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Shri MatajiShri Mataji Nirmala Devi, Mrs Nirmala Shrivastava (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".
BackgroundImage:ShriMatajiNirmalaShrivastava.jpgShri Mataji was born to Christian parents, Prasad and Cornelia Salve, having descended from the royal Shalivahana dynasty. Her parents named her Nirmala, which means "immaculate." Shri Mataji occasionally visited the ashram of Mahatma Gandhi. Like her parents, Shri Mataji 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 Shri Mataji married Sir Chandrika Prasad Shrivastavaand had two daughters. Nirmala Shrivastava 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 Shri Mataji 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. ActivitiesShri 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.
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. CritiqueThey have note that no references to Gandhi ever seeking her spiritual advice have been found in Gandhi's biography, but that is not a disqualifier. They further assail the claim of discovering Sahaja Yoga in May 1970, alleging that records show she was at a meditation camp in Nargol, Gujarat State in India, at the beginning of that month and did not offer "en-masse self-realization" until 1972. Accounts from many who have had contact with Shri Mataji, actually hint that Her work started much before, but crystallised into larger proportions, as any living movement would. As with any major movement, there are those who's expectations cannot be met by Sahaja Yoga.
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