Soul Club

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi was born on March 21, 1923 to a Christian family in Chindawara, India. Her parents were Prasad and Cornelia Salve, direct descendants of the royal Shalivahana dynasty. Seeing the beauty of this child who was born with a spotless brilliance, they called her Nirmala, which means 'Immaculate'.

Later on she came to be known by the multitudes by the name of Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi - the revered Mother who was born with her complete Self Realization and knew from a very young age that she had a unique gift which had to be made available to all mankind.

Her parents played a key role in India's Liberation Movement from under British rule. Her father, a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi, was a member of the Constituent Assembly of India and helped write free India's first constitution. He was a renowned scholar, master of 14 languages, and translated the Koran in Marathi. Her mother was the first woman in India to receive an Honors Degree in Mathematics.

Fighting for India's Freedom
As a child, Shri Mataji lived with her parents in the ashram of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi saw the wisdom of this child and used to appreciate her immensely, affectionately calling her Nepali due to the Nepali features of her face. Even at a young age, her deep understanding was evident to Gandhi, who frequently sought her advice on spiritual matters.

Shri Mataji's involvement in the freedom struggle is extremely remarkable. She was very courageous and played a daring role as a youth leader of this campaign. In the 1942 "Quit India Movement" announced by Gandhi, she was even arrested and put in jail along with other freedom fighters for actively participating in this movement.

Shri Mataji was born with a complete understanding of the human nervous system and its energetic counterparts. In order to become acquainted with the scientific vocabulary attached to these subjects, she studied medicine and psychology at the Christian Medical College in Lahore.

Sahaja Yoga is born

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Shortly before India achieved independence she married Sir. C.P. Srivastava, one of India's most dedicated civil servant officers, who was knighted by the Queen of England. In India it is believed that the wife brings luck to her husband - this is most certainly the case for Sir. C.P. Srivastava.

He rose in government ranks very quickly though he was an absolutely honest person. He held the post of the Joint Secretary to the Prime Minister's office of the late Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri in the years 1964-66. Shastri himself was an ideal model for a Prime Minister in India's political history. Afterwards he was elected for 16 consecutive years to be the Secretary General of the United Nations International Maritime Organization.

As Sir C.P. Srivastava moved in fame from the Indian history to the worldly scene, Shri Mataji, after fulfilling her familial duty of bringing up her two daughters, embarked on her spiritual mission.

Although she knew about her own spiritual consciousness she did not know how to present it to the people of modern times. She was also aware of the problems encountered by the earlier spiritual personalities who came on this earth like Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, and others when they prophesized the truth directly to the people.

As she was pondering on the many faceted problems confronting human beings, on the 5th of May, 1970, on a lonely beach of Nargol (about 150 km from Mumbai) a divine spiritual experience filled her whole being and suddenly she found an answer to her question. She discovered a historical process of en-masse Self Realisation through which thousands of people could get this connection to their Spirit and thereby their inner transformation.

Sahaja (=Spontaneous) Yoga (=Union with the Self) was born.

Spreading of Sahaja Yoga around the world

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Shri Mataji made this experiment of awakening the spiritual power of every human being (which the Hindus name the Kundalini, the Muslims as the Ruh and in the bible it is described as the Holy Ghost) and was amazed at the results.

She tried it first on people near to her and noticed they were transformed physically, mentally and spiritually. Slowly she found out that only this process had the potential solution for all human problems and therefore she decided to spread it on an en-masse level. She invested her own time and money to talk to people and give them the key to their own spiritual power. Those few people who started feeling this spiritual power, which flowed like a cool breeze over their whole body, especially over the palms of their hands and on top of their head (around the fontanel bone area) were quite astonished that it worked. Though they argued and disputed over it they could not disbelieve their own experience. Under the instructions of Shri Mataji they tried giving this power to others, which really gave them the faith that this was the true spiritual experience that was being prophesized in every religion.

Amazingly, without any financial support from any person, Shri Mataji neither charges for Her lectures nor for Her ability to give Self Realisation, nor does one have to become a member of this organisation. She insists that you cannot pay for your enlightenment and to-date she continues to denounce the false, self-proclaimed "gurus" who are more interested in the seekers' purse than their spiritual ascent (see our Seeker's Guide).

