In this episode, Marydale Ma speaks with Dr. Nandini Bhowmik — Indologist, Sanskrit scholar, stage actor, author, and founder of Shubhamastu, a charitable trust led by women priests devoted to creating a more compassionate and equitable society. Born in Kolkata into a family deeply rooted in Kriya Yoga, Nandini Ma shares how her grandmother’s early guidance, her father’s journey into monkhood, and her own lifelong love of Sanskrit shaped a path of scholarship, service, and courageous reform. From pioneering women’s priesthood in India to challenging caste and gender discrimination through sacred ritual, her story is one of devotion in action — and of a life in which, as she says, every act of honest work becomes worship.
About Our Guest
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik is an Indologist, Sanskrit scholar, and Associate Professor who has dedicated her life to both the study and the living of dharma. Born in Kolkata, India, Dr. Bhowmik is the founder of Shubhamastu and a pioneering priest whose unique approach to priesthood has grown into a genuine social reform movement — breaking down barriers of discrimination and expanding access to sacred ritual in ways that have earned her recognition across television, radio, academic institutions, and beyond. She is the author of four books, a contributor to numerous research journals, and a 25-year veteran of the stage as a theatre actor. Her life and ideology inspired the Bengali film Brohma Janen Gopon Kommoti, and she has been honored with awards including the prestigious Sera Bangali by ABP Ananda. We are so glad to welcome her to the Women of Kriya Yoga podcast.
Episode Transcript
Marydale Ma: Om and pranam to you, our dear friends, and welcome to Living in Joy. I’m so grateful that you’ve chosen to join us today for another sacred moment of connection, reflection, and inspiration.
This is a space where women’s stories become bridges of light, where wisdom, devotion, courage, and lived experience are shared from heart to heart.
Before we begin, let us just slow down a little bit and arrive in the present moment. If it feels comfortable, soften your gaze and perhaps even close your eyes.
And now just begin to softly notice your breath as it moves with a natural, gentle rhythm, in and out through your nose.
Allow yourself to settle,
to soften.
Allow the heart to open.
Beloved Father, Divine Mother, Sri Gurudev Paramahansa Hariharananda, beloved Guruji Paramahansa Prajnanananda, our Paramguru Paramahansa Yogananda, and all the radiant masters of Kriya Yoga of all time, we bow at your lotus feet in gratitude for this sacred gathering.
May this conversation be guided by truth, humility, love, and wisdom. May we all listen deeply and may we honor the feminine voice.
May we celebrate the soul’s capacity to serve, reform, heal, and awaken. Om Shantihi, Om Shantihi, Om Shantihi. Amen.
So today is not simply an interview. Today is a sacred crossing where scholarship meets devotion, where tradition meets courage, where spiritual service becomes a living offering.
We’re so blessed to sit with Dr. Nandini Bhowmik, born in Kolkata, India, a lifelong lover of Sanskrit, sacred culture, and truth.
An Indologist, Associate Professor of Sanskrit, author, priest, stage actor, and social reformer. And believe it or not, she also has somehow had time to found Shubhamastu, whose priesthood has opened hearts and helped transform lives through the powerful message of priesthood against discrimination.
Shubhamastu is a charitable trust led by women priests devoted to creating a more compassionate and equitable society.
It’s rooted in the belief that all human beings deserve equal rights, opportunity, and participation. It has actually transformed priesthood into a sacred art form, blending ancient Sanskrit hymns and Bengali songs,
while explaining rituals in a way that is both spiritual and deeply accessible. Their dream is a discrimination-free society where humanity is celebrated and dignity is honored, and their mission supports all women through empowerment, economic independence, and service to those in need.
Through her books, scholarship, sacred rituals, and courageous presence, Nandini Ma reminds all of us that the divine lives not in exclusion, but in love, dignity, and awakening for all.
Oh my goodness, Nandini Ma, what an honor it is and a joy to sit here with you today. Welcome, welcome, welcome.
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: I’m so excited to talk to you today. Really, it’s an honor to share my thoughts with you.
I’m feeling very blessed. Thank you so much for the invitation.
Marydale Ma: Yes. Oh, it’s our joy, truly our joy. And what I’d like, Nandini Ma, if we can, is begin with the little girl who was born in Kolkata. Before the scholar, before the priest, before the reformer, there was a child with a heart and a destiny. What was your childhood like?
