Dada Lekhraj
| Lekhraj Khubchand Kripalani | |
|---|---|
| (ليکراج خُوبچندڪِرپلاڻِي (دادا ليکراج | |
 |
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| Religion | Hindu spiritualist, Brahma Kumaris |
| Other names | Prajapita Brahma, Brahma Baba |
| Personal | |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Born | 15 December 1876 Hyderabad, Sindh |
| Died | 18 January 1969 (aged 92) Mount Abu, Rajasthan |
Lekhraj Khubchand Kripalani (15 December 1876 – 18 January 1969), also known as Dada Lekhraj, was the founder of the Brahma Kumaris.
Lekhraj Kripalani was born in a Hyderabad, Sindh in 1876. He became extremely wealthy from a jewellery business in Calcutta. In his fifties, Kripalani reported having visions and retired, returning to Hyderabad and turning to spirituality.
In 1932, Lekhraj established a spiritual organisation called Om Mandali. Originally a follower of the Vaishnavite Vallabhacharya sect and member of the exogamous Bhaiband community, he is said to have had 12 gurus but started preaching or conducting his own satsangs which, by 1936, had attracted around 300 people from his community, many of them being wealthy. According to BKWSU claims, a relative reported that a spiritual being (Shiv) entered in his body and spoke through him. Since then, Lekhraj has been regarded by the BKWSU as a medium of God, and as such, speaking channeled messages of high importance within the religious movement's belief system.
In 1937, Lekhraj named some of the members of his satsang as a managing committee, and transferred his fortune to the committee. This committee, known as Om Mandali, was the nucleus of the Brahma Kumaris. Several women joined Om Mandali, and contributed their wealth to the association.
The Sindhi community reacted unfavourably to Lekhraj's movement due to the group's philosophy that advocated women to be less submissive to their husbands, going against that strong cultural aspect at the time in India, and also preached chastity.
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