Since 1970, Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi has kept a busy schedule, travelling around the world to teach the techniques of Sahaja Yoga meditation. She has demonstrated her capacity to trigger the awakening of the spiritual power in human beings (Kundalini) at an "en masse" level.

Large numbers of people, without distinction of race, religion, age or social status have acknowledged the value of her teachings by establishing Sahaja Yoga centers in over 75 nations. These people who live a normal family life, tap to their inner spiritual power through daily Sahaja Yoga meditation and have achieved a complete balance of their lives on the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels. They understand the integration of all religions and spiritual paths not at a mental level, but through their direct, tangible experience on the central nervous system. Thousands of years ago, the Blossom Time was prophesized to come when, in these modern times of crisis, thousands of seekers of Truth are going to experience this connection with their Spirit.

International achievements and recognition

An official guest in the former Soviet Union, she enabled over 100,000 people to experience their Self-Realization. She regularly speaks to audiences of 10,000 to 20,000 in the former Eastern bloc nations and has filled year after year the Royal Albert Hall in London for her conference on Sahaja Yoga.

Shri Mataji has delivered thousands of lectures, given many television and radio interviews, and been the subject of hundreds of newspaper articles around the world. An articulate speaker, Shri Mataji is the founder and sole director of Sahaja Yoga or "Vishwa Nirmala Dharma", which is an established non-profit organization in many countries worldwide.

Shri Mataji has been recognized worldwide by several prestigious institutions for her selfless work and for the powerful results of her spiritual teachings. In 1994, the Mayor of Brazil's capital welcomed Shri Mataji at the airport, presenting her with the key to the city, and sponsored all of her programs. In 1995, the Indian Government granted Shri Mataji a one hour primetime television series, broadcast nationally. During the same year, Shri Mataji was an official guest of the Chinese government and was invitied to speak at the International Women's Conference in Beijing. Also in 1995, she was awarded by the Romanian Ecological University an Honorary Doctorate in Cognitive and Parapsychological Sciences.

She has been recognized and greeted by the mayors of several cities in North America (Yonkers, NY, 1994 & 1996, Los Angeles, 1993 and 1994, British Columbia, 1994, Cincinnati 1992, Philadelphia 1993, Berkeley, 1997). She was given a Proclamation by the US Congress in 1997 which was submitted to the Congressional Records. Shri Mataji was declared "Personality of the Year" in 1986 by the Italian Government.

For all these, and more, see awards and recognitions section.

NGOs created by Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

In her tremendous compassion and concern to alleviate human sufferings, Shri Mataji has been able to create a number of NGOs (Non Governmental Organisations) to solve the most immediate problems of the world in the last 25 years. To mention a few:

An international hospital in Mumbai to help patients all over the world to get a chance to cure themselves through Sahaja Yoga methods. This hospital has been producing quite successful results in curing a number of incurable diseases like cancer, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis etc.
An international cancer research centre in Mumbai in order to study the effects of Sahaja Yoga methods on curing various illnesses, including psychosomatic diseases.
An international music school in Nagpur to promote classical music.
A charity house for the poor people in Delhi, to provide shelter to destitute and homeless people. Also to help them through the process of Sahaja Yoga to become better individuals.
Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi is revered as the compassionate Divine Mother by her followers, as the "Messenger of peace" by Ayatollah Rouhani, an Avatar of the modern era by Claes Nobel, grandnewphew of Albert Nobel (the creator of the Nobel foundation) and Chairman of United Earth.

MOTHER DIVINE

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By Suma Varughese for Life positive

A spiritual guru with a mass following in India and abroad, Mata Nirmala Devi's USP is her ability to give mass kundalini awakenings, even granted over cyber space, through Sahaja Yoga

The figure on the dais is small built and plump, with a broad fair face lit with a radiant smile. Framed by streaming locks of black hair and an enormous red bindi on the forehead, it has an elemental quality. One can imagine it astride a tiger, bearing a flaming trident. The face, of course, is familiar, the subject of thousands of posters plastered all over Mumbai, in Western India, that announce the arrival of well-known spiritual leader, Mata Nirmala Devi.

