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Sunday, May 17, 2026

Inner workings of mantra + 3 more

Baba
Inner workings of mantra

Namaskar,

Sometimes for a sadhaka the repetition of the mantra becomes ineffectual. Specifically, this letter addresses how repeating the mantra without properly understanding its inner spirit is a waste of time. As sadhakas and disciples of Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji we should have proper clarity on this important spiritual topic.

Ananda Marga ideology says, "To repeat the mantra without understanding its spirit is a waste of time." (1)

A key aspect of Baba's above teaching is that every sadhaka should know the meaning of their mantra and repeat it with proper ideation, otherwise their approach will be futile. Knowing the meaning is very important; only then will one be able to ideate properly. We should all be vigilant on this matter as it is related with sadhana and spiritual life. Here following are more points that every sadhaka should know.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

Ananda Marga ideology says, "Some people do japa kriyá in a very crude manner. It can be said that their method of incantation is like the talk of a parrot. Parrots talk, parrot say so many things, without understanding the meaning, without understanding the spirit of what is meant. Japa kriyá becomes as meaningless as the talk of a parrot for those who do it without love or emotion." (2)

Meaning of their own ista mantra

1. Without knowing the meaning of one's ista mantra, mantra caetanya (awakening of the mantra) will not be achieved. That means one's mantra will not vibrate their being or become "live".

2. In that case, proper ideation will not arise during mantra japa.

3. Instead, the mantra will remain dry - as if one is just involved in some empty, parrot-like type of repetition.

4. The sadhana mantra is in Saḿskrta, and if one does not know the meaning of the Saḿskrta mantra then it will not work. For example, if English speaking people who do not know Hindi are told to repeat niibu', then saliva will not be generated in their mouth. But if the same English speaking person is told the meaning of niibu' is lemon, automatically their mouth will produce saliva. Because they know the meaning of that particular word: niibu'. The overall point is that knowing the meaning of a word or phrase is necessary to achieve the desired result. One must know the meaning of the mantra.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

5. In our Ananda Marga sadhana system, there are many different ista mantras, and the meaning varies from one to another.

6. Each and every sadhaka must know the meaning of their own ista mantra.

Particulars of first lesson mantras

1. In our system of sadhana, certain ista mantras are repeated in their original order, while some mantras are repeated in reverse order. So sadhakas should know from their acaryas how their personal mantra works. One should know the meaning of their own mantra and its style of repetition: standard way or reverse order. Otherwise it will not work.

2. The selection of the mantra is done depending upon a sadhaka's samskara and according to a particular formula given by Baba.

3. In addition, there are various ista cakras so that must also be assigned. And everyone should know their own ista cakra. In His historic discourse from 1984 Agra DMC, Baba told to all that there are 4 ista cakras: (a) anahata, (b) vishuddha, (c) lalana' (tip of the nose), (d) ajina. According to one's own samskara, one should keep the mantra at any one particular cakra during first lesson as told by your acarya.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

4. In first lesson there is no ista cakra that is above ajina cakra or below anahata cakra.

5. And not only is there a mantra with first lesson, but in the lesson of dhyana there is also a mantra.

6. So all this should be known to each sadhaka regarding their own personal meditation practice.

Selecting an acarya

When you see an acarya sincerely involved in sadhana and spiritual life then you should learn from them. It is just like if you want to win a court case, then you do not hire xyz persons like a potato-seller or fruit seller etc. Rather one should seek out a trained attorney. And if you want to be cured of a disease, then do not consult a bicycle mechanic; rather one should find a doctor. Same is the case with learning sadhana: Seek out an acarya deeply involved in meditation.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

Note: If anyone has any confusion about their ista cakra or ista mantra then they should not start haphazardly guessing and practicing it in the wrong way. Because that will be harmful. In that case, best is to communicate with a proper acarya.

Science behind three shuddhiis & japa

Every sincere sadhaka of Ananda Marga is aware about first lesson, i.e. iishvara pranidhana. It is comprised of three essential sections:

(a) Diipanii - literally means torch. It is just like if you are surrounded by darkness then you need the torch to see the path. With the help of the torch you will be able to follow the path and reach your destination. Similarly, when a sadakha sits in sadhana then the mind wants to wander around. So one must goad the mind step by step by doing one shuddhi after another and ultimately reaching to the ista cakra. This process is called diipanii. Devoid of this the mind will wander around - it will not reach the ista cakra, i.e. the place of concentration. In that case, how can one do proper japa and real sadhana - because the mind will wander around. That is why diipanii is needed. The three shuddhis (भूत शुद्धि, आसन शुद्धि, चित्त शुद्धि) come within the stage of diipanii.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

(b) Mantra caetanya - literally meaning awakened mantra which has two sub-sections:
1. The mantra must be a siddha mantra; and,
2. the practitioner must know the meaning of the mantra and during sadhana the aspirant has to channelise that inner spiritual feeling and yearning towards Parama Purusa, coordinating and chanting the mantra with the breath.

Ananda Marga ideology states, "What is mantra caetanya, or the awakening of a mantra? Mantra caetanya is the condition where, with the help of a particular shabda [mantra], a person establishes parallelism between his or her external physical vibration [entitative waves] and his or her internal ectoplasmic vibration [incantative waves], and then raises this to the spiritual level." (3)

(c) Mantra'gha'ta - literally meaning when the mantra strikes the kulakundalinii. This occurs when one knows the meaning of their mantra and repeats it sincerely with devotion then that mantra repetition will automatically strike the kundalinii. This is a natural outcome if the above points are followed with sincerity.

These are all key for doing better sadhana. If any aspect is missing, the mantra will not produce the desired effect.

