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{{Short description|Spiritual organization}}
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{{Use Indian English|date=September 2013}}
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'''Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya''' or '''Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University''', a ] ] of Indian origin."<ref> Reflexive Traditions: New Religious Movements and the 'Negotiation' of Identity.-John Wallis, Ph.D University of Warwick, UK.</ref>”The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University ('''BKWSU''') teaches a form of meditation involving ] ], it calls ] but which should not be confused with classical Raja Yoga as described by ]." A ] with core ] beliefs concerning the imminent destruction of the current impure ] world by a ] between ] and ], ] in ], widespread ] and ] followed by the reward of a paradisiacal ] or " ]" which will take place on the ] for its faithful ]. Followers of the BKWSU are known as " '''BKs''' ", '''Brahma Kumaris''' or '''Brahma Kumars''' ; literally, the daughters or sons of ].
{{Infobox organisation
| name = Brahma Kumaris
| image = Bk-logo.png
| caption =
| formation = {{start date and age|1936}}
| type = Spiritual organisation
| status = ]
| purpose = Educational, Philanthropic, Spiritual, Meditation
| headquarters = ], ], India
| location = 8500+ centres
| coords = {{coord|24.5925|N|72.7083|E|display=inline,title}}
| founder = ]
| key_people = ],
], Dadi Prakashmani and Dadi Hriday Mohini
| area_served = Worldwide
| num_staff =
| website = {{URL|http://www.brahmakumaris.org/|International}} {{URL|http://www.brahmakumaris.com/|India}}
}}
The '''Brahma Kumaris''' ({{langx|sa|ब्रह्माकुमारी}} ("Daughters of Brahma")) is a spiritual movement that originated in ], during the 1930s.<ref name= censamm.org>. censamm.org</ref><ref name=bk_faq> brahmakumaris.org</ref><ref name=Monier>] (1899) ''Sanskrit Dictionary''. Clarendon Press, Oxford. </ref> Founded by ], the organisation teaches the importance of moving beyond labels associated with the human body, including race, nationality, religion, and gender, through meditation that emphasizes the concept of identity as souls rather than bodies. It aims to establish a global culture centered around what they refer to as "soul-consciousness".<ref name="World 2010">{{Cite book |title=Religions of the world: a comprehensive encyclopedia of beliefs and practices |date=2002 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-57607-223-3 |editor-last=Melton |editor-first=J. Gordon |location=Santa Barbara, Calif.}}</ref><ref name="Matt Tomlinson, Wendy Smith, Lenore Manderson 2012_1">{{cite book
|chapter=4. Brahma Kumaris: Purity and the Globalization of Faith
|author1=Tomlinson, Matt
|author2=Smith, Wendy
|author3=Manderson, Lenore
|title=Flows of Faith: Religious Reach and Community in Asia and Pacific
|publisher= Springer
|year=2012
|isbn=978-94-007-2931-5}}</ref> The members of the organisation believe that all souls are good by nature and that God is the source of all goodness.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jones |first=Constance |title=Encyclopedia of Hinduism |last2=Ryan |first2=James Daniel |last3=Melton |first3=J. Gordon |date=2007 |publisher=Facts On File |isbn=978-0-8160-5458-9 |series=Encyclopedia of world religions |location=New York, NY}}</ref>


In 2019, the organisation had more than eight thousand centres across one hundred ten countries and more than one million members.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our History – The Brahma Kumaris |url=https://brahmakumaris.org.au/new/about-us/our-history/ |access-date=2024-02-12 |language=en-US}}</ref> Women continue to hold primary leadership positions within the organisation.<ref name="Kranenborg1">{{cite web
==History==
| url = http://www.cesnur.org/testi/bryn/br_kranenborg.htm
Formed in ], now ], during 1937 by businessman Lekhraj Kripalani, a ] follower of the ] ] ]. Kripalani experienced a series of what he considered to be divine visions and then ] by a ] he considered to be ], the Supreme Soul, . This ] the B.K.s name as " ] Baba ", took over control of his ] in order to express a message to ] and teach their form of ]. Followers, known as his " mouth born progeny ", believe that Lekhraj Kripalani is ]'s only direct ] or instrument. ] being a ] which cannot express its message other than through this ] ] and this time being the only time in history that ] intervenes in human destiny. B.K.s believe that their ] " ] Baba " renamed Lekhraj Kripalani " ] Baba " and that he was the ] of the ] ] ], ] or, literally, the ] of ]. ] means " ] " in ].
| title = Brahma Kumaris: A New Religion?
| last=Kranenborg|first=Reender
|year=1999
|publisher=Center for Studies on New Religions
| access-date = 27 July 2007
|quote=A preliminary version of a paper presented at CESNUR 99}}</ref>


== Early history ==
Originally called "] Mandali" or " Rajswa Ashvamegh Avinashi Geeta Gyan Yagya ", in the early days Lekhraj Kripalani attracted mostly ] and their children belonging to the ] ] business caste of ] and along with them created much ] until the ] and the ] denounced the Om Mandali community. ] Lekhraj, known then as " Om Baba ", in turn denounced the ] as "]" or ] and under pressure of ] public opinion, the ] ] reluctantly banned the ] Mandali, which went to court and had the ban order quashed.
]
The Brahma Kumaris organisation was founded in ], in northwest ] (present-day ]).<ref name="Matt Tomlinson, Wendy Smith, Lenore Manderson 2012_1" /> They were initially known as ''Om Mandali,'' as the members would together chant ''']''' before engaging in a spiritual discourse in traditional ] (meetings). These original discourses were closely connected{{vague|date=May 2024}} to the '']''.<ref name="Matt Tomlinson, Wendy Smith, Lenore Manderson 2012_1" />


Founder ] (also known as Om Baba) was in the jewelry business.<ref name="Matt Tomlinson, Wendy Smith, Lenore Manderson 2012_1" /> In 1935, after witnessing a series of ] experiences and visions, he gave up his business to lay the foundation of ''Om Mandali''. He believed that there was a ] working through him and that many of those who attended the discourses were themselves having ]s.<ref name="Matt Tomlinson, Wendy Smith, Lenore Manderson 2012_1"/> The majority of those who came were women and children from the ] caste,<ref>{{cite journal
A year after its establishment, the organization moved from ] to ] for fourteen years, now part of ] but at that time part of colonial ] until after the ] of India and ]. The founding group of approximately 300 individuals lived as a self-sufficient community spending their time in intense spiritual study, ] and alleged self-transformation. During this time, ] female followers known as " Sandeshputris " or ] messengers helped add to their spiritual knowledge through psychic visions and allegedly direct contact with God. In 1950, the community moved to ], mainly due to the religious resistance to its activities in ]. In 1969 it was formally establish as the World Renewal Trust with a male trustee.
|last=Babb
|first=Lawrence
|title=Indigenous feminism in a modern Hindu sect, Signs
|journal=Journal of Women in Culture and Society
|volume=9
|issue=3
|pages=399–416
|year=1984
|doi=10.1086/494068|s2cid=144737560
}}</ref> which consisted of wealthy merchants and business people whose husbands and fathers were often overseas on business.<ref name="Liz_Hodgkinson_Peace2">{{cite book
| last = Hodgkinson
| first = Liz
| title = Peace and Purity: The Story of the Brahma Kumaris a Spiritual Revolution
| year = 2002
| publisher = HCI
| isbn = 1-55874-962-4
| page = 19
}}</ref>


]
Following Lekhraj's death in 1969, a new female ] within the organization called Hirdaya Mohini or Gulzar continued ] both the ] called ], whom the BKs believe is ] or the Supreme Soul and the deceased Kirpalani allowing them to lead the organization "from beyond the grave" through channelled messages called ]s. Central to these teachings is that the current impure world has to be destroyed in order for the ] of ] ] to come about. The current world is ending and the Brahma Kumaris believe that they must prepare for life in the glorious ] rather than attempting the impossible of halting the inevitable, indeed desirable destruction of the world by unpeaceful means. .
Three years after the organization came into existence, it became clear that ''Om Mandali'' was giving special importance to the role of women and was not adhering to the caste system. The group had named a 22-year-old woman, Radhe Pokardas Rajwani (then known as "Om Radhe"), as its president, and her management committee was made up of eight other women.<ref name="Om Radhe6">{{cite book
| last1 = Pokardas
| first1 = Om Radhe
| title = Is this Justice? Being an account of the founding of Om Mandali and Om Nivas and their suppression under the Criminal Laws Amendment Act 1908
| year = 1939
| publisher=Om Mandali, Pharmacy Printing Press, Bunder Road Karachi
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=47qgtgAACAAJ&q=Is+this+justice+by+Om+Radhe}}</ref> People from any caste were allowed to attend meetings.<ref name="BK_Jagdish_Chander_Adi_Dev2">{{cite book
| last = Chander
| first = B. K Jagdish
| title = Adi Dev: The first man
| url = https://archive.org/details/adidevfirstman00jagd
| url-access = registration
| year = 1981
| publisher = B.K. Raja Yoga Center for the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University.
}}</ref> The group also advocated that young women had the right to not marry and that married women had the right to choose ]. In tradition-bound patriarchal India, these personal life decisions were the exclusive right of men.<ref name="Liz_Hodgkinson_Peace2"/> A committee headed by influential male members of the Bhaibund community began to form in opposition and became known as the 'Anti-Om Mandali Committee'. On 21 June 1938, this group picketed the premises of ''Om Mandali'' and prevented members from entering the campus and caused considerable upheaval in the community. Women attending the discourses were verbally abused. There was an attempt to burn the premises down, and the police made several arrests. Many women and girls were subjected to ].<ref name="Liz_Hodgkinson_Peace3">{{cite book
| last = Hodgkinson
| first = Liz
| title = Peace and Purity: The Story of the Brahma Kumaris a Spiritual Revolution
| year = 2002
| publisher = HCI
| isbn = 1-55874-962-4
| page = 30
}}</ref>


The picketing led to criminal proceedings against both groups. On 16 August 1938 the local District Magistrate ordered that ''Om Mandali'' be prevented from meeting. This ban was reversed on 21 November 1938 after an appeal to the ].<ref name="Om Radhe1">{{cite book
From the very beginning of the life of the organization Kirpalani gave special encouragement to women to develop their spiritual lives and take leadership positions devolving his fortune and the responsibilities of administering it to a ] of nine women. Rejecting the Hindu practice of restricting the elevated status of ] ] to men, anyone who was prepared to adopt ] and follow purity rules concerning diet and alcohol was eligible to join and be a full member of the organization. A high proportion of early members were women and their children. Today the leadership of the BK movement in India remains heavily female.<ref>
| last1 = Pokardas
Gender Role Experimentation in New Religious Movements: Clarification of the Brahma Kumari Case, Howell, Julia. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion; Sep98, Vol. 37 Issue 3, p453-461, 9p. Julia Day Howell is Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Asian and International Studies, Griffith Universtiy, Australia</ref>
| first1 = Om Radhe
| title = Is this Justice? Being an account of the founding of Om Mandali and Om Nivas and their suppression under the Criminal Laws Amendment Act 1908
| year = 1939
| publisher=Om Mandali, Pharmacy Printing Press, Bunder Road Karachi
| pages= 126–135 (original numbering)
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=47qgtgAACAAJ&q=Is+this+justice+by+Om+Radhe}}</ref> In an unusual move, the judges directly criticised the district magistrate for trying to punish the victims for the disturbance caused by the perpetrators and for trying to apply the law according to their own personal bias.<ref name="Om Radhe2">{{cite book
| last1 = Pokardas
| first1 = Om Radhe
| title = Is this Justice? Being an account of the founding of Om Mandali and Om Nivas and their suppression under the Criminal Laws Amendment Act 1908
| year = 1939
| publisher=Om Mandali, Pharmacy Printing Press, Bunder Road Karachi
| page= 130 (original numbering)
| quote = the section (of the Criminal Procedure code) is being turned to a purpose for which it was not intended, and that is to say, to prevent, not acts which are wrongful in the eyes of the Law, but acts which are wrongful in the eyes of the District Magistrate
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=47qgtgAACAAJ&q=Is+this+justice+by+Om+Radhe}}</ref> Following these events, ''Om Mandali'' decided to leave Hyderabad and relocated their activities to ] in the latter half of 1938. Approximately three hundred members moved.<ref name="Om Radhe3">{{cite book
| last1 = Pokardas
| first1 = Om Radhe
| title = Is this Justice? Being an account of the founding of Om Mandali and Om Nivas and their suppression under the Criminal Laws Amendment Act 1908
| year = 1939
| publisher=Om Mandali, Pharmacy Printing Press, Bunder Road Karachi
| pages= 126–135 (original numbering)
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=47qgtgAACAAJ&q=Is+this+justice+by+Om+Radhe}}</ref>
]


On 31 March 1939, the government appointed a tribunal to enquire into the activities of ''Om Mandali''. When the tribunal released its findings, Om Radhe responded by compiling a book entitled ''Is this Justice?'' criticising the tribunal, which they alleged did not have a constitutional basis and made its findings without obtaining evidence from ''Om Mandali''.<ref name="Om Radhe4">{{cite book
* The Indian version of the group's ] can be found at http://www.brahmakumaris.com/aboutus/history.htm
| last1 = Pokardas
* The international version can be found at http://www.bkwsu.org/whoweare/history.htm
| first1 = Om Radhe
| title = Is this Justice? Being an account of the founding of Om Mandali and Om Nivas and their suppression under the Criminal Laws Amendment Act 1908
| year = 1939
| publisher=Om Mandali, Pharmacy Printing Press, Bunder Road Karachi
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=47qgtgAACAAJ&q=Is+this+justice+by+Om+Radhe}}</ref> In May 1939, the government used the tribunal's findings to effectively reinstate the ban, declaring ''Om Mandali'' an "unlawful association" under section 16 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1908.<ref name="Om Radhe5">{{cite book
| last1 = Pokardas
| first1 = Om Radhe
| title = Is this Justice? Being an account of the founding of Om Mandali and Om Nivas and their suppression under the Criminal Laws Amendment Act 1908
| year = 1939
| publisher=Om Mandali, Pharmacy Printing Press, Bunder Road Karachi
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=47qgtgAACAAJ&q=Is+this+justice+by+Om+Radhe}}</ref> Nevertheless, ''Om Mandali'' continued to hold their satsangs, and the government did not enforce the ban. Possibly because of this, the committee then hired someone to assassinate Om Baba. The attempt was unsuccessful.<ref name="Liz_Hodgkinson_Peace4">{{cite book
| last = Hodgkinson
| first = Liz
| title = Peace and Purity: The Story of the Brahma Kumaris a Spiritual Revolution
| year = 2002
| publisher = HCI
| isbn = 1-55874-962-4
| pages = 36
}}</ref><ref name="BK_Jagdish_Chander_Adi_Dev2"/>
]