She has a mass following. Her annual Shivaji Park rallies attract a hundred thousand acolytes, celebrities jostle with each other for a sight, and to millions more her word is law. Sahaja Yoga centers dot 86 countries. She has been a guest speaker at the 1995 Beijing World Women's Conference. For four consecutive years she was invited by the UN to speak of world peace and in 1989 was awarded the United Nations Peace Prize. In Russia, research on Sahaja Yoga was granted full government sponsorship in 1989. In 1995, the government of Bulgaria honored her with a Peace Award and the Romanian government with an honorary doctorate in Cognitive Science. What is the secret of her popularity?

Nirmala Devi's appeal is unique. Her USP is her ability to give mass kundalini awakenings, through a system called Sahaja Yoga or Vishwa Nirmala Dharma. "If I've done anything worth mentioning, it is the ability to give collective realization," she has said on several occasions.

Traditionally, kundalini and its awakening have been shrouded in mystery and awe. Most seekers view it as the maha shakti (great power), whose ascent symbolizes the adept's spiritual progress and manifests in fearful mental and physical experiences. Sages warn against willfully raising the kundalini, for its premature arousal can wreck damage. Nirmala Devi, however, makes it appear as easy as falling off a log, with no damage to one's system. She even grants it across cyberspace. Visitors to her site are given instructions on how to raise their kundalini.

Indeed, I am here at a meeting with Maharashtra's IAS officers where she is scheduled to give a demonstration. We are asked to raise our palms upward, then to place the left hand on the liver while extending the right towards her, then finally to raise our palms above our heads. She asks us if we feel any cool air radiating either from our palms or the top of the heads, which according to her is the infallible sign of a risen kundalini. The other is thoughtlessness and peace of mind. In the air-conditioned hall, it is difficult to gauge whether the cool feeling is from the kundalini, or from a more temporal source. Nevertheless, I do feel some coolness from up on top, and I put up my hand when she asks for a hand count. A majority of the audience feels likewise, I notice. Nirmala Devi explains the relative ease with which she raises kundalini in the kali yug, the present Hindu era of darkness. "This is blossom time," she says, adding that she has "shortened the seeking".

If kundalini awakening is Mataji's calling card, it is also easily the most controversial aspect of her teaching. For traditionalists, it is impossible to believe that one can get self-realization in the time it takes to have a cup of tea. How valuable is such an awakening? Do the results last?

Willy Doctor, a management consultant and former Head of the department of Psychology at Sophia College, is a senior disciple of Mataji. She concedes that the original self-realization may wane unless followed up regularly with Sahaja Yoga meditation. Raising the kundalini then is only the initial spark.

Sahaja Yoga follows the Indian system of mapping the energy flow in the body through nadis or channels. According to this theory, prana or vital energy enters our body through the three channels of ida, pingala and the sushumna, which run alongside the spinal cord. Ida or the moon channel is on the left, pingala or the sun channel is on the right and sushumna is the central channel. According to Nirmala Devi, when the fetus is two to three months old, a column of rays of consciousness from the Higher Power passes through the developing brain to enlighten it, which gets refracted, into these channels. Entering through the fontanelle bone (the seat of the sahasrara chakra), the energy passes into the medulla oblongata where it leaves a thread-like line and settles at the base of the spine in three-and a-half coils. This is the kundalini. On its way down, the rays activate six more centers, adding up to the principle seven chakras running along the spine, regulating the activities of adjacent organs. The right-hand side of the body is governed by the pingala, the activity center of the body, creating the ego (equivalent to the left brain). The left-hand side is governed by the ida and is the seat of the subconscious (right brain).

When the kundalini is awakened, which Mataji says can be done by anyone whose own kundalini has been awakened, it heals and balances the over activity of the right and left sides. "In Sahaja Yoga our dormant spirituality is awakened to achieve true meditation. We are completely alert, yet our thoughts are slowed down and the mind is silent. Our hearts are full of joy and love but we are emotionally detached from what is going on around us."

