Addressing the recent complaint made by VNDA and former councillors

Addressing the recent complaint made by VNDA and former councillors against the Trust to the NSW Department of Fair Trading.

A message from the LETA Trustees on behalf of Sahaja Yoga Australia.

Dear Yogis,

Jai Shri Mataji.

Summary of the situation

We want to update you on the recent complaint made by VNDA and former councillors against the Trust to the NSW Department of Fair Trading:

The complaint claimed LEPA breached fundraising laws. Fair Trading confirmed on 13 August 2025 that the Trust does not need a Charitable Fundraising authority. The complaint therefore has no basis.
Unfortunately, the complaint could have caused serious harm to the structure created by HH Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, even exposing the 10 Trustee directors to criminal penalties.
Despite this, VNDA and the former councillors pushed forward, even though they should have known the complaint was groundless.
Ironically, VNDA themselves did not have a proper fundraising authority until July 2025, yet raised funds beforehand.

Why the complaint was made
The real aim was to weaken the Trust established by Shri Mataji, so that VNDA could take control. Their letter even asked the Attorney-General to intervene and remove LEPA as trustee.

Signing petitions and complaints
Some Yogis may have been misled or pressured into signing the complaint. Please be cautious before signing anything promoted by VNDA or former councillors and be mindful of the consequences.

Going forward
The Trust is open to constructive, respectful discussion. But undermining or dismantling Shri Mataji’s Trust is not acceptable and is outside Sahaja Yoga maryadas.

Please read below for more information

Over a lengthy period of time now, VNDA and the former councillors have undertaken a protracted and concerted campaign against LEPA as trustee of Life Eternal Trust (Australia) (Trust) and its volunteer assistants, raising unfair, unfounded and simply incorrect ‘concerns’ about the propriety of actions of the Trust, culminating in the recent baseless complaint to the NSW Department of Fair Trading alleging that the Trust breached the Charitable Fundraising Act (NSW Act). It is important to note that the complaint could have resulted in not only criminal penalties for the directors of the Trust (and potentially other yogis) but also dismantling or significant impairing of the Trust itself – a structure set up by HH Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi- which no fair-minded Yogi could deny, irrespective of where their allegiance might be.

The VNDA and former councillors’ complaint has no merit
The Trustee directors strongly refute all of the allegations in the complaint letter. All funds collected by LEPA have been applied lawfully and in accordance with the terms and purposes of the Trust, as well as in accordance with the broader legal requirements where applicable.

As the Trust considered that the NSW Act does not apply to its operations, we wrote to VNDA and former councillors to that effect – yet they still pursued their complaint, without even a pause to not only reflect on the merits (or rather lack thereof) of the complaint, but more importantly, as to the potentially destructive nature the complaint could have had to a structure set up by HH Shri Mataji. Once the matter is in the hands of the regulator, if the matter did in fact have merit, VNDA can’t dictate what outcomes must be applied by the regulator. That is naive at best.

We subsequently wrote to the Department of Fair Trading and they confirmed on 13 August 2025, in accordance with our view, that the Trust does not need to apply for a Charitable Fundraising authority under the NSW Act. So, the VNDA and the former councillors’ fundraising complaint collapses.

Furthermore, we understand that VNDA and the former councillors have access to experienced lawyers within their group, so would or ought to have known that the NSW fundraising complaint against the Trust had no merit whatsoever. This is also true in respect of the other unfounded bare allegations raised against the Trust in the letter, which have in substance been raised previously, many times, but to-date have not been supported by any details whatsoever that could possibly give these allegations credibility. It seems that they are content to rely on these bare (and serious) allegations as means of spreading misinformation within the collective, so as to undermine the Trust framework at all costs, and ultimately satisfy a few key members’ personal ambitions.