==Expansion==
==Foundation Course==
In May 1950, ''Om Mandali'' moved to ] in ], India, and renamed itself as Brahma Kumaris (BK) World Spiritual University. In 1952, a more structured form of teaching was offered to the public through a seven-lesson course.<ref name="John_Walliss_reflexive">{{cite book
Lekhraj had from the very beginning published numerous pamphlets and written a huge amount of letters to important national and international figures in which he interpreted contemporary events with reference to his ] knowledge. Later, a seven-lesson courses in the group's teachings was offered to outsiders. This has now been modified to suit different ] and ]. <ref>From World Rejection to Ambivalence:The development in Millenarianism in the Brahma Kumaris." by John Walliss. Journal of Contemporary Religion, Vol.14,N 3, 1999</ref>' An overview of the foundation course can be found here: under '''"Foundation Course in Raja Yoga Meditation."'''
| last = Walliss
| first = John
| title = From World-Rejection to Ambivalence
| year = 2002
| publisher = Ashgate Publishing
| isbn = 978-0-7546-0951-3
| page = 33
| quote = Lekhraj was born in Sindh in 1876 into the Kriplani family who were devotees of the Valabhacharya sect.
}}</ref>


Brahma Kumaris began an international expansion programme from the mid-1950s.<ref name="Howell_Nelson_1998"/> Since the 1970s, it has spread to ] and then throughout the West.<ref name="Reader">Chryssides, George D.; Wilkins, Margaret and Wilkins, Margaret Z. (2006) ''A Reader in New Religious Movements: Readings in the Study of New Religious Movements''. Continuum. {{ISBN|0-8264-6168-9}}</ref><ref name="World">Esposito, John L.; Fasching, Darrell J. and Lewis, Todd (2002) ''Religion and globalization: world religions in historical perspective''. Oxford University Press. p. 340. {{ISBN|9780195176957}}</ref> The most visible manifestations of the organisation are its spiritual museums, located in most major Indian cities.<ref name="Reader" />
These lessons include:


In 1980, the Brahma Kumaris became registered as a ] with the ]. In 1983, the Brahma Kumaris achieved consultative status with the Economic and Social Council at the ].<ref name="Whaling_Frank_Understanding_BK5">{{cite book
* The Soul
| last = Whaling
* The Supreme Soul
| first = Frank
* The Law of Karma
| title = Understanding the Brahma Kumaris
* The Cycle
| year = 2012
* The Tree of Religions
| publisher = Dunedin Academic Press Ltd
* The Founder Brahma Baba
| isbn = 978-1-903765-51-7
* Brahma Kumaris' Lifestyle and Principles
| pages = 65
}}</ref>
]
The leadership and membership of the BK movement remains primarily female: in the UK, only one-third of the forty-two centres are run by males,<ref name="Howell_Nelson_1998"/> and women comprise eighty percent of the membership.<ref name="Why_women">'Why are Women More Religious Than Men?' Trzebiatowska, Marta. Bruce, Steve. Oxford University Press, 2012. {{ISBN|0-19-960810-5}},</ref> {{asof|February 2015}}, centres are mostly in followers' own homes with a tendency toward middle- or upper-class membership. Estimates for its worldwide membership range from thirty-five thousand in 1993 to four hundred thousand in 1998<ref name="Adherents_stats">{{cite web
| url = http://www.adherents.com/Na/Na_83.html#584
| title = Adherent Statistic Citations
| work = Adherents.com
| access-date = 20 August 2007
| quote = Worldwide, this path has 4000 centres and approximately 400,000 members.
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120306091316/http://www.adherents.com/Na/Na_83.html#584
| archive-date = 6 March 2012
| url-status = usurped
}}</ref> to four hundred fifty thousand in 2000;<ref name="howell06">], pp. 71–72</ref> however, many adherents are probably not completely committed to the group's worldview.<ref name="howell07">], p. 72: "Since the University spread to Western societies it has increasingly accommodated people with little interest in its ] but attracted to the practical applications of BK ]s. The community service programmes of the 1980s and 1990s stimulated creative renderings of BK meditation as a tool for psychological healing and eclectic spiritual exploration. The casual participants whom the BKs have attracted in this way probably made up the vast majority of the 450,000 people on the University's records at the turn of the 20th to 21st century".</ref>


====The Soul==== == Beliefs ==
The movement has distinguished itself from its ] roots and sees itself as a vehicle for spiritual teaching rather than as a religion.<ref name="howell06" /><ref name="Kranenborg1"/><ref name="howquote">], p. 71<!-- states that "The "Brahma Kumaris" are a world-wide spiritual movement... Drawing on Hindu religious culture of its founder, the movement has nonetheless distinguished itself from Hinduism and projects itself as a vehicle for spiritual teaching rather than a religion" (p. 71). --></ref>
Brahma Kumaris teach ]. That is human beings are a ] or ] living inside the physical body which is not the individual but a "costume". The ]'s form is a point of light and it is situated in the forehead of the body. The ] is described as having 3 functions: ], ] and ]s. The sanskars, or record of experiences, are transmitted from birth to birth. Brahma Kumaris believe in human ] but unlike classical ] and ], they do not believe in ], or re-incarnation between different ]. Brahma Kumaris teach that there are only 5.5 billion human souls.


====The Supreme Soul==== ===Self===
Brahma Kumaris believe that their "]" is a ] or ] identical to the ] ], also in the form of a point of light but that this ] cannot take birth in a ] form. Their "God" remains disincarnate, eternally unchanged and so therefore is the only individual that can purify impure incarnated ] souls through its knowledge and by their mentally connecting to him through the practise of their Raja Yoga. This ] then is able to ] his ] through the ] practitioners to other ] and into the ]. The practice of this form of ] and the allowing of their god ] to ] his energy through them is said to be an intense ] burning away the practitioner's previous ] and eradicating their ].


The Brahma Kumaris view humans as composed of two parts: an external visible body, which includes aspects like status and possessions, and a subtle ] known as the soul. The ] of the soul is expressed through a person's external actions. However, regardless of the outward appearance, whether actions are carried out with love, peace, happiness, or humility, reflects the essence of one's soul.<ref name="Ramsay_Custodians of Purity1">{{cite journal |last=Ramsay |first=Tamasin |date=Sep 2010 |title=Custodians of Purity An Ethnography of the Brahma Kumaris |publisher=Monash University |pages=105}}</ref> The Brahma Kumaris teach that the soul is an infinitesimal point of spiritual light residing in the forehead of the body it occupies,<ref name="Ramsay_Custodians of Purity1" /> and that all souls originally existed with God in a "Soul World", a world of infinite light, peace and silence.
====Raja Yoga meditation====
Not to be confused with classical Raja Yoga as taught by ], the BK form of ] starts with the experience of the self as a ] separate from the physical body and then initiates the mind of the student into a relationship with the channelled being known as ] and said to be ] by the BKWSU. BK Raja Yoga is the connection of mind of human beings with the mind of Shiva.


The Brahma Kumaris teach that souls enter bodies to take birth in order to experience life and give expression to their personality. Unlike other Eastern traditions, the Brahma Kumaris do not believe that the human soul can transmigrate into other species.<ref name="Ramsay_Custodians of Purity1" />
====The Law of Karma====
Similar to many ] religions, the Brahma Kumaris believe that ] is a law controlling actions and reactions ; that every action creates a reaction and that individuals experience the effects of those reactions either as happiness or suffering. These reactions can be experienced in the current or a following lifetime. Thoughts being the origin of actions.


====The Cycle==== ===Supreme Soul===
]
Using the symbolism of classical ], Brahma Kumaris believe that time is cyclical and follows a pattern of a cycle which lasts for 5000 years. This is referred to as "The Cycle" of 4 or 5 Ages or ]s ; Satya, Thretha, Dwapara and Kali in Hindi. Each cycle is identical to the one that came before it and to the one that will come after it. They call this the 'Eternal Drama'. God, souls and the 'Eternal Drama' have no beginning or end (''Anadi'' and ''Avinaashi'' ). The souls keep on entering the physical body (birth) and leave (death) them as per the rules of the 'Eternal Drama'.
The Brahma Kumaris use the term "Supreme Soul" to refer to God. They see God as ] and ], regarding him as a point of living light like a human soul but lacking a physical body, as he does not enter the cycle of birth, death, and ]. God is seen as the perfect and constant embodiment of all virtues, powers, and values, the ] father of all souls, without respect to religion, gender, or culture.<ref name="Ramsay_Custodians of Purity4">{{cite journal
| last = Ramsay
| first = Tamasin
|date=Sep 2010
| title = Custodians of Purity An Ethnography of the Brahma Kumaris
| publisher = Monash University
| pages = 107–108
}}</ref>


===Karma===
It starts with a ] or "]" of 900,000 human beings, all followers of their religion. This then declines to a slightly less paradisiacal "]" in which humans are also naturally spiritual minded. Then after 2,500 years, the Earth declines further to enter into a "Copper Age" where humanity experience the ] of ] and ]. Suffering is experienced for the first time, the search for God and religions are created for the first time. 1,250 years later, a totally impure "]" of suffering, injustice and irreligiousness begins. Brahma Kumaris believe this "]" is our current age and that it is "]". The opposite of their "]" 5,000 years before - or a few years into the future. They teach that at the end of the Iron Age, the World must be completely destroyed by a nuclear war between Russia and America, natural disasters and a blood bath of civil war in India.


The Brahma Kumaris believe that every action performed by a soul will create a return accordingly, and that the destiny of the soul's next body depends on how it acts and behaves in this life. Through meditation, by transforming thinking patterns and eventually actions, the Brahma Kumaris believe that people can purify their "karmic account" and lead a better life in the present and next birth. {{citation needed|date=October 2013}}
At the end of ], BKWSU teach that the moral status of humanity deteriorates to such an extent that negative tendencies dominate human relationships and their god Shiva adopts the body of Lekhraj Kripalani to teaches souls how to remove these negative tendencies and instill divine qualities in their place. Those who follow the BKs will contribute to the creation of a "heaven on earth" and will naturally end up in ] or ] of the next cycle. All others, and non-BKs will start taking birth from ] and Iron Age.


===Cycle of time===
Between the lowest ] of the "]" and the high spiritual state of their "]", there is a brief period of 100 years when the work to establish the ] must takes place. This period of time is known as the "Confluence Age" and was originally taught to be 40 years. When the World did not end, it became 100 years; 50 years for ] of the ] through "the jaws of death, the wail of horror, the rivers of blood and pus, the panic and the desperation, and then, the final death", followed by another 50 years for the creation of ] on ].


In contrast to linear theories of human history that hypothesize an ancient point of origin for the universe and a final destruction, the BKs do not posit a start, end or age for the universe, believing such concepts to be an erroneous application of the human life cycle to the universe. BKs believe the universe to follow an eternal, naturally occurring 5,000-year ], composed of four ages ('']''): the Golden Age ('']''), the Silver Age ('']''), the Copper Age ('']''), the Iron Age ('']'') and each represents 1250 years of the cycle. They also believe that at the end of the Iron Age there will be "Destruction." They believe Destruction will kill everyone on Earth and cleanse the Earth. Then only can the cycle repeat again.<ref name="New_Believers">{{cite book
However, "]", as it is known, did not happen according to their timetables :
| last = Barrett
* first in 1976, one hundred years after the death of Dada Lehkraj,
| first = David V
* then some time between 1985 and 1996, 50 to 60 years after the alleged incarnation of Shiva Baba
| title = The New Believers
* Year 2000
| year = 2001
| publisher = Cassell & Co
| isbn = 0-304-35592-5
| page =
| quote = Time is cyclical with each 5,000-year cycle consisting of a perfect Golden Age, a slightly degraded Silver age, a decadent Copper Age, and an Iron Age which is characterised by violence, greed, and lust. Each of these lasts for exactly 1,250 years. Our current Iron Age will shortly come to an end, after which the cycle will begin again.
| url = https://archive.org/details/newbelieverssurv00barr/page/265
}}</ref> The present period{{when|date=September 2014}} of this cycle is sometimes described as a fifth age or "Confluence age" as it is considered to be the confluence (the junction or meeting) between the Iron Age and the Golden age. <ref>{{Cite web |title=World Drama Cycle » Brahma Kumaris |url=https://www.shivbabas.org/world-drama-cycle |access-date=2023-12-09 |website=Brahma Kumaris |language=en}}</ref>


The first half of the cycle (the Golden and Silver ages) is considered to be the age of "soul conscious living". The Brahma Kumaris see this as a time of "heaven on earth" or as a version of the ] when human beings are fully virtuous, complete, self-realised beings who lived in complete harmony with the natural environment. The primary enlightenment was the innate understanding of the self as a soul.
Every soul will return to its ], also known as ] or the Land of Peace.


The Brahma Kumaris believe that modern civilization will be destroyed by global nuclear conflict, coupled with natural calamities and that these cataclysmic events form part of a natural and cathartic cyclic process.<ref name="Fard"/>
====The Tree of Religions====
The Brahma Kumaris use the ] of "The Tree" to represent the ], or rather decline, of the ] ] of souls. The ] of the ] is made up by Brahma Kumaris followers currently practicing their ] only. These individuals alone are to become the residents of "] on ]", symbolised by the trunk of the tree, where humanity is one and experiences ] and ].