I walk into a center at Napean Sea Road, Mumbai, India, run by Willy. Today, she is absent, and a young Angana Shroff puts us through our paces. The 20-odd meditators are affluent, relatively young and predominantly women. Angana came in contact with Sahaja Yoga through Willy three years ago. Says she: "I realize now that it is not what happens to you but your perspective that really matters. I'm far more aware of my actions, personality and ego." Adds Grishma Dattani: "You know what is appropriate and what is not. Surrendering to Mataji has saved me from all fears."

Sameer Desai, a young stockbroker, suffered from recurring high fever when he came in contact with Sahaja Yoga. "After Willy raised my kundalini, I had no fever for the next three days." Now fully recovered, he also claims to be more composed.

The Sahaja Yoga brochure says: "Through Sahaja Yoga meditations, blocks of the subtle body are released, cleansing the chakras and channels. This practice can be regarded as a sophisticated internal biofeedback process which demystifies stress, improves health and heals the harried nervous system."

The organization has opened a hospital in Badlapur, in New Mumbai, called the Sahaja Yoga Research and Health Center that only treats ailments with Sahaja Yoga. Set amidst lush green lawns and singing birds, the three-storeyed structure has a serene charm. Inside, I meet Dr Hule, an allopath who converted to Sahaja Yoga when he found that a patient who was also practicing yoga healed much faster than others did. Dr Hule claims to have cured thousands of asthma and bronchitis patients. Other diseases receptive to this healing include diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, migraines, insomnia. Steeping the foot in warm salted water to dissipate negative energy and the application of ice on the heat-congested chakras are some other treatments.

Hari Prakash, a software engineer from Hyderabad, has been at the Center for the last two months. He says: "I was feeling lethargic and so weak that I could not work. I'm much better now. My blood pressure and sinus problem are also under control."

Jenny Cook, a care assistant for the learning disabled in the UK, is here to treat depression after an operation to remove her right ovary. "I feel much happier now," she says.

So Sahaja Yoga helps its practitioners. But how do you contend with their assertion that it's the only way to self-realization? One may add that they are hardly the first organization to make that claim. Moreover, Mataji is unusually emphatic in denouncing most spiritual leaders as frauds.

According to Willy: "Sahaja Yoga is the only way which gives enlightenment first and then works its way backwards. The other way, you may not be liberated for lifetimes; with Sahaja Yoga you are likely to be so within one lifetime itself."

Mataji asks: "Others say that they give self-realization, but what is the proof of that?" Her own, she says, can actually be felt within the palms of the hand and on the crown of the head as well as experienced as peace. I wonder if vibrations could not be created by fervent expectation and desire, just as the speaking with tongues is a unique manifestation of the Pentecostal faith? Man, after all, makes his own reality. And the common collective experience of a group is no more proof that it is the only way, than the common human experience of being bodies disproves our spiritual identity. Both are only beliefs created by our own certainty about it.

To do Mataji credit, however, she reserves her ire for those gurus who she feels take money for self-realization, or mislead their disciples in other ways. She says categorically: "It's a living process, you cannot pay for it. It's your own power which will be awakened." She also contends that once the kundalini is awakened, an individual feels all knowledge at the tips of his fingers. "When you encounter a bad person or a cheat, your fingertips begin to burn."

The lady herself is said to have "opened sahasrara chakra of the universe" at a beach in Nargol, near Mumbai on May 5, 1970. She describes the experience of merging with the divine as a feeling of cool rain falling upon her. Subsequently, she realized within her the power of raising mass consciousness. The Sahaja Yoga people have a portfolio of photographs, accessible on their website, which shows blinding light or energy emerging from her or surrounding her. Subsequently, Nirmala Devi started her ministry across the world. But she is no sanyasi (nun). She is the wife of a top bureaucrat, Sir C.P. Srivastava, whose illustrious career culminated as the Secretary General of the UN Maritime Organization. Her two daughters are married and she has just become a great grandmother.

Today, at 77, she spends half her time in a chateau in Italy and the other half in India. Her Indian abode is in Pune. She is said to be independently wealthy. Prathisthan, her house, resembles a cross between a palace and a museum. The entry is lined with bronze statues of Indian gods and goddesses, and the rooms within are studded with priceless bric-a brac.

