SAHAJA YOGA: THE CULT OF THE "GODDESS"

SHRI MATAJI NIRMALA DEVI

… then prudence will protect you,

Reason will guard you to save you

from the way of evil, from the man who tells lies...

Proverbs 2:11-12.

The religious market of modern Russia is flooded with a huge number of both traditional and "non-traditional religious organizations." The activities of many of the so-called "non-traditional religious movements" raise questions about both their theory and their practice. And today we will try to consider one of such movements of "non-traditional spirituality", namely Sahaja Yoga, given that its founder Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi (Nirmala Srivastava) herself calls not to accept her teachings blindly: "We must be free people, people with an open mind, like scientists, to see for ourselves what the truth is. If someone preaches something, says something, it should not be accepted blindly"1. It is only fair that we try, as far as possible, to answer as impartially as possible a number of questions: Does Sahaja Yoga have anything to do with science? Is it possible to combine Sahaja Yoga with Christianity? What is Sahaja Yoga? This is all the more relevant because, as Nirmala Devi teaches, "Our value system must change, and if it does not automatically change, then we must work specifically on it." So let's think about whether Nirmala Srivastava offers a system of values worthy of application. Very often, representatives of "non-traditional religious movements" reject criticism addressed to them, hiding behind the critics' incorrect understanding of what the founder of this or that organization wanted to say. In order to reduce the possibilities of such anti-criticism, in this work the author will actively quote primary sources, which will allow readers to independently figure out how justified the conclusions of the article are. In any case, the author will adhere to the principle "the texts speak for themselves", reducing his comments to a minimum. I would also like to note that all the information given in the article about Sahaja Yoga is borrowed from primary sources, i.e. books and magazines published by the Sahajists themselves. No other sources of information about Sahaja Yoga were used in the article. Well, now, after a short introduction, let's move on to the main topic of our article.

Mrs. Srivastava writes: "The word 'Sahaja' means 'innate' and 'Yoga' means the 'union' of our real Self (Spirit) with the all-pervading Divine Energy, the energy of love and compassion that permeates every atom of the universe. This energy, which does all the living work in the universe, is known in Hinduism as Paramchaitanya, in Islam as Rukh, and in Christianity as the Holy Spirit."3 To what extent the identification of the Holy Spirit with the "All-Pervading Divine Energy" is justified, we will discuss below. In the meantime, let us dwell on the question of the claims of Sahaja Yoga. As Nirmala Srivastava writes, "Sahaja Yoga is the ultimate goal of every religion, every form. It is not limited to one religion, but combines the best of all religions"4; "The task of Sahaja Yoga is the liberation of all humanity, at any level"5; "Sahaja Yoga is not an individual, but a collective achievement, and it works under the condition of collectivity... Sahaja Yoga is manifested only in the collective"6; "There is no hierarchy in Sahaja Yoga. There are no priests. All are equally equal."7 Nirmala's words about the equality of all in Sahaja Yoga should not be taken with much credence, at least the status of Nirmala Srivastavu herself is clearly different from that of the ordinary members of her organization. We will talk about this below. In any case, as can be seen from all of the above, Mrs. Srivastava's claims are very serious, in fact, Sahaja Yoga claims a leading religious role in the world. Who is the founder of Sahaja Yoga?

The founder of Sahaja Yoga calls herself Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi. Nirmala Devi was born on March 21, 1923 in India in a Protestant family8. Her parents were highly educated people. His father translated the Quran into Hindi, and his mother had a degree in mathematics. As a child, Nirmala Devi often visited the ashram of Mahatma Gandhi9. She studied at a medical college. In 1947, she married Mr. Srivastava, who worked for 16 years as Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization at the United Nations. Nirmala Srivastavu has two already married daughters and four grandchildren.10 But that's what can be said about the ordinary side of her life. Now let's move on to its sacred status in Sahaja Yoga. So, who is Nirmala Srivastavu in the eyes of the Sahajists? As Mrs. Srivastavu teaches, "I declare that I am the One who is to save humanity. I declare that I am the One Who is the Adi Shakti11 (Holy Spirit), Who is the Mother of all mothers, Who is the primordial Mother, the Shakti, the Desire of God, Who incarnated on this Earth to give meaning to Herself, to this creature, to the people. And I am sure that through My love, patience and My strength, I will achieve this. I was the One who was born again and again. But now, in My absolute form and with My absolute powers, I have come to this earth not only for the salvation of people, not only for their liberation, but for the sake of giving them the Kingdom of Heaven, the joy and bliss that your Father wants to bestow upon you."12 It should be noted that in the system of Sahaja Yoga the main place is occupied not by yoga, but by its founder: "You should completely devote yourself to Me, not to Sahaja Yoga, but to Me. Sahaja Yoga is just one of my expressions. Leave everything, you must become devoted. Complete self-sacrifice – otherwise you will not be able to ascend further. Do not argue and do not ask."13 In fact, Nirmala Srivastavu claims the role of Jesus Christ, who is the only Savior for Christians (Luke 2:11).

