11 Nov 2008
In a series of events that questions the authority of the chief administrator Janki Kripalani's power, the decision to do so was overturned by a Jaguar driving, BKWSU (UK) trustee, accountant Sanjay Tulsidas whose business Financial Angels is based in London's exclusive Maida Vale.
Nonagenarian global chief and relative of the religion's founder, Janki Kripalani, is considered within the Brahma Kumari movement to be one of the top eight souls in the world, more spiritual that Christ or Buddha and destined to become Emperor Narayan in the future Golden Age to come after the forthcoming, imminent and desirable nuclear holocaust the BKWSU predicts humanity faces.
It is said that the once-married and uneducated Kripalani, who left her family to join the religion, will be part of a ruling dynasty of reborn Brahma Kumaris who will rule the world undemocractically for 2,500 years of heaven on earth. Within the religion, her advice is considered to be "Shrimat", literally 'equal to the word of God', and to be followed by her devotees.
As is the habit of the organization, in both this case and a recent BK suicide in India, problematic followers are generally accused by Brahma Kumaris of having mental illnesses, a great taboo within Hindu culture, if they doubt or challenge the leadership's authority.
Circumstances arose in Essex, UK and involved a British Raja Yoga center-in-charge and follower of over 16 years years. Steve Willis "trading as Brahma Kumaris", encouraged a follower to "surrender" to the group in order to pay his living expenses and the personal mortgage on the home he used as a "spiritual university". Whilst receiving goods and donations from other followers, this allowed him to carry out the business of the BKWSU (UK) full-time.
Further more, the leadership of the movement also doled out financial advice "equal to God's" that left the follower paying another mortgages "in order to finish their karmic account with their family". It increased the follower's personal debt to an unbearable amount.
- It is reported that the $31,000 (£20,000) accounts for only a fraction of money actually lost. Only lobbying from within the organization by other concerned junior BK members led to it being repaid despite, numerous requests to high ranking Brahma Kumaris such as the charity's administrator Ms Jayanti Kirpalani and UK director Mrs Maureen Goodman.
The Brahma Kumaris teach that all of time consists of a single, identically repeating 5,000 year cycle and faces imminent "Destruction". Their spirit guide, which they believe to be the god of all religions, has predicted the 'End of the World' or "Destruction" of humanity on numerous ocassions including; WWII, 1950, 1976, the mid-1980s and Year 2000. During the Y2K scare followers were encouraged to store food, buy water containers and take their saving out of their bank accounts. The global religion does not publish total donations made to it.
Whilst 100s of young Indian virgin Kumaris queue nervously to hand over envelopes of rupee notes to the elderly female leaders at the Rajasthan headquarters, sincerely counting their pitful amounts of money over and over again before surrendering them in person, another incident in the USA was reported by concerned members. It appears the movement 'unwittingly' become embroiled in potential insurance scam.
During the events, an India-born Brahma Kumari center-in-charge is reported to have withheld a five figure sum from a follower suffering from terminal cancer and his family. Believing the Trust was to benefit from a considerable insurance payment. The standard Brahma Kumari Will, an example of which is elsewhere on this site, leaves everything to the organization.
In this case, it was said the family of the individual got wind of the move and alerted the insurance company that the individual had not disclosed his known illness on taking employment with the American company. Payment was refused and the BKWSO left to pay the expensive funeral arrangements made in his honour. The so-called university's financial supremo also flew out to America to finalise the 'Last Will and Testiment' of an Indian follower suffering from Alzheimer's Disease in order to gain two properties.
The Brahma Kumaris are alleged to hold trunks full of followers' Wills ... despite encouraging them that "Destruction" will purify humanity through an imminent nuclear Holocaust to kill 6,000,000,000 plus ... and having them signed during the "intoxication phase of their cultic involvement. "2 to 3 years until Destruction" is the organization's usual prediction of when the End of the World will come. Time is always "close".
The Indian Government has permitted the BKWSU tax relief on its investments and Mr Willis is still supported in his position by the Brahma Kumari leadership.