Why parrot sadhana is useless

Here below Baba gives some key guidelines about mantra repetition and doing sadhana with bhakti.

Ananda Marga ideology says, "Some people do japa kriyá in a very crude manner. It can be said that their method of incantation is like the talk of a parrot. Parrots talk, parrot say so many things, without understanding the meaning, without understanding the spirit of what is meant. Japa kriyá becomes as meaningless as the talk of a parrot for those who do it without love or emotion. It even loses the value of internal suggestion, intro-psychic suggestion. Sadhana is withdrawing the mental propensities from all extroversive entities, and then collecting those withdrawn mental forces, mental propensities, and urging them towards the Supreme Entity. If there is no love for the Supreme Entity, this movement cannot be done. Where there is no love, the mind will not run after Him. So sadhana also becomes meaningless." (4)

If all the above points are followed then sadhana will be blissful. And one will desire to sit in sadhana for long periods.

Namaskar,
at His feet,
Ananda Deva

Diiksa: (dii = diipak or lamp; ksa = annihilation of samskara) the process whereby after initiation one’s sin or bad samskaras are eradicated. 

Ananda Marga ideology states, “What does the term “diikśá” mean? During the DMC discourse in Madras, I said that the Saḿskrta word “diikśá” and the English word “initiation”, do not have quite the same meaning. But as there is no exact English equivalent for diikśá, the word “initiation” is generally, used. According to the scriptural meaning, diikśá is derived from “dii” and “kśa”. Dii is the first letter of the word “diipajiṋána” (light of knowledge) and kśa is the first letter of “kśayam” (exhaustion of saḿskaras).” (5)


~ In-depth study ~

#1: In the Senior Acarya Diary chapter on Iishvara pranidhana, section - “shuddhis”, Baba is describing that when sitting in meditation (padmasana, siddhasana, viirasana) one must keep the back straight so that the kundalini can the passage to rise upward from muladhara to sahasrara.

#2: Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, "They should be taught to sit in padmásana [lotus posture], but instead of interlocking the fingers, they may rest one palm upon the other; and keep the spine erect.." (6)

#3: Ananda Marga philosophy states, “Tailless apes can be taught sádhaná after some effort. The tailed bipeds will not be able to do sádhaná like the tailless bipeds because the backbone of the tailed bipeds, containing the controlling points of the five fundamental factors, does not come in one line. The controlling points fall on a curved line, hence they cannot perform sádhaná properly.” (7)

#4: Ananda Marga philosophy states, “Mono-sided, straight or erect beings can perform sádhaná very well because all the five controlling points of the fundamental factors fall on a straight line...You see how fortunate you are to have a human biological structure. You have got a human frame. Humans should be obliged to Supreme Consciousness for this favour.” (8)

#5: Ananda Marga philosophy states, "The one who has followed the straight path of the sus'umna' canal upwards becomes one with Parama Purus'a." (9)

#6: Ananda Marga philosophy states, “Ujure uju cháŕi ná leo re báḿka. The word “uju” in Saḿskrta is derived from the Saḿskrta word “rju”. “Rju” means straight. The meaning of this line is “don’t accept the crooked path rejecting the straight one”. That is, just proceed along the path of “suśumná” not along the path of “id́á” and “piuṋgalá”.” (10)


~ Unrelated teaching ~

Why dogmatic family names should be discarded

  Ananda Marga philosophy says, "Casteism is a burden on the Hindu society. All the year round they preach casteism but on the polling days they decry it. This is wholly undesirable. It is better to avoid all titles. Titles signify the caste. If casteism is to be wiped out, it is incumbent to discard the titles. It is commendable if everyone adopts uniformity on title – Deva. Persons using a particular word more often will influence their minds with the meaning of that word. People are reluctant to use the word dása because this word signifies slavery. Whenever the so-called low caste people catch an opportunity, they declare themselves as belonging to the so-called elevated caste, etc. It is an ideal to become deva and for this reason Deva title should be adopted."
   "Titles of the present society have undergone considerable changes during the past fifty years, the cause being that everyone aspires to pertain to an elevated caste. The so-called Shúdras also use the sacred thread. This is only an effort towards the concealment of one’s identity. By this means, they conceal only their disregarded status. This is to be regretted. It is consequent on social debility that they harbour the desire for changes in their situations. It is out and out purposeless to convene All-India Conferences or particular castes. All of them desire to assert and establish their rights. This is simply misuses of energy and money."
   "The consent of those embraced must be sought for before renaming them in Samskrta. Language has got nothing to do with religion and as such, there is no reason for anybody depreciating the use of Samskrta. In this connection it may be added that the great emperor Aurangzeb used the term sudhárasa (juice of nectar) for mango (original Samskrta term for mango is ámra) and saddharma for Islam." (11)

So many areas of the globe are affected by caste and communal feeling. From the British lords to India's brahmins and so many points in between, and here above Baba gives the perfect antidote and solution to such narrow-minded and harmful thinking.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

References
1. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life - 9, Tantra and Sadhana
2. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 1, Who Is Gopa?
3. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life - 11, Mantra Caetanya
4. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 1, Who Is Gopa?
5. Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 8, He Who Steals Others' Sins Is Called Hari
6. Caryacarya - 1, The Process of Initiation
7. Yoga Psychology, The Human Body Is a Biological Machine
8. Yoga Psychology, The Human Body Is a Biological Machine
9. Namami Krsnasundaram, Párthasárathi Krśńa and Vishiśt́ádvaetaváda (Discourse 16)
10. Ananda Marga Karma Yoga in a Nutshell, “Kurvanneveha Karmmáńi”
11. Tattvika Diipika, 5th part, Ánanda Púrńimá 1957


== Section 2: Prabhat Samgiita ==

Heart of every living being

"Karuna' kare go krpa' karo sabe..." (Prabhat Samgiita #0414)

Purport

O’ Baba, please bless Your karuna on all. You are the most magnanimous and loving One. You do everything for everyone. Kindly be gracious to all due to Your own inherent mercy; please shower Your divine karuna on all living beings - suffuse Your grace on everybody. Baba, nobody is qualified to have Your endless mercy so You please be gracious solely on behalf of Your own inherent mercy. O' grace Personified, with the flow of Your compassion, shower Your krpa on every jiiva to cross the ocean of maya, granting liberation to one and all.

