Baba
Namaskar,
When AMPS was created the purpose was to establish bhagavad dharma. Now, unfortunately, in some places it is getting quickly converted into the Hindu religion. Various dogmas of Hinduism are already practiced in AMPS like polytheism. Please read the entire posting otherwise you may not understand this intricate topic as this dogma has already spread everywhere.
India - and in particular the Hindu religion - has a long history of worshiping multiple mythical gods and goddesses. Within Hinduism, there is a dizzying myriad of mythical gods and goddesses whose number keeps on growing. This approach is wholly antithetical to our standard in AMPS. Sadguru Baba guides on the necessity of pointed bhakti for a singular Divine Entity. Unfortunately, some who grew up in this environment of a plethora of mythical deities and entered into AMPS could never adjust with the notion of one supreme Entity, one single name, one object of ideation, one ista mantra, one-pointed bhakti, and calling Parama Purusa with one name.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Mind is bifurcated & sadhana is ruined
In various discourses Baba has taught us that the mind is one and if an aspirant uses multiple names to call that Divine Entity then the mind will become balkanised and sadhana will be ruined. That is why Baba's strict warning for the all-round development in sadhana is that there should only be one ista - not many. Those calling that Supreme Entity using various names like Krsna and Shiva are confused and wasting their time. By using various names, the mind will become balkanised and unable to concentrate.
In Ananda Marga, Baba has given 16 points - one of which is the point of Ista. Ananda Margiis must be strict in Ista. In the practical realm that means: Although there are countless names of Parama Purusa, but for bhaktas and disciples of Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurti ji, the Ista is Baba, not Lord Krsna, not Lord Shiva etc. There is no other entity besides Baba.
So when singing bhajans / spiritual songs one should not call, “O' Lord Krsna be gracious”, or “O' Lord Shiva be gracious”, because that will bifurcate or balkanise the mind. If one's Guru is Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurti ji and one is requesting His grace, then they should not call out to Lord Krsna, or Lord Shiva, or any mythical Goddess Durga asking for grace.
Dogma: O' mythical Lord Rama please be gracious
By the above teaching it is very clear that Ananda Margiis should not say, “O' mythical goddess Parvati please be gracious, O' mythical Lord Rama please be gracious, O' mythical Lord Vishnu please be gracious, O' mythical Lord Ganesh please be gracious, O' Lord Krsna please be gracious, O' Lord Shiva please be gracious.
If one repeats so many names then the mind will be balkanised and sadhana will be ruined. That person cannot progress in the spiritual field. That is what Baba's above teachings guides us.
Then what should we do? Ananda Margiis should only do the sadhana of Parama Purusa.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Due to fear: worship countless mythical deities
In the first photo (appended below), one child is doing their puja worship. The child is seated in a typical type of puja room (place of worship) common to Indian Hindu households. In Ananda Marga, we would equate this as being their sadhana room. On display, there are more than 50 mythical gods and goddesses on the altar and wall. In the front, there are some small idols as well. And everyday typical Hindu worshipers recite various ritualistic songs or shlokas to please all those mythical deities - one by one. The fear complex has been injected in the mind that if they only worship one mythical deity, and not all the others, then they will be in trouble. Those other mythical deities will be frustrated and bring about their ruination and curse them. So, out of fear, typical Hindus worship countless mythical gods and goddesses. They are dominated by the dogma that there are countless mythical gods and each one controls various aspects of life. Ananda Marga ideology condemns this dogmatic approach. Ananda Marga philosophy teaches us that the mind is one so concentrate on one. And that singular entity is Parama Purusa not any mythical gods and goddesses.
Typical Hindu puja room
Here below is a typical Hindu family’s puja room, i.e. altar or place of worship. Notice how there are images of various mythical gods and goddesses. They say that in the Hindu scripture there are 33 crores (33 x 10,000,000) mythical deities. Shown below are a few that are given greater significance.
Generally, in any Hindu temple around the world, they worship 4, 5, or 10 mythical deities, depending on the size of the temple. If the temple is very large then there may be hundreds or even thousands of mythical deities.
Unfortunately, there are numerous margii households in India where such images are on display, along with Baba’s photo. When performing the rituals related with any particular mythical deity, then they give respect to Baba as well. This is going on because our acaryas are failing to impart the requisite teachings and guidelines. In result, some simple margiis are immersed in Hindu dogma and wasting their time with such rituals that their family has been doing for generations. To remove this dogma, logic and reasoning are needed, but due to laziness our Wts are not addressing the matter.