Where were the early signs — for Sanskrit, for spirituality, for performance, and for service? Can you share with us what those intuitive and practical moments of your childhood ignited in you in later life?
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: Sure. I would love to do it because my childhood was the ideal grooming center that a child can have.
Actually, my grandmother, you know, she was a very enlightened lady. She was well educated, both in Bengali literature and English literature.
As a child, she taught me which classics to read at what age. And I studied — she guided the path for me. She was a brilliant person who had the courage to question the society at that time. The time was when she was young, India was not independent, under the British rule. But at that time only, she had that courage to express her own feelings, and she went by her own logic.
So that type of grandmother was my mentor. I was lucky for that. And then I would, of course, say about my parents. My father later on became Swami Sadhananandaji.
He took sannyas, a Kriya yogi. From Guruji, and he became a monk — but a household monk.
And you can well imagine that the way he transformed his life was in front of my eyes.
He was a very caring father, extremely well-educated. And our family was a family which was built on truth.
On eternal truth. That was the main thing which I had been taught from my childhood — that you have to speak the truth and you can’t hurt anyone.
You must learn how to forgive. You must be very kind to others. And all these things which later on I found are all written in our scriptures — that dharma, the qualities of dharma, is just this.
And my mother, Lili Ma — both my parents were disciples of Gurudev Hariharanandaji.
My mother is an extremely devoted person. She is now almost 90 and still, in front of her eyes, she can see Gurudev all the time, and she indulges in her puja, in Gurudev’s lotus feet and all that.
So my parents built a very beautiful path. They laid down a very beautiful path in front of me, which perhaps helped me to become an honest person. And later on, I think, with my father gradually going into spirituality, his life was gradually transforming. Seeing that in front of my eyes — that was very inspiring, and somewhere in my mind that took a very definite place in my heart.
Marydale Ma: What a beautiful, beautiful childhood. And I can see how the path opened with great enthusiasm and encouragement from your grandmother and your parents — to not only gain a remarkable education, but a passion for these ancient truths.
It’s wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing that with us. And it feels so beautiful that your life has held both the discipline of scholarship and the tenderness of spiritual expression.
I think you’ll agree that sometimes the mind studies scripture and sometimes the soul begins to live it. And you’re an example of that, Ma.
You truly, truly are. And for many people, scholarship is intellectual, but I’m finding that in your life, it seems deeply sacred.
How has your work as an Indologist and sacred Sanskrit scholar become a form of sadhana or practice for you?
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: Actually, when I was in school, about 13 or 14 years of age, we had an option — either to study Hindi as the third language or Sanskrit as the third language.
And I took up Sanskrit because my grandmother asked me to do it. So she was the main mentor.
And my grandfather, whom I don’t remember, he left his mortal body when I was very, very young. He was a professor of ancient Indian history.
So I think, genetically, I received that inclination towards ancient Indian history and culture. And you can’t imagine — the first day of my Sanskrit class in school, I felt so excited that the veins in my body, the blood in my body were gushing and I was getting goosebumps. And I knew at that time, at that very tender age, that this is the subject which I will carry forward throughout my life.
And my mother was very practical. She said, oh my god, you’re good in studies, why will you study Sanskrit?
You won’t end up in anything. You can’t do anything. You should be a doctor or a scientist. I said, no, I’m going to just study Sanskrit.
And my mother said, you have no future in front of you. What job will you get? Will you be a priest? I said, yes, if you wish, I will be a priest. And that happened.
Marydale Ma: It truly is unbelievable. It truly is.
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: Yeah, the words of the mother, you know. And my father was always very protective and he always wanted to fulfill my wishes in the area of study, because my father only wanted me to be very, very rich in education.
And my mother said, no — education will take you nowhere. You have to be good in art. You have to be good in dance, in singing. And you should act and recite poems.
That will make you a complete human being. Don’t listen to your father. Don’t only study.
Marydale Ma: Well, from reading your bio, I see that they both got their way, because you did both. And beautifully — either one could have been a full-time career.
It’s just uncanny. And as I listen to you, I’m really getting the impression that a lot of this was karmic, that it just had to come to pass.
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: Yeah, exactly so.
Because when I was young, really the study of Sanskrit was minimal. Very few students were there in college for graduation and post-graduation, because there was not much future studying this except being a teacher.
So I eventually became a teacher. I got a job in a college and the rest of my life I taught young students in college and university — graduation, post-graduation.
