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We Are Not At All...

Date: Tue, 27 Jul 2010 23:44:18 -0000 To: am-global@earthlink.net From: Jawaharlal (Jawaharlal_T@banknet...> Subject: We Are Not At All... BABA "Malay va'ta'se madhu nishva'se ke go ele mor phulavane..." P.S. 1801 Purport: O the Divine Entity who are You who has come in my flower garden in this spring season with a sweet and charming smile. When I saw You for the first time I was surprised, and it was difficult to think that such an attractive Entity would be here. I wanted to look towards You more intimately but I could not, that time I was sitting in the flower garden unmindfully. I couldn't even hear the footsteps of Your arrival, & You did not give any hint or clue before coming to this garden. So I could not receive You properly nor could I offer You a garland. You have graced me by coming here but You have not cared about receiving an invitation. Please tell me, O' Divine Entity, who are You? Understanding Your liila is impossible. Within a flash You become tough and then in the next moment You are as tender as a flower-- like a garland of love --so sweet and charming. O divine Entity You cannot be understood. You are Infinite--no beginning, & no end. Through the practice of sadhana and dhyana I am surrendering myself at Your alter. Baba You have graced me by coming to my mental flower garden...
== WE ARE NOT AT ALL HINDU ==
Namaskar. Sometimes I go along with different Dadas to do pracar work in and around my district, region, and to other places also. And it is surprising that when talking to non-margiis then they say that AM is like the Hindu religion. And the people ask, "Swamiji, are you Hindu?' And our Dada (i.e. Swamiji) replied 'yes'. Hearing all this while moving around India with Dadas was surprising for me. And then I wondered if Dadas in overseas areas identify themselves as Christians or Jewish etc. What happens overseas I cannot say, but here in India I see all this going on; but I did not say anything or oppose. Because then Dadas may not like to have me around. But this is the common experience that I saw when moving about with various Dadas. And if we are moving about on the train and then common people sometimes approach our Dadas and ask if they are Hindu or not. Because not always on the train do they wear their turbins etc. And again Dadas reply in the affirmative about being Hindu. And then sometimes they further justify that the practices are same as Hinduism: fasting, puja, kiirtan etc. By this way our Dadas get more respect. And some overseas Dadas also come and move around the dogmatic holy places here in India and when I ask them about why they do like this, then they reply that 'Indian soil, Hinduism etc are just like Ananda Marga'. So due to certain lack of understanding Baba's teachings then this dogma about AM being a form of Hinduism is still prevailing. Because not in one place but I am two trips outside-- one to Balii, Indonesia and one to Africa. And both the places some of our Dada link themselves up with Hinduism, especially in Africa where they even registered as Hindus. Of course, solid Ananda Margiis are not blind in this way but some who are less strong get involved in these types of interactions. So because some Dadas are regularly giving such replies I thought that we should get rid from the confusion and have written these following things.
NOT LIKE THE DOGMA OF HINDUISM
In beginning period, before 1960, Ananda Marga was facing serious opposition from the dogmatic Hindu priests. By seeing the way and different teachings of Ananda Marga, it superficially looks like Ananda Margiis are Hindu. Because fasting, puja, and sentient food, meditation, so many similarities. And in Hindu religion also, some or other form, some or more degree, all these things are present. And then, no doubt in Hinduism these things were mixed with various sorts of dogma and that made them unpalatable for rational persons.
SO MANY OFF-SHOOTS OF HINDUISM
Because in India, in this 19th and 20th Centuries, many off-shoots came from this Hindu religion. Just like "Yogada' Matha" started from Swami Yogananda. And Ramakrsna Mission with Ramakrsna Paramahansa, and Vivekananda. Then Arvind Ghos in Pandicheri. And Hare Krsna started by Prabhupada. Also Maharshi Mahesh Yogi, who started Transcendental Meditation. And so many swamis like Swami Rama, Acarya Rajanish, then Divine Life, Swami Shivananda etc. All these above founders and religions are just a little modification of Hindu religion. So many dogmas are there. In other words we can say, these all are reformist type. They don't like for major change. Because these yogis they were ordinary human beings so they did not have courage to fight against dogma. So age-old dogma of caste system, and different disparities and domination of priests etc, and so many more dogmas they did not even touch those points. And that was not enough for all-round progress for everyone. So, Ananda Marga was the need.