O’ Lord, You are ever-present everywhere, at the heights of big mountains as well as in the depths of deep seas, vast plains, and dark forests. In the heart of every living being there is a special seat for You. Baba, please bless all with the great boon of fearlessness. 

O' Baba, whatever I know and whatever I do not know, I feel that everything is Your divine liila. Everyone is dancing in Your eternal vibration. Baba, You are above all. O' Parama Purusa, ever-effulgent Entity, please be gracious...


== Section: Important Topic ==

How the four root languages developed

Ananda Marga philosophy states, "When a swift horse runs its hooves make a turtur sound. That which makes a turtur sound as it moves is called turaga or turaunga or turaungama (that is, "horse"). That animal which makes a kurkur sound as it runs is called kuraga or kuraunga or kuraungama (that is, "deer"). In this way human beings have created many word forms and verb forms to express their mental ideas. This process of word formation is called "acoustic derivation" and the original verbal roots in all the world's languages were created in this way."

"The first word forms in all the world's languages were the original verbal roots. By adding prefixes and suffixes many different words were derived. Among the established languages of the world, mainly four can be considered as the root languages. They are Vedic, Latin, Hebrew and old Chinese. If one examines the derivation of the vocabulary of these languages one will find that their method or process is identical. (1)

Here Baba is explaining that these 4 languages (Vedic, Latin, Hebrew, and old Chinese) are root languages. The words and vocabulary of these languages are based on the natural sounds those inhabitants heard, such as when a horse runs. In that way those early people created root verbs.  Time passed; daughter and granddaughter languages were formed. And those languages were built upon the root verbs of those four original root languages.

For example, Sanskrit / Saḿskrta came from the Vedic language and from Sanskrit / Saḿskrta so many Indian languages were created: Hindi, Bengali, Gujurati, Malayalam and all the Indo-Aryan languages. They are all based on Sanskrit / Saḿskrta and follow the same root verb from the original Vedic. This is also happened with Latin, Hebrew, and Old Chinese. So many languages were formed upon the root verbs of these 3 other root languages, just as happened with Vedic.

Reference
1. Varn'a Vijina'na, Disc 19, p.270


== Section: Prabhat Samgiita ==

तुम्हें पाने की आशा  में, मैं अपने मन दर्पण में तुम्हारा चित्र

प्रभात संगीत  0784  तोमारे पावार ….  तोमारे पेते पासे

भावार्थ

हे परम पुरुष! तुम इस विश्व में सबसे महान हो। तुम्हें पाने और तुम्हारे निकट आने की आशा  में, मैं अपने मन के दर्पण में तुम्हारा चित्र बना रहा हॅूं । और तुम्हारे प्रेम में आनन्ददायी गीत गा रहा हॅूं। हे मेरे परमप्रिय! बाबा!  कृपा करो और पास आ जाओ।

हे मेरे बाबा! उस समय  तुम मेरी ओर अपनी आॅंखों में ममता मधुरता और स्नेहामृत भर कर जो  देख रहे थे, वह मैं कभी नहीं भूल सकता,  हमेशा  यह याद रखता हॅूॅं । मैं उन स्मरणीय, जादुई और मोहित करने वाले क्षणों को कभी नहीं भुला सकता। मैं अपने हृदय की गहराई में उस मधुर स्मृति को हमेशा रखता हॅूं।

तुम्हारी कृपा से मैं इस धरती पर, तुम्हारा काम करने के लिये बार बार आया, और  काम समाप्त करके मैं कहाॅं चला गया, मुझे यह पता नहीं है।

हे परम पुरुष, बाबा! तुम्हारी कृपा से एक बार फिर मैं इस धरती पर आया हूँ, और मैंने तुम्हारी दिव्य मुरली ध्वनि सुना है, जो तुम मुझे बुलाने के लिये बजा रहे हो। इसके उत्तर में मैं तुम्हारे गीत गाता, नाचता तुम्हारी ओर दौड़ता आ रहा हॅूं। यह तुम्हारी कृपा ही है। हे मेरे परमप्रिय, बाबा! तुम मेरे सब कुछ हो, मेरे ऊपर अपनी अहैतुकी कृपा बनाये रखकर मुझे अपनी शरण में रखो ।

तुम्हारी कृपा से


== Section 3: Links ==

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Saturday, May 16, 2026

How to handle cultural treasures + 2 more

Baba

How to handle cultural treasures

Namaskar,

Every Ananda Margii knows that Baba has given great importance to artifacts and archeology. We should understand why, what our role should be, and how this relates to a recurring issue taken up around the globe. To begin, here is Baba's first-hand account.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

