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Encyclopedia > Nirmala Srivastava
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Nirmala Srivastava (more widely known as Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi) is the founder of Sahaja Yoga, a new religious movement.[1] She has proclaimed that she is the complete[2]incarnation of the Adi Shakti, and is worshiped as such.[3] Image File history File links The_World_Savior. ... Image File history File links The_World_Savior. ... For the meditative practice, see Sahaja Yoga meditation. ... A new religious movement or NRM is a term used to refer to a religious faith, or an ethical, spiritual or philosophical movement of recent origin that isnt part of an established denomination, church, or religious body. ... Lakshmi is a common aspect of Shakti Shakti meaning force, power or energy is the Hindu concept or personification of Gods female aspect, sometimes referred to as The Divine Mother. Shakti represents the active, dynamic principles of feminine power. ...

Contents

Early life

Nirmala Srivastava was born on March 21, 1923 in Chindawara, India to Christian parents, Prasad and Cornelia Salve. She says that she is descended from the royal Shalivahana/Satavahana dynasty.[4] The Salve surname is one of a number included in the Satavahana Maratha clan. Her parents named her Nirmala, which means "immaculate."[5] She says that she was born self-realised.[4] is the 80th day of the year (81st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Chindawara (also known as Chinddwara) is said to be the geographical centre of India, and is famous as the birthplace of Her Holiness Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi. ... For other uses, see Christian (disambiguation). ... The Sātavāhanas (Marathi:सातवाहन Telugu:సాతవాహనులు), also known as the Andhras, were a dynasty which ruled from Junnar, Pune over Southern and Central India starting from around 230 BCE. Although there is some controversy about when the dynasty came to an end, the most liberal estimates suggest that it lasted... Flag of the Maratha Empire Maratha king Shivaji Bhonsale The Marāthās is a collective term referring to a group of Hindu, Marathi language speaking castes of warriors and peasants, hailing mostly from the Indian state of Maharashtra. ... Categories: Substubs ...


Nirmala Srivastava passed her childhood years in the family house in Nagpur.[6] In her youth she stayed in the ashram of Mahatma Gandhi.[7] Like her parents, she was involved in the Indian independence movement;[7] as a young woman she was a youth leader, and participated in the Quit India Movement.[8][9] She also studied at the Christian Medical College in Ludhiana and the Balakram Medical College in Lahore.[6] “Gandhi” redirects here. ... The Quit India Movement (Bharat Chhodo Andolan or the August Movement) was a civil disobedience movement in India launched in August 1942 in response to Mahatma Gandhis call for immediate independence of India. ...


Shortly before India achieved independence in 1947, Nirmala married Chandrika Prasad Srivastava.[8] They have two daughters, Kalpana Srivastava[10] and Sadhana Varma.[11] In 1961, Nirmala Srivastava launched the ‘Youth Society for Films’ to infuse national, social and moral values in young people. She was also a member of the Film Censor Board.[6] Sir Chandrika Prasad Srivastava KCMG is a retired Indian civil servant and international administrator and diplomat. ...


Sahaja Yoga begins

Nirmal Srivastava is known to have been concerned with the damage being done to society by 'false Gurus' [12] and because of this visited a meditation camp in Nargol that was presided over by Acharya Rajneesh (later known as Osho,) and "was was shocked to see him loot people under the guise of spirituality" [13] The camp ran from the 2nd to the 5th May 1970, and Rajneesh led sessions in an early form of dynamic meditation, discoursed on Kundalini and other matters, and answered a question about 'Sahaja Yoga'.[14] . Judith Coney writes that in a video of the Rajneesh meditation camp, Nirmala Srivastava can be seen 'smiling beatifically'.[15] Sudhir Kakar wrote that Nirmala Srivastava was "closely associated" with Rajneesh in her "apprenticeship years".[16] Nirmala Srivastava herself later said that she had also visited Muktananda and that Rajneesh who was 'very much after' her.[17] Nirmala Srivastava mentions being "shocked because he [Rajneesh] was mesmerizing people".[18] Nargol is a tiny village located at the southernmost tip of the Indian state of Gujarat. ... This article is about the controversial spiritual teacher formerly known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. ... This article is about the spiritual teacher formerly known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. ... OSHO Dynamic Meditation is an Active Meditation technique developed by Osho. ... Kundalini ( ) is a Sanskrit word meaning either coiled up or coiling like a snake. ... This article is about the controversial spiritual teacher formerly known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. ... This article is about the controversial spiritual teacher formerly known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. ... Swami Muktananda (स्‍वामी मुक्तानन्‍द) (1908-1982) is the monastic name of an Indian guru. ... This article is about the controversial spiritual teacher formerly known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. ...


