Interview RAI TV 1985-05-19
19 May 1985
Interview
Rome (Italy)
Talk Language: English | Transcript (English) – VERIFIED
Interview RAI TV, Rome, Italy, 19-05-1985
TV News Service (in Italian): “Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi - Mother to her followers, wife of an Indian diplomat at the UN for the world - presents Sahaja Yoga, the Yoga of integration, to the Italian public. In a few words, how to recover, through meditation, the latent spiritual energy in each one of us that according to the tradition is located in the lower part of the abdomen. This reassuring Indian lady maintains that freeing spirituality, in the East as in the West, would allow a more harmonious development of the personality and a healthier existence for the body.
In the West, Yoga, which means ‘union’, is practiced in many forms. Here you can see a classic meditation position of Hatha Yoga, a discipline that tends to strengthen the physical and psychic aspects of the person, through the education of the body and the regulation of the rhythm of breathing. The discipline imposed by traditional Yoga is long and extremely selective. And here lies the difference with what Shri Mataji proposes.
Through meditation and the guidance of a Sahaja Yogi, anyone, in a short time, can recover the awareness of their spirituality. Relationships with others and also the nervous system of those who practice this discipline would benefit from it.
Often it can happen to meet someone who claims to give methods to achieve happiness or health. It is less frequent, as in this case, to meet someone who offers a solution without asking for money in exchange. In Italy there are Sahaja Yoga centers in Rome and Milan, and they can be attended for free.
The followers of this discipline are not particularly picturesque, they do not perform imaginative rituals nor do they observe a particular rule. There are accountants, architects, actresses, employees, in short, ordinary people. Ordinary people, but who are convinced to improve their own life and that of others in this way. This lady, certainly endowed with charm and sweetness, every now and then leaves London, where she lives, and goes around the world to tell people how wonderful they are, and how much richer they are than is commonly thought. After Milan and Rome, Shri Mataji will be in Venice for what She and Her followers consider a true mission at the service of human society.
Interview at “Tandem” TV Show
Lady Host in the studio: ... “Tandem” is Shri Mataji, better known in India as the Great Mother. She comes from an imperial dynasty, just think: she is a doctor and psychologist and the wife of the Secretary General for Maritime Affairs at the UN. She is the founder of this new discipline, of this Sahaja Yoga, or natural Yoga – Yoga in Sanskrit means ‘union’ – and since 1970 she has been taking her message around in Iran, Australia, America, Europe and these days she is in Rome for a series of conferences. And she is keen to underline – it is important to say this – that she does it for free. She tries to help people because, as she herself says, “God does not understand money”. And she is here with us precisely to illustrate this new Yoga discipline to us.
Gentleman Host: So, this new Yoga discipline - of course (a yogini - ed) is translating what we are saying, otherwise the Great Mother might get nervous and say, “What are these two saying?”. Let’s say that together with the Great Mother there is the lady who takes care of...
Lady Host: Mrs. Pallini.
Gentleman Host: Mrs. Pallini who takes care of the translation, while we have Professor Guido Lanza who, let’s say, is the Italian terminal of this great organization around the world that revolves around the Great Mother. We are talking about the fundamental concept. This Kundalini, what is it?
Yogini: What is the Kundalini?
Shri Mataji: Kundalini is the power of pure desire in the triangular bone.
All our desires are impure, because when the desires are fulfilled, we are not satisfied.
Only desire which is pure is this one. When it ascends, then we know that the desire was to be one, to be united with the Divine Power which is All-pervading.
[While translating the answer into Italian, in particular the point that, except for the Kundalini which is a pure energy, the pure desire, all other desires are impure because they do not satisfy us, the Host answers:]
Gentleman Host: I understand. Here we enter the great magic of the Indian world.
[During the translation of the answer into Italian, in particular when it is said that what happens when the Kundalini rises will be explained afterwards, the Host answers:]
Gentleman Host: Yes, now we will show it.
[After the translation of the answer into Italian] Very good. This Kundalini is an energy that is released inside our body – we all have it – and it is capable of removing those fundamentally psychosomatic illnesses. But it is also capable of other miraculous healings from other illnesses too, which of course needs to be verified. We don’t feel like talking about healings at this moment...