Her drawing room is massive, with beautiful carved furniture and elaborate candelabra. The hall is ringed with a balcony, accessible through a carved staircase. Nirmala Devi is reputed to have designed the place herself. We are shown into a portico, overlooking a beautiful lawn. Mataji is sitting on a sofa. A few chairs have been laid for us, but the disciples accompanying me sink to the floor, hands folded in deep reverence. I do likewise. Later, as I try to rise, my legs feel rubbery. I wobble comically in my attempt to find my balance. Mataji, with deep concern, holds me and says: "Let me put my foot on yours. I am Mother Earth."

A great warmth fills my foot and sensation returns. The next day, we return to say goodbye. Nirmala Devi is having an inventory of her kitchen vessels (hundreds of them) done, but she meets us with a smile. When she notices me, she asks with genuine concern how I am. Feeling my back with her hands, she says: "She is a very emotional child."

One cannot help warming to her persona, which is affectionate, natural and motherly. Her fervent patriotism is touching. "What saved me (as the wife of an IAS officer) from false pride was patriotism. My husband got into the IFS but I refused to leave the country. I also told him, 'The day you take a bribe, I will leave you'."

Likewise, her concern for women is genuine. "I have started an organization to look after destitute Muslim women. If their mothers and sisters are weeping what will become of the children?" she asks. "Women should help other women."

One of the ways she addresses it within the organization is through the inter-marriage of Sahaja Yogis, from across the globe. "Sahaja Yogis fill up forms and submit them at centers. She selects by matching their vibrations," says Willy. "To an outsider some of the alliances seem wildly improbable, but they work."

Lyn, an Australian working with Mukund Iron and Steel, was married to Vasudeva on a trip to Ganapatipule in Maharashtra. She says: "Has it worked? Well, it's the only marriage I've had; we have two children and we aren't planning to kill each other. My husband tells me that he was always interested in Australia and knew he would marry an Australian. As for me, my friends said I would never marry an Australian."

Other initiatives taken by the group are the Sahaja Yoga school in Dharamshala, in Northern India, which apart from the academic curriculum emphasizes the absorption of Indian values. Meditation is a daily activity. With transformation of human society as her mission, Mataji has a long way to go, but who can deny that she has brought the end closer?

Life Positive, August 2000

A knowledge of the roots

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Sahaja Yoga is a method of meditation which brings a breakthrough in the evolution of human awareness. It was created by Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi in 1970 and has since spread all around the world.

In Shri Mataji's own words: "Global unity of mankind can be achieved through this awakening that can occur within each human being, so that transformation takes place within us. By this process a person becomes moral, united, integrated and balanced. One actually gets the experience of the feeling of the all-pervading divine power as cool breeze. "Know thyself" is the main theme of all the scriptures - it becomes evident and one reaches the absolute understanding of oneself.

	More Infomation
Knowledge Of The Roots
How does this happen?
How is Sahaja Yoga different from other types of Yoga?
Kundalini, Vibrations and Self Realization

Thus one becomes peaceful and joyous in life. One becomes collective as a drop falling into the ocean of compassion. This method works for the multitudes and not individually. Of course one cannot pay for the experience of Divine Love. Moreover, it is the last breakthrough of our evolution. This is the actualization of such transformation, which is taking place now, worldwide, and has been proved and experienced by hundreds of thousands in over 85 countries."

The next step in our collective evolution

This inner awakening is called by many names: Self Realization, Second Birth, Enlightenment, Liberation, Moksha, Satori and it is the goal of all religions and spiritual traditions of the world. This knowledge is ancient, but for a long time it was available only to a few souls, being kept secret and transmitted from guru to disciple, since Self Realization was extremely difficult to achieve. In these modern times, through Sahaja ("spontaneous") Yoga ("union with one's Self"), this experience has become effortless and available to everyone, for the first time in the history of human spirituality.

The advent of Sahaja Yoga was prophesized a long time ago in many of the world's spiritual traditions and religions (see the section on Prophecies and Fulfillments). At the same time, in these modern times many seekers of Truth have been deluded into following various false, self-proclaimed "gurus" who are either money or power oriented, but not Spirit oriented (here is a guide on how to recognize them).