One should not forget that the human mind is one. If a person is worshipping more than one then their mind is bifurcated, trifurcated or balkanised. They will be degenerated. That is why the mind should be focused on one and only one Divine Entity. And for Ananda Margiis that singular entity is Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurti ji. Multi-mythical deity worship is complete dogma. That is why the Prabhat Samgiita compositions about Lord Krsna and Lord Shiva are not for real Ananda Margiis. Those songs are for non-margiis.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
In the above scene, one child is doing their puja worship. The child is seated in a typical type of puja room (place of worship) common to Indian Hindu households. In Ananda Marga, we would equate this as being their sadhana room. On display, there are more than 50 mythical gods and goddesses on the altar and wall. In the front, there are some small idols as well. And everyday typical Hindu followers recite various spiritual songs or shlokas to please all those mythical deities - one by one. The fear complex has been injected in the mind that if they only worship one mythical deity, and not all the others, then they will be in trouble. Those other mythical deities will be frustrated and bring about their ruination and curse them. So, out of fear, typical Hindus worship countless mythical gods and goddesses. They are dominated by the dogma that there are countless mythical gods and each one controls various aspects of life. Ananda Marga ideology condemns this type of dogma. Ananda Marga philosophy teaches us that the mind is one so concentrate on one and that singular entity is Parama Purusa not anyone else..
Example: dogmatic margiis
carry dogma of multi-mythical deity worship
Some of those raised in dogmatic Hindu families who came into AMPS still carry this old dogma with them. That is why in their puja room they keep photos like Lord Krsna and Lord Shiva along with Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji. Plus they add numerous mythical deities like the elephant god Ganesh mounted on a rat, the monkey god Hanuman in his langota, eight arms goddess Durga, goddess of wealth Laksmi mounted on an owl, ten-armed goddess Kali, Lord Jagannatha without arms and legs, the idol of Shiva’s phallus, and so many mythical gods and goddesses including some real human beings like Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Swami Vivekananda, Shankaracarya etc. These humans are also treated as mythical gods.
When such aforesaid dogmatic margiis do their Ananda Marga sadhana they chant the names of those mythical deities along with their ista mantra. And when the opportunity comes they prefer to sing those Prabhat Samgiita related with Lord Shiva and Lord Krsna. All because of their dogmatic old mindset: It is very hard to give up the Hindu dogma of multiple mythical deity worship.
Such pseudo-margiis worship multiple-entities like Lord Krsna, Lord Shiva, as well as the mythical elephant god Ganesh, the monkey god Hanuman, and so many mythical gods and goddesses, including Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Swami Vivekananda, and Shankaracarya etc.
Whereas, those who are strict margiis only have one ista Baba Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji. They are strict in 16 Points and do not have multiple Istas. They have one-pointed bhakti for Baba Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
How multi-mythical deity worshiper
drowned in whirlpool of flooded river
There is a mythological tale of one bhakta who was drowning in a whirlpool of a flooded river. That multi-mythical deity worshipper cried to one mythical deity for help to rescue him. But just as that mythical deity was about to arrive on the scene, that bhakta cried out to a second mythical deity to save him. The first mythical deity heard this and thought that his help was no longer needed. So he returned back. Now the second mythical deity was quickly reaching to help that drowning bhakta, but before he could reach there that bhakta began calling out to yet a third mythical deity. Hearing thus, the second mythical deity felt his efforts were no longer needed so he returned back. Now only the third mythical deity was rushing to save him when suddenly the dogmatic bhakta called out to a fourth mythical deity. And in this way it continued all the way up to a seventh mythical deity. And by then so much time had gone by that when the seventh one did reach there the bhakta was submerged fully and had drowned.
Here the point is that if the bhakta had simply repeated one name of Parama Purusa then if he would have been saved. So although this is a mythological story, it is very meaningful that multi-mythical deity worship is very bad. If one is not committed to one rescuer - i.e. one Divine Entity Parama Purusa - then one will not be saved.
So true margiis repeat the name of one Parama Purusa and fake margiis do the opposite. The takeaway point here is that for Ananda Margiis there is one Parama Purusa, and they sing bhajans and kiirtan, and repeat the Ista mantra only for singular Entity Parama Purusa Baba
in Him,
Ragatmika'
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, “Thus we see that ideation is association with one or the other idea – knowledge, action or bhakti – just as meditation is associated with ideology. Thus in meditation and ideology, the spiritual aspirant is moving toward the singular Supreme Entity, the pinnacled goal. If the mind accepts two goals, two Lords, the mind becomes bifurcated.” (1)
Why not worship multiple mythical gods and goddesses
According to Ananda Marga ideology, Ista is one - not many. This ethic leads to the cultivation of pointed bhakti and spiritual attainment. That is why in Ananda Marga we only sing those Prabhat Samgiita compositions that are for Baba. Those songs that are for Lord Shiva and Lord Krsna contravene our cult of bhakti. That is why those songs are for the followers of Lord Shiva and Lord Krsna. Those are not songs that sincere Ananda Margis should sing for their intuitional practices such as in paincajanya etc. We are to learn those songs only for the sake of teaching others - to serve those followers. We should show them that in Ananda Marga there are such devotional treasures.
