Baba
Spring festival & Guru puja
Namaskar,
With spring festival (vasantaotsava) approaching on 14 Mar 2025, all are aware that sadhakas are primarily interested in spring festival for its inherent spiritual meaning. Verily, the practice of Guru puja is deeply linked with the inner spirit of spring / colour festival.
While holi / spring festival is celebrated by the general public in quite a raucous manner in India, we should focus on how this festival is to be observed according to Ananda Marga teachings.
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Baba story
Those days, on this occasion, we used to reach before Baba at the Baba’s Quarters, and He would graciously give a short discourse about spring festival. Then the bhukti pradhan would put forth a request to Sadguru Baba to offer colours unto Him. Baba was always gracious and approved the request. He would remain seated on His grand seat, and one by one the sadhakas in the room would approach Baba and apply a tiny pinch of dry, coloured powder on His feet. A pot was placed beneath His feet to collect the powdered dust that fell towards the ground. Generally, there were 20 - 30, and sometimes close to one thousand people, in Baba’s Quarters hall for the occasion. Though in the later years around 1986 - 1990, there were larger gatherings. When all those present had completed applying the colour to Baba’s feet, then kiirtan and Guru puja were done. Often Baba would give His varabhaya mudra blessing. Finally, the bhukti pradhan would pick up the pot containing the colour that had fallen beneath Guru’s feet, and those sadhakas who wished could come and apply a small amount to their forehead or wrap some in a small piece of paper to take back to their family.
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In the end, some would go outside and run around and play with the various others or their own powdered colours that were commonly available in the market. Though sentient sadhakas generally preferred not to participate in this external ritual or social affair.
The science behind colour festival
The main spiritual facet of colour festival is that it is connected with our practice of Guru puja. The chief benefit is internal, and there is no need for any type of external display. Parama Purusa is colourless, meaning He has no bondage. In contrast, every jiiva is bound as their unit mind is coloured by various desires and attractions etc. In Guru puja, the practice is to offer the colours of the mind to Parama Purusa and become colourless.
The only difference between jiiva and Shiva is that of bondage. Jiivas are bound, and Parama Purusa is not. The offering of physical colours is purely symbolic. The main thing is clearing oneself of one’s psychic colours, i.e. attachments of the mind. So running around and playing with colours is exclusively for the social realm. There is absolutely zero spiritual benefit of any external display. So this letter is about colour festival and how as Ananda Margiis we should approach this occasion.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Ananda Marga spring / colour festival
Ananda Marga samaj shastra says, "Those of the same age will play with colours and flowers among themselves in the morning of the full-moon day. The youngsters will offer the same at the feet of the elders, and the initiate at the feet of his a'ca'rya. (But the elders will not offer colours and flowers to the youngsters.)"
"Then, in the afternoon, all will perform collective Iishvara Pran'idha'na and Varn'a'rghyada'na (using a'viir [coloured powder] or flowers of colours of their own choice). At the end, all will play among themselves with this a'viir or these flowers without distinction between young and old, initiate and a'ca'rya. Do not offer these colours or flowers at anybody's feet. But if, while people are playing, they do touch anybody's feet, that should not be considered wrong, in A'nandamu'rtijii's opinion. (Men and women should not exchange colours and flowers with each other.) Finally, there will be a collective meal.”
"The following day, continue merry celebrations at your residence and have a procession with ta'n'd'ava dance in the afternoon. Continue collective merry celebrations in the evening." (1)
Guru Puja means the offering of our mental colours to Guru. Guru Puja is also termed as Varnarghyada'n-- the offering of colours. And how one ideates during Guru Puja is highly important. Using the various tanmatras in our Guru Puja helps greatly in this process.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Namaskar,
In Him,
Shiva
Note 1: The coloured powder applied to Baba’s feet was not permanent and one could easily brush off 99% of it and then a touch of water would remove any residue. So it was a very simple process to remove that coloured power. It was not messy, wet, or oily etc.
Note 2: Because all those in the streets were throwing colour and soiling the clothes of all passerbyers, it was very difficult to move around that day, especially in the morning hours. That is why so few were in attendance at the Baba Quarters, but in Tiljala it was different.
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Mythological roots of spring / colour festival
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "In Indo-Aryan mythology there is mention of a king named Hiran'yakashipu. His sister, Holika, was a woman of violent nature. She was a cannibal. (You should note that she was a cannibal, not homivorous. A human eating another human is called a cannibal, whereas an animal eating human flesh is called homivorous. Holika was a cannibal, whereas a tiger is homivorous). The people out of anger burnt Holika alive the night before the full moon, and to celebrate this occasion, they arranged a festival of joy which was called Holikadahana (the burning of Holika). That is why even today in northern India particularly in the Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, this Holi festival is Celebrated." (2)
Real spirit of colour festival or offering of colours
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "'By surrendering all the colours of my mind to You, I want to become colourless.' This surrender to the Supreme Consciousness propels human beings towards Him. So this colour festival is not merely an outward play; it is a psycho-spiritual phenomenon. This very psycho-spiritual phenomenon is operating behind the process of varn'a'rghyada'na (offering of colours):'Oh Lord, make me colourless so that I may move towards You without any hesitation'." (3)
Ananda Marga ideology says, "The main object of the Spring Colour Festival (Vasantotsava) is not playing with external colours; it is meant to offer Him the colours of different objects which have dyed the mind. When this practice of offering your own colours -- your own attachments, becomes natural and easy, you will then merge in Him. Then you will have no need for any colour, for you will become colourless -- you will go beyond the reach of any colour. Your unit-ego will become one with the Cosmic Ego. Whichever way you look you will see only Him in His ever-surging glory." (4)
References
1. Caryacarya - 1, Social Functions and Festivals
2. A Few Problems Solved - 5, Spring Festival
3. Neo-humanism: Liberation of Intellect, Inner Asset, '99 Edn, p.29
4. Subhasita Samgraha - 3, Vibration, Form and Colour
== Section 2: Prabhat Samgiita ==
Mother & child at bedtime
Note: This composition is a lullaby about the shiuli (parijat), or night flowering jasmine.