SOME OF THE EARLY DHARMIC HISTORY OF AM
In the beginning, when Ananda Marg started in 1955, many people started thinking that this too was one off-shoot of the Hindu religion. But later on they found that domination of priests was not there, that's why exploiter priests they became agitated by seeing AM. In India the Brahmins were treated as superior by the dogmatic Hindu culture. To distinguish their personality, all dogmatic Brahmins they keep one sacred hair (antenna) on their head. In local language, sacred hair is called as tiiki or teek (pig tail). Or some areas, churki. So-called brahmins they can cut all the hair from their head, up to just half-inch long. But on the top of their head, around the sahasrara cakra, minimum one square centimeter up to one square inch sometimes area, and those who are strong fundamentalists, pandits, they keep around four square inches reserved for growing the hair. So in the top of the head, those hair which is left to grow, they grow up to four, five, seven, ten inches. Whatever it may be. So from distance it is looking like one antenna of hair on the head. It is just like one television antenna on the house looking completely different from the rest of the house, clearly seen from the distance.
WHY THE HINDU DOGMA KEEPING SACRED HAIR??
The question is that, why Hindu priests are keeping such an antenna on their head. What is the reason? What is the benefit? Priests they like to identify some difference from the common society, so they get more respect. Because Christians and Muslims, they don't keep. General aboriginal public of India cannot keep it whereas the Aryans community in India public of can keep, and priest can keep longer and biggest one. Longest sacred hair. In short we can say that this sacred hair - this antenna - is one sign of Hindu believers. Still in the villages this dogma is going on.
WHY THE HINDU DOGMA KEEPING SACRED THREAD??
Another dogma is also very prevalent. That is, keeping sacred thread. On their body directly Brahmins are keeping one thread, which starts from the left shoulder and goes down diagonally to the right waist. And then back up the back, tied up to make one ring around the body. When babies are born, then they do not have right to put this sacred thread. But when they are grown up, one ceremony happens when priests get alot of donation. And they use certain chanting. And bless with that sacred thread (yajina-upaviit). And this special yajina-upaviit only brahmins can keep. Only certain caste. Not vaeshya, ksattriya, shuddra, such persons cannot keep. Even those who belong to Hindu religion. On this point of yagyopavit, brahmins supremacy is established. Only brahmins are allowed to do. Earlier if anybody who belongs to so-called lower caste, even of Hindu religion, is trying to wear, then they will be punished. As I described above, there are two serious external symbols of their supremacy. One is sacred hair (antenna), and another is yajina-upaviit that is sacred thread. All these yogiis those who were just reformist type, and as I described their name and religion above, they did not try to touch this dogma. For them it was impossible to oppose this. So although these dogmas were creating huge disparity even within Hindu religion itself; but the sentiment was so strong that if these yogis would have opposed this then they themselves would have been crushed to zero. So all these above yogis, reformists, their followers are keeping all those things if they like.
