Death claims girl-crazy guru  

New York Post/August 21, 2002
By Richard Johnson with Paula Froelich and Chris Wilson

Guru to the stars Sri Swami Satchidananda - who ministered to Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Carole King and artist Peter Max - died in India [over this past weekend].

The 87-year-old swami, who founded the Integral Yoga Center on West 13th Street, made headlines in the 1990s when several women came forward with sordid tales of how he seduced them. "He was one of those '60s gurus who came here, went to Woodstock and never left," said Rick Ross of cultnews.com.

"Carole King gave him 700 acres near Buckingham, Va., where he built Yogaville, and he tried to pass himself off as a man of peace . . . A lot of these gurus are Clinton-esque. They are just girl-crazy. He claimed he was a celibate Hindu monk and he wasn't. He was a liar, and couldn't keep his pants zipped up. He had all these female secretaries who would service him."

Of all of his former famous clients, only Max would comment. "From my young adulthood, he set my feet upon a spiritual path imbued with love and service," said Max, who pleaded guilty to tax evasion in 1998. Satchidananda will be buried in a tomb [near the] $2 million [ Lotus Shrine] he built in Yogaville.