BK Mohini Panjabi has been appointed as the Administrative and Spiritual Head of the Brahma Kumaris, the sixth female elder to lead this global movement since its founding in 1936. Journeying from post-Partition India to leading The Brahma Kumaris, BK Mohini Didi’s visionary leadership continues to make spirituality tangible, accessible, and deeply relevant. Before accepting this position, she spent more than six decades channeling silent strength, spiritual knowledge, and universal love as Regional head of the Americas region of the Brahma Kumaris, transforming countless lives, through her love of truth, natural dignity, and light.
An early encounter with suffering and seeking
Born in 1941 in India, BK Mohini Didi’s early worldview was shaped by the raw human pain she witnessed during the partition of the country. This imprint of suffering sparked an inner question: if external peace was uncertain, could internal peace still be cultivated? Her education at the University of Delhi, where she studied history, political science, and journalism, only deepened her inquiry. And then, as a teenager, she encountered the Brahma Kumaris – a meeting that would forever alter the course of her life.
Service that spans continents
Mohini Panjabi began serving with the Brahma Kumaris even as a student, being tapped for leadership roles in opening centers in India and then abroad. By 1978, she had established the organization’s regional headquarters in New York for North and South America and the Caribbean. Her vision and integrity won her the role of NGO representative at the United Nations in 1981 – a milestone not just for the BKs, but for spiritual organizations globally.
Since 1998, she has led the Call-of-the-Time Dialogues and Retreats, a sacred space for leaders to reconnect with their higher selves. More than a thousand world influencers have drawn inspiration from these retreats.
Spiritual succor in a time of crisis
When the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a halt, BK Mohini responded not with fear, but with presence. She launched a nightly Zoom broadcast, offering meditation and spiritual talks that reached thousands worldwide. In a time of isolation, she became a quiet yet constant companion to seekers across the globe.
A living example of awakened consciousness
BK Mohini is not a public figure in the traditional sense. She is a quiet force, a deep river, a still flame. Her life reminds us that leadership does not always shout – it often speaks through quiet wisdom -- and that truth is not something to wield, but something to embody.
As she continues to serve, speak, and remain in contemplative silence, BK Mohini carries forward a timeless truth: When you live in truth, you don’t need to prove it. You simply shine.
This article was excerpted from an article originally written by Navni Chawla and published in Lotus in the Mud. Chawla is assistant editor at Lotus.
