Welcome Address to Her Holineness Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi by K. Subramanyam, Mavalankar Auditorium (from Nirmala Yoga, Issue 3, Pages 22–24)

As the famous German philosopher Schelling remarked once : “ If God would appear to me with the truth in the right hand and the quest of the truth in the left, asking me to choose between the two, I would rush towards his left hand telling him : Oh God! keep the truth for yourself alone.” This is because the modern seeker is more interested in the game of truth seeking than in the Truth itself It would not have mattered if subject was only for academic discussion like the question whether God exists or whether re-birth is a fact or fiction. But it directly affects the life of a large mass of humanity today in the world. Millions of people have taken to one course or another under the name of spiritualism. They are all wandering in wilderness, treading the tracks which they believe will lead them to their goals. The spiritual guides in this country who show these tracks are called Gurus and Maharishis. They even usurp the attributes of God and call themselves Bhagwans. How to know who is a real Guru and who an imposter? In Indian thought, Gurus are held in high esteem. The tradition demands absolute faith from a follower and his complete surrender to the Guru. It shuts doors to the discerning eye and the discriminating mind. No surprise that shrewd men with greed and passion don the garb of spiritual guides and their Ashrams become dens of vice and corruption. A craze for spiritualism is raging all over 22 the world. Spiritual masters and their Ashrams are growing like mushrooms. Hundreds of books are being published to preach the so-called spiritual ideas and thoughts. Thoughts of gullible people, desperately seeking solace, fall pray to self-styled saviors. India has become a focal point of this Spiritual craze. So far, India is known for her great spiritual wisdom, as the land of enlightenment. This has attracted a huge influx of lay seekers into this country and large export of spiritual leaders to the affluent countries in the West. In India, the spiritual phenomenon, as it is commonly believed, has innumerable ramifications. For instance, formal worship of a deity, invocation of ghosts and spirits, reciting of mantras and lastly the meditation on a God’s name or form or with a blank mind, for achieving occults powers by difficult or odd rituals and they are all believed to be spiritual practices. Devotion and surrender to God, control of mind and body, introvert search of the ultimate reality, physical austerity and fasts, indulgence in intoxicants and sex, have all been postulated as ways of Sadhana, This is broadly the so-called spiritual scene today. It is a matter of great concern for all those who are real seekers and who have a genuine urge for spiritual development. It raises before them the questions—“ What is right and what is wrong? What is true and what is false ? What is base and what is exalted ?” And the crux of the problem— “ What is exactly the spiritual phenomenon?” The answers to these questions are essential to clear off the mass in which spiritualism is enmeshed today. We have gathered today here to hear the clear message of Her Holiness Mataji Nirmala Devi who interprets this phenomenon differently. She defines the Sahaja Yoga/ Kundalini Yoga as the Yoga innate to the human nature. Since it comes so natural to our personality, we need not impose any external discipline on ourselves for spiritual growth. What we have to do is to just understand the cosmic force working within us and allow it its free play. Let our Kundalini awaken from its slumber and flow up in its natural course. According to the legend, Lord Krishna, in his young age, used to pelt stones and break the pitchers of the Gopies (milk maids) of Gokul and Brindavana while they were on their way home from the Yamuna. He enjoyed the fun when the milk maids were drenched with the water pouring down from their pitchers. Poets in the past have interpreted this mischief as an amorous sport of Lord Krishna, the saints,saw in it divine love between the Gopies and the God. Mataji Nirmala Devi interprets it differently. She says, cosmic vibrations were saturated in the waters of the Yamuna through the touch of Krishna, who was a manifestation of the cosmic power. When he broke a water-filled pitcher, the vibrated water flowed down the back of the gopi to the base of her spine and there, by contact, awakened Kundalini, the serpent power which is a fraction of the cosmic power in the human body. In other words, by his apparent mischief, Lord Krishna bestowed on the Gopis the bliss of the divine energy. This interpretation was given by Her Holiness Mataji Nirmala Devi in one of Her discourses in Delhi. The Kundalini Yoga is centuries old in India. But Mataji has given it a new interpretation and a scientific base. What is amazingly remarkable about her is that she awakens your Kundalini just by the grace of her glance or her mere presence, as though she is an inexhaustible reservoir of the cosmic energy awaiting you only to stretch out your hands towards her. This awakening of the Kundalini brings you all joy of life and enables you to live better, she says. In the presence of Mataji Nirmala Devi, the Divine Kundalini Shakti of the seeker is awakened to its glory. Realization of God is possible only after the sleeping Divinity Kundalini Shakti is fully awakened. By regular Sadhana and dedication, the divine Kundalini Shakti aroused in you by Mataji can grow in strength and envelope your whole being You experience the divinity within you, which is the essence of truth, bliss, beauty and love. Then the complete integration of the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual self in you takes place. Gradually all your physical, mental and emotional ailments are cured. Cool nectarine vibrations of divinity flow through your body and hands. You can grant self-realization to others and cure them of physical ailments. The awakening of Kundalini Shakti by Mataji Nirmala Devi when it blossoms into its fullness will give you the experience of the divine which is in total conformity with what is described in all our scriptures. Nobody would doubt her claim when one sees her in exuberance of health and joy and attending to the various ailments of people. The most lovable thing about Mataji Nirmala Devi is her disarming informality and contagiously affectionate disposition. Unlike other godmen she bestows her grace on all without discrimination and delights in personal contact with everyone in a congregation. That explains why she calls herself your mother, rather the mother, and not your master. It is our great fortune that Mataji Nirmala Devi is amidst us today in spite of her hectic tour of Australia. She has returned only a few days ago to Bombay to cheer our minds and grant self-realization. I, therefore, appeal to all present here to be simple and humble in receiving the divine vibrations and listening to her message, Let us stop our game and stand in the sunrise, behold the smile of the goddess. The birth of the new day! Let us recognize Her, the goal, the Devi, the Maha Davi.