== GODDESS DURGA PUJA & GOD GANESH PUJA AT MU ==
~ HAPPENING IN NY SECTOR ~
Namaskar,
Coming soon, on Oct 13, the Prama Institute of the Asheville, NC Master
Unit (NY Sector) is presenting a "special" dogmatic puja, featuring Jai
Uttal, one of the so-called, "rock stars" of the contemporary, or
pseudo, yoga movement.
Mr. Uttal will be singing the glories of goddess Durga, worshiping the
elephant god Ganesha, and chanting the names of so many other dogmatic
gods and goddesses from the Hindu tradition. All of which is being
presented, sponsored, and advertised by the Asheville MU / Prama Institute.
So we should contemplate the situation: Is it healthy or beneficial for
our Marga to host and promote such a dogmatic event, wherein
participants will be singing the names of all the mythical gods and
goddesses of Hinduism-- and not Baba Nam Kevalam.
Is this how we should present ourselves to the public? Is this how we
should introduce the public to kiirtan?
If dogmatic followers do like this it is understandable, but for the vanguards of
then society this is intolerable.
LET US REMEMBER HOW BABA STARTED AM:
MAINTAINED THE STANDARD OF DHARMA FROM THE GET-GO
Whoever in the Asheville unit had the idea to invite the famous Mr Jai
Uttal may have been thinking that by this way 'we will attract so many
people' and 'make a lot of money' etc. This may have been the guiding
psychology or motivating factor.
However let us recall Baba's own approach when starting AM.
From the very beginning, Baba put forth His dharmic code of yama and
niyama and rejected the caste system. At the time, the caste system was
one of the strongest and most dogmatic pillars of Indian society; and
from day 1 Baba rejected it.
Back then, some foolish people may have been thinking that Baba would
have been able to bring more into AM if He accepted the caste system,
even temporarily. But Baba's plan was to put forth AM ideology and
introduce His dharmic teachings.
So He put forth His code of yama and niyama and rejected the caste
system. And in result, the world understood that AM is strict in dharma,
and good people immediately came forward to join AM.
Maybe many dogmatic types would have joined if the caste system was
embraced, but then it would not have been AM. It would have been just
another dogma. Likewise, if Baba had not given the do's and don'ts of
yama and niyama, maybe crude people would have joined because then they
could drink wine etc, but then it would not have been AM.
Furthermore, those good people who were looking for a dogma-free path
would have kept themselves far away from AM.
So Baba clearly advocates the approach of maintaining the precepts of
our ideology. And in due course good people will come. He does not
appreciate accepting various dogmas in order to attract all kinds of
participants or elements etc.
So we have to think: Should the Asheville unit move forward and continue
to have Mr Jai Uttal sing his dogmatic goddess Durga chants at an AM
sponsored kiirtan event?
MORE ABOUT BABA AND AM
Here is another reminder of Baba's dharmic approach.
When certain people approached Baba and requested Him to give up Prout
because then so many capitalists and political types would join the
Marga, then Baba outrightly rejected that proposal. He stood by His
Proutistic teachings and in result faced imprisonment. Again, here Baba
is demonstrating the need to maintain the standard of AM ideology, and
not sacrifice it for the sake of smoozing with the powers of the day etc.
So we all have to think: Should the Asheville unit renounce our own Baba
Nam Kevalam mantra and instead present a kiirtan concert featuring a
"famous artist" who is going to sing his own dogmatic kiirtan about
goddess Durga, and engage in so much other idolatry. That is what must
be considered. Will Baba be pleased by this approach?
BABA UNCOVERED THE DOGMA
OF ALL SUCH RITUALISTIC GODS & GODDESSES
As we all well know, in His books Namah Shivaya Shantaya and Ananda
Vacanamrtam part 11, Baba Himself dedicates chapter after chapter to
unearthing and explaining the dogmatic nature of all the Hindu gods and
goddesses. He calls them mythical, imaginary, and labels them as nothing
more than ritualistic idolatry.
And here Baba Himself points out how the origin of worshipping goddess Durga
was just a crude manifestation of wealth. It has no base in devotion or spirituality.
So it is a dogma is the most fundamental and rudimentary way.
