Profile of Dadi Janki

T H E.
F[e A L I N G
I{r A R T
A profileof Dadi Janki
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REGISTERED
CHARITYNo. 1063908/0
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Dadi Janki is a holisticpractitioner
whoselife and utork, spanningthe
great changesof the twentieth century,
a total conceptof healthexemplifies
physical,mentaland spiritual. Her
utork is basedon the understanding
that changesin the wdy we think and
feel utill securea heabhy future for
humanity,and a better world.
Photosin order of appearance:DadiJanki with Dr GeorgeCarey,
Archbishopof Canterbury;patientsat the J. VJatumullMemorial Global
Hospital and ResearchCentre;PrajapitaBrahma;Dadi Prakashmani;Pope
John-PaulIl; Rajiv Gandhi; elderly patient; BK Nirwair, managingtrustee,
Global Hospital and ResearchCentre;Dalai Lama and Lord Ennals;Lord
{Richard)Attenborough;Mother Teresa;Dr JamesJonah, then Assistant
Secretary-General,
United Nations; His ExcellencyDr. L. M. Singhvi,lndian
Hieh Commissioner.
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nation, from the richest to the poorest, is struggling
to enable its health servicesto make ends meet. Needs and demands
continually outstrip resources. Patientsand health workers alike
often suffer becauseof unlimited expectatiollsof what modern
medicine can deliver; in realitn mental distress,pl.rysicalexhaustion,
and ill-health are spiralling upwards.
Dadi Janki is a holistic practitionerwhose life and work,
of the twentieth century,exemplispanningthe great charnges
fies a total conceptof health - physical,mentirl and spiritual.
Born in 1915 into a wealthy:rnd philarnthropicfarnily in the
Indian province of Sindh, now part of Pirkistan,Dadi (which
means
"elder
sister" in Sindhi) has becomea for-rntainof
inspiration to hundredsof thousandsarxrunclthe world and a
sourceof wisdom in the arts of living and enioying happiness
and health.
She recognisesthat, whilst technologicalirdvirncesin
diagnosisand treatment are wonderful and need to be shared globally, many health problems arise fron emotional suffering and need
to be addressedat a deeperlevel.
Her vision encompassesnot only the dynirmicsof health
maintenancefor the individual, but also global healing.
that sin.rplechangesin the
Her work is basedon the ur.rderstanding
ways we think and feel will securea healthy future for humanity,
and a better world.
impses into Dadi Janki's e,rrly dirvs sholv how.1 concern
for the wellbeing of others has alw,rys been a drivir.tgforce in her
life. Her primary education consisteclof the study of h.rdian
scriptures,many of which she le:rrnt by heirrt, irnd she recounts
how much of her youth
was spent in serving the
sick by comforting them
with religious stories
and humble prayers.
'$Vhen
she sat with them
in this way, the peaceful
feelingsthey experienced
often brought about remarkable recoveries. Slrearlsoused to
visit neighbouring villages in her fatl.rer'shorse and carriage,
explaining the benefitsof a simple vegetirriirndiet ir.rrriding
recovery.
From the ageof 1,2,ar.rdthrough much of her life, Dadi Janki
has had a seriesof illnesseswhich have testedlncl indeed helped
irrfirmity
to develop and refine her ability to conquer pl.rysicrrl
through a spiritual consciousness.Dadi hrrsdevelopedthe ability
to detach from physical suffering irnd nraintain ir stirteof inner
happiness. This practice brings sr.rchpeirceto body and soul that
seeminglymiraculous recoveriescan occur'. Dadi also seesthe
experienceas a powerful means of benefitingothers, as well as
the self. Family and frier.rdsfelt ir.rspiredwhen tl.reysaw her, even
lnd earsein God's
as a sick child, experiencingligl.rtness
remembrance. The love and symplthy tl.reygave in return
used to hastenher own recovery.