The founder of Sahaja Yoga talks a lot about the science and scientificity of the system she has created, probably due to the influence of her parents, whom, judging by the ideas put forward by her, Nirmala Srivastavu clearly did not rise, at least in terms of education. For example, about Sahaja Yoga we read: "Sahaja Yoga is a meta-science, a science of spirituality, confirmed by practice and scientific research and uniting the true knowledge of all religions of the world."14 Apparently, Mrs. Srivastavu does not realize that metascience, parascience and other pseudosciences have nothing to do with academic science. Science in general does not aim at uniting "the knowledge of all religions"15, this is claimed by theosophy, Bahaism, agni yoga, etc., i.e. teachings of a mystical kind16, but not by science.17 There is only one science, it is based on logic, rational thinking, and scientific methodology.18 Everything that rejects the scientific approach does not belong to science, including mysticism. This may not appeal to representatives of metasciences, but it is true. And, by the way, a real scientist does not make unsubstantiated statements. If Mrs. Srivastavu assures her disciples that Sahaja Yoga is scientific, I would like to see the references to the studies, the methodology used in the research, the results, etc. But in reality, the big words about the scientific nature of Sahaja Yoga are never supported by real evidence in the form of references to scientific studies that anyone can get acquainted with. Representatives of the world of science do not do this. That Sahaja Yoga has nothing to do with science is evident from the words of Nirmala Srivastavu herself: "... Science cannot explain how the process occurs. The principle of action of this energy can be understood only when you feel it, when you receive realization."19 If science cannot explain the principle of action of the energy invoked by Mrs. Srivastava, then what does science have to do with Sahaja Yoga? Further, Nirmala Srivastavu assures his followers that science cannot answer the questions that Sahaja Yoga answers: "Where do so many of us get the feeling of disappointment, hopelessness and uncertainty? Why do people die from mental and physical disorders even in developed, advanced countries of the world? Science does not provide an answer to this question. Let us then turn to spirituality."20 So what is Sahaja Yoga for Mrs. Srivastavu herself – science or spirituality? Or maybe Mrs. Guruinya herself was already confused about who she was and what her system was? It is interesting to note that Nirmala Srivastavu's statements about the scientific nature of her system and at the same time about the inability of science to answer the questions answered by Sahaja Yoga, in the author's opinion, clearly violate one of the main laws of logic, namely the principle of non-contradiction. These statements are clearly incompatible with each other. But if Sahaja Yoga rejects the foundation of science, logic, then how can Sahaja Yoga be scientific? As mentioned above, science is based on rational thinking. In contrast, Nirmala Srivastavu rejects rational thinking: "It is not a mental, not a rational understanding; it is the light of the Spirit that gives energy and spontaneously dispels the darkness"22; "Enlightened people were called Gnostics. This name comes from the Sanskrit word gna, which means "knowledge". But the knowledge that is not acquired through the brain, because the brain, or reason, leads to rationality, which has no wisdom behind it. Rationality can lead anywhere, it can justify anything, because it is not absolute. Therefore, it is necessary to go beyond rationality, to develop a higher perception of divinity, with the help of which it is possible to understand real problems and find their correct solution."23 In fact, the word "gnostic" comes from the Greek word gnostos – accessible to knowledge, knowable, understandable, from gignosko – to learn, to know.24 But let's not find fault with such a "scientist" as Nirmala Srivastava over trifles. Given that she is the "absolute deity form" on earth, she probably knows better. Criticism is welcome in science, science as such simply does not exist without criticism. In Sahaja Yoga, the criticism is rejected: "Now all knowledge comes to us from Divinity, and this knowledge is absolutely pure. They cannot be doubted, they cannot be changed"25; "One of the great troubles of intellectuals is that they never want to accept anything as absolute, but always strive to find alternatives for everything. There is no alternative for spiritual growth. … But some of those who have come to Sahaja Yoga have also deviated and say that there must be some other methods and opportunities for spiritual growth. This is just the reaction of an escapist (draft dodger)..... There can be no other way of transforming man, as it is said in many ancient books."26 Perhaps the desire of intellectuals to be critical of what they encounter is a misfortune, but it is on this approach that academic science is based, and there is no other science, as mentioned above. This fact can be attested to by any person who has had the privilege of studying the subject more thoroughly than Mrs. Srivastavu did. For example, an uncritical person will take Nirmala Srivastava's statement about "ancient books" on faith, and a critical person will ask the question: what are these "ancient books" that the author refers to and where can you get acquainted with them? However, again the author finds fault with the "absolute form of the deity" over trifles. Nirmala Srivastava's attitude to the mind is interesting: "This mind is just a dump of all the garbage, one might say, which we have to give up in one way or another and say to ourselves that 'I have to go beyond my mind. This so-called mind of mine has done nothing good for me"27; «… The first step is thoughtless awareness, where you go beyond your mind, you become above your mind, the mind cannot affect you."28 Yes, if such a statement had been made by a scientist, his colleagues would probably have advised him to change his field of activity, for example, to become a mystic. In any case, in the author's opinion, Nirmala Srivastava's statements about the scientific nature of Sahaja Yoga do not have any serious, really scientific confirmation.