Sadguru Baba says, "I went there to do archaeological research on Angadesh, in the Lachmiipur jungle area by the eastern border of the Khirkhiriya (Kśiirakśiriká) Hills. I found there many cave paintings from the Buddhist era. I even came across some artifacts that dated back to the beginning of humankind’s history in old Angadesh. In these hills humankind depicted its existence through many different varieties of drawings. From these it can be understood just how far back Angadesh’s history goes. If Karna is accepted as Anga’s first king, then Anga’s political history is over 3500 years old, but these cave paintings are signs of the first stage of prehistoric humans’ ascension through the annals of history. They are approximately twelve thousand to fifteen thousand years old. No writings are found with them because at that time humankind had not yet invented script." (1)

The key point here is that Baba uses artifacts and archaeology as a means to create a proper history of that area. Thus far, around the world, what is often accepted as "history" presents a poor portrayal of what really happened. Through archaeology and the study of artifacts, Baba presents the proper historical record. And that is what He wants that we should do as well. Ananda Margiis and local archaeologists should unearth the truth about their area and tell the real story of those indigenous peoples. Their greatness and glory should be told, not forgotten.


Artifacts reveal the story of humanity

Baba says, “It heartens me to see young men like you,” I told the young man. “Go ahead and rescue Rarh’s archaeological artifacts from the ground and reconstruct the history….Remove the defects from India’s historical record. Make the history of humankind resonate with the great message of humanity.” (2)

Indeed, the whole of human history needs to be retold based on the evidence gotten from archaeological findings. Because, tragically, up until today, the right and correct history has not been told.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

Shabda Cayanika states, "I am a child of Magadha. History has never done full justice to this land of Magadha. Every dust particle of its villages and markets is mixed with the gold-dust of its heritage but no one has properly recognized it or recorded it. The little that has been written about it has been written by foreign historians – some out of sport, some out of merriment." (3)

Outside agents - primarily from imperialistic, western nations during the people of colonization - have created a skewed historical account and in so doing vastly undermined and exploited the feelings and sentiments of those native peoples and communities. Thus a double loss occurred: The right factual history was not presented and an inferiority complex was imposed on native populations. Baba wants archaeology and artifacts used for telling the true history and boosting the morale of local peoples.

Pillaging of artifacts used to subjugate & exploit peoples

To date, western powers have essentially scoured this earth for resources, power, wealth and more. Cultural artifacts were pillaged from lands around the world in order to heighten the economic dominance of those imperialistic nations and rob the local people of their self-worth, dignity, and self-esteem. Instead of using those artifacts as a means of recounting the real history and contributions of those native populations, foreign invaders stripped the land and the people of their wealth and integrity. In prior eras, various Mughal rulers exploited from inside the country (India), whereas western agents came from outside and returned back with their treasures.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

Today, the gems and jewels from Lord Krsna’s era are embedded within the British crown. This is the story of so many lands, not just India. Now, various nations exploited in the past are demanding that their cultural artifacts be returned and their legacy restored. From South America to Greece and Turkey, and from the far east to Africa, those nations exploited and colonized by imperialists are demanding their cultural wealth be returned. This has been a recurring dialog, but is often met without much success.

Demand return of artifacts to native lands

More and more countries now want their precious, cultural artifacts returned to their respective homelands.The Greeks, the Egyptians, the Indians, the Filipinos, the Africans, the Peruvians, and so many others are now demanding that museums in places like New York, London, and Paris etc return their precious artifacts.

This stands as one recurring theme these last few years in newspapers, dailies, magazines, blogs, and discussion forums across the globe. Some of the important questions include:

  (1) Why were those artifacts stolen / taken in the first place?
  (2) Who now is the rightful owner of those pieces?

As the issue comes more and more to the fore, it is needed that we discuss, understand, and know the Proutistic position.\
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/


Artifacts provide a unique window of past

By the term 'artifacts', we are talking about statues, engravings, idols, sculptures, carvings, paintings, books, manuscripts, cave drawings, and pottery etc that are thousands of years old - all of which are priceless and provide a unique window into the cultural heritage of a people. So these artifacts are of great importance, and we should also remember that Baba Himself places a huge emphasis on this as He has spent countless days and tours unearthing and examining artifacts of old.

Baba says, "Each day I would go to one or two different spots in the Suvarnarekha River valley in search of archaeological artifacts of ancient Rarh. One day, while searching in a spot near Muri in the Silli area, I came across a fossilized fragment of a mammoth jaw with part of the tusk still attached. I knew I had found something important. There was no doubt that it would add lustre to the cultural heritage of Rarh." (4)

And indeed, so many of the documented accounts in Shabda Cayanika are about Baba's various archaeological explorations, plus in 1984 He did an entire DMC tour of north India which focused exclusively on the ancestry and archeology of so many regions and places. The overall importance of such artifacts cannot be denied. Certainly, today, all these artifacts have become priceless - whether they be from ancient Greece and Rome or from the hillsides of Nepal or Chile. Even then, money was not always the main aim behind the capturing of those artifacts ages ago. There was something else at stake.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/


Rob heritage & cultural history & infuse inferiority complex

Imperialist powers stole and / or destroyed artifacts and treasures from whatever lands they colonised and enslaved the local people by injecting an inferiority complex. By this way, those native people became easy targets for further exploitation by those imperialistic powers. The history of those colonies was written by European scholars. They painted the picture as if before they arrived, those indigenous people had nothing. This left a deep inferiority complex upon that populace for future generations. Those local people felt they were the descendants of forefathers that had no greatness or glory. When that is not at all correct. Yet by this way, those local communities were pushed down and exploited by imperialists year after year, generation after generation etc. Here is more of that dark history.

