February 1, 2012, AUSTIN, TEXAS —
One year ago, Karen Jonson was sitting in a Texas courtroom praying
that her former guru would be found guilty for his crimes against
children. Now, she is publishing the story of her 15 years in his
Austin, Texas, ashram in a book titled: Sex, Lies, and Two Hindu Gurus: How I Was Conned by a Dangerous Cult—And Why I Will Not Keep Their Secrets. The ebook will launch on February 15, 2012.
“I
started writing this book during my last year in the ashram, after I’d
learned that the men I though were God incarnate, were actually devils
in orange clothing,” says Jonson. “I chose this publication date for two
reasons: It’s the one-year anniversary of Prakashanand Saraswati’s
criminal trial and escape into Mexico. Also, the organization is
inaugurating its largest temple—a massive structure in Vrindavan India
that cost one billion dollars—all of which came out of the pockets of
duped followers.”
The
sole purpose of the new giant temple is to glorify the head guru of the
Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP)—Kripalu Maharaj (aka Ram Tripathi)—who
uses the self-designated title “jagadguru.” He has been arrested for
rape twice during his 60-year reign as a Hindu “spiritual leader.” Yet,
he has never been held accountable for these crimes or any others, and
his true story has not been told—until now in Sex, Lies, and Two Hindu Gurus.
In
her memoir, Jonson tells the harrowing story of being lured into the
cult by a clever conman, dedicating her life to the gurus, living in
their U.S. ashram as a renounce Hindu devotee, learning their dark
secrets, and working to expose the truth about the gurus and their
spiritual con game. The story unfolds in seven parts:
1. In the Beginning — For the Love of God
2. In the Ashram — The Razor’s Edge
3. In the Dark — Curiouser and Curiouser
4. In the Cult — Losing My Religion
5. In the World — Divine Intervention
6. In the Trial — Truth and Consequences
7. In Hindsight — Deconstructing the Guru Con Game
Not only did
Jonson live this story, she also conducted extensive research for this
book. Jonson talked to many ex-devotees, experts on Hinduism, lawyers,
the FBI, and others. She also unearthed documentation of the gurus
misdeeds, including a newspaper article about Kripalu’s arrest for
raping two underage girls in India, a flyer warning people about the
deceptive rapist Kripalu, two letters where the gurus discussed their
“goal of collecting millions of dollars,” and more. Also, to help
propagate the truth about these dangerous cult leaders, Jonson started a
Facebook page (The Truth Project for Barsana Dham and JKP) and a blog (www.Rishikaxcult.com). Many people have already been informed and have steered clear of the gurus.
“This
book is the culmination of my effort to get this important information
out to those who have been conned and who might be conned by the gurus
and preachers of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat,” says Jonson. “My hope for
this book is to give readers an inside look at how this con game
operates, how I was lured in, what the gurus were actually doing behind
closed bedroom doors, and why no one has stopped this organization and
its fake gurus from raping underage girls, taking people’s money, and
ruining people’s lives. I want to keep people, especially children, safe
from the greedy clutches of this spiritual con game.”
The target audience for Sex, Lies, and Two Hindu Gurus is
anyone who wants to keep themselves and their family members and
friends free of bogus spiritual organizations, and people who want to
better understand the inner workings of mind-control organizations,
including past and current members of JKP, members of other cults,
spiritual seekers, parents, young adults, lawyers, and law enforcement.
The book is published by Rishika Books. First edition copies of Sex, Lies, and Two Hindu Gurus are available as an ebook at www.Rishikaxcult.com.
The 300-page ebook sells for $14.95. The ebook will be available for a
limited time at the discounted launch price of $9.99. Future editions
will be available on Amazon.com and other online bookstores.
A portion of the sales of Sex, Lies, and Two Hindu Gurus will go to charities that help children recover from being raised in cults.
About Karen Jonson (aka Rishika Xcult)
Karen Jonson is a
writer, author, and former member of the Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat
(JKP) cult, which is headquartered in India and has branches around the
world, including Austin, Texas. Since realizing that she was a member of
dangerous cult with dark secrets, Karen has become a tireless source of
truth about the fraud gurus: Kripalu Maharaj and his main
partner-in-crime Prakashanand Saraswati. As a result, she has been
cyberstalked and slander online by followers still loyal to the two
“gurus.” Karen lived in the JKP ashram formerly named Barsana Dham in
Austin for 15 years. The ashram was renamed Radha Madhav Dham after the
escape of the “guru” Prakashanand Saraswati, who was convicted in March
2011, on 20 counts of indecency with children by a jury in the State of
Texas. Karen is the founder of the Facebook page called “The Truth
Project for Barsana Dham and JKP,” where she informs the public about
the JKP cult. Despite threats, she continues to share information about
the cult. Her new memoir is a document of her life as an innocent
spiritual seeker and her ultimate role as a warrior seeking justice for
children harmed by the gurus: Sex, Lies, and Two Hindu Gurus: How I Was Conned by a Dangerous Cult—And Why I Will Not Keep Their Secrets.
Karen is available for interviews and lectures on her book, this cult,
the seduction tactics of dangerous cults, and how to recover from
mind-control organizations.