Let us get acquainted with the teachings of Sahaja Yoga. As a professional theologian, it is difficult for the author to comment on some things. The reason is not a lack of knowledge, but rather that some of the statements that the reader will encounter below are not so much worthy of analysis as of being placed under a humorous rubric. For example, Mrs. Srivastavu pays great attention to Ganesha.29 In traditional Hinduism, Ganesha, or Ganapati, is the eldest son of Shiva and Shiva's consort Parvati.30 Ganesha is depicted as a man with a fat belly and an elephant's head. Indian legends say that Parvati sculpted a man out of mud and placed him in front of the entrance to her chambers. When Shiva came, he was very angry when he saw a stranger at the door of his wife's chambers, and he blew off his head. Parvati was in despair, and Shiva promised to replace the felled head with the head of the first creature he came across. Such a creature turned out to be an elephant. In Hinduism, Ganesha is considered a deity who creates and removes obstacles that appear in front of a person. He is the patron of all endeavors, as well as the embodiment of wisdom and education, and is the patron of the arts and literature. His first images date back to the V century A.D. But it should be noted right away that the Sahaja Yoga of Nirmala Srivastavu has nothing to do with traditional Hinduism, and not only because there is no proselytism in traditional Hinduism (you can be born a Hindu, you cannot become a Hindu31), but also because the teaching of Sahaja Yoga is a fantasy on the topic of Hinduism and Christianity, but nothing more. Here is what Nirmala writes about Ganesha to Srivastav: "Shri Ganesha is created (by the Mother) from the element of the Earth and can very easily dissolve in Her. Shri Ganesha's immersion in the sea dissolves His body made of clay, and the vibrations of His essence vibrate the water, which is the Mother of the Mother (Grandmother), as it vibrates when the clay of His body settles at the bottom of the sea."32 «… Shri Ganesha emits electromagnetic vibrations, ... Shri Ganesha is located in the pelvic plexus, which governs sex"33; "Shri Ganesha as a corrector guides the subject by sending symbols in dreams"34; «… Shri Ganesha is always one with the all-pervading Divine Energy, because He has the head of an elephant."35 It will be especially interesting for Christians to know that "Shri Ganesha is the elder brother of all Sahaja Yogis... He is in human form as Jesus Christ."36 Moreover, "... we have Shri Ganesha and Jesus Christ located behind and in front of the head. In the back is Mahaganesha and in front is Jesus Christ. Both of them help to correct our vision, understanding, and give you wisdom."37 An interesting revelation about Christ is the following information: "Christ dwells in the sun".38 The above statements of Nirmala Srivastavu about Christ are left uncommented by the author. To any more or less sane person, they say a lot on their own.