Nirmala Srivastava says that while in Nargol, on May 5, 1970, she witnessed the rising of the Primiordial Kundalini. Later she described the experience as follows: "I saw my kundalini rising very fast like a telescope opening out and it was a beautiful color that you see when the iron is heated up, a red rose color, but extremely cooling and soothing."[19] She has stated that the potential for all humanity to gain spiritual self awareness was realized at this time, which she characterizes as a "historical process of en-masse self-realization and inner transformation". Soon after she founded Sahaja Yoga in Bombay. Nargol is a tiny village located at the southernmost tip of the Indian state of Gujarat. ... is the 125th day of the year (126th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Kundalini ( ) is a Sanskrit word meaning either coiled up or coiling like a snake. ... For the meditative practice, see Sahaja Yoga meditation. ... This article or section should be merged with Mumbai Mumbai (previously known as Bombay) is the worlds most populous conurbation, and is the sixth most populous agglomeration in the world. ...


Spreading of Sahaja Yoga

In 1972 Nirmala Srivastava sailed to the U.S. and warned against false gurus.[6] In 1974 Chandrika Prasad Srivastava was elected to serve as the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a United Nations agency based in London, serving a record 4 successive 4-year terms as Secretary-General from 1974 to 1989. Nirmala Srivastava worked on seven London hippies who became the first Western Sahaja Yogis.[6] By 1979 Nirmala Srivastava was declaring herself before Western Sahaja Yogis to be the complete incarnation of the Adi (Primordial) Shakti or Holy Spirit.[20] In 1980 Nirmala Srivastava first toured Europe spreading Sahaja Yoga and in 1981 she toured Malaysia, Australia and North America – many other countries were to follow.[6] In 1989, after the lifting of the Iron Curtain, Nirmala Srivastava began visiting Eastern Europe where Sahaja Yoga spread quickly.[6] In 1995, Nirmala Srivastava was awarded an honorary doctorate in Cognitive and Parapsychological Sciences by the Ecological University of Bucharest, Romania.[21] Also in 1995, Nirmala Srivastava gave a speech at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing.[22] Official documents do not mention Nirmala Srivastava by name, but list Sahaja Yoga International as one of the 2100 NGOs in attendance.[23] Sir Chandrika Prasad Srivastava KCMG is a retired Indian civil servant and international administrator and diplomat. ... Headquarters of the International Maritime Organisation in Lambeth, adjacent to the east end of Lambeth Bridge Headquarters building taken from the west side of the Thames Headquartered in London, U.K., the International Maritime Organization (IMO) promotes cooperation among governments and the shipping industry to improve maritime safety and to... UN and U.N. redirect here. ... Hippies (singular hippie or sometimes hippy) were members of the 1960s counterculture movement who adopted a communal or nomadic lifestyle, renounced corporate nationalism and the Vietnam War, embraced aspects of Buddhism, Hinduism, and/or Native American religious culture, and were otherwise at odds with traditional middle class Western values. ... Lakshmi is a common aspect of Shakti Shakti meaning force, power or energy is the Hindu concept or personification of Gods female aspect, sometimes referred to as The Divine Mother. Shakti represents the active, dynamic principles of feminine power. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      In mainstream... Warsaw Pact countries to the east of the Iron Curtain are shaded red; NATO members to the west of it — blue. ... The United Nations convened the Fourth World Conference on Women on September 4-15, 1995 in Beijing, China. ... Peking redirects here. ...


Partial retirement

Until 2004, during her travels, Nirmala Srivastava gave numerous public lectures, pujas, and interviews to newspapers, television and radio. In 2004 the official website of Sahaja Yoga announced that Nirmala Srivastava had completed her work.[24] As of 2007, she continues to be worshipped at pujas.[25] A small prayer setup This article is about Hinduism. ... A small prayer setup This article is about Hinduism. ...


