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Franz Kafka's Gregor Samsa was impure after all, if the Sanatan Sanstha is to be believed. The Sanstha's 'Spiritual Science Research Foundation' in the video above details how certain insects – cockroaches, beetles, houseflies (and presumably Kafka's insect-man) – are "spiritually impure." Moreover, "negative energies from the spiritual dimension, can sometimes use these insects to adversely affect people and, increase the spiritual impurity in the environment."

The Sanstha, a right-wing organisation with the stated aim of defending the Hindu Rashtra that is being investigated for its alleged involvement in the murder of rationalist activist Govind Pansare, isn't the safest place for insects to be. In addition to the wonders of the organisation's leader, who can turn his hair golden and has changed the colours of a toilet brush, the premises of the Sanstha also cause these impure insects to become disoriented and die from the positive spirituality of the ashram. Butterflies, however, prosper on their premises, developing special skills like sitting on a spinning fan for hours.

It's not all insect-related oddities at the Sanstha off late. It has been in the news not for its spirituality so much as for its alleged terror-related activities. Three of its members were arrested in 2007 for planting bombs around Mumbai's satellite towns to stop a play performance. Its members were then questioned in 2009 in connection with the Malegaon blasts. And now the main accused of Pansare's murder also happens to be from the Sanstha.

Perhaps negative forces from the spiritual world have found another way in. And it's time the Sanstha called pest control.