"lt
'ill ,1li,a!s b( q itt iDrltrssibh t) o:lLtn tlr nind m the
b o s i so f n e t t n a l a c t i ' n ' i t l ) i n t l x h h l i , t . . . t l r t t t i t t r l n u s t b e
!i? 'ul tls,t hisit t:tlLtuctttin itsrll. - Vildcr I' cniicld. C.rnadi.rn
ncur('surge( . in Thc Mrsrcry of Mind
' ' S o n r co i
t b e t r a , l i t i < t t a ln r c , l u n i s n t s n l t n l t l t ? l p p u + l e k )
copc u'itlt strcssarc lm'.rl,rg drra rr" Srl.ss ,l'1d dn it bili4'
n a4r r|ith it lurl to hoth pl.''si,al and nrctttil illtrc's, t1s
'ell ds to Ir:set, \'t't Jintttbill!, r.)t1: ?,lu(1t.cs su.l) as
- Dr Hiroshi
dcnldlllisntt)n dtkl Ltcl o/,,(tntrln,r''
Nakajima, Direcr*(iener.rl. \\torld He,rlth Org.rnrsatron,
e d i t o r i : r l i n W o r l d H c a l t h i s s L r eo n s r r e s sa n c l h c . r l t h , 1 9 9 4
(' C f t
h e s ee a r l y i n s i g h r sa n d e x p e r i e n c ehse l p e dp r e p a l eD a d i J a n k i
for a unique role within the foundation years of the Brahma
Kumaris World Spiritual University (BK\ilSU), now a world-wide
educationalinstitution.
Between 1,937 and 1951 the pioneers,about 300 arndmostly
women, lived as a closed order in conditions dtat were sometimes
daunting both physically and spiritually. For l2 of theseyears
Dadi was appointed nurse to the community, a lole which in itself
demanded arduous work, as well as the skill :rnd ability to
diagnosemental ills related to physical syrnptorns.
Dadi Janki pays tribute to the role of PrajarpitirBrahm:r, founding
father of the institution, in setting a powerful practical example of
the healing power of spiritual awareness. He forrned such a
connection with God that he was able to serveotl.rerswith feelings
in his heart. These pure feelings
of complete love and selflessness
allowed him both to understandthe helrts of others, and
to give them strength. Peoplereported tharthis thoughts,
words and actions, filled with spiritutrlity,took them
beyond the consciousnessof the body into the experience
of their own inner, transcendentreality. The ioy of this
self-realisationgave them a new perspective,reducing pain
the l.realingprocess.
and worries and greatly accelerarting
Dadi also learned how such experiencesg:rvepeople the
ir.rlife that could
power to face and deal widr sitt-tittiot.ts
otherwise overwhelm them, causing distress,defeat and despatr.
Through Brahma Baba'sexample, she becamefilled with the
unlimited vision of going beyond religion, rarceand culture to work
for the happinessand health of arll.Norv brrsedin London, she
supports Dadi Prakashmani,the India-brrsedhead of the BKWSU'
as additional administrative head of the institution.
7n
t
t h e s ea n d s u b s e q u e nyr e a r s ,D a d i . f a r . r khi a s e r p e r i m e n t e d
i n t h e l a b o r a t o r yo f h e r o w n m r n d w i t h s p i r i t u a lt e c h n i q u e st o
conquer disease. The insights she has obtarinedserveas
encouragementand support to others in recoveringfrom illness,
and in regaining full health. In the caseof her own health, for
e x a m p l ew
. h i l e. l c k r r o w l c d g i nt h
ge
ber.refits
of medical care and
m e d i c i n e ss, h e e n r p h a s i s et sh e r n n e r
strength that cor.nesthrough
r e m e m b r a n c eo f G o c l ,a n d a l s o t h e
v a l u e o f d r e s u p p o r tp r o v i d e d b y
others when they feel lvell-disposed
t o w a r d s y o u . S u c hb l e s s i n g a
sremost
powerful when thev come fi-ornthe
heart, she says,and this harppens
when you have given from your heart to others.
Thus, it is a philosophy that involves much more than the
mechanicalmainrenanceof physical health. It links the current
crisis in health care to the need for a recognition of the spiritual
essenceof the self. This awareness,together with :r recognition of
God and an understandingof positive action, cnn enable a person
to improve their well being and make a positivc contriburion to
the world.
ver the past50 yearsDadi Janki hasdevelopedher spirituality
basedon the understandingof the self as a soul, in harmony with the
body. This spiritual awarenessand energy can be conveyed to others
and lies at the root of her healing as well as teaching abilities.
