Episode 12: Dr. Nandini Bhowmik

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.

✨ Full show notes and transcripts are available at: womensministryofkriya.org/episode-12

✨ 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.

🙏 About the Podcast:

Welcome to the Women of Kriya Yoga: Living in Joy Podcast — a gathering place for women walking the spiritual path. Here, we share stories, teachings, and reflections rooted in the timeless practices of Kriya Yoga. These conversations are an offering from the Women’s Sangha & Ministry of Kriya Yoga International, inviting you to rest in stillness, awaken your inner light, and connect with a community of women to support one another in living in joy.

This podcast is brought to you by the Women’s Sangha & Ministry of Kriya Yoga International. Learn more →  https://womensministryofkriya.org

🙏 About Kriya Yoga:

Kriya Yoga is a powerful meditation practice that awakens constant communion with the Divine through the science of the breath. Handed down from teacher to student in an unbroken lineage of enlightened masters, it transforms body, mind, and heart—helping us be calmly active and actively calm. Today this living tradition welcomes seekers everywhere through the guidance of Paramahamsa Prajnanananda, the principal disciple of the great master Paramahamsa Hariharananda. To learn more about Kriya Yoga, please visit kriya.org

🔗 Learn more:

Women’s Sangha & Ministry: womensministryofkriya.org

Kriya Yoga International: kriya.org