Baba
Why scanty clothing?
Namaskar,
In the past, people used to cure and treat their skin with oil. With the start and rise of industrialisation, the cosmetic industry came into existence. Initially, companies started making products to protect the skin from the cold and heat. And later on the cosmetics industry amped up its exploitative machinery. With sensual ads, newer and newer tips were given to enhance your “beauty” and make you look younger - all by application of their so-called products.
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Nakedness is harmful for women & beneficial for corporations
Still those capitalists were not satisfied - rather their greed multiplied. With their devious propaganda machinery, they targeted the female population to expose more skin. To do this, the reigning cosmetics firms made an unholy alliance with the fashion industry. Indeed, if you go back 50 - 80 years or more, female clothing covered most or all of the body. And now female clothes have been reduced to almost nothing.
By this way both industries (cosmetics and fashion) exploited the general populace and grossed billions of dollars. The fashion industry saved money by using less raw materials to make scanty clothing that sold at exorbitant prices in the name of high fashion. As this continued, more skin got exposed. And by this way the cosmetic industry got a bumper crop. With so much skin exposed, people had to beautify those large areas of exposed skin like their entire leg, their entire arm front and back, as well as their shoulders, neck and upper back etc. So this is indeed a very large area. In the past only the face was beautified. But now there are far more exposed areas of the body and more products are needed to beautify those areas. So more skin care products were sold. And new products were created. Both the cosmetics and fashion industries became mega-rich, full of mega-corporations.
The situation became even more degraded when child porn became a huge online business by antisocial elements. Then females felt the need to look even younger and more innocent, having less hair on the body. Indeed, those women who wear bikinis etc not only shave their underarms but their pubic area as well.
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Females duped: tri-headed monster: beauty, fashion, and cosmetics
Sadly the ignorant public wholly bought into this and did not realise they were getting exploited and cheated. With the baring of the body came the removal of joint hair. That became the standard for female beauty. Essentially, when joint hair was exposed by scanty clothing, women started removing their joint hair. Prior to that they were not removing their joint hair. And then it became pervasive - and if any woman did not shave, wax, or remove their bodily hair they were tagged us ugly, manly, grotesque, and even animalistic. And verily now if you go to the store in any materialistic country, the sheer number of so-called beauty, skin-care products is absolutely staggering and mind-numbing. And the irony is that all those chemicals in those products harmed the body, and removing the joint hair ruined the glandular system etc. So it was a double-loss. But the society had been duped so badly, they had no idea.
By and large, the whole concept of beauty has been hijacked by the cosmetics industry. And their sole goal is to earn maximum money. And the easiest way to lure the general society is to kindle their lower propensities. Degradation is easy whereas as elevating the mind towards higher ideals is quite difficult. So the tri-headed monster of the beauty, fashion, and cosmetics industries just pushed society deeper and deeper into degradation. Until finally, the vital force was completely squeezed from the common people and they became prime targets of exploitation.
Pawns for male satisfaction
To fulfil their greedy desires, those industry leaders bought film stars, athletes, pop artists, and social divas as their models and spokespersons etc. That was one more nail in the coffin for the common people who now had to spend and purchase their way in order to compete with impossibly “high” beauty standards etc. Indeed, those film stars, athletes, pop artists, and social divas all became co-conspirators in this race to exploit. It was all just a sham and the ones who suffered the most were females who became 100% pawns for male satisfaction. The fashion / beauty / cosmetics industries framed females in this way. And sadly, the society bought into it completely.
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Removing joint hair terribly detrimental to the mind
Without hair in the joints, the perspiration spreads creating a particularly putrid odor. On this matter, one should not be swayed by pseudo-culture and underworld literature and values. If one is swayed by those forces and removes the joint hair, they will face various health problems and it will be terribly detrimental to the mind as well.
There are innumerable factors which affect the life and development of a sadhaka. And Sixteen Points is beautifully designed for maximum growth of the human being in all the realms: physical, psycho-physical, psychic, mental, emotional, psycho-spiritual, and spiritual. Keeping the joint hair is one of the Sixteen Points.