When the various colonial powers scoured the earth in the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries and beyond, then their chief aim was power and control. In brief, they wanted to rob and pillage various peoples and communities of everything they had. In order to do that, they needed to break the cultural backbone of those people. So they stripped those people of their very own cultural history and legacy.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

Ananda Marga philosophy says, "Whenever the sentimental legacy of a group of people is undermined, they become easy prey to the economic, political and psycho-economic exploitation of vested interests. Such a strategy of cultural suppression was adopted by the English, French, Dutch, Spanish, American and other colonial powers." (5)

Thus, the taking of those artifacts - like Parthenon / Elgin Marbles or the pottery and artwork of the Incas - was not only done because those colonial powers thought that one day those artifacts would become priceless, but because they wanted to deny those cultures of any self-worth. Then those subjugated peoples would be prime targets of exploitation.

Ananda Marga philosophy guides us, "It is proper for human beings to struggle for political freedom, for social emancipation; but if their cultural backbone is broken, then all their struggles will end in nothing...If one’s spine is shattered, it is impossible to hold one’s head erect." (6)

So that was the essence behind the thievery. Those colonial powers wanted to annihilate the life-force of those peoples in order to steal everything they had and dominate them. And the fastest method of doing so was denying them of their cultural heritage. That was the chief reason why those colonial powers stole those artifacts. Yes, they wanted to display those precious items in their museums. Yes, they thought those artifacts were priceless. But the main factor was to smother the spirit of the people and thus perpetuate their cycle of exploitation.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/


Loss of cultural heritage & exploitation

Here below, Baba points out that in order for a people to restore themselves and stand up again, they must become in tune with the immense value of their cultural heritage. Once they develop respect and pride by understanding their own cultural heritage, they can no longer be suppressed or exploited.

To this end, Baba traveled all around to correct the history and make it proper using archaeology as His chosen tool. By this way, He is teaching us that archaeologists and margiis should do the same in their country and provide the correct history to the people. Local communities should not be subjected to exploitation by outside forces. Those native populations should be fortified with their own self-worth. Otherwise they easily fall prey to the prevailing dominant culture.

During his travels, wherever Baba went, He documents the ways and specialties of the common people. He documented their history and highlighted their contributions and efforts such as their crafts and art. This was His regular manner throughout His various travels. Plus in Lake Gardens, He had His own museum to safely store artifacts and fossils found in Ananda Nagar and other local areas. Those items included dinosaur eggs, bones, stones, rocks etc.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

Thus, whether while traveling or in Ananda Nagar, Baba did not collect fancy stones or jewels per se; instead He gathered those common items that told the story of those peoples and lands. This was Baba's way of showing us how to document and preserve the talents and dignity of those peoples.

Ananda Marga philosophy says, "If local people develop a sublime awareness of their cultural heritage they can readily throw off all psychic inferiority complexes which prevent them from attaining socio-economic self-reliance." (7)

So one's cultural heritage is a key facet of being able to stand up in this world. And here below Baba emphasizes how cultural heritage - such as the preservation of artifacts - is a significant aspect of our samaj theory.

Ananda Marga philosophy guides us, "Those who share a similar cultural legacy and uniform socio-economic potential will then be well-established in each region." (8)


Conclusion

According to Ananda Marga and Prout, the various museums in London, New York, Paris, and Berlin etc must return those cultural artifacts to their respective communities. Today, when the Greeks are asking for the return of the Parthenon / Elgin Marbles, and when museums in the western powers are filled with artifacts made by the ancient peoples of faraway lands, then there is no option but to return the cultural legacy to those respective communities. That is what must be done.
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But it will not come easy. Because at present museum curators in the US, England, France, and Germany etc have their logic and justification. While further discussion and openness is a step in the right direction, the fact remains that still today, the British Museum has retained the Elgin Marbles in their collection. Greece is not the only nation trying to regain ownership of stolen cultural artifacts. Turkey also is seeking cultural artifacts from the British.

On the positive side, there are some few cases where imperialistic nations are returning the artifacts to their country of origin - such as France's return of artifacts to Korea. But such instances are not the norm - still tremendous numbers of cultural artifacts critical to a country's cultural legacy remain in the halls and showrooms of imperialistic nations.

It is our duty to raise this issue and help restore the cultural legacy of the people - helping to undo some of the countless harms done during the Colonial Era. As Proutists, we must encourage all the peoples of the world to stand up and have a voice - and to do that they must be aware of the greatness of their own cultural heritage.

Prout philosophy states, "PROUT always stands for the cause of exploited people, irrespective of race, nation, religion etc., and always opposes all types of exploitation." (9)

Namaskar,
In Him,
Shankar

~ In-depth study ~

(A) This below account from Baba demonstrates how He puts history together from archaeological findings.
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   Shabda Cayanika states, "The first step forward in human civilization was the discovery of fire. The second step forward was the discovery of iron. The third step forward was the invention of the wheel. That human clan of the prehistoric era which first discovered fire was considered the most civilized and advanced clan of its time. Gradually the use of fire became prevalent in all human communities. Thereafter, that community which first learned the use of iron leapt over the boundary of the stone age, bone age and bronze age, and was considered to have the most advanced civilization. The use of iron brought a new unfolding to the movement of human history, a new radiance. At that time the wheel had not yet been invented, and thus there were no vehicles. Later, with the help of iron, human beings produced the wheel. They learned to wage war seated in vehicles mounted on wheels. By sharpening the edge of the wheel they invented a weapon called the discus. The boomerang is also a type of discus used by the Maoris of Australia. In India and Central Asia people learned the use of the wheel in very ancient times, but no matter how long ago they learned it, they learned it after they learned the use of iron. That is, first they invented the chariot wheel, then afterwards turned the wheel into a weapon."
   "At one time, the ancient Mayan civilization of America was more advanced than many other civilizations, but because they lagged behind in the invention of the wheel, they were forced in subsequent times to acknowledge their defeat at the hands of other civilizations. The oldest existing artifacts of the Mayan civilization give evidence to advanced ways of life but no wheel. One should keep in mind that the Sanskrit name for America, Máyádviipa, came from the name of the Mayan civilization. During the Chola, Páńd́ya, and Pahlava dynasties of the Indian Middle Ages there was contact between America and India – this was before Columbus’s discovery of America." (10)

(B) Next Baba recounts how in the past thieves stole artifacts thereby denying people of their cultural legacy.

