Nirmala Devi

(b. 1923) Modern Hindu teacher who
claims to be an avatar of the primordial
Goddess, and the founder of Vishva
Nirmala Dharam, an organization dedicated to spreading her message.
Nirmala Devi’s teaching is based on traditional ideas of hatha yoga and the
subtle body. The subtle body is an
475
Nirmala Devi
At the Kumbha Mela festival in Haridwar the Niranjani Akhara proceeds first, followed by the Mahanirvani.
alternate physiological system, existing
on a different plane than gross matter,
but corresponding to the material body.
It is visualized as a set of six psychic centers (chakras) running roughly along
the spine; two divine principles, Shiva
(awareness) and Shakti (power), reside
above and below these centers. In practicing this yoga, the aspirant aims to
awaken the latent spiritual energy of
Shakti known as kundalini, move it into
union with the Shiva principle at the
crown of the head, and transform the
perishable elements in the gross body to
become immortal.
Nirmala Devi claims to be able to
arouse a devotee’s (bhakta) kundalini
through an infusion of her own spiritual
power, thus dramatically speeding up
the path to liberation. Her Indian devotees are mainly middle-class, but she
also claims to have a substantial following in Europe, North America, and
Australia. For a skeptical account of an
encounter with Nirmala Devi, see
Sudhir Kakar, “Cooling Breezes,” in
Shamans, Mystics, and Doctors, 1991.