and Edamaruku challenged him to kill him on television. The tantrik tried repeatedly, mumbling “Om lingalingalinalinga, kilikili…” and other such words.
When Edamaruku remained disturbingly alive, he insisted that he had prayed to a powerful God, but when Edamaruku said he was an atheist, the tantrik insisted that he would have to do the ceremony at night. That is what brought about the live show.
The encounter took place under the open night sky. The tantrik and his two assistants were kindling a fire and staring into the flames. Sanal was in good humour. Once the ultimate magic was invoked, there wouldn’t be any way back, the tantrik warned. Within two minutes, Sanal would get crazy, and one minute later he would scream in pain and die. Didn’t he want to save his life before it was too late? Sanal laughed, and the countdown begun. The tantriks chanted their “Om lingalingalingalinga, kilikilikili….” followed by ever changing cascades of strange words and sounds. The speed increased hysterically. They threw all kinds of magic ingredients into the flames that produced changing colours, crackling and fizzling sounds and white smoke. While chanting, the tantrik came close to Sanal, moved his hands in front of him and touched him, but was called back by the anchor. After the earlier covert attempts of the tantrik to use force against Sanal, he was warned to keep distance and avoid touching Sanal. But the tantrik “forgot” this rule again and again.
Now the tantrik wrote Sanal’s name on a sheet of paper, tore it into small pieces, dipped them into a pot with boiling butter oil and threw them dramatically into the flames. Nothing happened. Singing and singing, he sprinkled water on Sanal, mopped a bunch of peacock feathers over his head, threw mustard seed into the fire and other outlandish things more. Sanal smiled, nothing happened, and time was running out. Only seven more minutes before midnight, the tantrik decided to use his ultimate weapon: the clod of wheat flour dough. He kneaded it and powdered it with mysterious ingredients, then asked Sanal to touch it. Sanal did so, and the grand magic finale begun. The tantrik pierced blunt nails on the dough, then cut it wildly with a knife and threw them into the fire. That moment, Sanal should have broken down. But he did not. He laughed. Forty more seconds, counted the anchor, twenty, ten, five… it’s over!
I must confess some curiosity as to the legal impact if Edamaruku had dropped over dead. he clearly assumed the risk of the supernatural. Yet, the show was clearly on guard to avoid any mischief with the tantrik touching Edamaruku. Given the high embarrassment that the exercise caused tantriks, it would be foreseeable that someone could try to quicken death with the use of some extrinsic chemical. Ultimately, these black magic spells are clearly designed to induce heart attacks and illness from fright. It does not work very well on the educated or unbelievers.
What is most remarkable is that a nuclear power has powerful politicians who believe in tantriks. Bharati cited the facts that she lost her favorite uncle, hit the door of her car against her head and found her legs covered with wounds and blisters.
For the full story, click here
In all the glee, did your brilliant western mind even try to discover whether the man who did the Tantr act was even a real ‘Siddh’ (accomplished master).
And who told you that he was “India’s leading tantrik or black magician Pandit Surinder Sharma”…was it the same channel??
These shows come regularly on Indian TV since they hasten the spread of Islam and Communism in India.
Americans may or may not like Hindu curry or the dirt and filth of India but God knows that you people have more to fear of the Muslims and Communists, etc. than us. And if India turns into a Muslim dominated country, then you betcha white arse that they will also come for you.
Good day.
what is tantrik’s “definetion”?
came across an interesting blogged article with a different take on the whole tantric affair
Two Tantrics were walking down a street in Mumbai. They were confronted by a non-believer. An argument was averted and the non-believer decided he would have to consider what they said.
Apparently, when the non-believer accosted them, they stated that they had successfully performed their black magic all over the world – including America.
The non-believer was forced to consider reason when they said to him, “You don’t think Americans actually voted to elect George Bush do you ?”
Susan:
Unfortunately Sam Harris has about 5-10 stock lines that he delivers in his speeches. The Sai Baba reference I made was from ( I think) his speech at the Aspen Ideas Festival (you can see it on Harris’ web site). But I have heard it several times before. I just like it for it’s irony and thought it appropriate here.
Mespo, the new idea for a vaudeville act sounds great, although I missed that line by Sam Harris. Was it in one of his books, or was it mentioned in a column? 🙂
Patty, You are trying to kill me with information. You are evil!!!
Jill
Hah! Better lock up that curry,instead. It has respectable hand-warming properties!
The capsaicin, in red (Capsicum) pepper, also relieves arthritic joint pain by blocking Substance P, a protein involved in signaling the brain…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsaicin
Patty, Red curry doesn’t kill people–people who SERVE it do! (And the only way you’ll get my curry is to pry it out of my cold, dead fingers!)
P.S. 2nd amendment buddies: This is just me being silly. I am not antigun!
I hear ya 🙂
Maybe you could use a personal trainer, or four – to get you started.
Swimming, stretching, and ‘working-out’, in a pool, is great exercise
– as I’ll bet you were reminded, just recently!
Susan:
Abbott and Castello move over.Tantrik should team up with Sathya Sai Baba for a real old fashioned Vaudeville Show. Sai Baba, best known for his miracles of conjuring up various trinkets, could open the act by conjuring up some atheists, and Trinkit could kill them using only his mind. Throw in Kreskin to bend them into a neat package for shipment to the promised land, and you’ll have a veritable Marx brothers show. Here’s a little teaser from YouTube on out eastern mystic, Sia Baba. As Sam Harris says, “prepare to be underwhelmed” by the “miracles.”
Patty:
I have great faith in my intestinal fortitude; it is my physical flexibility that I question.
Obviously, you have not tried the red curry, JT.
Never touch the stuff!!!
Actually, I expect even a small dose of yoga would kill me.
I loved this story! I have only one problem with it–that educated people won’t fall dead (true), but won’t fall for it (false)! The Secret is, for example, a uniquely american version of tantric black magic. In fact the entire new age movement is a wonderful mixture of car dealerships, yogis and old time calvanism! The adherents of the Secret and new age are often quite educated. Meanwhile the mountain snake handlers and artesianl strychnine drinkers live (or die) their beliefs! I have never seen a new age believer (educated or otherwise) put their beliefs to that kind of test.
Watching that show would have been as hilarious as the comedy scene in the old Abbott & Costello movie “Coming ‘Round The Mountain.” The one where Lou Costello and Margaret Hamilton take turns poking pins into little “voodoo doll” figures and hollering louder each time. Both were left alive, of course. Sorry I missed the modern version. 🙂
These tantras, tatriks and black magics are just nice and good to give a ‘breaking news’, they never can break even a small piece of ice. A non-skeptical scientic probe may alone can put these tantic tamashas into the right light.