Shabda Cayanika states, "During the Buddhist and Puranic eras, indeed, even during the Pathan era as well, the Dákrás used to gather gold particles from the sand of this river which they would then melt down to remove the base metals and extract the pure gold. During that time many of the archaeological artifacts made in this Suvarnarekha valley were fashioned of pure gold, but they fell into the hands of thieves so they are no longer found today." (11)


Outside invaders imposed deprivation & subjugation

(C) Here Baba explains how those early artisans used to work.
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Ananda Marga philosophy states, "At the beginning of civilization, the desire to create arts and crafts arose in the human mind. At that time artisans used to work at home, and arts and crafts were produced in cottage industries. Men, women, boys and girls – all participated in the creation of arts and crafts. Later people realized that some arts and crafts could not be produced in every village, so certain artifacts were produced by a few combined villages. If artisans had not combined together, they would have suffered losses in the market place, and their numbers would have been significantly reduced. So gradually human beings started to go and work in places where production was done collectively, or the first factories. At that time the few industries that existed were decentralized." (12)

(D) This following excerpt is a description of one outing Baba made.

Shabda Cayanika guides us, "I had gone at the time to a village in Nawada subdivision of Gaya district in search of archaeological artifacts from Magadha. This place was more or less in the Kśuri river basin. At the southwest it bordered the historically renowned Grdhrakút́ mountain where the Buddha performed spiritual austerities and later gave his spiritual teaching." (13)

(E) This next teaching shows how Asian nations came under exploitation by outside powers.

Ananda Marga philosophy states, "The Asian countries, in spite of their long heritage of morality and spirituality, have been subject to great humiliation during periods of foreign invasion. While the higher knowledge of philosophy propagated by the oriental sages and saints has been accepted as a unique contribution to the store house of human culture and civilization, the people of these lands could not resist the foreign invaders. The history of all the Asian countries, a region of so many religions, has been dominated by foreign powers for centuries together. This imbalance brought about their material deprivation and political subjugation." (14)


Save our heritage and ward off exploitation & complexes

(F) This is a formula for how people get trapped under a heap of inferiority complexes and become subject to exploitation.
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Ananda Marga philosophy guides us, "The use of non-local languages as the medium of instruction only results in the suppression and subjugation of the local language and inevitably means the suppression of the local culture. This in turn leads to psychic demoralization, inferiority complexes and a defeatist mentality. Whenever the sentimental legacy of a group of people is undermined, they become easy prey to the economic, political and psycho-economic exploitation of vested interests. Such a strategy of cultural suppression was adopted by the English, French, Dutch, Spanish, American and other colonial powers. If local people develop a sublime awareness of their cultural heritage they can readily throw off all psychic inferiority complexes which prevent them from attaining socio-economic self-reliance." (15)

(G) Next Baba highlights how museums should faithfully and aptly preserve all cultural artifacts.

Ananda Marga philosophy states, "Deities should be preserved in museums, and temples should be restored to maintain the cultural and historical heritage of the country." (16)

(H) Here is Baba's call to all peoples in all lands.

Ananda Marga philosophy states, "We have to save our cultural life, we have to save our heritage, by linking the bright past to the brighter future with the golden cord of universalism." (17)


References
1. Shabda Cayanika - 2, Discourse: 9
2. Shabda Cayanika - 2, Discourse: 8
3. Shabda Cayanika - 1, Áṋt to Áhiira (Discourse 5)
4. Shabda Cayanika - 2 (Disc: 8)
5. A Few Problems Solved - 9, Socio-Economic Movements
6. Liberation of Intellect: Neo-Humanism, Disc: 7
7. A Few Problems Solve - 9, Socio-Economic Movements
8. Proutist Economics, Developmental Planning
9. A Few Problems Solve - 9, Socio-Economic Movements
10. Shabda Cayanika - 1, Áṋka to Ád́hya (Discourse 4)
11. Shabda Cayanika - 2 (Disc: 8)
12. Proutist Economics, Decentralized Economy - 2
13. Shabda Cayanika - 1, Discourse: 6
14. Prout in a Nutshell - 18, Talks on Education – Excerpt C
15. A Few Problems Solve - 9, Socio-Economic Movements
16. Prout Nutshell  - 16, Three Cardinal Socio-Political Principles
17. Prout Nutshell - 17, The Significance of Language


== Section: Important Teaching ==

Why Buddha’s preachings got branded as atheistic

Ananda Marga philosophy states, “Buddha opposed those ritualistic religions in clear language and advised people to follow the path of morality. He said, “Prepare yourself and truth will spontaneously  manifest itself before you.” Buddha did not say anything specifically about Iishvara, his views about átman were vague, and he clearly rejected the Vedas; for these reasons the doctrine of Buddha was branded as atheism." (1)

Reference
1. Namah Shivaya Shantaya, Disc: 18


== Section 2: Links ==




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Wednesday, May 13, 2026

AMPS: special & unique history + 3 more

Baba

AMPS: special & unique history

Namaskar,

This letter concerns the history of those early days in the formation of Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha. During those times in Jamalpur, Baba did all the initiations Himself. As the number of disciples grew, He introduced the system of family tattvikas and family acaryas. Then those tattvikas and acaryas taught sadhana to new people. And Baba started guiding more and more new programmes.
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Only family acaryas were running the AMPS

Following that initial stage in which Baba did all the initiations Himself, in the subsequent phase, family acaryas were working hard to keep pace with the rapid growth and spread of Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha.