And that is how I’ve never left Sanskrit. Gradually, after my PhD, I shifted my focus from the Sanskrit language to Indology, because my love was also for the culture, the cultural life of ancient India, not only the texts.
Because I am a performer, I loved to do all my research on performance, on the cultural background of ancient India.
Marydale Ma: Yeah, it’s just fantastic. And you’ve spent so many years as a stage actor working in theater for more than two decades. What has the stage taught you about truth, embodiment, emotion, and the many roles that we play in our human life?
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: Really. Actually, many people ask me the question — you’re a priest, and you’re an actor. These two are absolutely different. I said, no.
Priesthood is also a presentation. It is a performance for me. And just because I am a professor in Sanskrit, I take the academic portion from my professorship and the cultural portion from my stage acting. I blend the two and I’m a successful priest just for that, because acting on stage means we have direct contact with the audience.
That is very important. And as a priest, I have to have direct contact with all those who are sitting in front of me and eagerly listening to whatever I say.
Even as a professor, I have direct contact with the students who are sitting in front of me. So the three have been blended together and I think they complemented each other, so I could be a successful priest.
Marydale Ma: Absolutely. It’s just seamless. And again, so remarkable how your childhood prepared you for this wonderful life that you have developed — such a gift to others.
And I know that through all of this, you have been inspired and followed through in writing some very impressive books. And because my Sanskrit is faulty, I’m certainly not going to attempt to say the names of these and insult you, Ma.
So if you will take a moment to tell us about your English works, your Bengali books, and your forthcoming work, Performing Arts in the Ramayana and Mahabharata — that would just be a gift for us.
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: Yes. Actually, the book Historical and Social Aspects of Vakpati Raja’s Gaudavaha — Gaudavaha is a Prakrit text in Sanskrit language. The language is a bit different; it is Prakrit, and we Sanskrit students read the Sanskrit version of that Prakrit language to understand it well.
My specialization during my master’s was inscriptions. So this topic was the area of my research for my PhD.
So I researched on this book, Gaudavaha, which contains the story of a king who was killed by his successor.
But there are so many interpolations in the whole book that we cannot understand which was really history and which was made-up story.
So I had to take help from inscriptions of that time to bring out the fact of what actually happened during that time. And the whole book is on that — the historical and social aspects. This is one book. And the next one is Treasury and Taxation in India. It will sound very hard and not quite matching with me,
but you know, my father’s job was taxation. He was into commercial taxes. That was his job. And his area of study was economics and mathematics. And then the person became a monk.
Marydale Ma: Like Guruji, you know — he was an economist, so.
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: Yes. And so it came to my mind that I should do a research on the ancient Indian aspects of treasury and taxation and match them with the modern aspect, which my father knew very well.
So taking all the notes from him, I sort of tried to match the two and give a very beautiful layer for coming research students — what has been the treasury and taxation in India in the past and ancient times, what the present position is now, and what can be done in the future. That is my book on Treasury and Taxation.
Marydale Ma: So interesting — and such a different subject than your first book. They are just worlds apart.
It’s fantastic.
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: Yeah. And then the two Bengali books — one written for children, Desh Bidesher Golpo, that is stories of our native Indian stories and some stories collected from foreign countries, written very simply with pictures so that children appreciate.
I love children’s stories, you know. I’m a child from within, still now. I love to read Alice in Wonderland still now.
And another book — my drama guru, the teacher from whom I first learned how to be an actor on stage, his name is Dipendra Sengupta, a Bengali playwright and director.
So that book is on him, his life and all his works together.
That was a sort of tribute to him, because I’m really indebted to him. He’s no longer with us now. And now I have just finished a project — I think the book will come out published by the Asiatic Society.
I finished writing it. It is on performing art — my area — performing art in the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
Marydale Ma: That’s just so impressive. And it really brings to mind for me how well balanced your mind is.
Both left and right sides in true harmony — which is rare and something to truly celebrate. When you look at your body of work, what thread connects these writings? What deeper inquiry has guided you through all of them? Because they’re very diverse.
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: Absolutely. Actually, I was absolutely an academic person. Whatever I did — actually, it can be said that it was my life to study. If I don’t study one day, I’ll go into depression.
I always read and study — not only, when I grew a bit older, storybooks anymore, because my inclination was into academics.
Research books, listening to good interviews from where I can collect something. That made me plunge into diverse themes. So I always enjoy studying various different things.
