Fake Sadhakas Surrender to Palmistry

Date: Fri 22 Mar 2013 22:09:12 -0400
To: am-global@earthlink.net
From: Gautam45@newcity...
Subject: Fake Sadhakas Surrender to Palmistry

Baba

This entire email is composed of 3 parts:
(2) Posting: Fake Sadhakas Surrender to Palmistry
(3) Trailer Quote: Incongruities Around The Globe

(1) Prabhat Samgiita #3225;

Each section is demarcated by asterisks (***).

== FAKE SADHAKAS SURRENDER TO PALMISTRY ==

Namaskar,
In general, people have a strong fascination for knowing their future problems so they can counteract or avert upcoming difficulties. For that reason, many have tremendous interest in palmistry, tarot cards, and astrology. When they see any person has a little knowledge about these topics, they get quite attracted.

Except for those few who have a little self-control, the common people start hovering around anyone who claims to have a little knowledge about "how to read the future" using tarot cards etc. That is one side.

Those who do not have interest, or exercise restraint, refrain from hovering such palm readers etc. Among them there are two types of people:

(1) Those who think in a quiet moment they will personally communicate and get their future read;

(2) Those who philosophically do not believe in this fake magic and they think that it is useless.

According to Baba's teachings, this second type of people - those who are not befooled by this sort of magic - alone are proper in their approach.

ASKING AROUND TO OTHERS

For some time I have been wondering the veracity of palmistry and astrology etc. Should Ananda Margiis involve in these readings or not? Or are they just a waste of time? Lastly, if such palmistry & astrological  readings etc are a waste of time, should we know how to respond to those who inquire about this?

Here are Baba's explanations for those interested to know.

WHY PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED TO KNOW THE FUTURE

BABA'S TEACHING ON ACTION AND REACTION

Many people want to know their future by astrology or palm reading so they can escape from or remove their future sufferings.

"There are many who with the intention of escaping this suffering of reaction (karmaphala) try various methods." (1)

So people's purpose in knowing the future is to escape from future suffering. But the reality is, this goes against the very law of Prakrti. As we know, future happenings are the result of one's past actions. Such reactions have to be experienced - there is no side-stepping the matter.

"Many believe that by neutralizing the influence of the stars (grahasha'nti) and by rituals of offering sacrifice in repentance (pra'yashcitta), they will be able to escape the consequences of their actions. This belief is not correct, because according to the rule of Prakrti every action has to be followed by its reaction. The mind has to regain its normality through reactions. This is the law of Prakrti and no one can set it aside." (2)

"...Reactions of actions (karmaphala) have to be experienced. No one is spared from experiencing them; the reactions of all one's actions will have to be borne by oneself alone." (3)

OUR FATE = EXPERIENCE THOSE REACTIONS

So there is no way to escape the eventuality of facing the reactions to one's past actions. This is what is known as fate. Fate is nothing but the unmanifest reactions to one's past actions. As this is the law of Prakrti, trying to know the future with the intent to escape suffering is a fruitless task.

Through the performance of dharmic, tantric practices, the way in which one will experience those future reactions can be moderated. But even then, the expression of those reactions cannot be altogether removed.

"The mode of experiencing the reaction can be changed with the help of Tantric practices...but the experience of the reaction, or fate, cannot be evaded. Karmaphala, consequences or reactions of one's actions, will have to be experienced by a person, and at best only the intensity of suffering at a time can be reduced or increased by slowing or accelerating the speed of reactions." (4)

The expression of samskara cannot be removed, but through tantric practices or sadhana the way these samskaras are experienced can be made more or less intense.

Some may get confused and start thinking the change is due to their own efforts to neutralize the "effects of the stars". They may mistakenly think that their efforts in palmistry have removed their suffering. But this is not at all the case.

AN EXAMPLE OF HOW IT ALL WORKS

Here below Baba gives the example of a debtor.