NOT SACRED, JUST SOBER
Here is the real history of how the sacred thread came into being. Baba says, "Most of the people in the Vedic age drank excessive amounts of fermented juice, called somarasa, and ate meat, including beef. After the advent of Shiva, in the time of the Yajurveda, people were encouraged to rear cows to produce milk and to discontinue eating meat. Nevertheless, many people in the Vaedic age were alcoholics, and even those who performed religious rituals had great difficulty carrying out their duties properly. Consequently, a custom was introduced which made it compulsory for priests to wear a deer skin across their shoulders, called upavita. This clearly identified the priest so that he would not be served alcohol while conducting religious ceremonies. Gradually, over the course of time, the deer skin was transformed into a thread. Today this thread is the symbol of the Brahmin caste in Hindu society." (PNS-16)
AM = ONE HUMAN SOCIETY
Since beginning when AM started in 1955, Baba started a system of 'One Human Society' and gave the slogan "Ma'nava Ma'nava Eka Hai". It was very clear by Baba's approach itself that Baba started initiating everybody, without any caste differentiation. But before coming of AM in 1955, only brahmins were allowed to do sadhana. Not only that, Baba has hammered on the head of the dogma with sledge hammer. And He has made the rule that before taking initiation, they have to remove their sacred thread and sacred hair. So on the point of removing these two so-called sacred things, brahmins became strong deadly enemy against AM. Because Baba has hit on their life source. Livelihood. In other words, the existence of these so-called Brahmins was threatened. So, these so-called brahmins opposed AM with their full strength, tooth and nail. So AM is not at all dogmatic Hinduism rather it is something much, much higher. So we should all think and review on this so as to avoid making a wrong picture in the future. Because after all the world is changing fast and the dogmatic religions are falling our of favour. So we should present our Marga as the dharma that it is and not sink into the depths of the dogmatic religions like Hinduism. And of course most margiis and field workers are indeed following directly in Baba's dharmic footsteps-- and by keeping the saffron flag high we are reaching our Goal.
BABA'S BLESSING
Baba says, "Parama Purus'a has blessed you with the hands to work and legs to move; has infused you with the stamina to act; has endowed you with practical intelligence, so make the best use of them in the fight against the demons. You must not sit idle relying on fate. Be vigorously active." (Ananda Vanii #46) Namaskar Jawaharlal Note: Those days were not just peaceful, sweet days of Jamalpur. Those who are thinking that it was just era of "Vraj", they do not know the real history. Baba was inviting direct confrontation against all sorts of dogma. Many Margiis suffered alot when they cut their sacred thread and hair. They were opposed by their relatives, their friends, their other village neighbors. And threatened, and so many places they got beating also. All these things happened, mostly in rural area of India. And several thousand Margiis suffered and faced the problem. And they did not bow down. Remained as bona fide member of AM and fought against dogma. All negative people they created huge opposition. Like thunder or hail storm. But they remained standing undauntedly. Only surrendering at Baba's feet, this was possible. So much struggle those Margiis faced.
****************************************** Proper Plan of Life
Baba is revealing how ignorant, short-sighted people think and plan in their dogmatic way. Baba says, "Some people consider that one should start intuitional practice in old age when a person has more leisure, after one has spent the prime of one's life earning money. People are afraid that they may face insecurity and difficulties in their old age if they do not accumulate enough wealth before their bodies weaken with age, rendering them incapable of hard work. They regard the prime of life as the period intended for earning money, and old age with its decreased capacity for hard work as the time to remember God. They are labouring under the misconception that hard work is not necessary for intuitional practice and that old age is therefore the proper time for it." (AMEP, '98, p.131-32) Now here following Baba is giving the answer. Baba says, "Whoever is born is bound to die and one is constantly approaching death, not knowing when it will come. It is never certain if one will live to grow old. Yet people reserve the most important work of practising sa'dhana' for the time when the body has become completely enfeebled and the fatuous mind of old age has become entangled in the reactions of this life to such an extent that it is afraid of starting anything new. Ordinarily it is fear of one's approaching death that makes one think of God in old age. One's evil deeds begin to haunt one, and one starts praying and imploring God to save him or her from the consequences of one's deeds. There is no value in remembering God in old age, when it is not possible to concentrate the mind due to the weakness and disease of the body and its preoccupation with the reactions (sam'ska'ras) of the deeds of this life. The mind then is caught up in the infirmities of the body, in the diseases of old age, impending death, and most of all, in memories of past incidents, and it is impossible to concentrate it. For these reasons one is incapable of intuitional practice." (AMEP, '98, p.132) Note: This problem is such a common ailment that 99.9% of the people in the present society are caught up in this whirlpool. And by this way their whole life gets wasted. It is our duty to think again and again and reach the conclusion about what is the best approach to utilise this priceless human life.
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