Often, Mrs. Srivastavu speaks of the "All-Pervading Divine Energy." What kind of energy is it? As stated above,39 the "Divine Energy," according to the teachings of Nirmala Srivastava, is the energy of love and compassion that permeates the entire universe. Nirmala Srivastavu identifies this energy with the Holy Spirit of Christianity. Nirmala Srivastavu writes, "All scriptures say that there is an all-pervading energy of God's Love. It is a subtle energy that does all the living work and cannot be felt at the level of human awareness. Sahaja Yoga means that the seeker of truth has from birth the right to have self-realization spontaneously. Self-realization, or self-realization, is the goal of the evolution of man, as well as of all religions."40 An analogue of this energy can be found, in particular, in Agni Yoga, where it is called psychic energy. Nirmala Srivastava cannot be called a theologian or even a competent philosopher either in education or in the content of the ideas she put forward. Therefore, her teaching resembles an assortment of different ideas mixed with each other without any special logical connection. Sahaja yogis believe that Nirmala Srivastavu promotes the spiritual realization of his disciples, supposedly awakening the kundalini energy. It should be explained here that kundalini in traditional Hinduism (tantra) is a kind of creative latent energy, which is located at the base of the spine, as the yogis assure, in the form of a snake coiled in three and a half rings. At the dawn of his spiritual search, the author himself was fond of Eastern spirituality and for some time communicated with a group of Aurobindo's followers, and representatives of this movement "raised" his kundalini in just a couple of minutes, which suggests that Mrs. Srivastavu has serious competitors in this market. But let's get back to our story. Sahajists believe that Nirmala Srivastavu can awaken this energy with his blessing, by which the awakened energy rises up the spine to the top of the head and the disciples of Mrs. Srivastavu become spiritually perfect human beings. How do Sahajists become convinced of the attainment of spiritual realization? It turns out that it feels. For example, Nirmala Srivastavu writes: "... to feel the All-Pervading Energy as a cool breeze (vibrations) in the upper part of the head, on the palms of the hands, on the body. Everything created by this energy has vibrations that give knowledge about everything that surrounds us on a subtle level. That which has cool vibrations is auspicious"43; "The cool breeze of the Holy Spirit is the Energy we feel in Sahaja Yoga"44; "When our channels45 and chakras are pure, the subtle system is in balance, then cool vibrations of the same intensity are felt on the palms of both hands."46 If the "cool vibrations," i.e., sensations, are beneficial, then there are also unhelpful sensations: "If someone starts doing something wrong, their cool vibrations immediately indicate it, and sometimes they may even disappear. So it is better to always rely on your vibrations. But in order to feel the vibrations correctly, you must be in a state of meditation. You may also be misled by your mind. Therefore, the best thing to do is to be in a meditative form and rely on your vibrational awareness."47 As we can see, the criterion of spiritual growth in Sahaja Yoga is simple – the feeling of "vibrations" in the body. To the critics of such a subjective system of spiritual self-evaluation, Mrs. Srivastavu replies, "It is easy to deny, but it is unwise for a true seeker of Truth to deny the existence of the All-pervading energy simply because he does not yet feel it. One must have the open mind of a scientist."48 Well, the degree of scientific nature of Sahaja Yoga has already been mentioned above. It is interesting to note that Nirmala Srivastavu sees the scientificity in his system in the following: "This faith is not blind, it is an experimentally tested faith. It has been found to manifest itself at the tips of your fingers."49 Apparently, Nirmala Srivastavu had heard about the experimental testability applied by science. But she never understood what its essence was. I will have to say a few words about this, because, apparently, her followers are not strong in this matter either. Science does not deal with the questions to which Sahaja Yoga directs its energies and does not apply its methods. This is a fundamental point that Sahaja Yogis do not understand. The experiment is actively used in the natural sciences, for example, in physics, mechanics, etc., and this experiment must meet certain criteria that are analyzed by scientific methodology, unfortunately for the followers of Mrs. Shpivastavu, Sahaja Yoga does not meet these criteria in any way. If we look for parallels with science, then the method used by Sahaja Yoga is closest to what is called introspection in psychology. Introspection is internal self-observation of one's sensations. This approach to the study of the inner world of a person in psychology was popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries, but now it is little used in modern psychology,50 primarily because of the great subjectivity of the results obtained. In addition, the descent of the Holy Spirit is not necessarily the cause of certain sensations in the whole body and in the tips of the fingers. All psychics experience such sensations, and without any interference from Nirmala Srivastavu.51 The author of the article, again at the dawn of his own spiritual search, had a chance to experience them himself, while he has never been a follower of Sahaja Yoga, moreover, he has not even heard of Sahaja Yoga and its founder. So there is no need to talk about the scientific testability of Sahaja Yoga in the form offered by Nirmala Srivastav. Sahaja Yoga is not based on science, but on the uncritical belief in the divinity of one person, namely Mrs. Srivastava. References to the experimental testability of Sahaja Yoga are unfounded. What is the practice of Sahaja Yoga?