2007 Indian national flag controversy

On 17 August 2005 the official Sahaja Yoga website reported that, on the eve on India's independence day, "an Indian flag was offered to Her and a prayer was recited for the divine blessings and protection of India." [26] In 2007, two images showing the Indian national flag at the feet of Niramala Srivastava (with her husband seated beside) were circulated on the social network Orkut causing shock and outrage.[27] Going by amendments introduced in 2003 to India's 1971 Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, which specifically mention allowing the national flag to touch the ground or the floor, this was a punishable offence.[28] Following this upsurge of anger,[27] Rajendra Kumar, a trustee of Sahaja Yoga Trust issued an apology on behalf of Nirmala Devi stating that the Sahaja Yogis have the "highest and deepest respect" for the National Flag. The apology further stated:[29] Orkut is a social networking service which is run by Google and named after its creator, an employee of Google - Orkut Büyükkökten. ...

“ Possibly, at an Independence Day function held abroad, some foreigner Sahaja Yogi brought our Flag and without meaning any disrespect, kept it on the ground. The Flag was respectfully removed immediately on being noticed. Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi asks us all to respect the National Flags of all countries. This unintended but serious mistake is greatly regretted. Not even the slightest disrespect to our National Flag will ever be tolerated. To all those whose feelings have been hurt by this wholly unintended and unfortunate error, we express the assurance that we fully share their anguish and we extend our deeply felt and sincerest regrets and unqualified apologies. ”

References

  1. ^ Judith Coney, Sahaja Yoga: Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement (1999)
  2. ^ ::Sahaja Yoga-Tamil:: Adi Sakthi By Thirumoolar
  3. ^ Invitation to Shri Adi Shakti Puja 2005
  4. ^ a b Who is Shri Mataji?
  5. ^ H.P.Salve, My memoirs (New Delhi: LET, 2000), chapter 1
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Biography at shrimataji.net
  7. ^ a b H.P.Salve, My memoirs (New Delhi: LET, 2000), chapter 1
  8. ^ a b H.P.Salve, My memoirs (New Delhi: LET, 2000), chapter 4
  9. ^ A message for one and all, The Hindu, April 7, 2003 [1]
  10. ^ Portraits of former IMO Secretaries-General unveiled
  11. ^ Ascent to the Divine: Himalaya Kailasa-Manasarovar in Scripture, Art and Thought
  12. ^ About Shri Mataji Canadian website. "Corruption and hypocrisy in the religions, and false Gurus' (mainly from India) tantric teachings also contributed to attacking the morality and innocence of society"
  13. ^ About Shri Mataji Canadian website. "She eventually consented to visit a seminar of a professor of philosophy called Rajneesh, in Nargol on May 4th, 1970."
  14. ^ Osho, In Search of the Miraculous Vol 1 "Sahaja yoga is the most difficult of the yogas, because there is nothing more difficult than to be sahaja -- effortless, natural and spontaneous. What is the meaning of sahaja? Sahaja means: let whatever happens happen, don't resist it. Of course, it is the best, but it is also very difficult. Because nothing is more difficult for man than to be natural..." [ch 8, 5 May pm]
  15. ^ Coney, Judith (1999) Sahaja Yoga: Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement, (London: Curzon Press) ISBN 0-7007-1061-2 p 220
  16. ^ Kakar, Sudhir (1984) Shamans, Mystics and Doctors: A Psychological Inquiry into India and Its Healing Traditions, ISBN 0-226-42279-8 p 202 "A demonic guru such as Rajneesh (with whom Mataji in her apprenticeship years was once closely associated) can turn the chakra toward the left side"
  17. ^ Mathur, Rakesh (1990) "The Russians' Love for Yoga" Hinduism Today Vol 12(10) p7 "I went to see Swami Muktananda and all of them. I went to see this Rajneesh, who was very much after me."
  18. ^ Mathur, Rakesh (1990) "The Russians' Love for Yoga" Hinduism Today Vol 12(10) p7 "I was shocked because he was mesmerizing people".
  19. ^ Gregoire de Kalbermatten, The Advent (daisyamerica: 2003)
  20. ^ Guru Puja. 2 December 1979. Dollis Hill Ashram, London, UK "But today it is the day I declare I am the One who have to save the humanity. I declare I am the One who is Adi Shakti [Holy Spirit] - who is the Mother of all Mothers, who is the Primordial Mother, the Shakti [power] of the Desire of God - who has incarnated on this Earth to give meaning to itself, to this creation, to human beings, and I am sure that through My Love and Patience and My Powers I am going to achieve it. I was the One who was born again and again. But now I have come in My complete Form and with complete Powers."
  21. ^ http://www.sahajayoga.org.br/awards.txt
  22. ^ Beijing Talk - Self Realization through Sahaja Yoga
  23. ^ Annex I ATTENDANCE
  24. ^ We Want The World To Know... "Shri Mataji has completed Her work"
  25. ^ Puja Dates for 2007
  26. ^ India's Independence Day Celebration with Shri Mataji and highlights from a Flute concert
  27. ^ a b "Indian flag placed at feet", The Asian Age, Friday, December 28, 2007
  28. ^ "KEEP THE FLAG FLYING" The Calcutta Telegraph, 30 May 2007
  29. ^ Mata Nirmala Devi's Sahaj Yoga Trust apologizes over disrespect to tricolour