Some overseas suffer in a similar manner
This above guideline is not only for those born on the Indian subcontinent etc. Those Ananda Margiis coming from the Semitic religions also suffer from similar problems regarding this point of Ista. Some from the Christian, Judeo, and Islamic backgrounds carry their religious dogma with them when they enter into Ananda Marga. They have attachment for their past religious photos, statues, and rituals etc. And they offer their reverence to those old beliefs and dogmas and ask for boons. Such persons do not have the requisite strictness in Ista. So those from overseas regions should also pay heed to the guidelines offered in this above posting.
And phallus worship is practiced by all religions of the globe.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Hanuman story of one name one God
Here is a very significant story about the mythological bhakta - Hanuman.
"When Hanuman was asked why he was so insistent on taking the name of Ráma and never taking the name Náráyańa, he promptly replied:
Shriináthe jánakiináthe cábheda Paramátmani
Tathápi mama sarvasvah Rámah kamalalocana.
“I know by philosophical analysis that there is no difference between Náráyańa and Rama, and yet I will channelize my mind towards One Entity and not many. For me there is no Náráyańa, there is only Ráma.”
"Likewise for the genuine spiritual aspirants there is only One Entity, and they rush only towards that Supreme One. Their minds move only in one direction, not in a thousand directions." (2)
In that discourse, Baba's pointed teaching in this story is that a sadhaka's devotional feeling must be linked with one Ista - for Ananda Margiis that Ista is Baba Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji. None else.
Special extra worship
Although on a regular daily basis - morning and evening - such dogmatic Hindus do their regular multiple mythical deity worship, but then an extra puja is done on a special occasion for a particular mythical deity. Every week or every month is allocated to pay homage to a different mythical deity. Today is the puja of the monkey god and tomorrow or next week is reserved for the worship of Sarasvati (goddess of knowledge) or Durga puja, and Sunday is for Ananda Marga sadhana etc.
In the below quote, one dogmatic worshiper is doing puja and in his puja he is calling out the names of countless mythical gods and goddesses, and Baba is mocking that scene because that type of chant is not only useless - but harmful and a waste of time.
Here following Baba is recalling one incident when one dogmatic follower is doing puja, singing the glory of Parama Purusa, and saluting Parama Purusa by calling out so many names. That completely undermines his approach.
Ananda Vacanamrtam says, "A person whom I was very close to, a relative of mine, used to recite the following after taking bath: “Victory to mother Káli, victory, victory to Káli, victory to mother Káli of T́han T́haniá, victory to mother Káli of Dakśińeshvar, victory to Bábá Táraknáth, victory to Bábá Vaidyanath of Deoghar. O, Fathers! None of you should think that I am leaving out someone's name.” After this he would say, “O, gods and goddesses, please forgive me if I have omitted any name inadvertently. Please assume that I have mentioned your name also.” Does this yield anything at all? One says “victory to mother Káli of Kálighát” and in the same breath one says “victory to mother Káli of T́han T́haniá.” It signifies that the mind is moving both towards Kálighát and T́han T́haniá. Can the mind become concentrated in this way? Certainly not." (3)
Related images
This is a typical puja room that most well-to-do Hindu families have whereas financially poorer families will put the photos directly on the ==mud wall. And if they become a margii they will put Baba’s photo there as well.
They will light and wave incense there in the morning and evening and when cooking they will bring an offering of sentient food near the photos for a few minutes. Then after sometime they will eat that food as prasad etc.
One such mythical deity on their puja table is the elephant god Ganesh, featured in the center of the big black photo on the left. Ganesh is the one under the umbrella so he is the top most mythical deity - see his long trunk.
So this is an example of multi-mythical deity worship. By that way the mind becomes bifurcated and balkanised. Ananda Margiis should not commit such a blunder. Parama Purusa is one and the mind should be pointed on Him and Him alone. That is why in the scripture it has been said, “Ekah Devah” - one God.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Here below are some of the more popular Hindu mythical deities like Vishnu, Durga, Surya etc. And among them some Ananda Margiis will place Guru’s image. And when lighting incense and waving it in front of all the images per the Hindu ritual, then they will include Baba’s image as well. Some do like this. Sadly, that is their sadhana or at most they sit for one or two minutes of meditation.