Baba says, "The system of worshipping the goddess Durgá was first introduced in Bengal by Kaḿsa Náráyańa Ráy, the king of Táhirpur of Rájsáhi District, now in Bangladesh. King Kaḿsanáráyańa had a lot of wealth. He told the pandits, “I have so much wealth, I would like to hold the Rájasuya Sacrifice.” The pandits said, “O king, in Kali Yuga there is no system for holding the Rájasuya Sacrifice. But since you have so much money, you can celebrate the worship of the goddess Durgá in accordance with the instructions in the Márkańd́eya Puráńa.”"
"The story goes that Kaḿsanáráyańa Ráy spent as much as 700,000 rupees for the worship of the goddess Durgá. 700,000 of the rupees of those days means almost 70 million rupees today. It was a huge expense, and this sparked a competition among the other kings and landlords. The following year King Jagadvaballabh (his name was Jagat Náráyańa according to other sources) spent 850,000 rupees on the worship of the goddess. In this unhealthy process of competition, the worship of the goddess Durgá became an affair restricted only to the wealthy landlord households." (AV-11)
Thus, the creation of Durga Puja was founded in ego and materialism, and has no
relation with bhakti yoga. So doing the kiirtan of goddess Durga today will not bring the practitioner any closer to god.
Indeed, Baba has invested much time, energy, and money in educating us
about the dangers of idolatry. So we should pay heed not to fall into such ritualistic
and dogmatic approaches like Durga Puja, nor should we allow others to do so.
And with regards to the elephant god Ganesh, he was worshipped only for his
imaginary strength. So once again we have a "deity" wholly devoid of any spiritual
quality.
In Caryacarya, Baba specifically warns us about idol worship, like
Durga Puja, and elephant god worship etc.
Baba says, "As, in principle, you do not support the philosophy of those
who, in the name of worship of God, indulge in idolatry, do not
participate in their ceremonies." (CC-2, 'Society', pt#35)
In straight language, Baba tells us "not to participate in their
ceremonies".
Yet not only is the Asheville unit participating, they are sponsoring
and propagating the entire event wherein Mr Jai Uttal will perform all
his dogmatic songs & pujas, celebrating the likes of Durga, Govinda,
Radha, and Ganesha etc.
SHOULD WE ALSO HOST NAKED, HIP-HOP PARTIES
Well, if really we are going to sell our soul in order to lure attendees
and sell maximum tickets at $20 each by turning our back on our own
kiirtan and instead highlighting the dogmatic Hindu deities etc, then
maybe we should also consider doing the following.
Why not host a huge party on one of our gorgeous AM lands, and invite
men and women to dance naked, smoke marijuana, drink wine, indulge in
orgies, and do all kinds of degrading things. If we did that, we might
attract thousands and thousands of people. What a grand event it would be.
Thus we have to think again and again about how we promote AM to the
public and consider whether we should sacrifice AM ideals. Baba did not
do so; and neither should we: Neither by inviting Jai Uttal to sing
dogmatic puja kiirtans, nor by hosting naked hip-hop parties etc.
MUST BE STRICT IN ISTA
First and foremost we should be strict in Ista. That means singing His
name in kiirtan and not any other. And it means abiding by His divine
tenets and not following any dogmas. Then we will be strict in Ista.
Then we will be following His mandate from 16 Points, "Maintain
non-compromising strictness and faith regarding the sanctity of Ista".
Inviting Jai Uttal to sing his dogmatic kiirtans under the banner of AM
is a direct affront on Ista. We should not do such things. This type of
compromise undermines the sanctity of our Marga and Baba Himself never
approves of such approaches.
GOOD PEOPLE WILL COME
Furthermore, around the globe, a sort of renaissance is going on. People
are looking for real spirituality. And if we compromise ideals and
adopts Hindu dogma, then those good people will think we are just
another type of pseudo-spiritual group. We will be covering ourselves in
mud, then keeping good people at arms length.
The way to build a solid society is to put forth proper ideals and then
good people will join in. It does not work to begin with crude practices
to boost attendance and then declare that now everyone must follow a
sentient manner. Then it will be a triple loss: Those who came will
leave; good people will never come; and we will have compromised our
ideology.
So best is to follow Baba's method. Bravely put forth the dharmic
teachings of AM and naturally good people will come.
ACTION MUST BE TAKEN
So we should take action about this upcoming event. As a community we
should express our views to the Asheville unit about whether Mr Jai
Uttal should be allowed to perform or not.
If we allow this, then it sets a negative precedent that all kinds of
pseudo and degraded elements can perform on the platform of AM. The
point is not that Mr Jai Uttal is a problem; there will always be people
like him in the world. The problem lies in labeling such people as
"stars" and putting them on the stage of Ananda Marga. Such things Baba
never appreciates.