Dadi Janki believesthat this awarenessenablesher to care for her
own body well. Having learnt how to fuel it with powerful and
positive thoughts and feelings together with healthy food,
it co-operatesincreasinglywell with her, such that even in her
eightiesher life remainsone of endless
service.Despitea historyof tuberculosis,
prolapseddisc,thyroid dysfunction,severe
heartfailure,
osteoporosis
and congestive
shecan maintainan unrivalleddaily
lecturingand touring scheduleon just 4-5
hourssleep. Shehasglobe-trottedthe
world almost incessantlyover the past decade,enlighteningand
inspiring countlessindividuals, as well as addressinggatheringsin
more than 80 countries. Her engagementsrange from the grass
roots to government leaders,such as the late Rajiv Gandhi. Dadi
gave a plenary addressto world
government heads at the 1996 Habitat II
United Nations Conferencein Istanbul, and
"Keepers of Wisdom", an
is one of the
eminent group of spiritual and religious
leadersconvenedto advise politicians on
fundamental spiritual issues. Dadi also
participated in the 1995 State of the rJ7orld
Forum in San Francisco,hosted by President
Gorbachev and attended by 600 other
leadersfrom 55 countries.Also in 1995 shehad privatemeetings
with PresidentNelsonMandelaand ArchbishopTutu in CapeTown
immediatelyafter inauguratingthe 2nd InternationalHolistic
in Mount Abu, Rajasthan,India, attendedby
NursingConference
over 700 practisingnursesand doctors.
irst as the focus of her
own self-careis on the
quality of her thoughts,so
to health
sheemphasises
and medicalpractitioners
the importanceof their own
stateof mind in their
interactionswith patients,
as she is convinced this influences the patient's recovery. She maintains that filling one's mind with the power of positive self-awarenesscreatesan environment of loveful care, which in turn helps
others to regain physical strength. So her life and teaching have
become a classicmodel for healersas well as patients,and indeed
for many others who wish to harness their own potential in finding
lastine solutions for a better world.
The Janki Foundation for Global Health Care takes its
inspiration from this model. In Rajasthan,one of
India's least developedstates,it supports the work of
the Global Hospital and ResearchCentre, where an
experiment in holistic health care is setting an example
that may become a model for the 21st century. The
Foundation also seeksto sharethe benefit of the Global
Hospital experienceand researchfindings with other
institutions and individuals worldwide. The goal is to
demonstratethe huge potential to heal that can be
unlocked when modern scienceand technology are combined with
the creativepower of the human psyche.
"Stress
rcduction strategies haue been shoutt to letard tumorts
in labotatory aninals and to prolong Iife itt catlcer patients,..
stlch positiue enotions as d strotry fditl), socidl s pport and
other strcss rcd ctiotl stratcgies seenl dble to retard ol euen
rcuerce nlalignant grotuth, ds o.. rs itt cdsesof spontaneous
remission of cancer." - Dr Tracy B. Herberr, psychologist,
arricle on stress and the imnrune sysrem, World Health
7
QUOTESFROM DADI JANKI
9piri
On health:
"
Understandingthe mind
l11cdns
to know that it s a
facultl, of the soul, or self,
and that thoughts are
created uithin it.
Dratuirtg happinessand
potuer through remembrance
of God, basedon knowledge
and an accuraterelationship,
thc sclI is thert altle to regain
control ouer it."
" lf your
actions lack integrity,
then nc;matterbr:tuhard you try
to keepyour stateof mind
healthy,you uill fail."
"One
of the greatestof all medicines,
to keep the self heabhy and to giue heabh to others to inspire them towards heabh - is to follow the one
discipline:giue happiness,receiuebappiness.
Haue the power to make othershappy by
refusingto acceptanything but happinessfrom
the uorld for yourself."
On illness:
"A
factor causinggreat
discontentin the world is the
conslantmultiplicationof desires,
uitb one leadingto anotber and
neuera moment tuhenue feel at
rest. It's also becauseof tbese
endlessdesiresthat our relationships
hauebecomeso fragile, and uhy
irritability and anger are present.
Anger is the causeof many illnesses.
Selfishattachmentto peopleand
things, and pride - attachmentto tt
particular image of the self - also
causegreatsorrow and sickness."
"
V/hen we allor,u cttu.seluesto be influenced
strongly by human situations - tuhetber we are
being praised or criticised,or rubetherue feel
uictorious or defeated - our entotional reactions
bring illness. Spiritual dludreflessallows a
person to baue a state of stability, without
such fluctuations."
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tllottcr rtround rts.Thtts thc state of
tbe ntotter LlToun(lrts (Lutdthc
conditirnt oi the tun lrl ,ts a u,hole)
is a reflcctir)tttt()t jrtst oi tltc qtrality,
of our ttcticursbut also of thc stitte of
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ruell-lrcingof tltc srntl.
- l ) . t c l iJ e n k i .\ / i s i o n S t r r t r n r r l r tf .r r r r h S L r n r n r i r .
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" Spiritualknowledgenot
only showsyou how to
eleuatethe soul and bring it
closerto God, but alsohou
to use wisdom in life, in all
dealingsand situations.
The intellectnot only
becomesclear,but cleuer,
and receiuesinspirationsfrom
the Supreme."
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