Gradually, in step-wise, progressive fashion, the work of Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha multiplied. Family acaryas were inspired and convinced to take leave from their government offices and jobs; and, they were temporarily separated from their families in order to travel to faraway places for pracara (preaching and teaching of AM ideology). They reached all corners of India from Jammu Kashmir to Kannya Kumari and from Cachh to Nagaland. They covered just about everywhere – all places, all the district headquarters, etc. Plus so many meetings were organised – so many tattva sabhas.

The main program was the extensive pracara work going on those days. There was only one main work — pracara, pracara, and pracara. There was no Prout work, no samaj work, and no other activity. In 1955 and 1956, there was only pracara: Making new margiis and getting them involved in sadhana and sending them for PC (personal contact) at Jamalpur.
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Then the next phase started. Family acaryas were requested to go outside India. Some went and did huge work. Baba’s intensive pressure remained very focused on pracar work. So most of the family acaryas were taking leave and getting involved. Weeks after weeks. Pracar and pracar. That was the rhythm those days. At the same time, Baba graciously created a favourable vibration everywhere. So wherever acaryas went, they found spiritually hungry people ready and anxious to learn meditation and follow our Ananda Marga way of life. Effortlessly, acaryas initiated countless people. It was all due to Baba's cosmic grace.

Why pseudo-sadhakas ran away

By that time, Baba was taking reports and bestowing His special tantrika gift.  This was exclusively His causeless grace. To the untrained eye it may have looked harsh. But behind, Baba had His cosmic plan. By using His tantrika gift, He would cure sadhakas of their physical and psychic ailments. In His divine play, He purified their glands, cleaned their minds, and infused them with bhakti, stamina, and a strong sense of determination. In this way, He was gracing and purifying them - and bhaktas realised this as well. They could feel how all their physical and psychic ailments were removed, by His grace, i.e. by His special tantrika gift. After reporting, they would be recharged and filled with a positive outlook to do more and more pracara. Outwardly it looked harsh; but, those who received this special tantrika gift were blessed with a strong spirit, a clear mind, and a disease-free body.
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These days some people may think: Was there no other way to purify sadhakas than by this special tantrika gift? The answer is very simple. Baba's unique and special gift enabled sadhakas to be cured, and become pure, and spiritually cleansed. By this way, they could do more pracara and dharmic work for His mission. And that is exactly what happened. Those true sadhakas remained along with Baba and worked untiringly, by His grace. While those selfish lookers coming for worldly boons were intimidated and stayed away. This was the way Sadguru Baba showered His grace upon His disciples and displayed His tantric liila.


How Wt system started - 1

In the transitional period when society is confused and people do not know what to do, Mahasambhuti graciously takes advent. He comes on this earth not for a few individuals but to guide the whole, entire society - for generations and generations, thousands of years. So He has so many guidelines, and plans and programmes, to give. And verily Baba’s vision and practical approach was vast. It was not possible for family people alone to carry out this monumental task. Those family people already had mundane jobs and could only do service work / pracara on a part-time basis. And Baba was giving such a grand set of teachings and service works that family margiis simply could not complete.
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After all, the world is quite vast, and there was pressure to get the work done immediately. Baba’s allotted target for those family acaryas was to cover the entire globe down to the district level. Yet those family acaryas had jobs, children, family obligations, and various personal affairs that demanded their attention. So those family acaryas were feeling completely overwhelmed and at a loss for how to complete this dharmic task which Sadguru Baba has allotted.


How Wt system started - 2

Sadguru Baba has a specific plan to fulfill and implement in a very short period. Baba’s aim was to serve the whole human society. Although those family acaryas were trying hard, it was evident that more help was needed to complete this immense task.

The days and weeks flew by with ever-increasing work demands and quotas. After some time, 
Baba’s work pressure was so extreme, family acaryas were under tremendous pressure and stress to fulfill the targets. At one point, Baba gave the program to do pracar and programs in all blocks of the entire world: where there is at least one Margii in each and every block.
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Then Baba graciously suggested, “You people have become senior; you have big extended families with many duties and responsibilities, both personally and professionally. So you cannot travel around and do Ananda Marga pracara etc for several months at a time. Why not find youths who are unmarried, or anyone who can give full-time commitment for this endeavour, and take work from them?”

Conclusion

By listening to this suggestion from Baba, those family acaryas felt so much relief. They immediately started searching for some youths to commit full-time to doing AMPS work. In this course of action, from different parts of India, family acaryas sent many youths for PC at Jamalpur. And a training session was organised to make them into LFTs. The year was 1962. Things were going on very fast. Without any delay those LFT’s were getting their WT-ship. This is just a glimpse of some of the long, rich history. From there the story goes on and on.

Namaskar,
In Him,
Kripa’nidhi

Love & punishment

The rule is that without love one cannot punish that person, rather the degree of love must be higher. 
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Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, “The quantum of punishment must not exceed the quantum of love.” (1)

Baba has much more love towards those whom He punishes in comparison to those who He does not punish. The idea is that Baba is impartial so if the sadhaka loves much more and feels more love for Baba he is qualified to get more punishment. That is why it is said in the scriptures that those who are blessed get punished by Sadguru. 