Lady Host: Perhaps the lady can explain to us better, approaching the board, where this latent energy resides, which we are not aware of but which sleeps, exists.
Yogi: Exactly.
Gentleman Host: It is inside us.
Yogi: It resides exactly in the sacrum bone, which was called ‘sacred’ not by chance by the Greeks. And once awakened, thanks to the catalytic intervention of someone capable of doing so...
Gentleman Host: It means falling, going into a trance, in catalepsy.
Yogi: No, no, no, absolutely not. Everything happens in full awareness, there is no hypnosis, no paranormal intervention. Everything happens in awareness, when we are awake.
Gentleman Host: This catalyst element is needed.
Yogi: Exactly, but not only that. It was important that this should happen on a mass level. So, Shri Mataji is this element capable of awakening the Kundalini on a mass level.
And, when awakened, it rises along this central channel, a parasympathetic energy channel, passes through these six centers which are energy plexuses on a physical level, revitalizing them - because she is like a mother, who takes care of us - and ultimately crosses the last center, the last chakra in Sanskrit, and gets united with the cosmic Energy which pervades this entire universe.
So when this happens, Yoga, i.e. the union, takes place. And when this happens, it manifests itself through cool vibrations, that is, a cool breeze that we feel both on our hands and on the top of our head.
Gentleman Host: I understand.
Lady Host: So very specific physical effects.
Gentleman Host: It means that the Kundalini has been released, at that moment.
Yogi: Yes, it means that what we call the Self-realization has taken place.
Lady Host: But to do that, does one always have to resort to Shri Mataji or not? Because it is a kind of meditation that...
Yogi: No, it is a bit of a chain process, because when a light, a candle has been lit, it can then give its light to other candles.
Gentleman Host: I understand. It is a battery that charges and can give energy to many other subjects who can thus be recipients...
Yogi: In a way, yes.
Gentleman Host: I wanted to ask the Great Mother: what does she have to defend herself the most from, as we live in a world, especially in America, where we see so many theories flourishing, so many Yoga-type doctrines, etc? We have heard that she does not have any Rolls Royce’s, as many other people in America do, who have even twenty Rolls Royce’s. Now, I want to know, how does she defend herself from these accusations that can be made by Westerners?
Shri Mataji: One must understand that you cannot pay for Divine work because it is a living work. Like the seed, when it sprouts, we don’t pay any money to the Mother Earth. You see, it is a living work of the Divine. You can’t pay for it. The first thing is you should not pay for anything. Anybody who takes money in the name of Divine, or lives on that in the name of Divine, is sinful.
Lady Host: Well, I wanted to know: this kind, this discipline, this natural Yoga, founded by Shri Mataji, is absolutely devoid of all the breathing practices or the physical exercises typical of Yoga. And it even manages to make illnesses regress or improve psychophysical disorders.
Why does she think that all that is gymnastics is superfluous, as it is the Yoga that has been transmitted to us so far in the West? Yoga was more of a physical exercise and breathing practice.
Yogini: Why you don’t have practical exercises, physical and all these things?
Shri Mataji: No, no practical exercise is needed. It’s a living process, again. It’s a living process of the living energy. And for living process you don’t do any exercise. You see, it has to work spontaneously. Sahaj means spontaneous.
Gentleman Host: Well, then, since we are very interested in having this Kundalini – also because, who wouldn’t like to have a bit of this Kundalini, to truly heal from many illnesses that are the illnesses of our century, mainly psychosomatic illnesses – well, I would like to know: if there is no gymnastics, if there are no exercises, and if one is not lucky enough to meet the Great Mother, where does one get this Kundalini from?
Lady Host: How do you reactivate it?
Gentleman Host: How do you reactivate it?
Yogini: He’s saying: If there are no exercises and there is nothing to do, how is it that this Kundalini is awakened? And if people don’t meet You, how can they have Kundalini awakened?
Shri Mataji: They meet Me somehow, now for on the television now there will be so many. Those who are seeking the Divine meet Me. They will meet Me somehow. And if they don’t meet Me, they’ll meet Guido.