When the organisation began, emphasis was placed on the physical destruction of the world as seen in the cataclysmic visions of Dada Lekhraj.<ref name="Whaling_Frank_Understanding_BK3">{{cite book
"The Tree" is then illustration to split in 5 major ]. ], they teach, forgets its original nature and each branch represents one of the 5 major religious traditions or seeking for ] and ] ; ], ], ], ] and renunciate tradition of India called "]sm" and manifestation of this newly impure world.
| last = Whaling
| first = Frank
| title = Understanding the Brahma Kumaris
| year = 2012
| publisher = Dunedin Academic Press Ltd
| isbn = 978-1-903765-51-7
| quote = "In the Bodleian booklet (Om Radhe, 1943) there are some uncompromising apocalyptic passages that are in striking contrast to the more mellow nature of recent Brahma Kumari thought".
| pages = 42
}}</ref> As the organisation developed, it witnessed ], the ] and the ], and the destructive aspects of its teachings were reframed as a process of transformation.<ref>, Hinduism Today, May 1995.</ref> The students of the organization had also made many failed predictions of the violent destruction of the world, between 1987 and 2008 and the original teachings also referred to a particular date 1976,<ref name="John_Walliss_reflexive" /><ref name="Guido">{{cite book
| last = Jain
| first = Chandra Mohan
| title = Guida Spirituale ion
| year = 1983
| publisher = Rajneesh Foundation International
| isbn = 0-88050-575-3
| pages = 98–99
| quote = The other is these Brahma Kumaris, they have not reached the whole world, they have remained confined to India. They talk utter nonsense, and they talk with authority. And they go on saying everything. This date that you mention that in 1987 this world will end... This date has changed many times in thirty years, and it will change again..
}}</ref> aspects which are now downplayed.<ref name="Miller-3">{{cite book
| last1 = Miller
| first1 = Sam
| title = Delhi: Adventures in a Megacity
| year = 2010
| publisher = Penguin India
| isbn = 978-0-09-952674-2
| quote = The movement's very strong millenarian belief are underplayed | title-link = Delhi: Adventures in a Megacity
}}</ref>


== Practices ==
The outer branches of "The Tree" are said to symbolise the "]" of a fractured ] where even major ]s are split into many small branches, representing ] beliefs, religious ]s and ]. ], ], ], ] and all other religious founders are said to ] at the beginning of their ] and then continue to ] through out the ] of their ] until coming to the "]" at this time and seeking out the Brahma Kumaris for re-] in ]. It is specifically taught that none of the other religious founder have a direct connection with ] nor are they able to escape human ] many times over as is believed by ], ]s, ] or ].


===Meditation===
"The Tree" of ] must be destroyed each "Cycle" in order that a new "Tree" repeats the pattern exactly. The "]" for this new tree is their "]" ] Baba alone and they are the only true source of this knowledge.


The Brahma Kumaris teaches a form of meditation<ref name="Tessa_Bartholomeusz_Bo_Tree">{{cite book
====The Founder====
| last = Bartholomeusz
Under the inspiration of their god, businessman Lekhraj Kirpalani became known as "] Baba" and was said to have had 84 human births. Believed to be the maximum number of births for any human soul. The Brahma Kumaris believe that Lekhraj Kirpalani was the first pure being in the world known as "]" or "]".
| first = Tessa J.
| title = Women under the Bo Tree: Buddhist nuns in Sri Lanka
| series = Cambridge Studies in Religious Traditions
| year = 1994
| publisher = Cambridge University Press
| isbn = 978-0-521-46129-0
}}</ref> through which students are encouraged to purify their minds. This may be done by sitting tranquilly, then making affirmations regarding the eternal nature of the soul, the original purity of one's nature, and the nature of God.<ref name="Chryssides_Historical">{{cite book
| last = Chryssides
| first = George
| quote = "Members are encouraged to purify their minds by the practise of Raja Yoga. This can entail sitting tranquilly, in front of a screen which Dada Lehkraj's picture projected, then making a number of "affirmations", regarding the eternal nature of the soul ('']''), the original purity of one's nature, and the nature of God (paramatmā Shiva). The Brahma Kumaris believe that practice of Raja Yoga enables spiritual progress as well as having pragmatic benefits, for example, business success. Brahma Kumaris frequently organise seminars on business management and on developing personal life skills"
| title = Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements
| year = 2011
| publisher = Scarecrow Press
| isbn = 978-0-8108-7967-6
}}</ref> The aim of the BK meditation is also to learn to hold meditative states while being engaged in everyday life.
<ref name="Ramsay_Custodians of Purity7"/> For this reason meditation is usually taught and practiced with open eyes.<ref name="Ramsay_Custodians of Purity7"/>


===Good wishes and pure feelings===
Since they believe that their ] needs a human body through which to communicate, and Lekraj Kirpalani was considered to be the most experienced of all human beings, their ] took possession of his mental faculties and body in order to communicate with body conscious, impure humanity. Lekhraj Kirpalani is considered by the Brahma Kumaris to be number one soul, higher in divinity than ], ], ] and all other religious founders who must come to him, or his followers, for re-education in spirituality. Lekhraj Kirpalani by his actions in a previous incarnation 2,500 years ago is also taught to be the individual that led humanity to "]", that is out of ] and ] on ] and into ] suffering.


Flowing on from the BK belief that everyone is a spiritual being, is the practice of ''Shubbhawna'' (pure feelings) and ''Shubkamna'' (good wishes).<ref name="Matt Tomlinson, Wendy Smith, Lenore Manderson 2012_2">{{cite book
Followers believe that this Supreme Soul, known to them as Shiva or "God", and Lekhraj Kirpalani continue to be ] on a regular basis by a senior BK sister called Gulzar at their headquarters in India. Also that Lekhraj Kirpalani's soul will reincarnate as Hindu god Krishna in his next birth.
|chapter=4. Brahma Kumaris: Purity and the Globalization of Faith
|author1=Tomlinson, Matt
|author2=Smith, Wendy
|author3=Manderson, Lenore
|title=Flows of Faith: Religious Reach and Community in Asia and Pacific
|publisher= Springer
|page=57
|quote=Another tenet of the Brahma Kumaris is that, when soul consciousness is properly practiced, it becomes a tool to have genuine shubhawna (good wishes) and shubkamna (pure feelings) for all souls, regardless of the behavior, character, feelings, or attitudes of the other, including their political, social, religious, or financial dispositions.
|year=2012
|isbn=978-94-007-2931-5}}</ref> For BKs, all prejudices and ill-feelings are seen as arising from identifying the self and others based on external labels like race, religion, gender, nationality, beauty (or lack of), etc. However, when there is the practice of finding the intrinsic goodness in each one, the prejudice based on those labels is replaced by the vision of one Spiritual Parent, one Human family, and universal spiritual values such as respect, love, peace and happiness.<ref name="Hinduism. 2010">''Encyclopedia of Hinduism.'' Constance A. Jones and James D. Ryan. ABC-CLEO, LLC 2010, {{ISBN|9780816054589}}</ref> A flagship slogan for the BKs has been ''When we change, the world changes''. It is for this reason that BKs consider bringing about this kind of change within the self as an important form of "world service".<ref name="Matt Tomlinson, Wendy Smith, Lenore Manderson 2012_3">{{cite book
|chapter=4. Brahma Kumaris: Purity and the Globalization of Faith
|author1=Tomlinson, Matt
|author2=Smith, Wendy
|author3=Manderson, Lenore
|title=Flows of Faith: Religious Reach and Community in Asia and Pacific
|publisher= Springer
|page=57
|quote=This is emphasized in recent teachings as a core discipline and considered an important service for the world.
|year=2012
|isbn=978-94-007-2931-5}}</ref>


===Study (''{{lang|hi-Latn|murli}}'')===
====BK Principles====
The final lesson traditionally taught by the Brahma Kumaris relates to the lifestyle and disciplines they follow, called Maryadas, as regards to religious practices, ], ] and ].


]
====Murli====
Brahma Kumaris' students study the {{lang|hi-Latn|murli}}. The Hindi word ''{{lang|hi-Latn|murli}}'' literally translates to "flute". It is an oral study, read to the class early each morning in most BK centres on the world. The {{lang|hi-Latn|murlis}} are derived from ] and ].<ref name="possession">{{cite thesis
The last lesson introduces the actually words of the soul they consider to be God. Brahma Kumaris teachings and spiritual study are based on the "Murlis". These are ] messages spoken by Shiva through the bodies of the organization's ], initially Lekraj Kirpalani and currently Hirdaya Mohini. Formally, the movement does not have a ‘holy book’ or scripture. Murlis are not available for sale and one must complete the Brahma Kumaris foundation course in order to begin listening to them. Murli class is held in the early morning every day at all BK centres around the world between 6 and 8 am.
| last = Musselwhite
| first = Richard
|type=PhD
|date=Sep 2009
| title = Possessing knowledge: organizational boundaries among the Brahma Kumaris
| publisher = University of North Carolina
| quote = "The most recognizable religious feature of the Brahma Kumaris institution is spirit-possession. Ever since God possessed the body of Dada Lekhraj for the first time in 1935, God has continued to descend and possess the body of a Brahma Kumaris host in order to speak to them." "Far from seeking to undermine or protest the world’s hegemonic orders, the Brahma Kumaris practice of spirit-possession seeks to quicken it in preparation for the end of days. One could argue that the Brahma Kumaris' ultimate aims are subversive (because they anticipate the end of the world), but the Brahma Kumaris never seek to undermine global order."
| pages = 51–52
}}</ref><ref name="Ramsay_Custodians of Purity8">{{cite thesis
| last = Ramsay
| first = Tamasin
|type=PhD
|date=Sep 2010
| title = Custodians of Purity An Ethnography of the Brahma Kumaris
|chapter=8: Spirit Possession and Purity in Orissa
| publisher = Monash University
|chapter-url=https://www.academia.edu/1113749
| quote = However Brahma Kumaris women become core members by being fully 'surrendered,’ and their prominence derives from their mediumistic capacities, channelling ''{{lang|hi-Latn|murli}}s'' (sermons) from their dead founder. As a result, their power is veiled...through the device of possession... Hence, the importance of spirit possession, where women are the instruments or mouthpieces of a male spirit. (p277-278, citing Puttick 2003) <br /> Possession in the Brahma Kumaris is supported by solid cultural logic that sits in a receptacle of history and tradition. (p281)
| pages = 277–278, 281
}}</ref><ref>Ramsay, Tamasin. Spirit possession and purity: A case study of a Brahma Kumaris ascetic. Paper presented at the conference on Medical Anthropology at the Intersections: Celebrating 50 Years of Interdisciplinarity, Yale University, New Haven, USA, 24-27 September 2009.</ref>


There are two types of {{lang|hi-Latn|murli}}:<ref name="Whaling_Frank_Understanding_BK4">{{cite book
Dr. Howell points out to underline the uniqueness of the University: ''"Through the channelled messages it became clear that Shiva was not to be understood as one of many Hindu gods, but in monotheistic terms as ‘The Supreme Soul.’’''<ref>Dr. Julia D. Howell. Changing Meanings of Religious Pluralism, 2003</ref>
| last = Whaling
| first = Frank
| title = Understanding the Brahma Kumaris
| year = 2012
| publisher = Dunedin Academic Press Ltd
| isbn = 978-1-903765-51-7
| page = 61
}}</ref>
# ''Sakar'' Murlis refer to the original orations that BKs believe to be the Supreme Soul speaking through Brahma Baba.{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}
# ''Avyakt'' Murlis are spoken by BapDada. BKs believe BapDada is God and the soul of their deceased founder. BapDada(God) is believed to speak to the BKs through a senior BK medium, Dadi Gulzar.{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}


Avyakt {{lang|hi-Latn|murli}}s are still being spoken at the BKs headquarters in India. Students must complete the Brahma Kumaris foundation course and start by attending morning {{lang|hi-Latn|Murli}} class before visiting the headquarters.<ref name="Howell_Nelson_1998"/>
==Practice==
Teachers of '''Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga''' state that their practice is aimed at purifying oneself by realizing one's identity as soul and maintaining a state of communion with their God.


