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After a video showed him making “disparaging comments” about Swami Vivekananda, the Hindu spiritual leader, and Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, founder of the Ramakrishna Mission, preacher Amogh Leela Das (43) was “banned” by ISKCON for a month.
With over 1.43k followers on his YouTube channel, ‘Reviving Values’, which has received nearly 1.3 crore views since he launched it in 2018, Amogh has made his name among a new wave of spirituals who have found unprecedented fame on Social media.
Amog had criticized Swami Vivekananda for eating fish and dismissed Ramakrishna’s teaching of “Jutu mut to puth (There are as many paths as there are opinions)”, saying that not every path leads to the same destination.
Under criticism from their followers, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) on Tuesday issued a statement condemning Amog, the vice president of ISKCON Dwarka, and his “ban” for a month.
“In view of this grave mistake he has committed, ISKCON has decided to ban him for one month… He has vowed to continue to pray (penance) for one month in the Govardhan Hills and will completely isolate himself from public life,” the statement said, according to news agency PTI.
Although Amog’s comments got him into trouble this time around, his online popularity stems from his outspoken nature.
For example, take his review of Adipurush, a video that has more than 24 views on YouTube. Criticizing the film, he says, “Agar aapne humare ke saath chhed-chhad ki (if you mess with our epics), get ready for the hunt, the heavy hunt.”
(embed) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBVx5Pt4qQ8 (/embed)
While most of his videos are in Hindi, he freely uses English words and phrases – terms that are easy for his audience to understand on social media. Besides deftly switching between Hindi and English, Amogh fuses scriptures with more informal talk. One moment he is quoting the Upanishads, and the next moment, he is making a joke.
“The Upanishads say that raso vai sah, that is to say, Lord is the ocean of all pleasure, but here (in Adipurush) it is niraso vai sah… Why is he constantly disturbed? Kabh khushi kabhi gham, tara rum pum pum… But why Lord Ram He never smiles?” he joked, criticizing the decision to cast actor Prabha for the role of Lord Ram in the film.
Born in Lucknow, Ashish Arora, the 43-year-old claims to have felt a deep spiritual calling very early in his life. He completed a BTech in Computer Science from Delhi College of Engineering, now Delhi Technological University, and joined a US-based multinational in 2004. He rose to project manager before leaving in 2010, at the age of 29, to fully immerse himself in In the Hare Krishna Movement.
Today, Amogh is one of the most popular faces of ISKCON, which was founded in 1966 by AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and serves as the Vice President of ISKCON Dwarka. Describing himself as an “Indian motivational strategist and lifestyle coach,” he is a guru of the TikTok era, with excerpts from his lectures hugely popular on Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and other short media sharing platforms.
For example, in a viral 15-second video, he criticizes people for getting married late, blaming the unrealistic standards they set. “Ladki sochti hai ladka safed ghode par aayega (Girls think a boy will come to them on a white horse)… -24-36 (describe the stereotypical figure of an hourglass woman)… It’s the problem of unrealistic expectations,” he says.
His videos cover a wide range of topics. From discussing the ‘ethics’ of live-in relationships to talking about the need for a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Amog rarely misses an opportunity to touch on hot-button issues. Most importantly, ISKCON’s organizational structure allows him to speak his mind.
“ISKCON has an internal mechanism for training people on how to speak up and guidelines on how to present ourselves respectfully – both theologically and personally,” Yudhistir Govinda Dasa, Director of Communications at ISKCON India, told The Indian Express.
“(But) observing every lecture in an institution as large as ours is practically impossible,” he said, adding, “Besides, there is already a training and expectation to be respectful and harmonious.”
However, he also expressed that this is part of the learning curve and ISKCON is looking forward to creating more rigorous training and guidelines in the future. “Historically, we have shared a very respectful relationship with people of other religions and Hindu castes,” he said, adding, “In the coming days, a delegation from ISKCON will meet the monks of the Ramakrishna Mission to extend further apologies and continue our ongoing cordial relationship.”
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