“Ráter beláy sabái ghúmáy, shiuli keno jáge…” (Prabhat Samgiita #0361)
Purport:
O’ mother, everyone sleeps at night so you have to tell me why does the shiuli stay awake all night long? All of the other flowers are awake during the day and sleep at night. During the day, they spread their aromatic fragrance and sing sweet songs because flowers love the daytime as much as I do. So I know them all very well.
At night, everyone sleeps including the myna birds, the puppies, and also the honey bees etc. But the shiuli smiles and says "Look, I am still awake!" O’ mother, tell me, out of love for whom does the shiuli remain awake at night.
Listen, my darling child, the shiuli likes the nighttime so it remains awake during the darkness of night. It feels shy in the light of day so in the morning it droops over on the ground and lies there. At the end of night, during the dawn, the shiuli falls over. And, at that time, my darling child, your sleep will vanish, and you will rise…
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Noble work & animal welfare
Ananda Marga philosophy states, [The nature of a good person is]: “Alas, what suffering an animal has to bear at the hands of cruel humans! But the animal is absolutely innocent. It is not a born enemy of the human being that if a person does not kill it, it will kill the person, just as a tiger or an insect does. I shall continuously make efforts to see that human beings refrain from such cruel acts of violence.” If one sees someone doing noble work, as a result of which the progress of the world is accelerated and the path of human welfare is widened, then one should think: “The noble work of this person will remain written in letters of gold in human history. I shall give my full support to this person in their noble endeavours...I shall help them in every possible way.”
"If one sees a person engaged in deleterious activity, then one should think: “On account of the pernicious activities of this person, people are going to the dogs, this person is striking at the root of long-cherished austerities, forbearance, benevolence, and so on. I shall never support such misdeeds.”" (1)
In His above teaching, Baba guides us that one must not remain silent and watch the wrongful and harmful treatment of animals. A good person will come forward and oppose acts of violence against those innocent creatures. Nowadays in the state of Maharashtra (India), there is a ban on the slaughtering of cows and the sale of beef. Certain people have rallied around and recently passed legislation to ensure innocent cows are not subjected to the travesty of the slaughterhouse. Instead, their lives are being protected.
While this is certainly a positive development, the same protection and care has not been extended to other animals such as sheep, chickens, and goats etc which are commercially raised, butchered, and sold at the marketplace in Maharashtra. So those activists are prone to partiality. They protested and fought to protect cows, but not these other innocent creatures. If they were true neo-humanists they would not have differentiated between cows and other animals. They would have protected them all. So while there is one positive point, but, on the other hand, there are many negative ones. After all, saving creatures is certainly a kind of positive development in right direction.
All in all, this is very similar to a scene which occurs in Bengal. Some naive bystanders may think that Bengali idol worshipers have great appreciation for the art and sculptures which those artists and sculptors created. Because those worshipers show tremendous reverence for those sculpted idols. But that is not the case. Those idol worshipers do not care about the aesthetic beauty of those sculptures. The proof is that when their rituals are completed those worshipers throw those sculptures into the water.
In the same way, we should not naively think that those activists in Maharashtra are pouring their heart out for all animals. Rather they have their own personal, narrow agenda related with cows. All other animals may be skewered and slaughtered. So their protests are grounded in dogma, not neo-humanism.
In Him,
Buddhi Priya’
Note: These following states of India have also banned the slaughtering of cows: Haryana, New Delhi, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand.
Reference:
1. Shabda Cayaniká Part 4, Disc: 27
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Shame on those who exploit by linguistic sentiment
Prout philosophy states, “The problem of language is affecting the human society like a chronic disease. Ignorance of the proper meaning of different languages has made the confusion worse. Language is a medium of expression. There are six stages in the process of expression. The seed of expression is called Parashakti and lies in the Muládhára Cakra (or basic plexus). In the Svádhisthána Cakra (or fluidal plexus), a person mentally visualises the expression. The mental vision of one's expression is called Pashyanti Shakti. In the Mańipura Cakra (or solar plexus) this mental vision is transformed into mental sound which is called Madhyamá Shakti. The person now wants to express that feeling. This endeavour to express the feeling is called Dyotamáná Shakti. It works between the navel area and the throat. In the vocal cord it transforms an idea into language. This is called Vaekharii Shakti. After Vaekharii it is transformed into actual spoken language and is termed Shrutigocará. Thus linguistic differences are manifest only in the sixth stage of expression. In the first five stages there is no distinction or variation in the expression. A great deal of inter-community conflict could be checked if linguists and the mischief-mongers who create language disputes knew this fundamental fact. In essence, it is ignorance that brings untold miseries to humanity. It is a great folly on the part of prakrti to create so many languages, but diversity is the law of nature." (1)
Reference
1. Prout in a Nutshell - 15, Talks on Prout
== Section 3: Links ==
Postings to Read
