The primary teachings at Brahma Kumaris are Raj Yoga meditation. It is considered to be one of the most effective forms of meditation to enthuse life with new energy to create new attitudes and responses to life, says Navodita Pande, our Yoga expert, in her weekly column, exclusively in Different Truths.

There is yet another form of meditation practiced by Brahma Kumaris. Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya (also called Brahma Kumaris) is a spiritual body based in Rajasthan. They are focused on self-transformation through spiritual education and reflective practices. They work to provide a deep understanding of self, God, and human existence.

The primary teachings at Brahma Kumaris are Raj Yoga meditation. It is considered to be one of the most effective forms of meditation to enthuse life with new energy to create new attitudes and responses to life. It empowers individuals with a clear spiritual understanding of self and connection with the Supreme Soul. Brahma Kumaris have their own idea about the existence of the world in its present form.

They believe that the world came into existence since eternity and will be eternal. The world was neither created any time before nor will it get destroyed anytime in future because matter can neither be created nor destroyed. It only undergoes a transformation from one form to another. Similarly, this world also undergoes changes in its characteristics, but the world was created out of nothing nor will there be a total annihilation.

The cycle of time is best understood by the Wheel of Time which is divided into four parts with Swastika in the middle. The first part is marked with a Golden Age. Here the arm of the Swastika is pointed to the right because the right arm symbolizes what is good or what brings about goodness. In these early times, when the cycle started, people of the deity religion (Sanatan Dharma) were possessed of divine qualities and nature and they enjoyed complete purity, 100% peace and complete prosperity.

Then came the Silver Age. In this era, too, people possessed high purity and peace but they had divinity to a lesser degree. Therefore, the arm of Swastika that indicates this epoch is bent downwards because souls in this era had deteriorated from super-righteousness to just righteous.

Next came the Copper Age. Here the arm of the Swastika is reversed to the left as the world now turned to the path of vices and unrighteousness. Mankind is now divided in various religions, strife, and disputes. The five vices brought the world into disarray and disquiet at home, which also takes us to the Iron Age.

Resulting peacelessness increased rapidly in frequency and intensity in this era. Therefore the fourth of the Swastika is shown as raising up due to the rise in conflicts, clashes, and calamities. Then a stage comes which is full of ignorance, stupor, moral degradation, theft, robbery and loot. People become demonic in nature and religion is also utterly degenerate.

The present times, according to the Brahma Kumaris, we are undergoing a critical phase in the history of mankind as it is the confluence of the Iron Age and returning back to the Golden Age. This is also called the Confluence Age. Here, they believe God descends in this world to meet the human-beings. The world will soon be free of all miseries and the paradise, which is full of happiness, and will be established again.

The cycle of five epochs repeats itself. Each soul will act the same part in every cycle since, in the soul itself, it is indelibly ingrained that the cycle has to repeat one after another. The soul replays the part once every 5000 years because each one of the four eras of the world-drama being equal to 1250 years. The duration of one World Cycle is 5000 years. This school recommends a form of meditation which is simple and easy to follow.

• Keep ten or twenty minutes aside every morning or evening
• Find a quiet place and relax your mind
• Sit upright on a chair and you could put on some soft music
• Keep your eyes open and, without staring, rest them on a chosen point infront of you
• Gently withdraw your attention from all sights and sounds and become the observer of your thoughts
• Don’t try to stop thinking; just be the observer, not judging or being carried away by your thoughts
• Gradually, the thoughts will slow down and you will begin to feel more peaceful
• Create one thought about yourself, for example, “I’m a peaceful soul.”
• Hold that thought on the screen of your mind and visualize yourself as being peaceful
• Stay as long as you can in the awareness of this thought. Do not try to fight off or suppress any thoughts.
• Just watch your thoughts pass by and be an observer. Each time return to the thought, “I’m a peaceful soul.”
• Now think of the Supreme Soul, who is the ocean of peace
• Acknowledge and appreciate the positive feelings and positive thoughts which may emerge from this thought
• Be stable in these feelings for a few minutes
• Be aware of unrelated thoughts
• Finish the meditation by closing your eyes and remaining in silence for a minute

Thus, Brahma Kumaris’ meditation is unique in that it is done with the eyes open. The focus and concentration levels increase manifold. This form of meditation can help reduce stress levels, work better, have greater productivity in life and have a general peaceful nature throughout.

©Navodita Pande

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Dr. Navodita Pande

Navodita is currently teaching Mass Media & Communication to Board classes in ICSE/ISC affiliated school in Kanpur. She has been associated with the media since 2000 and has worked on several shows including prime time news bulletins, daily diary ‘What’s On’ and Yoga show ‘Sehat ka Yog’ on NDTV. She is a Ph.D. in Journalism. She is trained in Iyengar Yoga and other forms of healing. She also teaches Yoga to the school national team and conducts workshops around Kanpur and Ghaziabad.

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