The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organization was founded in the 1930s by a successful Indian businessman named Prajapita Brahma. Moved to create the organization after a series of spontaneous spiritual experiences imparted to him a vision for the world's future, Brahma Baba (as he is affectionately known) dedicated the rest of his life to fulfilling his vision of harmony between the sexes and of a world united in fundamental spiritual principles. Today, the Brahma Kumaris have an established network consisting of thousands of spiritual, educational, and service-oriented centers around the world.

One notable aspect of Brahma Baba's original vision was that the future of the organization be placed solely in the hands of women. One of those he chose was a 21-year-old woman named Dadi Janki.

Renowned for her devout spirituality even then, today she is considered the spiritual leader of the Brahma Kumaris and is widely regarded as a living saint. Although eighty years of age, she still travels the world, striving tirelessly—in the name of her guru and in the name of God—in the service of peace for all humankind.

WIE founder and spiritual teacher Andrew Cohen spoke with Dadi Janki at the 2004 Parliament of the World's Religions about her life, her awakening, and the purpose of creation. The meeting between Cohen's vision of an evolutionary enlightenment and Dadi Janki's pure expression of the ageless dharma results in a fascinating and richly layered encounter.

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