BABA'S BLESSING
By Baba's grace, He wants that we should all become dharmikas and that
we should bring others onto the path of dharma as well. Never are we to
compromise the tenets of Ananda Marga by allowing dogmatic pujas do be
done in the name of AM.
Baba says, "Remember, Ananda Marga is a man-making mission. Both
quantity and quality are important. Everyone should be free to join
Ananda Marga, to take part in social functions, etc., but only those
established in yama and niyama may be given any position to work in
society. Just to satisfy someone and compromise [with] sin is
unthinkable. We can in no case ever compromise." (AV-31)
Namaskar,
Hitendra
Note 1: MORE ABOUT THE DOGMATIC KIIRTANS OF JAI UTTAL
With full sincerity, Mr Jai Uttal traveled to India to learn kiirtan and he studied diligently and learned well the musical aspect. Unfortunately in his simplicity and naivite, he was not unaware that he was taught dogmatic kiirtans. Tragically, in one gulp he swallowed the whole of Hindu dogma. As those are the only kiirtans he sings.
On one of Mr Uttal's albums, ' Kiirtan: The Art and Practice of Ecstatic Chant', he
performs the following dogmatic chants:
Durga Pahimam
Purport: Oh Goddess Durga save me,
I am doing sastuanga Pranam at your alter,
please grant me eternal heaven
Ganesha Sharanam
Purport:I surrender to the imaginary elephant God;
please accept me in your shelter & grant me life in heaven.
Radhe Govinda
Purport: Victory to Goddess Radhe and God Govinda.
Sita Ram
Purport: Victory to (mythologoical) Lord Ram and His divine wife Sita;
please be gracious and give me a boon.
Jaya Radha
Purport: Victory to Goddess Radha
Radha Rani
Purport: Victory to Goddess Queen Radha
Kali Bolo
Purport: Chant the glory of Goddess Kali
and make my life valuable and worthy,
and reserve a place in heaven
Note 2: WHAT PRAMA INSTITUTE IS DOING
The Prama Institute is part of the Ashville North Carolina MU in NY
sector and this is the way they are publicly promoting the upcoming
Durga puja concert:
"We at the Prama Institute are pleased to let youknow that Grammy
nominated world musician and kirtan singer Jai Uttal will be performing
in Asheville...Jai Uttal is considered one of the main “yoga
rock stars” of the blossoming kirtan scene in the West today..."
And then the Prama Institute goes on to state that the dogmatic puja
concert will be held at a local church and they (Prama Institute) are
sponsoring the event and one can purchase tickets directly from the
Prama Institute.
So the Prama Institute is playing a big role in promoting the dogmatic
Durga puja kiirtans of Mr Jai Uttal.
Note 3: CONTACT THEM TODAY TO CANCEL THE PROGRAM
All are ecnouraged to voice their opinion about this, lest our Marga
fall into the ways of promoting dogma. Contact the Prama Institute at:
info@pramainstitute.org, (828) 649-9408
It is not too late to pressure them into canceling the Durga puja
concert or turning it into a dharmic event.
Note 4: WHO IS BEHIND THE PRAMA INSTITUTE
Two of the main people featured on the Prama Institute website are Fake
Family Acarya Vishvamitra and Bro Ramesh. Both of these people are big
names in AM NY, so it is not that they are totally new and unaware about
AM. They have each been in AM for 30 years or more. So really they
should know better than to promote a dogmatic Durga Puja kiirtan program
under the banner of AM. It is for reasons such as this that people feel
that the family acarya standard in AM is so low. Such fake family
acaryas like Vishvamitra purchased their way into the program by
donating big bucks to the top groupists etc. Hence, the family acarya
system is not based on good conduct and knowledge of AM ideology. That
is why in its present state it is the Fake Family Acarya system.
Tragically, this upcoming Durga puja is one more proof of their cheap
standard.
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UNKNOWN FACT ABOUT WEALTH
Baba says, "In the subtle economic sense, the value of wealth is the
real wealth. Wealth, if not properly defined, may mean only riches. But
the value of wealth is to be measured in terms of its capacity to
purchase commodities. That is, the purchasing capacity of wealth is its
real value. This real value of wealth has not yet been properly
understood in numerical terms by economists." (Proutist Economics, p. 269)
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