Tomorrow you get enlightened, they’ll meet you.
Like one light can enlighten another light and it can enlighten another light.
Lady Host: Well, I was wondering: apart from the psychophysical problems, it frees people from the illness of the century, which is anxiety. That is, awakening the Kundalini gives serenity, gives harmony, gives a better attitude towards life and takes away the fears of today, which is a bit the fear of suffering, of death, of life. We would like to do, as we have the opportunity...
Gentleman Host: We still have two minutes, we will make this experiment for last, right at the end.
Lady Host: Well, but if these two minutes are needed? I don’t know how much time is required.
Gentleman Host: Does it need a lot of preparation? Because I wanted to ask just one thing about Gandhi. She was lucky enough to know and be close to Gandhi.
I would like to know if she learned something, or if she also took this theory of Kundalini from Gandhi, or if it is something that was born from her.
Yogini: You had the luck to meet Gandhi in your life. Did you take something from him?
Did you take this practice of Kundalini awakening from him?
Shri Mataji: No, not from him. Actually, he was busy with the independence movement. And if he had survived, then he would have taken to this, and he would have propagated about Sahaja Yoga. But that time he was busy with the problems, which were very different and immediate.
Lady Host: Now, since we have the opportunity to have Shri Mataji here in the studio today, we have the opportunity, the possibility for those who follow us, for those who are listening to us, to have a little bit of serenity transmitted, by reactivating this Kundalini. I would ask the Great Mother to do...
Gentleman Host: Now let’s do an experiment, in this television space.
We will do... We will do, we will send you a little bit of Kundalini into all of your homes.
Lady Host: All the kids (in the TV studio - ed) can participate, you just have to tell us what they have to do exactly.
Gentleman Host: How can you feel it, what do you have to do?
Lady Host: I will also do it.
Yogi: It’s very simple, just put your hands like this towards Shri Mataji, or – for the viewers – towards the screens [Host: “Towards the screen”], look at Shri Mataji, in a very simple, natural way, like this, relaxed, and that’s it.
[Self-Realization – Video interruption]
Shri Mataji: ... A cool breeze in your hands.
Lady Host: Yes, yes.
Shri Mataji: Stir. Though the atmosphere is artificial, it’s working out inside.
Yogini: Yogini: Shri Mataji says that you start to feel cool on your hands, even though there is - there must be air conditioning, because she said something artificial.
Lady Host: No, I feel a tingling in my fingers.
Shri Mataji: And you will feel thoughtless.
There is no thought. You will feel very relaxed.
All kinds of diseases are also cured with this and you feel extremely relaxed and peaceful and blissful. But it is to be established. And you all have to master it so that you can give it to others too.
Even the young people like these can master it and they can become real masters. They are better suited because they are not so complicated and they are innocent.
Gentleman Host: Well, we truly thank the Great Mother for being here with us in our studio. Unfortunately, time is running out, I think.
I hope that a lot of serenity has entered the homes of all those who are listening to us. Even if there will be skeptics, logical positives, like myself or others.
Shri Mataji: Also ask them to feel it on top of their heads. On their fontanel bone area. The cool breeze is coming out of your head.
Gentleman Host: I have to say that this is true, even though I am a skeptic by nature. Maybe the real miracle is that the air conditioning system is working today, I don’t know, but it had almost never happened before.
Lady Host: No, but it is the...
Gentleman Host: Usually it is always very hot under the lights.
Shri Mataji: And his eyes are sparkling, just see, his eyes are sparkling. Hers too.
Lady Host: “You too”, She says. Our eyes have a different light.
Gentleman Host: I have felt, and I thank the Great Mother. Maybe she has performed a miracle... (applause).
Lady Host: Thank you.
Gentleman Host: ... giving, taking away for a few moments, and hopefully for a long time, this great disease of the century which is precisely anguish, the anguish that grips us all, some for one reason, some for another. Thank you.
Lady Host: Thank you very much (in English).
Shri Mataji: Thank you.
Gentleman Host: Thank you very much (in English). Bye-bye.
Shri Mataji: Thank you, ‘grazie’ (in Italian), thank you.