The Brahma Kumaris believe God's purpose is to be the spiritual re-awakening of humanity and the removal of all sorrow, evil and negativity. They do not regard God as the creator of matter, as they consider matter to be eternal.<ref name="Ramsay_Custodians of Purity7">{{cite journal
Followers take upon themselves a disciplined lifestyle which involves;
| last = Ramsay
| first = Tamasin
|date=Sep 2010
| title = Custodians of Purity An Ethnography of the Brahma Kumaris
| publisher = Monash University
| pages = 108–110
}}</ref>


], the ]-Left candidate and former ] said on camera during the ], that she spoke to "Baba" (a term the BKs use for God)<ref name="ibnlive_ghost">{{cite web
* Complete ] involving no ], no ] within ], or ].
| url = http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/43632/pratibha-patil-speaks-to-a-ghost.html
* ] ], i.e. ] excluding ], ], ] and food cooked by non-believers including one's ] which are considered ].
| title = Race for Raisina: Shekhawat vs Patil
* Keeping a "Daily ]" or journal.
| publisher = IBN
* Complete avoidance of ], ] and ].
| access-date = 22 July 2007
* ] after ] involving washing ] or entire ] and changing clothes.
| quote = Dadiji ke shareer mein Baba aye ... Maine unse baat ki ("Baba entered Dadi's body and he communicated to me through her")
* Regular daily ] at 4 a.m. and throughout the day.
| archive-date = 29 May 2008
* The pursuit of ] in all aspects of life.
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080529140717/http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/43632/pratibha-patil-speaks-to-a-ghost.html
* ] or proselytizing activities of their ] and beliefs, called "service", as defined by their senior sisters.
| url-status = dead
* ] between ] and ] in housing and activities.
}}</ref> at the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University at their headquarters in ], Rajasthan.<ref>Jha, Ravi S (28 June 2007) . ''Khaleej Times''</ref> Patil stated that when she met Baba He had indicated great responsibility was coming her way.<ref name="ibnlive_ghost"/><ref>Kalyani, Shankar . ''The Pioneer''</ref><ref name="Spirit">{{cite news
* ] whilst living with one's biological family including ] and ] in many cases.
| url = https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pratibha-believes-in-spirits/articleshow/2152156.cms
* ] service of "influential individuals" in ] or ].
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110303050850/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2007-06-27/india/27965196_1_pratibha-patil-upa-left-presidential-nominee-upa-left-candidate
| url-status = live
| archive-date = 3 March 2011
| title = Pratibha believes in spirits?
| access-date = 22 July 2007
| newspaper = ]
| date=27 June 2007
}}</ref>


In his book "Ignited Minds," ] recounts an exceptional spiritual encounter he had on February 3, 2002, during his visit to the Brahma Kumari Spiritual Academy located in Mount Abu. During the visit, he witnessed an extraordinary event where one of the disciples, Dhadhi Gurzar, became the medium for the deity of the Brahma Kumaris, Shiva Baba. Dr. Kalam observed her personality undergo a transformation, with her face becoming radiant and her voice deepening as she spoke about the four treasures: Knowledge, Yoga, Virtue, and Service.<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/APJAbdulKalamIgnitedMindsPenguin |title=APJ Abdul Kalam Ignited Minds Penguin}}</ref>
]s wake up for 45 minutes ] at 4 am. They then attend a daily morning class at 6.00 am, work or keep their ] during the day and then return to ], teach or do more ] in the evening. B.K.s make regular ] or contributions to the Raja Yoga centre irrespective of means . Donations are generally not accepted from non-B.K.s as their ] is considered as " ] ". B.K.s are encouraged to visit the ] located in ], ], ] once a year if possible.


===Lifestyle===
In the main, " ] " means teaching their version of ] or evangelizing their " ] " and B.K.s were instructed not to do general ] nor perform what is generally understood as ]. Spiritual efforts are directed at overcoming what are seen as " The 5 ] " ; ], ] (sometimes called '] lust') ], ], attachment.
] and ] in ] on the ] television program ''Awakening with Brahma Kumaris'']]
Brahma Kumaris recommend a specific lifestyle<ref name="Liz_Hodgkinson_Peace5">{{cite book
| last = Hodgkinson
| first = Liz
| title = Peace and Purity: The Story of the Brahma Kumaris a Spiritual Revolution
| year = 2002
| publisher = HCI
| isbn = 1-55874-962-4
| pages = 2–29
}}</ref><ref name="Hinduism_Encyc">{{cite book |last = Lochtefeld, PhD
|first = James G.
|title = The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism
|volume = I
|contribution = Brahma Kumaris
|year = 2002
|publisher = Rosen
|location = New York
|isbn = 0-8239-3179-X
|url-access = registration
|url = https://archive.org/details/illustratedencyc0000loch
}}</ref> to achieve greater control over the ]. However, many participate in a casual way, electing to adopt whichever beliefs and lifestyle disciplines in the following list they wish:<ref name="New Religious Movements 2006">{{cite book|last=Clarke|first=Peter|title=Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements|pages=71–72|publisher=Routledge|year=2006|isbn=0-203-59897-0}}</ref>


* Complete ],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brahmakumaris.org/about-us/faqs |title=Brahma Kumaris – FAQs – Teachings and way of life – Are there any special lifestyle disciplines in the Brahma Kumaris way of life? |quote=Celibacy is seen as the basis for cultivating a safe and pure way for people to be and live together. ... The Brahma Kumaris view celibacy as fundamental to self-realisation and to recreating a loving relationship with God and to creating a culture of peace and non-violence. |access-date=22 March 2018 |work=Brahma Kumaris official website}}</ref><ref name="Lawrence_Babb_Redemptive">{{cite book
The Brahma Kumaris offer courses in their raja yoga meditation as well as in ‘Positive Thinking, ‘Stress-free Living’, ‘Self-Managing Leadership’, and ‘Secrets of Self-Esteem’. Followers use the traditional ] ] " ] Shanti ", understood to mean " I am an ] and peaceful ] ", as an all purpose general ] and to recognize each other.
| last = Babb
| first = Lawrence A.
| title = Redemptive Encounters: Three Modern Styles in the Hindu Tradition
|series=Comparative Studies in Religion and Society
| year = 1987
| publisher = ]
| isbn = 0-7069-2563-7
}}</ref><ref name="Bryan_Wilson_NRM">{{cite book
| last = Wilson
| first = Bryan
| author2 = Eileen Barker
| author3 = James Beckford
| author4 = Anthony Bradney
| author5 = Colin Campbell
| author6 = George Chryssies
| author7 = Peter Clarke
| author8 = Paul Heelas
| author9 = Massimo Introvigne
| author10 = Lawrence Lilliston
| author11 = Gordon Melton
| author12 = Elizabeth Puttick
| author13 = Gary Sherpherd
| author14 = Colin Slee
| author15 = Frank Usarski
| editor-first = Bryan
|editor-last=Wilson
| title = New Religious Movements: Challenge and Response
| year = 1999
| publisher = Routledge
| isbn = 978-0-415-20049-3
}}</ref> whether in or out of marriage<ref name="Bryan_Wilson_NRM"/><ref name=Milner_SAS>{{cite book
| last = Milner
| first = Murray
| title = Status and sacredness: a general theory of status relations and an analysis of Indian culture
| year = 1994
| publisher = Oxford University Press
| isbn = 978-0-19-508489-4
}}</ref>
* '']'' ] diet<ref name="Bo_Tree">{{cite book
| last = Bartholomeusz
| first = Tessa J.
| title = Women Under the Bo Tree: Buddhist Nuns in Sri Lanka
|series=Cambridge Studies in Religious Traditions
| quote = series edited by John Clayton (University of Lancaster), Steven Collins (University of Chicago) and Nicholas de Lange (University of Cambridge)
| year = 1994
| publisher = Rosen
|location= New York
| isbn = 0-521-46129-4
}}</ref> (excluding eggs, onions, garlic, and spicy foods) cooked only by the self or other Brahma Kumaris members.<ref name="Lawrence_Babb_Redemptive"/><ref name="Fard">{{cite web
| url = http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/1995/5/1995-5-02.shtml
| title = Brahma Kumaris: Conquering A Callous World with Purity
| publisher = Hinduism Today
| date = May 1995
| quote = The most strict will not eat food which is not prepared by a Brahma Kumaris. While traveling they abstain from public fare and carry their own utensils for cooking.
}}</ref>
* Abstention from alcohol, tobacco, and nonprescription drugs.<ref name="Lawrence_Babb_Redemptive"/><ref name="Bo_Tree"/>
* Daily early-morning ] (''Amrit Vela'') from 4:00 to 4:45&nbsp;a.m.<ref name="Lawrence_Babb_Redemptive"/>
* Daily morning class at approximately 6:30&nbsp;a.m.<ref name="Enc_New">{{cite book |last = Whaling
|first = Prof Frank
|title = Encyclopedia of New Religions; New Religious Movements, Sects and Alternative Spiritualities
|editor-first = Christopher
|editor-last = Partridge
|editor2-first = Gorden
|editor2-last = Melton
|year = 2004
|publisher = Rosen
|location = New York
|isbn = 0-7459-5073-6
|url-access = registration
|url = https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofne0000unse_d3h6
}}</ref><ref>Hodgkinson, Liz (2002) ''Peace & Purity: the story of the Brahma Kumaris''. Health Communications. p. 96. {{ISBN|9781558749627}}</ref>
* Frequent wear of white attire to symbolise purity.<ref name="Hinnells">{{cite book
| last = Hinnells
| first = John
| title = The Penguin Dictionary of Religions
| series = Extract by ]
| year = 1997
| publisher = Rosen, New York
| isbn = 0-14-051261-6
}}</ref><ref name="Barker">{{cite book
| last = Barker
| first = Eileen
| title = New Religious Movement: A Practical Introduction
| year = 1989
| publisher = HMSO
|location=London
| isbn = 0-14-051261-6
| pages = 168–70
}}</ref><ref name="Melton">{{cite book
| last = Melton
| first = J. Gordon
| title = The Encyclopedia of American Religions
| edition= 4th
| year = 1993
| publisher = Gale
|location=Detroit
| pages = 909–10
}}</ref>
* Preference for the company of other BK followers.<ref name="Lawrence_Babb_Redemptive"/>


==Achievements== ==Activities==
===Education===
1986 Recipient of seven UN Peace Messenger awards for the Milion Minutes of ] project.
Traditionally, the Brahma Kumaris conducted an ''introduction to meditation'' consisting of seven two-hour-long sessions. The sessions include their open-eyed meditation technique and their philosophy. The organisation also offers courses in "]", "self management leadership" and "living values".<ref name="Values_Education">{{cite journal
Granted International Peace Messenger Initiative status by the U.N.for the Global Co-operation for a Better World campaign.
| last = Nesbitt
| first = Eleanor
|author2= A. Henderson
|date= April 2003
| title = Religious Organisations in the UK and Values Education Programmes for Schools
| journal = Journal of Beliefs and Values
| volume = 24
| issue = 1
| pages = 75–88
| doi = 10.1080/1361767032000053015
| s2cid = 144766672
}}</ref> They also have a number of voluntary outreach programs in prisons.<ref name="Bedi">{{cite book
| last = Bedi
| first = Kiran
| title = It's Always Possible : One Woman's Transformation of India's Prison System
| year = 2007
| publisher = Himalayan Institute Press
| isbn = 978-0-89389-258-6
}}</ref>


With the support of ], the Brahma Kumaris introduced their meditation practice and philosophy to the ] through the "]" (SML). The SML course is closely related to the Brahma Kumaris philosophy and is the backbone of Brahma Kumaris management philosophy. 90 trained facilitators ran programs through which 25,000 people at the top level of government have passed.<ref name="Vicente Fox">{{cite thesis| last =Musselwhite| first =Richard| type =PhD| date =September 2009| title =Possessing knowledge: organizational boundaries among the Brahma Kumaris| publisher =University of North Carolina| url =http://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/ref/collection/etd/id/2939| url-status =dead| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20130928035718/http://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/ref/collection/etd/id/2939| archive-date =28 September 2013|pages=141, 163–164, 174|quote=The problem was that up until that time, my relationship with him had been through the Brahma Kumaris; but now he was President, and he wanted to use... not only Self Management Leadership, but the whole strategic focusing thing, and his party was the centre-right, Catholic party. They're sufficiently fundamentalist for them to have a fit about Brahma Kumaris.... So we went there, but it had to be done within the context of a commercial enterprise. So, we set up a branch of a consulting company there. But the fact of the matter is, most of his senior people have... been to Oxford for the Brahma Kumaris program. Many have been here to Madhuban.... So the Brahma Kumaris have had a huge influence in the reform process there .... We have trained 90 facilitators from the government who are running these programs, 25,000 people, all the top level of government throughout the entire country have been through the course.... a management training program called Self Management Leadership, which has become the backbone of Brahma Kumaris management philosophy.}}</ref>
==Front Organizations==
A list of BKWSU front organizations and business that are run and staffed by BKs involved in promoting BKWSU beliefs. At events promoted by any one of these entities, one might find other BKs present under the mantle of "representing" one of the other organizations rather than the BKWSU in a self-reciprocating manner.


]
* the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organisation/Organization
* Inner Space
* Visions of a Better World Foundation
* Brahma Kumaris Spiritual Study Foundation
* Brahma Kumaris Educational Society
* Global Retreat Centre
* BK Publications
* World Renewal Trust
* Janki Foundation


===Renewable energy===
==The Advance Party==
Walliss mentions<ref>From World Rejection to Ambivalence:The development in Millenarianism in the Brahma Kumaris." by John Walliss. Journal of Contemporary Religion, Vol.14,N 3, 1999</ref> the start of a splinter movement in 1976 which saw as an internal response to the University's worldly ambivalence. Known as ] or ]s, Walliss refers to them as the ''Advance Party''. . There is reported animosity between the two groups because the 'Advance Party' see themselves as being more 'advanced', or metaphorical, in their beliefs. The PBKs teach that Brahma Baba was the vehicle through which the 'Supreme Soul' Shiva played the part of the World Mother but the part of the World Father is being played out by a new medium, a former BK Veerendra Dev Dixit, in New Delhi.