This article is about the controversial spiritual teacher formerly known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. ... Nargol is a tiny village located at the southernmost tip of the Indian state of Gujarat. ... This article is about the spiritual teacher formerly known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. ... The Asian Age newspaper logo The Asian Age is a newspaper sold in the Indian city of Bombay. ... For other uses of The Telegraph, see The Telegraph (disambiguation). ...

Bibliography

  • Mataji Shri Nirmala Devi, Meta Modern Era (New Delhi: Ritana Books, 1997) ISBN 81-852-500-19
  • Pullar, Philippa (1984) The Shortest Journey, ISBN 0-04-291018-8
  • Kakar, Sudhir (1984) Shamans, Mystics and Doctors: A Psychological Inquiry into India and Its Healing Traditions, ISBN 0-226-42279-8
  • Coney, Judith (1999) Sahaja Yoga: Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement, (London: Curzon Press) ISBN 0-7007-1061-2
  • H.P.Salve [Nirmala Srivastava's brother], My memoirs (New Delhi: LET Books, 2000)
  • Gregoire de Kalbermatten, The Advent (Bombay, 1979: reprint: New York: daisyamerica, 2002) ISBN 1-932496-00-X
  • Gregoire de Kalbermatten, The Third Advent (New York: daisyamerica, 2003; Melbourne: Penguin Australia, 2004; Delhi: Penguin India, 2004) ISBN 1-932406-07-7

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
Nirmala Srivastava
  • Official website of Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, founder of Sahaja Yoga
  • Biographical Timeline
  • Freedom and Liberation - a film about Shri Mataji by Carolin Dassel, 2006 4 short clips from film
  • BBC Radio 4 interview with Shri Mataji and her critics
  • "Shri who must be obeyed" The Independent, July 13, 2001
Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Wikiquote is one of a family of wiki-based projects run by the Wikimedia Foundation, running on MediaWiki software. ... For other uses, see The Independent (disambiguation). ... is the 194th day of the year (195th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ...

  Results from FactBites:
 
Nirmala Srivastava: Information from Answers.com (533 words)
Shri Mataji Nirmala Srivastava (or Shrivastava) or Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi (born March 21, 1923 in Chindawara, India) is the founder of Sahaja Yoga.
Nirmala Srivastava was born to Christian parents, Prasad and Cornelia Salve, having descended from the royal Shalivahana dynasty.
Nirmala Srivastava has stated that the potential for all humanity to gain spiritual self awareness was realised on May 5, 1970, which she characterizes as a "historical process of en-masse self-realization and inner transformation".
Nirmala Srivastava (569 words)
Srivastava has stated that the potential for all humanity to gain spiritual self awareness was realised on May 5, 1970, which She characterizes as a historical process of en-masse self-realization and inner transformation.
Nirmala Srivastava has delivered lectures around the world, given television and radio interviews, and has been the subject of newspaper articles.
Other criticisms focus on Srivastava's and Sahaja Yoga's claims that Sahaja Yoga is a "unique method of meditation" for which there is never a charge.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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