"It is possible that the condition of returning one hundred rupees in one installment may be too hard for the debtor and he may have to suffer great mental agony, but if the same amount is returned in several small installments the debtor may not feel it at all. The period of suffering is thus increased with the help of [avidya] tantric practices with the result that one does not feel the intensity of suffering and wrongly concludes that the experiencing of reactions (karmaphala) has been evaded or stopped because of grahasha'nti (that is by neutralizing the influence of stars)." (Ananda Marga Elementary Philosophy)

Here Baba is explaining that many mistakenly believe that changes in their experience of samskara happened because they changed their fate through grahasha'nti, i.e. neutralizing the influence of stars.

But fate cannot be evaded. Because as Baba tells, fate is merely the expression of reactions to one's past actions. Fate is an inexorable law of prakrti.

PALMISTRY IS SELF-TRICKERY - NOTHING MORE

So on that ground, the practice of astrology, palmistry, or tarot cards to affect one's future is in reality nothing but a practice of self-deception.

Here Baba gives an example of the negativity of such pursuits.

"For example, if on reading the future of a person it is found that he has to bear the mental suffering of fracture of an arm, it may be possible to stop the fracturing of the arm with the help of grahasha'nti [avidya tantra]. But the quantum of mental suffering cannot be changed or done away with. The suffering could be spread over a longer time due to a number of minor incidents. For instance, the person's hand might get scratched, and later on he might fall sick. The person would go suffering in installments till the quantum of his suffering equaled the mental suffering he was destined to get from the fracture of the arm." (5)

And here below Baba relates the same negative practice of attempting to alter one's future through self-deceiving means, to the experience of a debtor. The debtor is befooled into thinking they escaped from the debt. When in reality, the debt is only distributed over time.

"...It would mean that the debtor of one hundred rupees would have to keep on repaying his debt in small installments of a rupee or so until they had paid off the full hundred. Here the payment of the debt of one hundred rupees represents the mental suffering from the fracture of the arm, which was supposed to be completed in one installment; but through flattery and persuasion of the creditor, that is, by neutralizing the influence of the stars (grahasha'nti), it is being paid back in small installments. Hence as the return of the hundred rupees is not complete, the payment will have to continue." (6)

Some may think that paying in installments is preferable, but according to the law of prakrti that has serious drawbacks which is explained in the ensuing paragraphs

So actually no one escapes fate. All have to face their samskaras. But those who try to change their fate through the practice of astrology, palmistry, or tarot cards, engage in the very same act of self-deception as Baba explains above.

Here below, Baba offers another example of such self cheating - those who engage in the wearing of different stones for the purpose of protecting them from future suffering.

"Just as it is possible to increase the period of experiencing the reactions with the help of grahasha'nti, it is also possible to decrease this period. For instance, some persons wear different stones such as blue sapphires which change the mode of their experiencing the reactions. It is possible that by this one may get a fortune by winning a prize in a lottery or may get a promotion in one's employment. This makes people believe that all this has happened due to grahasha'nti, but it is actually not so. Fate, or the quantum of experiencing the consequences of one's actions, can neither be changed nor evaded." (7)

Baba also explains how the distribution of reactions over time can be not only lengthened, but also shortened by such negative practices. In the time-shortened case as well, the outcome is equally full of self deception.

Here below Baba gives an example of this with the spending of a 150 rupee budget. And He likens that to what self-cheating happens with the use of blue sapphire stones to affect one's future.

"Taking again the example of the deposit of 150 rupees, we see that the money intended to be spent in a month at the rate of five rupees a day, can be spent in one day by shortening the period of expenditure and leaving nothing for the remaining twenty-nine days of the month. The change in fate brought about by grahasha'nti is similar to this. For instance, the one thousand rupees that one gets as a prize in a lottery due to the influence of the blue sapphire, is the person's own money scheduled to be received by him in small installments over a long period of time. This money is received in one installment, leaving no balance for the rest of the installments. Yet getting a huge amount at once makes one believe that grahasha'nti, or the wearing of a blue sapphire, has changed one's fate." (8)

PALMISTRY CANNOT OVERCOME FATE

So by this way it becomes clear that the use of external superimpositions like astrology, palmistry, or tarot cards to predict and thereby change one's future, are futile and have as their only outcome that of self-cheating. Because the reactions of one's past action will still express, only in a different way.

