What's in name? A lot, say Godmen

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Vrindavan (Uttar Pradesh): The English phrase might be - What's in a name - but as the sequence of events unfolding in Lord Krishna's birthplace, Vrindavan (UP) indicate, there's quite a lot in a name.

An unwanted controversy has raised its head in the holy town as spiritual guru Asaram Bapu's son Narayan Prem Sai has begun to idolise himself.

For his devotees it might be an expression of faith, but his move has definitely irked his spiritual peers

Narayan Prem Sai talks like a Godman during his sermons and posters on the walls of the Vrindavan town have Bhagwan (God) written before his name.

The entire sadhu (saint) society and the brahman (upper-class Hindus) Samaj of Lord Krishna’s birthplace are angry.

They are up in arms, protesting against the prefix Bhagwan.

"We live here in full surrender, without any ego. This is his (Narayan Sai's) self-imposition," Acharya Jitendra, a sadhu, said.

"Man cannot be God and neither should he writing this. If his followers do it, they are stupid and if sadhus do it, he's a fool," Pushpa Sharma, a woman sadhu, says.

The sadhu community also has hierarchy and the saints have titles according to their years of penance.

An entry-level sadhu is called a sant, followed by mahant, acharya, satguru and lastly the jagadguru, who is the Boss.

Even spritual experts say that a saint of the level of a sadhu cannot use the title of bhagwan before his name.

"Nobody is given the title of God, satguru and jagatguru is fine, but Bhagwan is unacceptable," Phooldol Maharaj, President Sadhu Samaj, says.

CNN-IBN team entered the Pushp Vatika of Narayan Sai, who was too willing for an interview but questions on his newly acquired title put him off and bhagwanji reacted sharply.

"Every one has his own belief. We should not get into all this. Let's not get into a debate and why are you making an issue out of a non-issue?," Narayan Sai said.

The protests are gaining momentum, particularly, with political parties adding their own flavour to the controversy.