I think the inner lining of all is the wonderful magic of this universe.
I find everything so exciting. God has created the universe. It is so magical. He has created the human body in such a way.
It’s a magic. We just can’t understand. We are not aware that our heart is beating every second and the blood is gushing through our body every second. It’s sheer magic.
So I’m so indebted to the supreme power. And I think everything is connected together.
I feel very happy when I study.
Marydale Ma: That’s beautiful. And yet you still enjoy Alice in Wonderland — which is what drew you to the stage.
And, you know, there’s something so powerful about a life that honors both the written word and the living body.
Scripture, song, ritual, movement, and performance all becoming vehicles of meaning for you in your life.
Now, I know that you touched on the priesthood, and I’d love to gently step into your work as a priest. Can you share the path of priesthood and how it opened for you, especially as a woman entering a role that has traditionally been held by men?
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: Yes, it was my elder daughter’s marriage. Her marriage was coming nearer, and it struck my mind that, being a student of Sanskrit, I can see that the young generation is gradually shifting away from ritualistic ceremonies and social ceremonies, simply because they don’t understand anything — and our priests never explain anything to us.
So all my students in college and university, when I talk to them, say that when they’ll get married, they’ll just do a court marriage and a party, a celebration, a reception, and that’s all.
But there is so much treasure in our ancient scriptures. There is so much to say. And being a student of Sanskrit, it should be my duty to pass on this to the present generation.
Then it struck me — me and my co-priest now, Ruma Roy, we were both studying in the same class during our graduation and post-graduation.
We both decided that we would do this work and we would explain each and every mantra and each and every ritual, explain in such a way that the young generation understands, and at the same time they do not get embarrassed.
That is very important, because when the time changes, with change of time, everything changes.
Our dress code changes, our behavior changes — the way we used to write in ancient India, and now we hardly write, we just type.
So everything can change. Our food habits have changed. Why won’t our rituals change? It is very needful.
But the male priests — they are too serious about this and they just do not wish to change any bit of what is written in the age-long scriptures.
So we started this. I wrote down a script. And I had a very knowledgeable teacher in my college days when we were studying undergraduate.
She had made a script like that when she was young, and that was a brilliant path which she laid down for us.
We went through that script and we took it very seriously, and thank God the in-laws of my daughter also said yes if I was to be the priest at my daughter’s marriage. And that was the beginning. Later on, at that time, we used to officiate about two weddings a year, because people did not accept.
First of all, people did not accept the new method of priesthood and the fact that we were women.
And there is still a very hard belief in India that women are impure during menstruation.
I fought against that. I had to fight against two major things — that women are not impure during menstruation, because it may have been that way in the old days.
But now our life is so protected. We can go to office, come back and do all household chores. We can feed our children, take care of the senior members of our family. So we can do everything.
Why can’t we enter the puja room and worship then? Because I personally feel very strongly that when I am doing some work — like when I’m teaching in my college — that is my worship.
When I’m cooking at home, that is my worship. When I’m feeding my children, that is my worship. So worship does not only concentrate on that little puja room where the deities are kept. No, worship should be life.
Whatever I do, honestly, with hard work and passionately with devotion — that should be worship. So if I do so many things on those three to four days a month, then why won’t I do puja also?
And if I strongly believe that God is within me — God is inside me, in every breath — being a Kriyavan, having taken initiation in Kriya Yoga, with every breath I realize God, I feel connected to God. Then I cannot be impure.
Those days are a celebration of womanhood. So it took at least 10 years for me to convince people.
And now, from two weddings a year, Shubhamastu priests conduct at least 120 weddings a year.
Marydale Ma: Oh, bravo. That’s just amazing.
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: And another thing — caste discrimination. Gender discrimination, I have fought this way, and caste discrimination. In India, there’s a very strong belief that Brahmins — male members born of a Brahmin family — can only become priests and no one else.
Brahminism has certain excellent qualities. And Swami Vivekananda has also said that if a non-Brahmin acquires the qualities of Brahminism, then he becomes a Brahmin.
And if a boy born of a Brahmin family does not possess the qualities of a Brahmin, he becomes a non-Brahmin.
So Brahminism has to be acquired. And for all Shubhamastu priests, I have made it certain that they have to acquire the qualities of Brahminism in order to become priests. It is very important.
You have to study hard. That is the main thing — the base on which you are standing. And you have to have a large heart. You have to love others. You have to be kind to others.