SADHANA AND ONE'S REACTIONS

Here below Baba concludes the point beautifully, explaining that fate or the expression of reactions to one's past actions is inevitable. And that sadhana is the only way to get these reactions to express as readily and quickly as possible, and thereby hasten one's emancipation by Parama Purusa Baba's grace.

"In fact, fate or the experiencing of reactions (karmaphala) can never be changed. It is only the duration of reactions that can be changed. That is why those who carry on intuitional practice (sa'dhana') with the intention of achieving emancipation, experience pleasure and pain, happiness and agony quickly, so that they may complete the experiencing of reactions in as short a period as possible. Those who desire liberation (mukti) want it in this life itself, and so they experience everything quickly, according to their potential reactions (sam'ska'ras), so that nothing is left for the future life and they can
obtain release from the bondage of Prakrti." (9)

NAMES OF A FEW DEGENERATED DADAS

Most wts and margiis are fine: They surrender to Parama Purusa, not fate. But there are a few bad apples - so beware. Some workers mislead simple margiis and try to fill their own pockets. Here are their names.

On multiple occasions, Baba Himself personally warned Dada Nirmoha'nanda not to indulge in palmistry and other such dogmatic, fortune-telling enterprises. But time and again Dadaji returned to his poor and faulty habit. He is enamoured by it - it seems. Otherwise why would Dadaji blatantly disobey Guru's directive and plunge himself into such activities.

Dada Nirmoha'nanda has taken aim and easily made females his target to extract money by taking advantage of their trust and innocence. He assures them that his malas and palmistry will cure them of their woes etc. Such females give money, and, in result, get duped and befooled by his tricks. Dada Nirmoha'nanda promises to show them their future - in this way he temps them.

How far Dadaji could remove or alleviate the problems of others with his fancy stones and malas is one thing, but certainly he could not do this for himself. Because tragically, while in the metro / train station, Dadaji took a big fall and broke his back. Today, he is lying helplessly in the hospital, unfortunately. This is very sad to see.

Our Dadas should not resort to dogmas in order to solve their own personal, financial worries. Nirmoha'nanda often purchases these malas from an Indonesian supplier at a very low price and then Dada "blesses" or "charges" these malas and sells them at a high price to naive villagers and worshipers. Not only that, at DMS he sells such malas to margiis at exorbitant prices. All so that he can turn a hefty profit.

These other Dadas are also involved in such schemes.

Ac Omkareshvaranandji, posted in Nepal, came into Ananda Marga to propagate bhagavad dharma, but he gradually got degenerated. Now he just indulges in palmistry and fortune-telling for his livelihood. He never does Ananda Marga pracara. He seeks to make females his easy target, as by interacting with the opposite sex he gets money from them and gets his own animalistic desires satisfied, by touching them.

Then there is: Rudrayamalananda who was posted in Phatehgarh near Kanpur. Dadaji was deeply involved in fortune telling and palmistry. He too was targeting innocent femelas and in that process he got infatuated with one female and he left. It was a slippery slope the whole way. By telling the fortune of the opposite sex, his own situation turned sour. Because when one sannyasi loses his path of propagating dharma and instead indulges in dogmatic practices, then in the end of their sannyasi life they lead a dual life. He kept the illicit relation for a while and then finally he threw away his dress and left. This happened with Rudrayamalananda at the age of 60+.