The Brahma Kumaris have launched several environment initiatives. Their work in solar energy and sustainable energy has included the 2007 development of the world's largest ],<ref>{{cite news
==Controversy==
| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/606951.stm
Also seen by many as a ], and sharing many attributes of ] behavior, the BKWSU claims that all the major religions were inspired by their teachings 5,000 years ago while maintaining that the organization itself is not religious. Based in India, and incorporating lifestyle principles also found in the ] ] practices, the group claims that they are both not Hindu and that ] is actually the impure aftermath of their way of life. Likewise that the devotional practices relating to religious icons in Hinduism are actually memorials to themsevles. This has caused severe rifts with the wider Hindu community at times, especially with those of the Hindu ] ].
| title = Harnessing the sun's power
| publisher = BBC
| access-date = 22 July 2007
| date=17 January 2000
|last=Wooldridge|first=Mike
}}</ref> and a solar thermal power plant in Talheti at the base of Mount Abu, where the international headquarters is located. The 25-acre site is projected to produce 22000 kwh of electricity daily.<ref>{{cite book
|chapter=4. Brahma Kumaris: Purity and the Globalization of Faith
|author1=Tomlinson, Matt
|author2=Smith, Wendy
|author3=Manderson, Lenore
|title=Flows of Faith: Religious Reach and Community in Asia and Pacific
|publisher= Springer
|page= 65
|year=2012
|isbn=978-94-007-2931-5}}</ref> The project was made financially possible with the support of the Indian and German governments.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.india-one.net/ |title=Home |website=india-one.net}}</ref>


===Sustainable Yogic Agriculture===
* Brahma Kumaris only eat food cooked by those within their organization.
Sustainable Yogic Agriculture (SYA) is a program started in Northern India in 2009. The program has been a collaboration between ] in ] ] and the Brahma Kumaris Rural Development wing. The program has now been publicly backed by the Indian Government. A key member of ]'s Cabinet, Agriculture Minister ] announced the governments support for the program.<ref>Bhaat, Sheela (15 September 2015) . ''The Indian Express''</ref> With the governments support the program has been redesigned into Akhil Bharatiya Krushak Sashakatikaran Abhijan (ABKSA), and was launched in December 2015.<ref name="thestatesman.com">. ''The Statesman'', 7 December 2015</ref> ABKSA extends the initial scope of the SYA program to include teaching meditation and self empowerment to the farmers themselves.<ref name="thestatesman.com"/> This is possibly a response to the problem of ]. ABKSA now comprises three main elements:
* Documented incidents of ] within the organisation brushed aside by leaders as due to the ] of the children suffering ] and outside of their responsibility, the perpetrators avoid punishment or reporting to ].]
:1. A self empowerment program for Indian farmers;
* ] and ] problems faced by ex-followers including two ] within one family.
:2. Ongoing research on whether the use of meditation can improve crop yields;
* ] and physical violence from families and partners of Brahma Kumaris.
:3. Education on a blend of traditional and organic farming techniques.
* Questionable advertisement of relationship with ] Organisation.
One basic premise of the Brahma Kumaris environmental initiative is that thoughts and consciousness can affect the natural environment.<ref name="Systems approach to Agriculture">{{cite journal|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/239672409
* Name changing from University to Organisation.
| last = Ramsay
* Discreet ] and re-writing of their "]'s" spoken word to avoid controversy, to accommodate increased ], to change speculation over the timing of destruction of the world and other matters.
| first = Tamasin
* Self-proclaimed "]" status not recognized by any external authority.
|date=December 2012
* From a ] point of view, B.K.s claim that the ] spiritual scripture ] is actually the teachings of ] and that it is misinterpreted by other ] and that the current version of the ] has been modified and enlarged by human beings.
| title = Systems Approach to Agriculture
* Beliefs that they are the only true and direct representatives of ].
| journal = Magazine on Low External Input Agriculture (LEIA)
* Beliefs that they, and only they, are angels, or are training in order to become angels, and that their senior practitioners are already well developed as angels so as to appear in visions or traveling around the world in their angelic forms.
| volume = 14
| issue = 4
| pages = 29–30
}}</ref>


]
====Destruction====
Similar to the belief in ], core to the BKWSU teaching is that the current ] ] is going to be imminently destroyed. Within their ], this is referred to as "]" the timing of which is the topic of much speculation. As above, it is taught that this ] will take place through ], ] and, ultimately, ] between ] and ].


In 2012, experiments were being conducted in partnership with leading agricultural universities in India to establish if the practice of Brahma Kumaris meditation in conjunction with implementing more traditional organic farming methods could be shown to have a measurable and positive effect on crop development.<ref name="Systems approach to Agriculture"/><ref>Agrawal, Priti (19 July 2011) . ''Times of India''</ref> An article published in the Journal of Asian Agri-History reviews two separate studies on SYA. One study was conducted by ] (GBPUAT), Pantnagar, Uttarakhand and the other by ] (SDUAT) of Gujarat. The review reports that the Brahma Kumaris meditation techniques used enhanced seed growth, seed germination rates and increased the level of microbes present in the soil.<ref name="Yogic Farming through Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Meditation: An Ancient Technique for Enhancing Crop Performance">{{cite journal| url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283764704
Although the ] ] will not be destroyed, all other ] except for Indian sub-continent, and life as it is known, will disappear below the ]. Modern civilisation with them. Within a period of less than 30 years though, ] will be rebuilt as a ] and a ] for faithful B.K.W.S.U. followers begin. Initially, it was thought that Destruction would take place 100 years after the birth of Kirpalani and in 1976 there was a false alarm that encouraged many followers to leave. Then it was taught that this ] of ] and re-creation would take 50 years and 50 years respectively ending in the mid to late 1980s. However, the organisation is now celebrating its 70th year. Despite taking part in many ], and even ] campaigns, they believe that "]" is unavoidable.
| last = Pandey
| first = Sunita T.
| date = June 2015
| title = Yogic Farming through Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Meditation: An Ancient Technique for Enhancing Crop Performance
| journal = Asian Agri-History
| volume = 19
| issue = 2
| pages = 105–122
}}</ref>


===Healthcare===
Quote from B.K.W.S.U. teaching poster called, "Truth about The Creator and His Creation by Most Beloved World God Father Shiva Kalpa (5,000 years) Ago."; "... the Iron Aged irreligious world '''destroyed''' through ] by goading ] ". See; .
In 1991, the Brahma Kumaris, Ashok Mehta, and the brothers Gulab and Khubchand Watumull opened the J Watumull Global Hospital in the ] of ], offering medical facilities to the local population.<ref>{{cite web |title= J Watumull Global Hospital & Research Centre – About Us |url=http://www.ghrc-abu.com/home |website=ghrc-abu.com}}</ref><ref name="Walliss-reflexive">{{cite book | last = Walliss | first = John | title = The Brahma Kumaris as a 'reflexive Tradition' | year = 2007 | publisher = Motilal Banarsidass | isbn = 9788120829558 }}</ref>{{rp|41}}


====Virgin Birth belief==== ===UN consultative status===
In 1998 the Brahma Kumaris gained ] with the ].<ref>{{cite web |last1=UN Economic and Social Council - Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations |title=Quadrennial reports for the period 2010–2013 submitted by non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council through the Secretary-General pursuant to Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31 |url=https://undocs.org/E/C.2/2015/2/Add.2 |website=undocs.org |pages=10–11 |date=30 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs – NGO Branch – Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University |url=https://esango.un.org/civilsociety/simpleSearch.do?method=search&searchTypeRedef=simpleSearch&sessionCheck=false&searchType=simpleSearch&organizationNamee=brahma+kumaris |publisher=United Nations}}</ref>
Contrary to orthodox ], of which they see themselves the originators of, the BKWSU also teach the immanent birth of Sri ] through non-sexual procreation in order that he can be crowned Emperor ] at the start of the ], in approximately 30 or 35 years time, and that non-sexual procreation through the mouth and power of ] will be the norm for the next 2,500 years.


==Criticism==
== External links ==
Adherents have been criticised by nonmembers for hiding or downplaying their prophesied physical destruction of the world<ref name="Psycho">{{cite book |last = Beit-Hallahmi
====Brahma Kumari====
|first = Benjaminin
* http://www.bkwsu.org/ Official International website.
|title = Apocalyptic Dreams and Religious Ideologies: Losing and Saving Self and World
* http://www.brahmakumaris.com Official Indian based website
|date = August 2003
* http://www.brahmakumaris.info/ Independent website on the B.K.W.S.U. with no affiliation to the B.K.W.S.U.
|journal = Psychoanalytic Review
* http://www.rajyoga.in/ e-learning site by B.K.W.S.U.
|volume = 90
* http://www.peacevillage.com/ B.K. sponsored Peace Village Retreat Center, USA.
|number = 4
* http://www.globalretreatcentre.com/index.htm Global Retreat Centre, UK.
|isbn = 0-304-35592-5
* http://www.geocities.com/bro_khem/ Articles written by BK author including scriptural quotations.
|pages =
* http://www.brahmakumaris.org.in/Landmarks.htm Detailed historic timeline.
|doi = 10.1521/prev.90.4.403.23912
* http://www.bkun.org/bkfocus.html B.K.W.S.U. and the United Nations
|pmid = 14694758
* http://www.jankifoundation.org/home/index.php The Janki Foundation for Global Health Care
|quote = A case study of Brahma Kumaris, a contemporary group characterised by an apocalyptic vision.
* http://www.livingvalues.net/ Living Values Education Program, BKWSU front.
|url = https://archive.org/details/newbelieverssurv00barr/page/403
* http://brahmakumaris.com.au/php/forum/index.php BK Discussion Forum
|publisher = Cassell
* http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=Brahma+Kumaris Google Video BKWSU clips including Descent of God and Destruction / Creation
}}</ref> particularly as they still believe that such an event will happen "soon". However, they maintain that their primary purpose is to teach meditation and peace of mind, not to push their views about the different challenges the world is facing on non-members who may be visiting the group to learn about meditation or values based living.<ref name="Hinduism. 2010"/>
* http://www.abia29.hemscott.net/Inner_Dialogues.htm Time and Eternity "Inner Dialogues" by Paul Brocklehurst 2003


The ''Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion'' reported that the Brahma Kumaris require a payment from families wishing to dedicate their daughters to the organization, intended to cover living expenses during the trial period, as a way to prevent families from "dumping" their daughters.<ref name="Howell_Nelson_1998" />
====B.K. teaching posters====
*
*
*
*


John Wallis wrote a book examining the status of tradition in the contemporary world, which used the religion as a case study,<ref>Walliss, John (2002). ''The Brahma Kumaris As a Reflexive Tradition: Responding to Late Modernity''.</ref> focusing on recruitment methods, the issue of celibacy, and reinterpretation of religious history. He reported the rewriting of the revelatory messages (Murlis) by the Brahma Kumari.<ref name="Prophecy">{{cite journal
====Advance Party====
| last = Walliss
* http://www.shivbaba.org.pl/
| first = John
* http://www.creator-creation.com/
|date=Sep 1999
| title = When Prophecy Fails: The Brahma Kumaris and the Pursuit of the Millennium(s)
| journal = British Association for the Advancement of Science, Sheffield
| quote = In addition, they accuse the University hierarchy of actively censoring or altering murlis that could potentially undermine their privileged position or which 'don't suit their philosophy'. The 'Special instruments' (senior members are, they allege 'constantly revising Murlis" to the extent that, for example, a passage from a 1969 murli referring to Shiva being unable to 'mount a virgin' was altered in the 1990 revised edition before being removed completely in the 1993 revision...." Dr. Walliss also notes that while the Brahma Kumaris was "originally a reclusive, ] organization, over the last 30 years the Brahma Kumaris have begun a campaign of active ] and international growth. Thus, whilst still retaining its original millenarianism, currently within the West the organization promotes itself as part of the New Age movement and emphasizes ideas around the issues of self-development, empowerment and personal success." Finally, Wallis disputes their belief that Raja Yoga is the precursor to all world religions, including those that historically predate it: "This is part of a lengthy answer to the question of how the University could claim that Raja Yoga is the precursor to and influence of world religions that historically predate it often by a few thousand years. Again, 'Baba' is cited as the source of ultimate authority".
}}</ref><ref>. Pbks.info. Retrieved 28 July 2013.</ref> They have been accused of breaking up marriages.<ref name="smith_marriages">{{cite journal |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/287473882|last=Smith |first=Wendy A. |date=Autumn 2007 |title=Asian New Religious Movements as global cultural systems |journal=International Institute for Asian Studies |volume=45 |pages=16–17 |quote=Conversion involves members changing their daily lifestyles and even leaving long term relationships... Married converts have often had to forgo their marriage partnerships.
}}</ref><ref name="Kościańska">{{cite journal |last=Kościańska |first=Agnieszka Z |date= 15–17 May 2003 |title=On celibate marriages: the Polish Catholics' encounter with Hindu spirituality |journal=On the Margins of Religion, Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, Warsaw University <!-- |quote=Conversion to so-called new religions often causes a conflict within converts' families. He/she changes his/her beliefs, but also lifestyle: He converts, prays differently and eats differently. The Brahma Kumaris members spend most of their time on 'spiritual development'. To be successful on this path, one must fulfil very strict requirements, which totally reorganise everyday life of both members and their families. Families of converts become arenas of conflict between spirituality rooted in Hindu tradition and the very Polish 'popular Catholicism', on two indissoluble levels. First, on the level of religious practises and second, on the level of daily life. Sexual relations within marriage are considered to be 'sacred' by Catholics in Poland. The Brahma Kumaris believe that relations between husband and wife should be based on 'a marriage of souls' e.g. they should meditate together, communicate via telepathy etc. -->
}}</ref>


When the organization began in the 1930s in Sindh, it sparked controversy by empowering women to assert their right to celibacy, especially in marriage, challenging the male-dominated society of the ].<ref name="New Religious Movements 2006" /> Feminist commentator Prem Chowdry criticized this practice as a form of patriarchal control.<ref name="Prem">{{cite journal|jstor=4404549
====Third party====
| last = Chowdry
* http://www.bkwsu-critique.com/ Balanced critique of the B.K.W.S.U. to counter the mostly negative critiques currently available on the internet
| first = Prem
* http://xbkinfo.infogami.com/ A guide to life after leaving the Brahma Kumaris
| year = 1996
* http://homepages.nildram.co.uk/~eromain/childprotection.htm Report on Child abuse within BKWSU and response by Senior Administrators.
| title = Marriage, Sexuality and the Female Ascetic-Understanding a Hindu Sect
* http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=206345
| journal = Economic and Political Weekly
* http://www.cesnur.org/testi/bryn/br_kranenborg.htm
| volume = 31
* http://www.virusmyth.net/aids/books/nhbrevobser.htm Neville Hodgkinson, 'AIDS; The Failure of Contemporary Science, UK 1996
| issue = 34
* http://ips.org/geneva/2906/meditate.htm TerraViva IPS, Meditating on Politics, ] 2000, the ] General Assembly Special Session (Copenhagen+5).
| pages = 2307–2321
* http://www.reachouttrust.org/articles/othergrp/brahma.htm Reachout Trust report .
| quote = An analysis of the Brahma Kumari sect in its initial years enables us to unravel certain hidden aspects of Sindh society which account for an unprecedented but successful patriarchal attempt to regulate and restrain female sexuality or stimulate its self-restraint under the all-encompassing claims of reforming society. In the later years, with the coming of the partition and subsequent migration to India, this sect, confronting a greatly changed social milieu, assumed a somewhat different focus and identity. Despite this shifting of emphasis and consequent contradictions, the core doctrine of celibacy has remained and its advocacy of female sexual control continues to find receptive echoes.
* http://www.islamicvoice.com/august.99/dialogue.htm view from "Islamic Voice" '''Islamic'''
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=A case file against BK Bharat |url=https://www.jaisalmernews.com/jodhpur-news/brahma-kumari-ashram-administration-in-action/72264/|author=Soni, Dilip|date=2 September 2020|work=Jaisalmer News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204071258/https://www.jaisalmernews.com/jodhpur-news/brahma-kumari-ashram-administration-in-action/72264/|archive-date=4 December 2020}}</ref>