Ignorant cut joint hair & harm their own health
So the above is a brief look at how the general society around the globe treats the hair of the body - i.e. joint hair. In and around the various countries there is a terrible misconception and wrong understanding about joint hair. In the west, in the modern era, most women have shaved all their bodily hair besides the head. Because the sex oriented capitalist moguls have imposed this idea that females are just objects of enjoyment and their main role in life is to please males. This is the prevailing misguided perspective. After being spoon-fed this misconception, females began shaving off most of their joint and body hair in order to increase their sex appeal. But ultimately, the sad fact is that they just end up ruining their glandular system and body chemistry. This is the tragedy. And in the world, various communities shave their pubic and underarm regions in order to keep themselves cool. But in truth the opposite effect happens. Instead of keeping cool, without joint hair, that body gets overheated in those areas, and the lymphatic glands get disturbed, depriving the body and mind of dozens of benefits. Sadly ignorant people who cut the joint hair undermine their own health and well-being.
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Conclusion
The tantric system of Ananda Marga teachings guides us not to cut the hair of the joints of the body. That bodily hair serves an integral purpose for one’s overall health and mental balance. In particular, it protects the glandular and lymphatic systems which have a very subtle effect on both body and mind. We should educate the common people about this and save them from falling prey to the depraving message of pseudo-culture which projects females as sex objects and pressures them to remove all bodily hair.
In Him,
Ra’ga’tmika’ Devii
~ In-depth study ~
Here are two of Baba's fundamental mandates about joint hair and daily conduct:
(a) Caryacarya states, "Never cut the hair of the joints of the body." (1)
(b) Sixteen Points guides us, "Do not cut the hair of the joints of the body." (2)
Joint hair and rationality
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "If the testes ... there is proper-secretion of hormones, a youth develops the spirit of rationality. The pubic hair grows due to the activity of the testes. This is the physical effect. The development of rationality is the psychic effect. The nervous system will also be affected. If not hindered by the natural flow of the lymphatic glands, ...leads to the development of hair in the arm pits at the age of fifteen to seventeen in hot countries and seventeen to eighteen in cold countries. Along with this the feeling of rationality grows. For example, a boy may say, “No, father, do not ask me to do that. It is not good.”" (3)
Same benefits happens to female also after puberty
Ananda Marga philosophy teaches us, "The function of the lymph is to purify the blood and maintain beauty and glory of the body; and by getting into the glands it enables proper secretion of hormones. For the proper development of innate qualities adequate amount of lymph is necessary. The lymph rises up and gets into the brain thus strengthening it." (4)
References
1. Sixteen Points, #3
2. Caryacarya-3, Asanas, Point #8
3. Yoga Psychology, Bio-Psychology
4. Idea and Ideology, Life, Death and Saḿskára
* * *
The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stands on their own as points of interest.
* * *
== Section 2: Prabhat Samgiita ==
Jolt of spiritual energy
“Tumi je diyecho náŕá jiivaner múle prabhu…” (Prabhat Samgiita #0558)
Purport:
O’ Supreme Entity, You have vibrated the very core of my life and stirred the fundamental essence of my existence. By Your grace, my heart has been completely transformed. O’ Prabhu, how can I ever forget You - I cannot. Baba, for You alone, I have adorned and decorated everything with the essence of nectar and offered it at Your lotus feet.
O’ Parama Purusa, before You secretly came into my heart I was lying listlessly in one remote corner, feeling completely neglected, sad, and depressed - nobody was talking or listening to me. Just I was mute and dumb - absorbed in my own sorrows. I had no voice and was wallowing in self-pity. That time, You stealthily came in the depths of my being and made me Yours. Your auspicious arrival in my life has some cause. Baba, You are giving me a jolt of spiritual energy each and every moment and drenching me in bhakti. It is Your krpa.
Baba I was in sooty garments, in the midst of the world of heavenly refulgence. In that land, Your rhythm continuously resonates all thoughts and actions. In spite of that, in that place I never heard about or saw You. After waking up, I understood Your divine liila. O’ my Supreme Guide it is You who blessed me and brought under Your care...