When anyone puts faith on malas, fortune-telling or palmistry, then Parama Purusa becomes secondary. That brings spiritual degeneration. People think that these malas are the main powerful force in this universe, not Parama Purusa. This mentality breeds an anti-spiritual feeling as it goes directly contrary to prapatti vada, surrender theory or relying exclusively on Parama Purusa.

Namaskar,
in Him,
Gautam

Note 1: BABA'S FURTHER TEACHINGS ON FATE

Here Baba explains more about the facts regarding "fate".

"There are many people who are fatalists. They are worshippers of fate. A fatalist means a worshipper of fate - a worshipper of fortune or fate. They are worse than nature-worshippers. What is fate? There is nothing such as fate in this universe. So far as the philosophy is concerned there cannot be anything called fate. What is fate? Everyone has to undergo the reaction of his or her past actions, the reaction of the original action. Suppose your finger comes in contact with fire; you will feel pain, you will have to suffer but, at that moment one will say that because your finger came in contact with fire, that's why you are suffering. But when the reaction takes place after a long gap, and when the original action is not known or has been forgotten, or when the original action took place in another past life, and you do not know what was the original action - in that case you say, it is fate, it is fate.  But actually there is no fate. What you call fate is actually the reaction of our past actions. In sam'skrta, it is called sam'ska'ra, in Latin 'reactive momenta'." (10)

Here is more on this topic:

"So-called astrologers say that because you were born when the moon and such-and-such star or planet were within the jurisdiction of such-and-such zodiac [sign,] you took birth in this way. No. Because you committed this type of action, you were born within such-and-such structure or such-and-such zodiac [sign]. It is because of [your] actions that you were born on the earth and should suffer like this; not because of the [influences of] the stars. Do you follow? These actions brought you within the structural limits of such-and-such zodiac [sign] and such-and-such planets. So the stars do not [control] you; your original actions control you. And where [the original action] is not known to you, but the result is known to you, the result is experienced by you, you say it is niyati. It is also called adrśt́a in Sanskrit. Adrśt́a means “not-drśt́a, not seen”. Where you feel the reaction, where you witness the reaction, but you cannot see the original action, it is called adrśt́a, that is, unseen. You do not know what the original crime was that you committed, but you are [driven by] the reaction. So you say, “It is my adrśt́a.” " (11)

"Is fate (niyati) the primordial cause of creation? The word niyati means “fate” or “providence.” The accumulated reaction of the action you once did will definitely be expressed one day. This reaction is called niyati. It is true that human beings are controlled by niyati or fate. The environment into which one is born is the most congenial for the expression of the unexpressed reactive momenta, and the circumstances in which one exists must be accepted as the result of one’s actions – this constitutes one’s fate or niyati. According to their fate, people are born under particular planetary positions, but they are not guided by those planets: they are guided by their own fate which they themselves have created." (12)

"So what is the primary cause of the world? Is it destiny (niyati)? The rśi says, “No, not even that.” Niyati is derived from the root ni – yam + ktin, and means that which controls the subsequent actions. As one sows, so shall one reap. The amount of reactions to be undergone by the unit entity is equal to the total actions previously performed. Destiny is the totality of unrequited reactions of actions performed. Its reactive momenta are called saḿskáras. In this observable world the saḿskára-ridden unit entities cannot go beyond destiny’s influence. Destiny keeps them so tightly in its grip that they think it is the controller of their fate (bhágya-niyanta), as though it had already determined their path of progress. But destiny cannot be the absolute factor, for if you do not exist, if you do not act, destiny cannot exist either. Being dependent upon your doership for its existence, it cannot be the supreme controller." (13)