Don’t be harsh. Don’t have any temptation towards anything. Of course, we will enjoy the materialistic world, but we have to be detached — no attachment whatsoever.
That is Brahminism.
So I have really practiced that for the last 15 years. I am into priesthood and yes, it can be done. And of course, my father helped me a lot in this.
So as a priest, I have convinced the society, especially in India, that caste discrimination and gender discrimination should not be there in this time.
That’s all.
Marydale Ma: Well, because your organization is known as “priesthood against discrimination” — that is a very powerful phrase and speaks volumes about the focus of you very strong women coming into this position.
It’s a big calling and it’s a very brave response from all of you. And I truly respect and honor you. You are in good company all over the world, with women in Judaism, in Catholicism, and many religions where women are fighting with all their hearts and minds and souls to be recognized — that we indeed are equal, that there is no difference.
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: And it is this, the episode [of history]. And, you know, we’re everything — we’re men, we’re women, we’re God.
Marydale Ma: And, you know, we’re everything. We’re men, we’re women, we’re God. And boy, oh boy, you’ve had such incredible tenacity to step into this position of leadership. And it’s just wonderful. Very, very wonderful.
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: Actually, you know, I can only say that it was not really my focus. It just happened. And I think a superpower helped me out in everything, in the whole journey. Hurdles came in — a great lot of hurdles came in — and I had to work for 10 years just to convince people. And it just happened, you know.
I am sure that a supreme power, God, has helped me throughout, and God wanted this to happen. That’s why it happened. And Gurudev and Guruji’s blessings are always with our family, and I’m so indebted to that.
Marydale Ma: Oh, yes. But at the same time, if we connect the dots in your life, every single thing prepared you for this.
There are no mistakes.
I mean, truly — at every corner, every turn, you just received what you needed to be able to stand in this spotlight.
It’s pretty remarkable.
And yes, Jai Guru, Jai Guru. And you began to touch on ritual. I’d like to spend a moment there with you, because many people today experience ritual as formal or distant — and sometimes even exclusionary — yet your work seems to restore ritual as something intimate, inclusive, musical, meaningful, and very much alive.
How do you help people experience sacred ritual as love rather than limitation?
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: I have been very serious upon this point. In all social ceremonies — like weddings, housewarming ceremony, the first rice-eating ceremony of the child, and shradh ceremony after a person dies —
all these ceremonies are conducted by Shubhamastu, and we have chantings, we have explanations of all that we chant in Sanskrit. And Rabindranath Tagore — he is our main touchstone — because his songs are based on the Vedic literature.
He shares the same vision, the same philosophy. So we take help from these Bengali songs written and composed by Rabindranath Tagore.
And do you know what happens? I always make sure that in a wedding ceremony, where there is pomp and grandeur, the wedding should start at such a time when guests are few —
whoever really wishes to sit and listen to the whole ceremony, they will come, they’ll sit patiently. And yes, a one-hour ceremony goes seamlessly.
It is musical. It is divine. And I’m very aware that nowadays the concentration span of people has become so short. They can’t give attention for a longer time. So that is also a challenge for me — that people come, sit down, and start listening to what we are saying.
The music helps us a lot. The chanting is also very musical.
And so at the end of the ceremony, those guests who have patiently listened to the whole thing are in tears and say, oh God, what a divine experience we had.
That is with the social ceremonies. And now for the last three to four years, we are also into puja — ritualistic puja like Durga puja, Kali puja, Saraswati puja.
These are very long pujas — it takes about three to four hours at a stretch, without stop.
I have made sure that I will explain each and everything as if I’m telling a story, and people are mesmerized. They can’t leave. They just sit and say, oh God, we have never experienced such things in the puja.
From childhood, we have seen pujas, but nobody explained what they say. So the general mass in India could never understand what is going on.
They only made sure that they are devotees.
They have devotion. But intellectual understanding is very important.
Why not? They have to understand.
Nowadays, everybody is so educated.
So that is a great thing that Shubhamastu has done — brought reform into society.
Marydale Ma: Oh, my. Just listening to this, I’m struck by the courage that it’s taken to love tradition deeply enough to help it breathe again. It’s just such a beautiful thing — not to reject it, but to return it to its essence.
I just really love that so much. And now social reform often asks a person to stand in truth — and you’ve been raised in truth — even when others may misunderstand or resist.
What inner strength has helped you to continue when your work challenged long-held customs, expectations, or social norms?