==References==
<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-
count:2; column-count:2;">
<references/>
</div>

==Bibliography==
* Dr Julia D. Howell, Asian and International Studies, Griffith University, Australia & Dr Peter L. Nelson, Nelson Center for Humanities and Human Sciences, Southern Cross University, Australia. "Surviving Transplantation: The Brahma Kumaris in the Western World".
* Dr. Julia D. Howel. Changing Meanings of Religious Pluralism, , 2003.
* John Walliss, Ashgate New Critical Thinking in Religion, Theology and Biblical Studies, Aldershot. "The Brahma Kumaris as a ‘reflexive Tradition’: Responding to late modernity ", 2002 ISBN 0-7546-0951-0
* Reender Kranenborg, Free University of Amsterdam. "Brahma Kumaris: A New Religion? ", 1999.
* Peter Clarke, "Dada Lekhraj" & "Brahma Kumaris." Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements. Routledge 2005.
* William Shaw , "Spying in Guruland: Inside Britain’s Cults", Fourth Estate, London, England 1994.
* Lawrence A. Babb, "Amnesia and Remembrance in a Hindu Theory of History", Asian Folklore Studies, Vol. 41, No. 1 (1982), pp. 49-66.
* Lawrence A. Babb "Indigenous Feminism in a Modern Hindu Sect", Signs, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Spring, 1984), pp. 399-416.
* Mayer, Jean-François et Reender Kranenborg, Geneve, Suisse. "La Naissance des Nouvelles Religions". 2004 ISBN 2-8257-0877-1
* Frank Whaling, Emeritus Professor of the Study of Religion, University of Edinburgh. "Understanding the Brahma Kumaris", 2006. ISBN 1-903765-51-X.
* Suma Varughese. "Satyug is as Sure as Death". 1998
* BK Jayanti. "Valuing the Future : Education for Spiritual Development", 1999
* Interreligious Insight. "Brahma Kumaris, World Spiritual University",
* Ken O'Donnell. "Raja Yoga for beginners", 1987.
* Jagdish Chander, Translated from original Hinu by Shanta Trivedi, PhD , Edited by Robert Shubow, J.D. "Adi Dev: The First Man", 1981.
* Dadi Janki, "Companion of God", 2003 ISBN 0-340-82915-X
* BKWSU. "World Drama", unknown date.
* BKWSU. "Easy RajYoga", unknown date.
* BKWSU. "The Seven Day Course" Pamphlet series, unknown date.
* B.K.Jagdish Chander, Eternal Drama of Souls, Matter and God. Three volumes. Mt. Abu 1983
* Near-Death Experience/Heide Fittkau-Garthe, 1998.
*Report on Child Abuse,'''Beliefs''' and '''Lifestyle'''
*Pamphlets Take a Closer Look,'''The Successful Subtle Soft-sell of Raja Yoga''' By CCG Training Insititue, Australia March 1989


==See also== ==See also==
;Associated concepts
* ]/]
* ]
* ]
* ] and the ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ] * ]
* ]
* ]
* ]


;General
{{Hinduism}}
* ]
* ]


==References==
]
;Citations
]
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
]
<ref name="Howell_Nelson_1998">
]
{{cite journal|ref=Howell1998
]
| last = Howell
]
| first = Julia
|date=Sep 1998
| title = Gender Role Experimentation in New Religious Movements: Clarification of the Brahma Kumari Case
| journal = Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion
| volume = 37
| issue = 3
| pages = 453–461
| doi = 10.2307/1388052
| jstor = 1388052 }}</ref>
}}


;Bibliography
{{Refbegin}}
*{{citation |ref=Howell2006 |last=Howell |first=Julia |contribution=Brahma Kumaris (Daughters of Brahma) |pages=71–72 |title=Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements |editor-last=Clarke |editor-first=Peter B. |editor-link=Peter B. Clarke |year=2006 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=978-0-203-48433-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KLipBC05pF8C }}


== Further reading ==
]
<!-- needs to use cite book and cite journal templates. Also, books/journals already covered in references can be removed from this section -->
]
* {{cite book
| last = Babb
| first = Lawrence A
| title = Redemptive encounters : three modern styles in the Hindu tradition
| publisher = Berkeley : University of California Press
| year = 1986
| isbn = 0-520-05645-0 }}
* {{cite journal
|last=Babb
|first=Lawrence
|title=Indigenous feminism in a modern Hindu sect, Signs
|journal=Journal of Women in Culture and Society
|volume=9
|issue=3
|pages=399–416
|year=1984
|doi=10.1086/494068
|s2cid=144737560
}}
* {{cite journal
| last = Babb
| first = Lawrence A.
| title = Amnesia and Remembrance in a Hindu Theory of History
| journal = Asian Folklore Studies
| volume = 41
| issue = 1
| pages = 49–66
| year = 1982
| jstor = 1178308
| doi =10.2307/1178308
}}
* {{cite journal
| last = Babb
| first = Lawrence A.
| title = Glancing: Visual Interaction in Hinduism
| journal = Journal of Anthropological Research
| volume = 37
| issue = 4
| pages = 387–401
| year = 1981
| doi =10.1086/jar.37.4.3629835
| s2cid = 170558313
}}
* {{cite journal
| last1 = Howell
| first1 = Dr Julia D.
| last2 = Nelson
| first2 = Peter L.
| title = Surviving Transplantation: The Brahma Kumaris in the Western World
| journal = Nelson Center for Humanities and Human Science
}}
* {{cite journal
| last1 = Howell
| first1 = Dr Julia D.
| title = Changing Meanings of Religious Pluralism
| year = 2003
| url = http://www.cesnur.org/2003/vil2003_howell.htm
}}
* {{cite journal
| last1 = Howell
| first1 = Dr Julia D.
| title = Altered States of Consciousness (ASC) Induction and New Religious Movements
| journal = Sociology of Religion
| volume = 58
| issue =2
| pages = 141–164
| year = 1997
| doi =10.2307/3711874
| jstor = 3711874
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Lalrinawma
| first = V.S.
| title = The Liberation of Women in and through the Movement of the Prajapita Brahma Kumaris
| year = 2004
| publisher = ISPCK, Cambridge Press, Delhi
| isbn = 81-7214-771-6 }}
*{{citation |title=Is this Justice?: Being an Account of the Founding of the Om Mandli & the Om Nivas and Their Suppression by Application of the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1908 |last=Om Radhe |year=1939 |url=http://brahmakumaris.info/download/Is%20This%20Justice%20-%20view.pdf }}
* {{cite book
| last = Shaw
| first = William
| title = Spying in Guruland: Inside Britain's Cults
| publisher = Fourth Estate, London
| year = 1994
| url = http://www.csj.org/infoserv_bookreview/csjbkrev122spy.htm
| access-date = 26 May 2006
| archive-date = 17 February 2020
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200217000538/http://www.csj.org/infoserv_bookreview/csjbkrev122spy.htm
| url-status = dead
}}
* {{cite web
| last = Varughese
| first = Suma
| title = Satyug is as Sure as Death
| year = 1998
| url = http://www.lifepositive.com/spirit/spirit-centers/bramha-kumari.asp
| access-date = 28 July 2007
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111128221137/http://www.lifepositive.com/Spirit/spirit-centers/bramha-kumari.asp
| archive-date = 28 November 2011
}}
* {{cite web
| last = Varughese
| first = Suma
| title = Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University
| publisher = Interreligious Insight
| year = 1998
| url = http://www.interreligiousinsight.org/October2004/Oct04Madhuban.pdf
| access-date = 28 July 2007
| archive-date = 28 September 2007
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070928015740/http://www.interreligiousinsight.org/October2004/Oct04Madhuban.pdf
| url-status = dead
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Whaling
| first = Dr Frank
| title = Understanding the Brahma Kumaris
| year = 2012
| publisher = Dunedin
| isbn = 978-1-903765-51-7 }}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
* {{official}}
*
{{New Religious Movements}}
{{Hindu reform movements}}
{{Authority control}}

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Latest revision as of 06:33, 7 December 2024

Spiritual organization

Brahma Kumaris
Formation1936; 88 years ago (1936)
FounderLekhraj Kripalani
TypeSpiritual organisation
Legal statusFoundation
PurposeEducational, Philanthropic, Spiritual, Meditation
HeadquartersMount Abu, Rajasthan, India
Location
  • 8500+ centres
Coordinates24°35′33″N 72°42′30″E / 24.5925°N 72.7083°E / 24.5925; 72.7083
Area served Worldwide
Key peopleBK Shivani, Dadi Janki, Dadi Prakashmani and Dadi Hriday Mohini
WebsiteInternational India

The Brahma Kumaris (Sanskrit: ब्रह्माकुमारी ("Daughters of Brahma")) is a spiritual movement that originated in Hyderabad, Sindh, during the 1930s. Founded by Lekhraj Kripalani, the organisation teaches the importance of moving beyond labels associated with the human body, including race, nationality, religion, and gender, through meditation that emphasizes the concept of identity as souls rather than bodies. It aims to establish a global culture centered around what they refer to as "soul-consciousness". The members of the organisation believe that all souls are good by nature and that God is the source of all goodness.

In 2019, the organisation had more than eight thousand centres across one hundred ten countries and more than one million members. Women continue to hold primary leadership positions within the organisation.

Early history

The Founder, Lekhraj Kriplani

The Brahma Kumaris organisation was founded in Hyderabad, Sindh, in northwest India (present-day Pakistan). They were initially known as Om Mandali, as the members would together chant Om before engaging in a spiritual discourse in traditional satsangs (meetings). These original discourses were closely connected to the Bhagavad Gita.

Founder Lekhraj Khubchand Kirpilani (also known as Om Baba) was in the jewelry business. In 1935, after witnessing a series of transcendental experiences and visions, he gave up his business to lay the foundation of Om Mandali. He believed that there was a greater power working through him and that many of those who attended the discourses were themselves having spiritual experiences. The majority of those who came were women and children from the Bhaibund caste, which consisted of wealthy merchants and business people whose husbands and fathers were often overseas on business.

The President of Om Mandali, Radhe Pokardas Rajwani (1916–1965) in approximately 1964

Three years after the organization came into existence, it became clear that Om Mandali was giving special importance to the role of women and was not adhering to the caste system. The group had named a 22-year-old woman, Radhe Pokardas Rajwani (then known as "Om Radhe"), as its president, and her management committee was made up of eight other women. People from any caste were allowed to attend meetings. The group also advocated that young women had the right to not marry and that married women had the right to choose celibacy. In tradition-bound patriarchal India, these personal life decisions were the exclusive right of men. A committee headed by influential male members of the Bhaibund community began to form in opposition and became known as the 'Anti-Om Mandali Committee'. On 21 June 1938, this group picketed the premises of Om Mandali and prevented members from entering the campus and caused considerable upheaval in the community. Women attending the discourses were verbally abused. There was an attempt to burn the premises down, and the police made several arrests. Many women and girls were subjected to domestic violence.

The picketing led to criminal proceedings against both groups. On 16 August 1938 the local District Magistrate ordered that Om Mandali be prevented from meeting. This ban was reversed on 21 November 1938 after an appeal to the Court of the Judicial Commissioner of Sindh. In an unusual move, the judges directly criticised the district magistrate for trying to punish the victims for the disturbance caused by the perpetrators and for trying to apply the law according to their own personal bias. Following these events, Om Mandali decided to leave Hyderabad and relocated their activities to Karachi in the latter half of 1938. Approximately three hundred members moved.

Anti-Om Mandali Committee Picketing, preventing children from entering Om Mandali – Hyderabad Sind India 1938

On 31 March 1939, the government appointed a tribunal to enquire into the activities of Om Mandali. When the tribunal released its findings, Om Radhe responded by compiling a book entitled Is this Justice? criticising the tribunal, which they alleged did not have a constitutional basis and made its findings without obtaining evidence from Om Mandali. In May 1939, the government used the tribunal's findings to effectively reinstate the ban, declaring Om Mandali an "unlawful association" under section 16 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1908. Nevertheless, Om Mandali continued to hold their satsangs, and the government did not enforce the ban. Possibly because of this, the committee then hired someone to assassinate Om Baba. The attempt was unsuccessful.

Om Mandali group on an outing at Clifton beach Karachi Approximately 1940

Expansion

In May 1950, Om Mandali moved to Mount Abu in Rajasthan, India, and renamed itself as Brahma Kumaris (BK) World Spiritual University. In 1952, a more structured form of teaching was offered to the public through a seven-lesson course.

Brahma Kumaris began an international expansion programme from the mid-1950s. Since the 1970s, it has spread to London and then throughout the West. The most visible manifestations of the organisation are its spiritual museums, located in most major Indian cities.

In 1980, the Brahma Kumaris became registered as a nongovernmental organisation with the United Nations Department of Global Communications. In 1983, the Brahma Kumaris achieved consultative status with the Economic and Social Council at the United Nations.

A photo of the Brahma Kumaris during their relocation from Karachi to Mount Abu Rajasthan in May 1950

The leadership and membership of the BK movement remains primarily female: in the UK, only one-third of the forty-two centres are run by males, and women comprise eighty percent of the membership. As of February 2015, centres are mostly in followers' own homes with a tendency toward middle- or upper-class membership. Estimates for its worldwide membership range from thirty-five thousand in 1993 to four hundred thousand in 1998 to four hundred fifty thousand in 2000; however, many adherents are probably not completely committed to the group's worldview.

