Maa Basanti Manihar
‘Basanti Manihar’ — Basanti, gaze upon Maa; gaze upon Jagatjanani Maa. Her life, under the divine guidance of Bhaiya Shri Nandkishore Sharda, is a rare example of love, renunciation, sadhana, the spread of knowledge and the welfare of humanity.
Jodhpur
under Bhaiyaji's guidance
the centre of sadhana
Sunday service
guiding still
In a single moment, she made spirituality the aim of her life
In 1964, when Maa Basanti met Bhaiya Shri Nandkishore Sharda, drawn by his spiritual reflection and his radiance, she asked simply, “Bhaiya, does Jagatjanani Maa exist, and does she give darshan?”
Hearing Bhaiyaji's clear and true answer — “Yes, Jagatjanani Maa exists, and she gives darshan” — she was satisfied, enthralled and moved to the depths. In that moment she said that she too would take the spiritual path under his guidance. This decision was not a passing impulse, but a firm resolve to win the love of Jagatjanani Maa and to draw pearls from the ocean of the spirit.
A beginning full of simplicity, purity and kindness
Maa Basanti Manihar was born on 28 September 1942 into a highly respected, distinguished, prosperous, cultured and well-educated family of Jodhpur. She was the granddaughter of Advocate Shri Sohanlal Manihar, and the daughter of Advocate Shri Harkalal Manihar and Smt. Sire Kanwar.
She received higher education and was, from childhood, of a simple, pure and kindly nature. Bhaiya Shri Nandkishore Sharda was her first cousin, but in time this family tie was transformed into a bond of divine guidance and sadhana.
After hard tests, the beginning of a supernatural sadhana
Her father set Maa Basanti and her guide, Adhyatmyogi Shri Nandkishore Sharda, several hard spiritual tests. After these tests, she was given leave to enter the spiritual life.
Under Shri Sharda's guidance, from 1964 she gave up every comfort and, as a child of Jagatjanani Maa, did a supernatural sadhana. From Bhaiyaji she received divine, eternal knowledge. Bhaiyaji shaped her by granting her powers, steeped her in the love and tenderness of Jagatjanani Maa, and helped her make the spiritual her own.
“Basanti, the beloved of Maa”
In his diary, Bhaiyaji wrote of Maa Basanti with great tenderness — that he is her guide, and that Maa is her loving mother and guru. He called Maa Basanti's true love, her renunciation, and her practice of calling “Maa, Maa” day and night, matchless and worthy to be followed.
“In my view, her renunciation for the love of Maa and for her own is matchless and worthy to be followed. A life of lifelong brahmacharya and purity — this is no small power.”— a sense of Bhaiyaji's diary
Manidweep, awakened by an accomplished sadhana
For a long time, Bhaiya Shri Nandkishore Sharda and Maa Basanti did single-minded sadhana at the Manihar haveli, Kabootaron ka Chowk, and reached the highest state of sadhana.
In 1995, on the auspicious day of Basant Panchami, at Maa Tripurasundari's command the building of Manidweep was completed. On 10 June 1995 the Maa Parivar moved to Manidweep. Here too the divine sadhana of them both continued without a break.
After Bhaiyaji left the physical body, two unshakeable resolves
In 2003 Bhaiyaji left the physical body. Because of Maa Basanti's prayer, he is held to be present in his chaitanya form at Manidweep to this day. When Bhaiyaji left the physical body, Maa Basanti offered her whole being at the feet of her guide.
She made two resolves: first, to make Bhaiyaji's knowledge simple and spread it for the welfare of all; second, for as long as she was conscious, always to keep doing good work. She kept both resolves all her life, even in hard circumstances.
She had works such as “The Spiritual Man of Manidweep — Shri Nandkishore Sharda”, “The Wonderful World After Death” and “Chakradhari Yugpravartak Adhyatmyogi Shri Nandkishore Sharda, beloved of Maa Tripurasundari” published and distributed, carrying the divine wisdom to everyone.
The service of sharing supreme joy, selflessly
From 1964, under Bhaiyaji's guidance, Maa Basanti tasted the boundless grace and supreme joy of Jagatjanani Maa. Sharing that same joy selflessly, she satisfied the questions of every kind of person.
From 2007, Sanskar classes were held every Sunday morning at Manidweep for the all-round growth of students, and spiritual knowledge discussions in the evening. These classes awakened in students good sanskar, personality development, confidence, faith in God and an interest in education.
The Sunday knowledge discussions inspired a change of thought, a positive outlook and a stress-free, joyful life. Under Maa Basanti's care, Manidweep became a centre of spiritual knowledge and of life's awareness.
Preserving the sacred sadhana-sthali, at Maa's command
Once, in moments of deep sadhana in her practice room, Maa Basanti received Jagatjanani Maa's command to buy that place. It later became clear that Maa herself wished to keep the awakened sadhana-sthali of her beloved son, Bhaiya Shri Nandkishore Sharda.
The process was extremely hard and all but impossible, but Maa Basanti took Maa's command as her duty. In a wondrous way, that place became the Adhyatmyogi Shri Nandkishore Sharda Sadhana-Sthali, the Siddhapeeth. Today that ground of tapasya is a place of full awareness, worth visiting.
The experience of awareness, even while living a material life
Through the practice and knowledge grounded in buddhi and vivek that Bhaiyaji gave, Maa Basanti explained the purpose of human life by bringing awareness and the material together. She resolved the hard problems of seekers quickly and with ease.
She made the family lives of many seekers joyful. Under her guidance, a positive change of thought, a shift in the way of seeing, and the laying of a spiritual foundation became possible. She guides seekers still, in her chaitanya form.
A flame of tenderness, sadhana and eternal oneness
The important aspects of Maa Basanti's life are set out in verse in the book “A Lamp-Flame of Manidweep — Jiji Basanti Manihar”. On 7 May 2021 she too left the physical body.
In the spirit of the Manidweep family she is held, to this day, to be seated at Manidweep with Bhaiyaji and Jagatjanani Maa, guiding its work and the spiritual growth of seekers. In truth, Jagatjanani Maa Tripurasundari, Bhaiya Nandkishore Sharda and Maa Basanti are the experience of one and the same conscious truth.
Maa Basanti's life is a living bridge, from sadhana to service
She made Bhaiyaji's divine wisdom simple, brought it into the welfare of all, and made Manidweep a centre of awareness, sanskar and warm guidance.