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: Yeah, I have faced immense challenges, mainly when I started worshipping the deities — ritualistic puja, Durga puja, Kali puja.
Challenges came from male priests, and nowadays on social media, you can troll very easily. So trolling began, and I turned a deaf ear because I had to be focused in my work.
And just because I had very good teachers in school and college who taught me good pronunciation — the way I can pronounce Sanskrit, the mantras — that created the magic. The larger part of society does not hear such good pronunciation. So, you know, I have an advantage like that.
But yes, everything I had to study and teach myself — how to implement the rituals, practically the mudras, and all the meanings, what I’m doing.
I had to study really hard, go deep into the texts. One thing I couldn’t understand — at that time in Vrindavan — I asked Guruji: “Guruji, just tell me the meaning of this ritual, why I do it.” And he explained it to me, because many male priests to whom I had gone in the past, just asking them — just explain this small piece, I need help —
said, we can’t do it because you’re a woman. If we teach a woman, it will be a sin for us.
So I said, okay, I don’t want you to become a sinner.
I’ll try my best to acquire the knowledge myself. So it is always, you know, going against the tide.
Still now, still now, it is going against that tide — in spite of the fact that I do four Kali pujas a year.
In total, Shubhamastu priests conduct four Durga pujas — one in my house, and the other girls whom I have trained have also become Durga puja priests.
In spite of the fact that we are doing so much work, there is still trolling — but we don’t bother anymore now.
Marydale Ma: We’ve got a long way to go, Ma, unfortunately. But my money’s on you. If it’s a horse race between you and the male priest, I think you hold your ground so beautifully and represent all of us.
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: Thank you. Actually, you know, I think Kriya Yoga has helped me a lot in this path — to remain focused, to concentrate, to be aware of the breathing.
The practice of always being aware of the divine sound in the inner ears — you always feel connected to the supreme power, that the supreme power is there to guide you, to protect you.
And of course, there are signals, Ma. There are signals — whatever I’m searching for, I’m reading this book, that book, plenty of books, but I can’t find the thing that I need desperately.
I get signals. I get the right book. So I believe that there is a superpower which wants us to do this work.
Nimitta matram bhava Savyasachin — He is there, like an umbrella, and we’re all under the shade.
He’s trying to protect us. And we have to submit — through our breath, through our breathing, through the meditation that our gurus have taught us in Kriya Yoga. Kriya Yoga has helped me to be calm.
Because in the long past, when people used to abuse my work, I used to be very sad. I used to get angry.
But I can overcome all this now just through Kriya Yoga. That has helped me to become a more patient person. And those people who could talk against me constantly — you can’t blame them, because they are used to such things and they are finding me doing just the opposite. So how can they accept me? Another generation is required for the whole society to accept. I know that.
So I have to be patient and love everybody and forgive everybody.
Marydale Ma: And yet you were drawn, your father was drawn, and you became Kriyavans — and Gurudev, Guruji, and Yogananda have always truly upheld adoration for the feminine, for the goddess. And now Guruji is really stepping up the focus on expanding the Women’s Sangha and Ministry.
And so you’re right, time has changed, time is expanding.
And we know just from looking at history that there’s a time for everything under heaven, so to speak. And this is our time, I feel, that we’re stepping into. And you’ve been given a tremendous leadership role in this, which is truly supported by the lineage of Kriya, unlike many other yogic lineages.
So that alone is tremendous strength and inspiration for your life. And I don’t want to gloss over Kriya in your life at all. I know your father — which is remarkable, actually — became a monk, which just has to be such a treasure for you to have watched that happen.
And I’m curious — when did you become initiated and meet Guruji?
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: Actually, when I was very young — say about 10 to 12 years — from that time my parents were connected with Gurudev. And Gurudev used to come to our house when he came to Kolkata. And yes, we traveled together, we met, and wherever he used to stay in the disciples’ houses — whichever house he used to stay in, we used to go over there and listen to him. So from a very young age I remember all that he said, and that was very inspiring. And Gurudev’s presence in our house was a great thing that modeled our lives, all of us.
In my marriage day also, Guruji was in America, I think — I don’t remember, in some country abroad. When he heard that I’m getting married, he came all that way and blessed me.
That I can never forget.
And after he grew older and was quite permanently settled in the US, Guruji took over and we learned so much from Guruji.