Beliefs

The movement has distinguished itself from its Hindu roots and sees itself as a vehicle for spiritual teaching rather than as a religion.

Self

The Brahma Kumaris view humans as composed of two parts: an external visible body, which includes aspects like status and possessions, and a subtle energy known as the soul. The character structure of the soul is expressed through a person's external actions. However, regardless of the outward appearance, whether actions are carried out with love, peace, happiness, or humility, reflects the essence of one's soul. The Brahma Kumaris teach that the soul is an infinitesimal point of spiritual light residing in the forehead of the body it occupies, and that all souls originally existed with God in a "Soul World", a world of infinite light, peace and silence.

The Brahma Kumaris teach that souls enter bodies to take birth in order to experience life and give expression to their personality. Unlike other Eastern traditions, the Brahma Kumaris do not believe that the human soul can transmigrate into other species.

Supreme Soul

Brahma Kumaris believe God to be an incorporeal point of light.

The Brahma Kumaris use the term "Supreme Soul" to refer to God. They see God as incorporeal and eternal, regarding him as a point of living light like a human soul but lacking a physical body, as he does not enter the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. God is seen as the perfect and constant embodiment of all virtues, powers, and values, the unconditionally loving father of all souls, without respect to religion, gender, or culture.

Karma

The Brahma Kumaris believe that every action performed by a soul will create a return accordingly, and that the destiny of the soul's next body depends on how it acts and behaves in this life. Through meditation, by transforming thinking patterns and eventually actions, the Brahma Kumaris believe that people can purify their "karmic account" and lead a better life in the present and next birth.

Cycle of time

In contrast to linear theories of human history that hypothesize an ancient point of origin for the universe and a final destruction, the BKs do not posit a start, end or age for the universe, believing such concepts to be an erroneous application of the human life cycle to the universe. BKs believe the universe to follow an eternal, naturally occurring 5,000-year cycle, composed of four ages (yugas): the Golden Age (Satya Yuga), the Silver Age (Treta Yuga), the Copper Age (Dvapara Yuga), the Iron Age (Kali Yuga) and each represents 1250 years of the cycle. They also believe that at the end of the Iron Age there will be "Destruction." They believe Destruction will kill everyone on Earth and cleanse the Earth. Then only can the cycle repeat again. The present period of this cycle is sometimes described as a fifth age or "Confluence age" as it is considered to be the confluence (the junction or meeting) between the Iron Age and the Golden age.

The first half of the cycle (the Golden and Silver ages) is considered to be the age of "soul conscious living". The Brahma Kumaris see this as a time of "heaven on earth" or as a version of the Garden of Eden when human beings are fully virtuous, complete, self-realised beings who lived in complete harmony with the natural environment. The primary enlightenment was the innate understanding of the self as a soul.

The Brahma Kumaris believe that modern civilization will be destroyed by global nuclear conflict, coupled with natural calamities and that these cataclysmic events form part of a natural and cathartic cyclic process.

When the organisation began, emphasis was placed on the physical destruction of the world as seen in the cataclysmic visions of Dada Lekhraj. As the organisation developed, it witnessed World War II, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Cold War, and the destructive aspects of its teachings were reframed as a process of transformation. The students of the organization had also made many failed predictions of the violent destruction of the world, between 1987 and 2008 and the original teachings also referred to a particular date 1976, aspects which are now downplayed.

Practices

Meditation

The Brahma Kumaris teaches a form of meditation through which students are encouraged to purify their minds. This may be done by sitting tranquilly, then making affirmations regarding the eternal nature of the soul, the original purity of one's nature, and the nature of God. The aim of the BK meditation is also to learn to hold meditative states while being engaged in everyday life. For this reason meditation is usually taught and practiced with open eyes.

Good wishes and pure feelings

Flowing on from the BK belief that everyone is a spiritual being, is the practice of Shubbhawna (pure feelings) and Shubkamna (good wishes). For BKs, all prejudices and ill-feelings are seen as arising from identifying the self and others based on external labels like race, religion, gender, nationality, beauty (or lack of), etc. However, when there is the practice of finding the intrinsic goodness in each one, the prejudice based on those labels is replaced by the vision of one Spiritual Parent, one Human family, and universal spiritual values such as respect, love, peace and happiness. A flagship slogan for the BKs has been When we change, the world changes. It is for this reason that BKs consider bringing about this kind of change within the self as an important form of "world service".

Study (murli)

Dadi Gulzar, a member of the Brahma Kumaris since its inception in the 1930s

Brahma Kumaris' students study the murli. The Hindi word murli literally translates to "flute". It is an oral study, read to the class early each morning in most BK centres on the world. The murlis are derived from mediumship and spirit possession.

There are two types of murli:

  1. Sakar Murlis refer to the original orations that BKs believe to be the Supreme Soul speaking through Brahma Baba.
  2. Avyakt Murlis are spoken by BapDada. BKs believe BapDada is God and the soul of their deceased founder. BapDada(God) is believed to speak to the BKs through a senior BK medium, Dadi Gulzar.

Avyakt murlis are still being spoken at the BKs headquarters in India. Students must complete the Brahma Kumaris foundation course and start by attending morning Murli class before visiting the headquarters.

The Brahma Kumaris believe God's purpose is to be the spiritual re-awakening of humanity and the removal of all sorrow, evil and negativity. They do not regard God as the creator of matter, as they consider matter to be eternal.

Pratibha Patil, the UPA-Left candidate and former President of India said on camera during the 2007 Indian presidential election, that she spoke to "Baba" (a term the BKs use for God) at the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University at their headquarters in Mount Abu, Rajasthan. Patil stated that when she met Baba He had indicated great responsibility was coming her way.

In his book "Ignited Minds," Abdul Kalam recounts an exceptional spiritual encounter he had on February 3, 2002, during his visit to the Brahma Kumari Spiritual Academy located in Mount Abu. During the visit, he witnessed an extraordinary event where one of the disciples, Dhadhi Gurzar, became the medium for the deity of the Brahma Kumaris, Shiva Baba. Dr. Kalam observed her personality undergo a transformation, with her face becoming radiant and her voice deepening as she spoke about the four treasures: Knowledge, Yoga, Virtue, and Service.

Lifestyle

BK Sister Shivani Verma and Suresh Oberoi in Bangkok on the pay-to-broadcast television program Awakening with Brahma Kumaris

Brahma Kumaris recommend a specific lifestyle to achieve greater control over the physical senses. However, many participate in a casual way, electing to adopt whichever beliefs and lifestyle disciplines in the following list they wish:

  • Complete celibacy, whether in or out of marriage
  • Sattvic lacto-vegetarian diet (excluding eggs, onions, garlic, and spicy foods) cooked only by the self or other Brahma Kumaris members.
  • Abstention from alcohol, tobacco, and nonprescription drugs.
  • Daily early-morning meditation (Amrit Vela) from 4:00 to 4:45 a.m.
  • Daily morning class at approximately 6:30 a.m.
  • Frequent wear of white attire to symbolise purity.
  • Preference for the company of other BK followers.

Activities

Education

Traditionally, the Brahma Kumaris conducted an introduction to meditation consisting of seven two-hour-long sessions. The sessions include their open-eyed meditation technique and their philosophy. The organisation also offers courses in "positive thinking", "self management leadership" and "living values". They also have a number of voluntary outreach programs in prisons.

With the support of Vicente Fox, the Brahma Kumaris introduced their meditation practice and philosophy to the government of Mexico through the "Self Management Leadership" (SML). The SML course is closely related to the Brahma Kumaris philosophy and is the backbone of Brahma Kumaris management philosophy. 90 trained facilitators ran programs through which 25,000 people at the top level of government have passed.

A large solar generator at the Brahma Kumaris HQ

Renewable energy

The Brahma Kumaris have launched several environment initiatives. Their work in solar energy and sustainable energy has included the 2007 development of the world's largest solar cooker, and a solar thermal power plant in Talheti at the base of Mount Abu, where the international headquarters is located. The 25-acre site is projected to produce 22000 kwh of electricity daily. The project was made financially possible with the support of the Indian and German governments.

Sustainable Yogic Agriculture

Sustainable Yogic Agriculture (SYA) is a program started in Northern India in 2009. The program has been a collaboration between Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University in Gujarat India and the Brahma Kumaris Rural Development wing. The program has now been publicly backed by the Indian Government. A key member of Narendra Modi's Cabinet, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh announced the governments support for the program. With the governments support the program has been redesigned into Akhil Bharatiya Krushak Sashakatikaran Abhijan (ABKSA), and was launched in December 2015. ABKSA extends the initial scope of the SYA program to include teaching meditation and self empowerment to the farmers themselves. This is possibly a response to the problem of farmer suicides in India. ABKSA now comprises three main elements:

1. A self empowerment program for Indian farmers;
2. Ongoing research on whether the use of meditation can improve crop yields;
3. Education on a blend of traditional and organic farming techniques.

One basic premise of the Brahma Kumaris environmental initiative is that thoughts and consciousness can affect the natural environment.

India One Solar Thermal Power Plant – India – Brahma Kumaris. April 2014

In 2012, experiments were being conducted in partnership with leading agricultural universities in India to establish if the practice of Brahma Kumaris meditation in conjunction with implementing more traditional organic farming methods could be shown to have a measurable and positive effect on crop development. An article published in the Journal of Asian Agri-History reviews two separate studies on SYA. One study was conducted by G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUAT), Pantnagar, Uttarakhand and the other by Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University (SDUAT) of Gujarat. The review reports that the Brahma Kumaris meditation techniques used enhanced seed growth, seed germination rates and increased the level of microbes present in the soil.

Healthcare

In 1991, the Brahma Kumaris, Ashok Mehta, and the brothers Gulab and Khubchand Watumull opened the J Watumull Global Hospital in the Sirohi district of Rajasthan, offering medical facilities to the local population.

UN consultative status

In 1998 the Brahma Kumaris gained consultative status with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

Criticism

Adherents have been criticised by nonmembers for hiding or downplaying their prophesied physical destruction of the world particularly as they still believe that such an event will happen "soon". However, they maintain that their primary purpose is to teach meditation and peace of mind, not to push their views about the different challenges the world is facing on non-members who may be visiting the group to learn about meditation or values based living.

The Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion reported that the Brahma Kumaris require a payment from families wishing to dedicate their daughters to the organization, intended to cover living expenses during the trial period, as a way to prevent families from "dumping" their daughters.

John Wallis wrote a book examining the status of tradition in the contemporary world, which used the religion as a case study, focusing on recruitment methods, the issue of celibacy, and reinterpretation of religious history. He reported the rewriting of the revelatory messages (Murlis) by the Brahma Kumari. They have been accused of breaking up marriages.

When the organization began in the 1930s in Sindh, it sparked controversy by empowering women to assert their right to celibacy, especially in marriage, challenging the male-dominated society of the Indian subcontinent. Feminist commentator Prem Chowdry criticized this practice as a form of patriarchal control.