VNDA and former councillors being in breach of fundraising obligations
To add to the absurdity of the situation, VNDA, some of the former councillors and their associates themselves appear to be in breach of the same NSW Act provisions which they accused LEPA of contravening, in that VNDA and their associates did not formally have a NSW fundraising authority until July 2025, and yet the company raised funds without the requisite authority from January 2025 when the company was founded, in circumstances where we consider the exceptions under the NSW Act which properly applied to the Trust may not apply to them. Indeed, we alluded to this very point in our communication to VNDA about this matter prior to the complaint being lodged.

It is also alarming that the VNDA complaint to the Department described in detail the inner workings of Dakshina payments, and criticised approaches to Dakshina funds that have been taken since time immemorial in Sahaja Yoga.

The true intent behind the complaint
It is clear to us that the true intent of the complaint (which was always doomed to fail) was to undermine the framework and structure that HH Shri Mataji put into place – seemingly because of interpersonal conflicts with particular trustees and relatedly in our opinion to enable a number of persons on that side to gain and maintain perceived ‘power’ in Sahaja Yoga. Nothing more.

This unacceptable action has no doubt been facilitated by misinformation to the collective.

First misinformation
They speak of what the collective wants, specifically in not being ‘controlled’, yet they create an equivalent competing structure to HH Shri Mataji’s framework and structure (which was the reason the councillors were removed from the current arrangements) as if what they are offering the collective is actually different. It makes no sense.

Second misinformation
They also speak of being bullied and harassed by the Trust, and yet this letter is a clear case demonstrating that they bully and harass Yogis who administer the Trust, as does much of their previous communication to or about the Trust or trustees; any reasonable observer can see that.

Third misinformation
They routinely claim that what they propose by way of VNDA arrangement is an improvement based on their apparent assessment of charity structure best practice – but this misses the point that nobody knows more than HH Shri Mataji who in Her infinite wisdom set up this (exclusive ) trust framework and structure and sanctioned the associated practice including of collection of monies by the Trust which has been in place since HH Shri Mataji was formally the President of the Trust.

Signing petitions
We are deeply concerned that a large number of Yogis may have been misinformed, deceived or coerced into signing this complaint letter. Yogis should be wary of signing any letters or communications in the future which are endorsed by VNDA or the (former) councillors. We would suggest that you ask some basic questions first, such as what is the true aim of the letter, have I tried to see if there is an alternative viewpoint, does the letter have vibrations and have I really checked the facts that are stated? Further if you are being pressured or coerced to sign, this is clearly a red flag.

In this particular case, sending a complaint to a Government regulator is a serious step which should not be taken lightly. Yogis who signed the complaint letter should ask why they were willing to allege criminal liability against the Trustee directors (in respect of arrangements that have been in place since HH Shri Mataji was overseeing the Trust in Her Saakar form), supporting action which could potentially have the structure & framework which HH Shri Mataji created, dismantled or significantly impaired, and supporting the disclosure and scrutiny of sensitive Sahaja Yoga information particular to the practice of Sahaja Yoga in Australia and worldwide.

The true aim of VNDA and the former councillors in promoting and sending the complaint is very clear in paragraph 76 of their letter: they are asking the Attorney-General to remove LEPA as a trustee and to replace with an entity of their choosing. VNDA and the former councillors want to take over the Trust and have shown they will do whatever it takes to achieve this. We urge you to keep this in mind for future occasion.

Finally – Going Forward
In the end we are all Yogis trying our best to do the right thing, and within the maryadas as set by Our Divine Mother. There is a Sahaja Yoga process that we have all been taught in dealing with such ‘grievances’. Further, the Trust is open to constructive (and polite) discussions about, as well as reasonable changes to, its operations, but never to the existence of the Trust framework and structure itself in deference to fact that this has been created by HH Shri Mataji, and hence to do otherwise would be act outside Sahaja Yoga maryadas. This type of callous, destructive and baseless action underpinning the complaint and associated action, no matter how honourable the intent is perceived to be, is not part of that process, and never will be.

With Love,

from the LETA Trustees
on behalf of Sahaja Yoga Australia.
life.eternal.trust.australia@gmail.com