In fact, I would always tell each and every one — the amount of books that Guruji has written, just to guide us.
Oh my God, these are treasures.
I recently was reading through this book, Divine Motherhood — you know, what beautiful things he has laid down for us, for we women. We have just to follow these lines and nothing else, and we can really remodel our lives
in the Kriya Yoga form. So Gurudev and Guruji have really laid down the path of my life, my parents’ lives.
My parents used to consider Guruji as their son, because they saw Guruji from a very tender age.
Marydale Ma: Oh, that is so precious.
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: Yes. We have a Narayana Shila at home, you know.
And first of all, it was just a block of black stone and we could not understand whether this was Narayana. But my father got some dreams, and some real divine magic also started happening in our home. And in the meantime, Gurudev came to our house once.
And my father asked me to go and bring that stone and give it to Gurudev to study. Gurudev took the black stone in his hand and said, yes, this is the young Narayana Gopal — Krishna. You can pray, you can worship him, of course. He was so inclusive.
You know, in India, women are not supposed to touch Narayana Shila.
But Gurudev was so inclusive, so broad-minded that way, that he asked me to handle it — I was a very young girl at that time. And later on, my father, after taking monkhood, used to do all the worship, daily worships in our house. And gradually he reached 90 years of age and he became very frail health-wise.
He couldn’t do the daily puja anymore. And my mother got very worried — what will happen to Narayana? Who will bathe him every day? And my father said, you will do it.
So after his demise, my mother, every day, bathes the Narayana. And it will be my turn after that.
So all of this — we have got the courage due to our lineage of gurus. They alone have given us the courage to become broad-minded in our religious practices.
Marydale Ma: What a celebration of divinity and presence — and tangible presence for you.
What I hear in your story is that spiritual practice does not remove us from the world. It helps us enter the world more fully, with clarity, with compassion.
And God knows you’ve got so much courage. It’s just absolutely awe-inspiring to listen to you.
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: And you feel so happy. Anandam.
You feel joy and bliss. You know, the mundane life, worldly life, is always full of problems and worries and whatnot.
But if you are really seriously into spirituality and practice Kriya Yoga, you’ll feel very happy all the time.
Marydale Ma: All the time, all the time. It’s just such a gift. We’re so blessed, so lucky.
I always just feel so fortunate. Every single breath — so, so fortunate.
Now, for a woman who has carried scholarship, reform, ritual, art, and service —
what does living in joy mean to you? Not as a concept, but as a daily practice. You just mentioned how Kriya has ignited your life and you feel that.
But can you just tell us a little bit more about your day to day?
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: Yes, because people will get sick, there will be hurdles in life, there will be challenges in life. That is worldly life. We cannot avoid that. But if you practice detachment from that — you should be in the midst of the miseries, of course, there is no way you will avoid them — but if a certain amount of detachment is practiced each and every day, little by little, you will acquire that strength and you will feel the joy from within. Like the other day I read this —
Bliss is Brahman. We are born from bliss, we live in bliss, we enter into bliss after death. So if we really believe in this, if we submit to God, then there is no way that you will avoid being happy.
You have to be happy, joyful, and blissful.
The Upanishad (3:6:1) says
ānandāt hi eva khalu imāni bhūtāni jāyante
ānandena jātāni jīvanti
ānandam prayanty-abhisam-bishanti iti
“Beings are born in bliss; live in bliss and, when they depart, they enter in bliss.”
Actually, we think that the sun gives us light, the fire gives us light.
But actually He gives us light — the supreme power, the Brahman. He lights up every light source and makes us all happy.
So I think if you read the scriptures — the ancient Indian Sanskrit scriptures — you have to have bliss within yourself, if you believe that in your heart.
Marydale Ma: Oh, that was pure brilliance. Thank you so much for thinking of that, and for taking the time to share it. It was extremely inspiring and poignant — not just for me, but for everyone who’s listening.
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: Thank you.
Marydale Ma: Thank you, Ma. Now, speaking of women who are listening — perhaps someone out there is feeling the call within them to serve, to teach, to speak, to question boundaries, or simply to live more truthfully. What would you say to the woman who feels that quiet call but is afraid to step forward?
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: Actually, you have to have the courage. That is the first and foremost thing, apart from the education. The education is the basis. You have to be in a position to answer all questions. And in order to answer all questions logically and appropriately, all those answers should be very relevant to this time.
That is very important. Then you have to have a very sound knowledge about what you’re saying.