Through the practice of Sahaja Yoga, our awareness gains a new dimension where absolute truth can be felt tangibly - on our central nervous system. As a result of this happening, our spiritual ascent takes place effortlessly and physical, mental and emotional balance are achieved as a byproduct of this growth of our awareness.

We then realize that we are not this body, mind, ego, conditionings, emotions or intellect, but something of an eternal nature which is always residing in our heart in a pure, undisturbed state - the Self or Spirit. The Spirit is the source of true knowledge, peace and joy. Self Realization is the actualization of this connection with our Spirit, which as Shri Mataji advocates, is the birthright of every human being.

"It is important for everyone to have that knowledge of the roots within ourselves. Sahaja Yoga allows the individual to become his own Spiritual Guide."
-- Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

Quotes

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"YOU CANNOT KNOW THE MEANING OF YOUR LIFE
UNTIL YOU ARE CONNECTED
TO THE POWER THAT CREATED YOU."

"A STAR IS SHINING WITHIN US
AND THAT IS OUR SPIRIT."

"EITHER YOU LEAD A LIFE WHICH IS LUXURIOUS
ON THE MATERIAL LEVEL OR YOU LEAD A LUXURIOUS LIFE
OF GOD'S BLESSINGS - ONE OF THE TWO YOU HAVE
TO CHOOSE, THE TIME HAS COME."

"THE ENJOYMENT OF LIFE IS ONLY POSSIBLE IF THE WORLD
COULD GET CONNECTED TO THE SPIRIT... YOU BECOME
THE SPIRIT AS CHRIST HAS SAID IN SIMPLE WORDS
THAT YOU HAVE TO BE BORN AGAIN."

"YOU ARE NOT THIS BODY
YOU ARE NOT THIS MIND
YOU ARE THE SPIRIT...
THIS IS THE GREATEST TRUTH."

"SELF REALIZATION IS THE FIRST ENCOUNTER
WITH REALITY."

"DIVINITY IS NOT A FASHION.
IT IS THE WAY OF LIFE.
IT IS THE NEED OF YOUR BEING.
YOU HAVE TO BECOME _THAT_."

"BLOSSOM TIME HAS COME AND MANY ANCIENT SEEKERS
ARE TODAY GETTING THEIR SELF REALIZATION."

"YOU HAVE TO KNOW YOUR SPIRIT...
FOR WITHOUT KNOWING YOUR SPIRIT
YOU CANNOT KNOW THE TRUTH."

"NOW THE STAGE TODAY IS TO KNOW THAT
SELF REALIZATION GIVES YOU EXPERIENCES
AND THEN YOUR FAITH IS ESTABLISHED.
NOT BLIND BUT OPEN ENLIGHTENED FAITH."

"SELF REALIZATION MAKES US HUMBLE...
REPLACE TEMPER WITH COMPASSION...
THE MORE INNOCENT YOU ARE,
THE MORE BLISSFUL YOU WILL BE."

"FREEDOM IS WHEN YOU REALLY GET YOUR OWN POWERS
WHICH ARE WITHIN YOU. IN YOUR CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
AND IN YOUR CONSCIOUS MIND, YOU MUST FEEL
THE EXISTENCE OF THE SPIRIT."

"INNATELY, WITHIN US RESIDES THE SPIRIT
WHICH WANTS TO ENLIGHTEN YOU,
TO GIVE YOU THE PEACE, THE BLISS
AND THE JOY OF OUR BEING."

"KUNDALINI CURES YOU, SHE IMPROVES YOU,
SHE BESTOWS ALL THE BLISSFUL THINGS UPON YOU.
SHE TAKES YOU AWAY FROM THE WORRIES OF GROSSER LEVEL."

"MEDITATION IS THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN GROW...
BECAUSE WHEN YOU MEDITATE,
YOU ARE IN SILENCE.
YOU ARE IN THOUGHTLESS AWARENESS.
THEN THE GROWTH OF AWARENESS TAKES PLACE."