See also

Associated concepts
General

References

Citations
  1. Summary of movement. censamm.org
  2. What Does Brahma Kumaris Mean? brahmakumaris.org
  3. Monier-Williams, Monier (1899) Sanskrit Dictionary. Clarendon Press, Oxford. p. 292
  4. Melton, J. Gordon, ed. (2002). Religions of the world: a comprehensive encyclopedia of beliefs and practices. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-57607-223-3.
  5. ^ Tomlinson, Matt; Smith, Wendy; Manderson, Lenore (2012). "4. Brahma Kumaris: Purity and the Globalization of Faith". Flows of Faith: Religious Reach and Community in Asia and Pacific. Springer. ISBN 978-94-007-2931-5.
  6. Jones, Constance; Ryan, James Daniel; Melton, J. Gordon (2007). Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Encyclopedia of world religions. New York, NY: Facts On File. ISBN 978-0-8160-5458-9.
  7. "Our History – The Brahma Kumaris". Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  8. ^ Kranenborg, Reender (1999). "Brahma Kumaris: A New Religion?". Center for Studies on New Religions. Retrieved 27 July 2007. A preliminary version of a paper presented at CESNUR 99
  9. Babb, Lawrence (1984). "Indigenous feminism in a modern Hindu sect, Signs". Journal of Women in Culture and Society. 9 (3): 399–416. doi:10.1086/494068. S2CID 144737560.
  10. ^ Hodgkinson, Liz (2002). Peace and Purity: The Story of the Brahma Kumaris a Spiritual Revolution. HCI. p. 19. ISBN 1-55874-962-4.
  11. Pokardas, Om Radhe (1939). Is this Justice? Being an account of the founding of Om Mandali and Om Nivas and their suppression under the Criminal Laws Amendment Act 1908. Om Mandali, Pharmacy Printing Press, Bunder Road Karachi.
  12. ^ Chander, B. K Jagdish (1981). Adi Dev: The first man. B.K. Raja Yoga Center for the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University.
  13. Hodgkinson, Liz (2002). Peace and Purity: The Story of the Brahma Kumaris a Spiritual Revolution. HCI. p. 30. ISBN 1-55874-962-4.
  14. Pokardas, Om Radhe (1939). Is this Justice? Being an account of the founding of Om Mandali and Om Nivas and their suppression under the Criminal Laws Amendment Act 1908. Om Mandali, Pharmacy Printing Press, Bunder Road Karachi. pp. 126–135 (original numbering).
  15. Pokardas, Om Radhe (1939). Is this Justice? Being an account of the founding of Om Mandali and Om Nivas and their suppression under the Criminal Laws Amendment Act 1908. Om Mandali, Pharmacy Printing Press, Bunder Road Karachi. p. 130 (original numbering). the section (of the Criminal Procedure code) is being turned to a purpose for which it was not intended, and that is to say, to prevent, not acts which are wrongful in the eyes of the Law, but acts which are wrongful in the eyes of the District Magistrate
  16. Pokardas, Om Radhe (1939). Is this Justice? Being an account of the founding of Om Mandali and Om Nivas and their suppression under the Criminal Laws Amendment Act 1908. Om Mandali, Pharmacy Printing Press, Bunder Road Karachi. pp. 126–135 (original numbering).
  17. Pokardas, Om Radhe (1939). Is this Justice? Being an account of the founding of Om Mandali and Om Nivas and their suppression under the Criminal Laws Amendment Act 1908. Om Mandali, Pharmacy Printing Press, Bunder Road Karachi.
  18. Pokardas, Om Radhe (1939). Is this Justice? Being an account of the founding of Om Mandali and Om Nivas and their suppression under the Criminal Laws Amendment Act 1908. Om Mandali, Pharmacy Printing Press, Bunder Road Karachi.
  19. Hodgkinson, Liz (2002). Peace and Purity: The Story of the Brahma Kumaris a Spiritual Revolution. HCI. p. 36. ISBN 1-55874-962-4.
  20. ^ Walliss, John (2002). From World-Rejection to Ambivalence. Ashgate Publishing. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-7546-0951-3. Lekhraj was born in Sindh in 1876 into the Kriplani family who were devotees of the Valabhacharya sect.
  21. ^ Howell, Julia (September 1998). "Gender Role Experimentation in New Religious Movements: Clarification of the Brahma Kumari Case". Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 37 (3): 453–461. doi:10.2307/1388052. JSTOR 1388052.
  22. ^ Chryssides, George D.; Wilkins, Margaret and Wilkins, Margaret Z. (2006) A Reader in New Religious Movements: Readings in the Study of New Religious Movements. Continuum. ISBN 0-8264-6168-9
  23. Esposito, John L.; Fasching, Darrell J. and Lewis, Todd (2002) Religion and globalization: world religions in historical perspective. Oxford University Press. p. 340. ISBN 9780195176957
  24. Whaling, Frank (2012). Understanding the Brahma Kumaris. Dunedin Academic Press Ltd. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-903765-51-7.
  25. 'Why are Women More Religious Than Men?' Trzebiatowska, Marta. Bruce, Steve. Oxford University Press, 2012. ISBN 0-19-960810-5,
  26. "Adherent Statistic Citations". Adherents.com. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2007. Worldwide, this path has 4000 centres and approximately 400,000 members.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  27. ^ Howell (2006), pp. 71–72
  28. Howell (2006), p. 72: "Since the University spread to Western societies it has increasingly accommodated people with little interest in its theodicy but attracted to the practical applications of BK spiritual practices. The community service programmes of the 1980s and 1990s stimulated creative renderings of BK meditation as a tool for psychological healing and eclectic spiritual exploration. The casual participants whom the BKs have attracted in this way probably made up the vast majority of the 450,000 people on the University's records at the turn of the 20th to 21st century".
  29. Howell (2006), p. 71
  30. ^ Ramsay, Tamasin (September 2010). "Custodians of Purity An Ethnography of the Brahma Kumaris". Monash University: 105. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  31. Ramsay, Tamasin (September 2010). "Custodians of Purity An Ethnography of the Brahma Kumaris". Monash University: 107–108. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  32. Barrett, David V (2001). The New Believers. Cassell & Co. p. 265. ISBN 0-304-35592-5. Time is cyclical with each 5,000-year cycle consisting of a perfect Golden Age, a slightly degraded Silver age, a decadent Copper Age, and an Iron Age which is characterised by violence, greed, and lust. Each of these lasts for exactly 1,250 years. Our current Iron Age will shortly come to an end, after which the cycle will begin again.
  33. "World Drama Cycle » Brahma Kumaris". Brahma Kumaris. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  34. ^ "Brahma Kumaris: Conquering A Callous World with Purity". Hinduism Today. May 1995. The most strict will not eat food which is not prepared by a Brahma Kumaris. While traveling they abstain from public fare and carry their own utensils for cooking.
  35. Whaling, Frank (2012). Understanding the Brahma Kumaris. Dunedin Academic Press Ltd. p. 42. ISBN 978-1-903765-51-7. "In the Bodleian booklet (Om Radhe, 1943) there are some uncompromising apocalyptic passages that are in striking contrast to the more mellow nature of recent Brahma Kumari thought".
  36. Brahma Kumaris: Conquering A Callous World with Purity, Hinduism Today, May 1995.
  37. Jain, Chandra Mohan (1983). Guida Spirituale ion. Rajneesh Foundation International. pp. 98–99. ISBN 0-88050-575-3. The other is these Brahma Kumaris, they have not reached the whole world, they have remained confined to India. They talk utter nonsense, and they talk with authority. And they go on saying everything. This date that you mention that in 1987 this world will end... This date has changed many times in thirty years, and it will change again..
  38. Miller, Sam (2010). Delhi: Adventures in a Megacity. Penguin India. ISBN 978-0-09-952674-2. The movement's very strong millenarian belief are underplayed
  39. Bartholomeusz, Tessa J. (1994). Women under the Bo Tree: Buddhist nuns in Sri Lanka. Cambridge Studies in Religious Traditions. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-46129-0.
  40. Chryssides, George (2011). Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-7967-6. Members are encouraged to purify their minds by the practise of Raja Yoga. This can entail sitting tranquilly, in front of a screen which Dada Lehkraj's picture projected, then making a number of "affirmations", regarding the eternal nature of the soul (atma), the original purity of one's nature, and the nature of God (paramatmā Shiva). The Brahma Kumaris believe that practice of Raja Yoga enables spiritual progress as well as having pragmatic benefits, for example, business success. Brahma Kumaris frequently organise seminars on business management and on developing personal life skills
  41. ^ Ramsay, Tamasin (September 2010). "Custodians of Purity An Ethnography of the Brahma Kumaris". Monash University: 108–110. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  42. Tomlinson, Matt; Smith, Wendy; Manderson, Lenore (2012). "4. Brahma Kumaris: Purity and the Globalization of Faith". Flows of Faith: Religious Reach and Community in Asia and Pacific. Springer. p. 57. ISBN 978-94-007-2931-5. Another tenet of the Brahma Kumaris is that, when soul consciousness is properly practiced, it becomes a tool to have genuine shubhawna (good wishes) and shubkamna (pure feelings) for all souls, regardless of the behavior, character, feelings, or attitudes of the other, including their political, social, religious, or financial dispositions.
  43. ^ Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Constance A. Jones and James D. Ryan. ABC-CLEO, LLC 2010, ISBN 9780816054589
  44. Tomlinson, Matt; Smith, Wendy; Manderson, Lenore (2012). "4. Brahma Kumaris: Purity and the Globalization of Faith". Flows of Faith: Religious Reach and Community in Asia and Pacific. Springer. p. 57. ISBN 978-94-007-2931-5. This is emphasized in recent teachings as a core discipline and considered an important service for the world.
  45. Musselwhite, Richard (September 2009). Possessing knowledge: organizational boundaries among the Brahma Kumaris (PhD). University of North Carolina. pp. 51–52. The most recognizable religious feature of the Brahma Kumaris institution is spirit-possession. Ever since God possessed the body of Dada Lekhraj for the first time in 1935, God has continued to descend and possess the body of a Brahma Kumaris host in order to speak to them." "Far from seeking to undermine or protest the world's hegemonic orders, the Brahma Kumaris practice of spirit-possession seeks to quicken it in preparation for the end of days. One could argue that the Brahma Kumaris' ultimate aims are subversive (because they anticipate the end of the world), but the Brahma Kumaris never seek to undermine global order.
  46. Ramsay, Tamasin (September 2010). "8: Spirit Possession and Purity in Orissa". Custodians of Purity An Ethnography of the Brahma Kumaris (PhD). Monash University. pp. 277–278, 281. However Brahma Kumaris women become core members by being fully 'surrendered,' and their prominence derives from their mediumistic capacities, channelling murlis (sermons) from their dead founder. As a result, their power is veiled...through the device of possession... Hence, the importance of spirit possession, where women are the instruments or mouthpieces of a male spirit. (p277-278, citing Puttick 2003)
    Possession in the Brahma Kumaris is supported by solid cultural logic that sits in a receptacle of history and tradition. (p281)
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  68. Bedi, Kiran (2007). It's Always Possible : One Woman's Transformation of India's Prison System. Himalayan Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-89389-258-6.
  69. Musselwhite, Richard (September 2009). Possessing knowledge: organizational boundaries among the Brahma Kumaris (PhD). University of North Carolina. pp. 141, 163–164, 174. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. The problem was that up until that time, my relationship with him had been through the Brahma Kumaris; but now he was President, and he wanted to use... not only Self Management Leadership, but the whole strategic focusing thing, and his party was the centre-right, Catholic party. They're sufficiently fundamentalist for them to have a fit about Brahma Kumaris.... So we went there, but it had to be done within the context of a commercial enterprise. So, we set up a branch of a consulting company there. But the fact of the matter is, most of his senior people have... been to Oxford for the Brahma Kumaris program. Many have been here to Madhuban.... So the Brahma Kumaris have had a huge influence in the reform process there .... We have trained 90 facilitators from the government who are running these programs, 25,000 people, all the top level of government throughout the entire country have been through the course.... a management training program called Self Management Leadership, which has become the backbone of Brahma Kumaris management philosophy.
  70. Wooldridge, Mike (17 January 2000). "Harnessing the sun's power". BBC. Retrieved 22 July 2007.
  71. Tomlinson, Matt; Smith, Wendy; Manderson, Lenore (2012). "4. Brahma Kumaris: Purity and the Globalization of Faith". Flows of Faith: Religious Reach and Community in Asia and Pacific. Springer. p. 65. ISBN 978-94-007-2931-5.
  72. "Home". india-one.net.
  73. Bhaat, Sheela (15 September 2015) Yogic farming to empower seeds, increase soil fertility: Agriculture Minister. The Indian Express
  74. ^ Campaign to train farmers. The Statesman, 7 December 2015
  75. ^ Ramsay, Tamasin (December 2012). "Systems Approach to Agriculture". Magazine on Low External Input Agriculture (LEIA). 14 (4): 29–30.
  76. Agrawal, Priti (19 July 2011) Shashwat yogic farming. Times of India
  77. Pandey, Sunita T. (June 2015). "Yogic Farming through Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Meditation: An Ancient Technique for Enhancing Crop Performance". Asian Agri-History. 19 (2): 105–122.
  78. "J Watumull Global Hospital & Research Centre – About Us". ghrc-abu.com.
  79. Walliss, John (2007). The Brahma Kumaris as a 'reflexive Tradition'. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 9788120829558.
  80. UN Economic and Social Council - Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (30 September 2014). "Quadrennial reports for the period 2010–2013 submitted by non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council through the Secretary-General pursuant to Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31". undocs.org. pp. 10–11.
  81. "United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs – NGO Branch – Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University". United Nations.
  82. Beit-Hallahmi, Benjaminin (August 2003). Apocalyptic Dreams and Religious Ideologies: Losing and Saving Self and World. Vol. 90. Cassell. pp. 403–439. doi:10.1521/prev.90.4.403.23912. ISBN 0-304-35592-5. PMID 14694758. A case study of Brahma Kumaris, a contemporary group characterised by an apocalyptic vision. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
  83. Walliss, John (2002). The Brahma Kumaris As a Reflexive Tradition: Responding to Late Modernity.
  84. Walliss, John (September 1999). "When Prophecy Fails: The Brahma Kumaris and the Pursuit of the Millennium(s)". British Association for the Advancement of Science, Sheffield. In addition, they accuse the University hierarchy of actively censoring or altering murlis that could potentially undermine their privileged position or which 'don't suit their philosophy'. The 'Special instruments' (senior members are, they allege 'constantly revising Murlis" to the extent that, for example, a passage from a 1969 murli referring to Shiva being unable to 'mount a virgin' was altered in the 1990 revised edition before being removed completely in the 1993 revision...." Dr. Walliss also notes that while the Brahma Kumaris was "originally a reclusive, world-rejecting organization, over the last 30 years the Brahma Kumaris have begun a campaign of active proselytizing and international growth. Thus, whilst still retaining its original millenarianism, currently within the West the organization promotes itself as part of the New Age movement and emphasizes ideas around the issues of self-development, empowerment and personal success." Finally, Wallis disputes their belief that Raja Yoga is the precursor to all world religions, including those that historically predate it: "This is part of a lengthy answer to the question of how the University could claim that Raja Yoga is the precursor to and influence of world religions that historically predate it often by a few thousand years. Again, 'Baba' is cited as the source of ultimate authority".
  85. Adhyatmik Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya [God Fatherly Spiritual University]. Pbks.info. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  86. Smith, Wendy A. (Autumn 2007). "Asian New Religious Movements as global cultural systems". International Institute for Asian Studies. 45: 16–17. Conversion involves members changing their daily lifestyles and even leaving long term relationships... Married converts have often had to forgo their marriage partnerships.
  87. Kościańska, Agnieszka Z (15–17 May 2003). "On celibate marriages: the Polish Catholics' encounter with Hindu spirituality". On the Margins of Religion, Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, Warsaw University.
  88. Chowdry, Prem (1996). "Marriage, Sexuality and the Female Ascetic-Understanding a Hindu Sect". Economic and Political Weekly. 31 (34): 2307–2321. JSTOR 4404549. An analysis of the Brahma Kumari sect in its initial years enables us to unravel certain hidden aspects of Sindh society which account for an unprecedented but successful patriarchal attempt to regulate and restrain female sexuality or stimulate its self-restraint under the all-encompassing claims of reforming society. In the later years, with the coming of the partition and subsequent migration to India, this sect, confronting a greatly changed social milieu, assumed a somewhat different focus and identity. Despite this shifting of emphasis and consequent contradictions, the core doctrine of celibacy has remained and its advocacy of female sexual control continues to find receptive echoes.
  89. Soni, Dilip (2 September 2020). "A case file against BK Bharat". Jaisalmer News. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020.
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