Another night, another cult

 

Credit: Pawaskar Vinayak 

I saw posters or flyers for the the "Brahma Kumaris" all the time when I was much younger, but I haven´t spotted them for some time now. So who *are* these people? ChatGPT has the short summary for those too lazy to read Wikipedia´s entry...

Who are the Brahma Kumaris (i.e. the organization or sect)?

The Brahma Kumaris are a relatively modern Hindu-inspired religious and spiritual movement that began in the 1930s in Hyderabad, Sindh (now in Pakistan) and is today headquartered at Mount Abu, Rajasthan, India.

Here’s a structured overview:

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Origins

• Founded by Lekhraj Kripalani (1876–1969), a wealthy diamond merchant, who later became known as Brahma Baba.

• Around 1936, he reported mystical visions of Shiva, the Supreme God, and began gathering followers (mostly women and young girls at first).

• The group was originally called Om Mandali, later renamed the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University (BKWSU).

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Beliefs

1. Supreme God Shiva

   • Not identified with the Vedic creator-god Brahma, but with an incorporeal, formless God beyond birth and death.

   • Brahma Baba is seen as God’s first human medium, not as God himself.

2. Soul & Reincarnation

   • Every person is an eternal soul (ātman), distinct from the body, inherently pure, blissful, and divine.

   • Souls take on different bodies in cycles of birth and rebirth.

3. World Cycle

   • History is viewed as a 5,000-year cycle, endlessly repeating (similar to yugas but shorter).

   • Humanity passes through a Golden Age (Satya Yuga) → Silver Age → Copper Age → Iron Age (our current time).

   • The present moment is seen as the confluence age (sangam yuga), a short period when God intervenes before destruction and renewal.

4. Purity and Celibacy

   • Followers (even married couples) are urged to live in complete celibacy.

   • Vegetarianism, abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, and certain foods (like onions/garlic) are central.

5. Meditation

   • Their signature practice is Raja Yoga meditation, a form of silent remembrance of the self as a soul and connection to God Shiva.

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Practices

• Daily meditation and study of “murlis” (teachings originally spoken by Brahma Baba, and later claimed to be by God Shiva).

• Service (seva) through teaching meditation, running centers, hospitals, schools.

• Participation in global peace and interfaith initiatives.

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Organization

• Global headquarters: Madhuban, Mount Abu, Rajasthan.

• Led mostly by women (called Dadis or elder sisters) since its early days — very unusual for Hindu-derived groups.

• Claims millions of followers worldwide; has centers in over 100 countries.

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Distinctiveness

• Emphasis on female leadership (founded as a community of mostly women, which was radical in 1930s India).

• Non-ritualistic: no temple worship, no idols, no priests — meditation and study replace puja.

• End-times worldview: the belief that world transformation and destruction are imminent.

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Criticism

• Critics argue they are overly apocalyptic and secretive about their history (early prophecies of world destruction in the mid-20th century didn’t materialize).

• Accusations of breaking families because of strict celibacy and renunciation.

• Still, they are respected in some international peace and spiritual forums (e.g., the UN).

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✅ Summary:
The Brahma Kumaris are a 20th-century spiritual movement rooted in Hindu culture but with unique doctrines: God as incorporeal Shiva, cyclic time, celibacy, and meditation. They are notable for being led by women, emphasizing personal purity, and promoting global peace.

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Would you like me to also compare them to mainstream Hinduism and other modern Hindu movements (like ISKCON, Ramakrishna Mission, etc.) so you can see how unusual they really are?