The education comes first. And education makes you brave, you know. Education gives you courage. So that is a point.
You have to be courageous. You have to speak out, and practice also from within. That is very important. And the world is changing.
People have become aware that women are coming into path-breaking areas. They are treading such path-breaking areas. Yes, of course, people will talk badly of you. They’ll troll. But that can’t stop you.
If you are focused, and if you submit to the supreme power, that power will take you through. So don’t worry at all.
This is my message to those women who want to carry forward this work.
Marydale Ma: Beautiful. And now as we come toward completion of our wonderful time together, Nandini Ma — what is your deepest prayer or blessing for women everywhere and for humanity as a whole?
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: I would refer to one of the songs written by Rabindranath Tagore, and the Kriya Yoga explanation has been done by Gurudev.
It’s a beautiful song. I will only give the English version of the song so that everybody can understand it.
The devotee is saying to his Divine Mother: “With a high hope I have come up to you — hold out your arms.
Oh Mother, don’t you send me back. With a high hope I have come up to you — hold out your arms.”
Gurudev is saying: By detaching ourselves from the lower tendencies while meditating in our body houses, we can perceive the abode of the Divine Mother in the cave of the cranium.
When we enter this cave, the darkness of night slowly disappears. The light of love and peace slowly manifests.
We can hear the soothing call of the Mother. We can feel the touch of the Divine Mother’s vibration. Remain in the cave with sincere love and devotion. Unite with the Divine Mother.
Experience the inner peace, bliss, and love. This is written by Gurudev. So this should be the mantra of our daily life.
If we can practice this, yes, life is much easier.
Marydale Ma: Oh. That was just beautiful. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Ma. And thank you so much for sharing your wisdom, your courage, and your heart with us today. It’s just been brilliant. Truly brilliant.
And your life reminds us that sacred tradition is not meant to remain frozen in time. It is meant to breathe, and it’s meant to bless all of us.
And it’s meant to also uplift us, to include everyone, and to hopefully awaken us.
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: Yes. Absolutely.
Marydale Ma: You know what —
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: I remember — I will share one beautiful thing. I forgot to tell you this.
Marydale Ma: Of course.
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: I came across this in one of Guruji’s books. He’s saying: “The scriptures are the mother. My son, keep your father’s commands and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
Bind them upon your heart forever. Fasten them around your neck. When you walk, they will guide you. When you sleep, they will watch over you.
When you are awake, they will speak to you.” This is the divinity of the scriptures that we should be aware of.
Marydale Ma: Just perfect. Perfect. Perfect. Thank you so much for sharing that. You know, you have shown us that scholarship can be devotion, Ma — that ritual can become compassion, and that service can become social transformation — all when guided by love of God and the masters. What a treasure you are. We’re very blessed to have you in our Kriya family and to be the one holding the bright light on the path ahead.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: Thank you for inviting me — I’m so glad to have had the chance to talk. Thank you so much. I’m a very ordinary person.
Marydale Ma: No — hardly. But I appreciate your humbleness. Truly, I do. Thank you, thank you, Ma, so much. And you know, Jai Guru — and speaking of Jai Guru —
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: Jai Guru.
Marydale Ma: Guruji really has words that harmonize so beautifully with your life.
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: Yes.
Marydale Ma: And he wrote that: “Do every action with love, humility, and awareness. Then work becomes worship and life becomes divine.”
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: Yes.
Marydale Ma: And you, Ma, are a true example of that. And we bow to you.
May we all carry these words in our lives. May each of our works become worship. May each of our service become prayer.
Dr. Nandini Bhowmik: Yes.
Marydale Ma: And may our lives become offerings of love, love, love. To you, our listeners — thank you so much for joining us for this beautiful conversation on Living in Joy. May today’s sharing inspire you to honor the divine within yourself and within all beings. May you listen deeply to the calling of your own heart.
May you walk with courage, humility, and joy. And may you remember that every sincere act of love becomes part of healing the world at large.
Please join us again for Sacred Conversations with Women Walking the Path of Kriya Yoga. You can find our podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and elsewhere. We invite you to subscribe and share your reflections, so that these stories of light may continue to reach hearts around the world.
Now, until we meet again — may God and gurus bless you. May Divine Mother guide you. And may your life become a living offering of love, courage, and joy.
Shantihi, Shantihi, Shantihi. Amen. And Jai Guru — much, much love.
