| Homepage | Imprint |
|
||
 |
Nirmala SrivastavaShri Mataji Nirmala Srivastava (or Shrivastava) or Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi (born March 21, 1923in Chindawara, India) is the founder of Sahaja Yoga. "Shri", "Mataji", and "Devi" are Sanskritand Hinditerms applied to Indian names when addressing people formally which mean Shri = Mr/Mrs (Senor/Senora) Mataji = Mother Devi = (1) Feminine Qualifier to 'Shri' (2) Goddess hence approximately "Respected Mother Nirmala" or "holy mother goddess Nirmala Shrivastava".
BackgroundImage:ShriMatajiNirmalaShrivastava.jpgNirmala Srivastava was born to Christian parents, Prasad and Cornelia Salve, having descended from the royal Shalivahana dynasty. Her parents named her Nirmala, which means "immaculate." Srivastava occasionally visited the ashram of Mahatma Gandhi. Like her parents, she was involved in the Indian independence movement; as a young woman she was a youth leader, and participated in the Quit India Movement. Shortly before India achieved independence Nirmala married Chandrika Prasad Srivastavaand had two daughters. 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. Prior to this day it was possible to attain self-realisation as Buddha did, but this required much penence, introspection and meditation before the understanding of the 'self' was attained. Since the 1970s Srivastava has traveled across the world spreading Sahaja Yoga. She is the founder of Sahaja Yoga International or "Vishwa Nirmala Dharma", an organization for teaching the Sahaja Yoga Meditation. ActivitiesNirmala Srivastava has delivered lectures around the world, given television and radio interviews, and has been the subject of newspaper articles. She also has spoken at the Royal Albert Hallin London during conferences on Sahaja Yoga. Local honorsShe was declared "Personality of the Year" in 1986by the Italian government. In 1994, the mayor of Brazil's capital city, who sponsored her programs, welcomed her at the airport and presented her with the key to the city. In 1995, the Indian government allowed her a one-hour primetime television series to be broadcast nationally. That year she was also an official guest of the Chinese government, was invited to speak at the International Women's Conferencein Beijing, and was awarded an honorary doctorate in Cognitive and Parapsychological Sciences by the Romanian Ecological University. She was given a proclamation by the U.S. Congressin 1997. She has been recognized and greeted by mayors or city officials in North America, including Cincinnati, Ohioin 1992; Philadelphia, Pennsylvaniain 1993; Los Angeles, Californiain 1993and 1994; British Columbiain 1994; Yonkers, New Yorkin 1994 and 1996; Berkeley, Californiain 1997 and Salt Lake City, Utahin 2003. The French and Belgian governments have also regularly included her organisation in their official lists of dangerous cults. CriticismCritics take issue with some of Srivastava's historical claims. They note that no references to Gandhi ever seeking her spiritual advice have been found in Gandhi's voluminous collected works. They further assail her claim of discovering Sahaja Yoga in May 1970, alleging that records show she was at a Rajneeshmeditation camp at the beginning of that month and did not offer "en-masse self-realization" until 1972. Critics also hold that Srivastava's organization is a cultdedicated to her worship. They assert she claims to be the Supreme Goddess (aka Adi Shakti, or the Holy Ghost) and her followers worship her as such. It is alleged that her followers routinely wash and decorate her feet and then drink the mixture of offered elements (panchamruta), believing it to contain "divine vibrations". They note that during one of her appearances at the Royal Albert Hall an ex-member of her group felt it necessary to obtain police protection after being roughed up and threatened by Sahaja Yogis for distributing material critical of Nirmala Srivasta. 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. Former members present evidence of routinely being charged for an assortment of incidentals that include payment in cash or gifts to worship Shrivastava at ceremonies called pujas. Supporters maintain that these were truly gifts, made voluntarily. Some children who have attended the Sahaja Yoga school endorsed by Srivastava have reported malnurishment, sexual abuse, unhealthy living conditions and a substandard educational experience. External linksImage:Wikiquote-logo-en.png
Wikiquotehas a collection of quotations related to: [[Wikiquote:{{{1|Special:Search/Nirmala Srivastava}}}|{{{2|{{{1|Nirmala Srivastava}}}}}}]]
Official and favourable websites
Critical web resources
de:Mataji Nirmala Devi fr:Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi
|