“Tumi je diyecho náŕá jiivaner múle prabhu…” (Prabhat Samgiita #0558)
Purport:
O’ Supreme Entity, You have vibrated the very core of my life and stirred the fundamental essence of my existence. By Your grace, my heart has been completely transformed. O’ Prabhu, how can I ever forget You - I cannot. Baba, for You alone, I have adorned and decorated everything with the essence of nectar and offered it at Your lotus feet.
O’ Parama Purusa, before You secretly came into my heart I was lying listlessly in one remote corner, feeling completely neglected, sad, and depressed - nobody was talking or listening to me. Just I was mute and dumb - absorbed in my own sorrows. I had no voice and was wallowing in self-pity. That time, You stealthily came in the depths of my being and made me Yours. Your auspicious arrival in my life has some cause. Baba, You are giving me a jolt of spiritual energy each and every moment and drenching me in bhakti. It is Your krpa.
Baba I was in sooty garments, in the midst of the world of heavenly refulgence. In that land, Your rhythm continuously resonates all thoughts and actions. In spite of that, in that place I never heard about or saw You. After waking up, I understood Your divine liila. O’ my Supreme Guide it is You who blessed me and brought under Your care...
== Section 3: Important Teaching ==
Which term to use: bhakta or devotee
In various discourses Baba differentiates between bhaktas and devotees. In brief, bhaktas are only those who have love for God, who love Parama Purus'a. There is no other use or meaning of the term 'bhakta'. Whereas people can be devoted to all sorts of things etc. A wife may be devoted to her husband. Various pets may be very devoted to their master. So being devoted has various insinuations and meanings whereas the use of the term bhakta is very specific and pointed.
Ananda Marga ideology states, "'Well, we've grown quite old. Having reached such a ripe old age, if we eat without doing some kind of ritualistic worship, people will speak ill of us and criticize us. So we'd better follow the ritualistic formalities by chanting a few mantras'. This category of bhakta is called `sattvika bhakta.' They don't ask for any material thing no doubt, but they ask for liberation as they have reached the last stage of life. Parama Purusa may or may not grant liberation to these bhaktas. One thing which is sure is that they won't attain Him because they want liberation, but not Parama Purusa [moksa] Himself." (1)
Note: A great bhakta wants only Parama Purusa, not anything else.
Reference
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 4, “Ye Yathá Máḿ Prapadyante”
== Section 4: Important Teaching ==
Keep away from this type of mentality
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "How one person sings melodious songs, how another dances beautiful rhythmic dances, how another delivers wonderful discourses, etc. But we cannot see the entity who pulls the strings from behind and runs the show. And the funniest thing is this: the speaker, the singer, the dancer thinks that he or she is the agent, the doer, and takes the entire credit for the performance. People do not care to think of the entity that pulls the strings from behind, or if they are even more foolish, they think that others see them alone, not the entity who pulls the strings from behind." (1)
Note 1: In the world, many people are in awe by seeing the work of others. But those who feel this way are very shortsighted. They think with their own merit XYZ is doing. But the reality is that on the world’s stage whatever people do, their energy comes from Parama Purusa. Those who have spiritual eyes see that nobody is doing anything. Rather Parama Purusa is supplying the energy. So all credit goes to Parama Purusa. So they never get wonderstruck.
The worst among all are those who stand on the stage and brag about their own merits. They forget that if Parama Purusa does not give energy for even a millisecond they will cease to exist. Because of their extreme blindness, they glorify themselves up to the moon. Watch out for such ignorant people.
Note 2: Under the spell of avidya maya many persons think that all credit goes to them for their great deeds. The number of such persons is huge. But according to Baba's above guideline in the spiritual way of thinking they are fools. We should be careful and save ourselves from falling into this category of fools.
Reference
1. Namami Krsnasundaram, Vrajagopála and Bhaktitattva (Discourse 21)
== Section 5: Links ==
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This email contains five sections:
1. PS #0558: Jolt of spiritual energy
2. Posting: Why scanty clothing?
3. IT: Which term to use: bhakta or devotee
4. Keep away from this type of mentality
5. Links
