Brahma Kumaris

Scope note: A Hindu-oriented movement that arose in the 1930s in Hyderabad out of the vivid religious experiences of a merchant named Dada Lekhraj. Lekhraj, using the new name of Prajapita Brahma, encouraged the movement's leadership to pass to female followers, where it still remains. In this millennial movement, the traditional roles of husbands and wives have been reversed. The Hindu belief in the possibility of escape from samsara is rejected in favor of a belief in a golden age that will follow our present age of decline, ending in a nuclear catastrophe. Only purified souls will continue to exist in this golden age and these souls will live as deities in a state of complete happiness. Followers recommend a lifestyle of vegetarianism, abstinence from alcohol and cigarettes, and celibacy with a large emphasis placed on meditation and yoga as ways to attain mental union with God. Their ideas are circulated in the form of messages or 'murlis' that are delivered daily at Brahma Kumari centers throughout the world. Followers have recently become active in the United Nations, for instance they inspired the Global Co-operation Movement. Current headquarters are located at Mount Abu in Rajasthan, India.

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