India is truly a wonderland of unity in diversity. A variety of cultural, traditional and theological groups co-exist here. When it comes to spiritualism, a majority of the people associated with these groups uphold diverse views about God and life. BK Usha behn, a senior Raja Yoga meditation practitioner from Prajapita Brahmakumari Ishwariya Viswa Vidyalaya, based at Mount Abu in Rajasthan, was in the city when Orissa POST got a chance to interact with her about the group’s viewpoints on various maladies affecting society. Excerpts:
Brahma Kumari (BK) Usha dedicated herself to spiritual service in 1980. Between 1980 and 1992, she was attached to Mumbai and Hyderabad centres of the group (Prajapita Brahmakumari Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya). In 1985 she participated in the Bharat Unity Youth March flagged off in Bombay towards Delhi and marched on foot through a host of villages, towns and cities spreading the wisdom of spirituality. She played a key role in the implementation of self-management training programmes. She has been invited by several industrial groups to impart systematic self-managing leadership courses for top executives and management staff, thus blending spirituality with modern management philosophy. She has participated in a number of conferences and seminars at the national and international levels, emphasising the importance of spiritual values.
Terrorism has raised its ugly head in the past two decades. Asked whether she has any solution to terrorism, Usha behn narrated a real-life incident.
She said, “Once during a padayatra in Assam, some Naxalites kidnapped our group members. But unlike others our people did not protest. They instead took up positions and started meditation. As they did not protest the terrorists didn’t torture them. There is a good man somewhere there in the heart of every human being. Perhaps that was the reason they enquired about the objective of our meditation. Our group members explained our ethics. Finally, three days later they released all of us without harm. Later some of them visited our centre to learn about our activities. So, positive vibration can change even a terrorist. This incident elaborates how terrorists receive spiritual spark.”
Usha didi spiritual spark can be obtained through Rajyog. Explaining more about Rajyog she said, “When someone says about yoga, we normally mean physical yoga. But the term has got quite a larger meaning. You see, in Bhagwat Geeta Lord Krishna taught Arjuna about Yoga. But He never taught him any asana. Yoga means connection. More clearly it is the connection between the soul (atma) and the supreme soul (paramatma). And because this is the topmost connection, that is why it is called Rajyog. In Geeta the Lord talked about Gyan yog, bairagya yog, bhakti yog and many more. Rajyog can be called gyan yog because without knowledge one can’t know the supreme soul. It can also be called bairagya yog as we ask the devotees to keep space from negativity. It is also called bhakti yog, because we ask them to be a devotee like Meera, whose devotion was without any interest.”
When asked whom should one devote entirely to, she pointed towards the supreme soul. She described supreme soul is a beam of light. She said, “When someone dies, people of Hindu faith burn it. It is a light. In Islam, it is said, ‘Allah noor hai’. In Christianity Jesus has been described as light. So supreme soul doesn’t have any shape or form, but it is just a light.”
About austerity, she said devotees feel their marriage (union) has been solemnised with the supreme soul, that is the reason they do not get married. But we also accept married people into the organisation. But the administrative part is handled only by the people who were never married.
About the Doomsday theory, she said, “We don’t believe in dooms day. There will be no outright end of the world. But yes, a huge catastrophe may come when all negative-minded people may perish and only people with positive vibes may exist. It does not mean that people who meditate will exist; everybody will be rewarded as per their deeds. Yet, I feel children are pure and far away from negativity.”
When asked whether she believes in hell and heaven, she said, “Negativity is ruling the present day world. So it can be compared to hell. When people generate a positive spark, the world will become a heaven.”
Himanshu Guru
Photo : Satyabrata Mishra