What is special tantrika gift

Special tantrika gift: Baba would cure the physical and psychic ailments of His disciples. In His divine play, He purified their glands, cleaned their minds, and infused them with bhakti, stamina, and a strong sense of determination. All these things He was doing through His mock corporeal punishment. That was His tantrika gift. In this way, He was gracing and purifying them.

When Taraka Brahma comes onto this earth in human form as Mahasambhuti then by His grace bhaktas realise His divine Self - and they come to see Him. News of His arrival spreads, as do the stories of His greatness, powers, and grace. Gradually, more and more start coming for His darshan and blessing, until even non-sadhakas seeking worldly boons start approaching Him in droves. Yet, Mahasambhuti comes with a particular purpose: To attend to certain dharmic works and impart teachings to lead humanity for thousands of years. All the while time is short and He has to guide His bhaktas first and foremost.
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Only the fortunate get beating 

So Baba employed His special tantrika gift, i.e. mock corporeal punishment. Certainly all were welcome to see Him, non-margiis and margiis alike. However when those non-sadhakas saw Baba use His special tantrika gift, those masses quickly became frightened and turned back. They thought it was better to stay out of the line of fire rather than risk going close. It was only His bhaktas that could see through the liila and understand that His tantrika gift - mock corporeal punishment - was nothing but His special grace. It was the ocean of nectar. By getting His tantrika gift, sadhana was heightened, diseases were cured, and the mind was made free and fearless. In a word, one became purified by His grace. Yet from the outside it looked quite scary. So non-sadhakas opted to turn away whereas bhaktas were always eager to go close to Him. They would wait days and weeks to receive His dharma samiiksa, and would yearn for and seek out other opportunities to go close. Such bhaktas could see and feel that beneath it all was His ever-flowing, unending love. And they valued His tantrika gift as the most charming and blessed event in their entire life.
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References
1. Caryacarya - 2, Society, Point #39c


*        *        *

The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.

*        *        *

== Section: Important Teaching ==

How religions befool followers

Question: Do you know who Baba is talking about in the below passage? 

Ananda Marga philosophy states, “In places where, for whatever reason, intellectual clashes among the vipras were not very intense, their philosophy was very simple. They would say to the people directly, "I am the angel or incarnation of God. The things I have said are not the words of a human being but the words of God," or "I have received the divine revelation that you will eat this and not that, worship in this way and not that, and offer this to God. If you obey my commandments God will bless you and you will go to heaven; otherwise you will be burnt to death in the fire of hell." The people were fooled this easily.”

“The vipras used to tempt people with an imaginary heaven and inject in them the fear of an imaginary hell. In this way they would accomplish their objectives; their exploitation would proceed smoothly; and moreover the fear they aroused in people's minds would turn those people into fanatics.”

“It is noticeable that in the fanatical religious communities that we see in the world today, there is very little intellectual clash among the vipras.”  (1)

Answer:

In His above teaching, Sadguru Baba is talking about the semitic religions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. 

Reference
1. Human Society - 2, The Vipra Age


== Section: Important Teaching ==

How greed increases in society

   Ananda Marga ideology states, "Whether one be a philanthropist or a star athlete, one desires to see what is written about them in the newspaper. This means that in trying to do some good work, what are they really doing? They are falling under the sway of one propensity, the propensity of greed. Now if this act is encouraged by the society, that is, if the newspapers dedicate a lot of attention to such news, or if people in general say, “Sir, whatever you are doing is unparalleled in history. Sir, we are not eulogizing you. We are simply telling the truth” – if they praise such a person in this way and then try to extract some money from them (there are such intelligent people around) – then what does it amount to indirectly? The propensity of greed increases. Which animal is the greediest among the animals with which we are all very familiar? It does not like to give up greed in spite of ill treatment and humiliations. It is the cat. Yes, after moving a few steps ahead, the cat forgets that it was beaten. So, that particular person is reborn as a cat after death, because that body affords an opportunity for the satiation of their greed. When the housewife looks around inattentively, the cat sneaks into the kitchen through the small opening in order to reach the milk or fish in the kitchen. So in order to exhaust the samskáras one needs an appropriate body. Some people obtain a new body immediately after death and others obtain it later. But one has to obtain it somehow."
   "One who is doing philanthropic work today, tries to find out tomorrow whether or not their name appeared in the newspaper. They have no desire to read the other news. They read the news that relates to themselves twenty times but do not go through the other news with much enthusiasm. If someone asks they might say that today there was only one important piece of news, nothing else. That is how a person comes under the sway of a propensity and remains subject to the cycle of birth and rebirth." (1)

Reference
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam – 10, The Supreme Entity – the Non-Doer


== Section : Important Teaching ==

Solution to every problem

Ananda Marga philosophy states, “A correct spiritual ideology is the only solution to the problems confronting the world. From this perspective we can call Ananda Marga ideology the philosophers' stone. Just as the philosophers' stone is meant to transform everything into gold, Ananda Marga ideology can, most definitely, find a just and rational solution whenever it is applied to any problem.” (1)

Reference
1. Problems of the Day, Point #36


== Section: Important Teaching ==

Idea of religious state is disastrous

Ananda Marga philosophy guides us, “If a particular religion is proclaimed the state religion, those who follow other religions will not identify with the country. Consequently, the unity of the country will be undermined. If people go against this basic principle, they may be politically successful for a short time, but eventually they will inflict great harm on the country and prove to be a failure.” (1)

Reference
1. Prout in a Nutshell-16, Three Cardinal Socio-Political Principles


== Section 2: Links ==


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