"Devotees say that fate [niyati] is simply the collection of unrequited saḿskáras. A person who performs an action has to undergo the reaction to that action. If his body is old, the reaction of that action may not be expressed in this lifetime. Only when the same person is reborn will his unserved saḿskáras be expressed. He cannot remember the action of his previous life because he has acquired a new brain. So he takes the expression of those saḿskaras to be his fate. In fact they are not his fate – they are merely the reactions of his previous actions of his previous life. The philosophers contend that astrologers are able to predict people’s future by preparing their horoscopes. They may be correct, for in this universe everything follows a particular rhythm. Nothing is isolated, everything is interconnected. Even a tiny ant does not die a premature death. If an ant does die prematurely, the entire universe becomes unbalanced and loses its rhythm. Everything in this universe, whether great or small, is a dignified member of the universal family. To enjoy equal importance; none should be slighted. When people are reborn, they carry the saḿskáras, the reactive momenta, which remained unrequited in the previous life. According to their saḿskáras, they are born under a certain planetary system in the solar system, and during their lives they must act and move within the scope of a particular sign of the zodiac. Thus everything follows a particular system. It can be inferred that people of such-and-such nature are born under a certain planetary position. The science of astrology was formulated on the basis of such a theory. But in this regard, simply surrendering to fate would be sheer foolishness." (14)


REFERENCES:
1 - 9: Ananda Marga Elementary Philosophy
10. Subhasita Samgraha - 12
11. Subhasita Samgraha - 24, The Causal Matrix
12. Ananda Marga Ideology & Way of Life - 11
13. Ananda Marga Ideology & Way of Life - 6, The Primordial Cause of Creation
14. Ananda Marga Ideology & Way of Life - 11

The section below demarcated by asterisks is an entirely different topic,
completely unrelated to the above material. It stands on its own as a point of interest.

*************************************

Incongruities Around The Globe

"It can be said that ordinary people, like teachers, face many types of problem in their lives; in fact teachers’ problems are only a reflection of larger social problems. It is quite true that in the modern material world strenuous efforts to conquer the limitations of time, place and person are apparent everywhere. It is as if human beings are being forcibly dragged forward by the hair of their heads. Speed is the main consideration; whether any good is accomplished or not is a secondary factor. Thus different social trends are unable to maintain a harmonious pace in their forward movement. Some trends are far advanced in their development while others lag behind. This causes some parts of the social structure which were close together to move apart, and other parts which were once apart to come together, leading to the collapse of the entire structure. The thatched hut is still the same, but electrical wiring has been strung through it. The only food available is salt and boiled rice, but the ordinary old clay stove has been replaced by an electric “heater” [hotplate]. Such incongruities are now common in society." (Human Society - 1, Education)

Note: In the above teaching Baba is describing how incongruities have become prevalent in society. Here are a few more examples for us to ponder:

(a) In some "3rd world" countries people have "smart phones" (i.e. internet on their phone) yet they are still living under a tree and do not have running water in their home. Not only that, their own children are deprived the basic necessities - wandering around naked, collecting wood or recyclable materials etc.

(b) In so-called 1st world countries, there are some kids who have access to huge material wealth yet lack parental love. Without that special bond and emotional support, such children become islands of desperation.

(C) In other places within "1st world nations", kids go to school where they see fancy computers throughout the classrooms etc, yet when they return home they have no food to eat and must get their food from homeless shelters or soup kitchens.

These types of incongruities must be addressed. At present, such disparities are prevalent both in individual life and collective life. This situation must be put to a halt, and prama (balance) must be restored.

*************************************

Prabhat Samgiita 

"Jakhani bha'vi kichu cini bujhi, dekhi a'mi kichu ja'ni na'..." (PS 3225)

Purport:

When my little ego dominates then I think that I know and understand everything. It is only later that I realize that I do not know anything - I know not. When I try to move on the path with my own strength, then it is difficult for me to decide what I want to do and what is my goal.

From the origin of which unknown source am I floating and floating, from far to the farthest place, in the search of that unknown divine Entity. Day and night I am searching and wandering; why I wander around I do not understand.

O' karunamaya, what type of divine play do You do with me. What type of liila do You go on playing with this unit entity. How can this divine play between unit and cosmic continue without Your grace. O' Parama Purusa, O' Baba, You are everything, only by Your grace is anything possible...