Multi mythical deity or polytheistic is against all logic and reasoning. The ultimate controller cannot be more than one otherwise the universe will collapse. It is just like if two people are steering an automobile. Then the car will crash. So the final controller must be one. Since this universe has not collapsed it is evident it is moving smoothly guided by one Entity. If this point is not clear then please write.
So true Ananda Margiis are strict in Ista. They will sing the song of one Parama Purusa, one name, and one ista mantra - not multi: not Lord Shiva, nor Lord Krsna, nor Ganesh. They will only recognise Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji. Those who are naive sing Prabhat Samgiita for Lord Ksna and think, “O’ Lord Krsna please grace me”, and then the next moment, they sing for Lord Shiva and think, “O’ Lord Shiva please grace me.” And then the next moment they sing for Baba and ask for His grace. By this way they do not get any grace.
References
1. Subhasita Samgraha - 18, The Cult of Spirituality – the Cult of Pinnacled Order
2. Ananda Marga Ideology & Way of Life - 11, Relativity and the Supreme Entity
3. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 10, The Supreme Entity Transcends All Colours
Other topics of interest
Sadhana derailed
Namaskar,
When AMPS was created the purpose was to establish bhagavad dharma. Now, unfortunately, in some places it is getting quickly converted into the Hindu religion. Various dogmas of Hinduism are already practiced in AMPS like polytheism. Please read the entire posting otherwise you may not understand this intricate topic as this dogma has already spread everywhere.
India - and in particular the Hindu religion - has a long history of worshiping multiple mythical gods and goddesses. Within Hinduism, there is a dizzying myriad of mythical gods and goddesses whose number keeps on growing. This approach is wholly antithetical to our standard in AMPS. Sadguru Baba guides on the necessity of pointed bhakti for a singular Divine Entity. Unfortunately, some who grew up in this environment of a plethora of mythical deities and entered into AMPS could never adjust with the notion of one supreme Entity, one single name, one object of ideation, one ista mantra, one-pointed bhakti, and calling Parama Purusa with one name.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Mind is bifurcated & sadhana is ruined
In various discourses Baba has taught us that the mind is one and if an aspirant uses multiple names to call that Divine Entity then the mind will become balkanised and sadhana will be ruined. That is why Baba's strict warning for the all-round development in sadhana is that there should only be one ista - not many. Those calling that Supreme Entity using various names like Krsna and Shiva are confused and wasting their time. By using various names, the mind will become balkanised and unable to concentrate.
In Ananda Marga, Baba has given 16 points - one of which is the point of Ista. Ananda Margiis must be strict in Ista. In the practical realm that means: Although there are countless names of Parama Purusa, but for bhaktas and disciples of Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurti ji, the Ista is Baba, not Lord Krsna, not Lord Shiva etc. There is no other entity besides Baba.
So when singing bhajans / spiritual songs one should not call, “O' Lord Krsna be gracious”, or “O' Lord Shiva be gracious”, because that will bifurcate or balkanise the mind. If one's Guru is Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurti ji and one is requesting His grace, then they should not call out to Lord Krsna, or Lord Shiva, or any mythical Goddess Durga asking for grace.
Dogma: O' mythical Lord Rama please be gracious
By the above teaching it is very clear that Ananda Margiis should not say, “O' mythical goddess Parvati please be gracious, O' mythical Lord Rama please be gracious, O' mythical Lord Vishnu please be gracious, O' mythical Lord Ganesh please be gracious, O' Lord Krsna please be gracious, O' Lord Shiva please be gracious.
If one repeats so many names then the mind will be balkanised and sadhana will be ruined. That person cannot progress in the spiritual field. That is what Baba's above teachings guides us.
Then what should we do? Ananda Margiis should only do the sadhana of Parama Purusa.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Due to fear: worship countless mythical deities
In the first photo (appended below), one child is doing their puja worship. The child is seated in a typical type of puja room (place of worship) common to Indian Hindu households. In Ananda Marga, we would equate this as being their sadhana room. On display, there are more than 50 mythical gods and goddesses on the altar and wall. In the front, there are some small idols as well. And everyday typical Hindu worshipers recite various ritualistic songs or shlokas to please all those mythical deities - one by one. The fear complex has been injected in the mind that if they only worship one mythical deity, and not all the others, then they will be in trouble. Those other mythical deities will be frustrated and bring about their ruination and curse them. So, out of fear, typical Hindus worship countless mythical gods and goddesses. They are dominated by the dogma that there are countless mythical gods and each one controls various aspects of life. Ananda Marga ideology condemns this dogmatic approach. Ananda Marga philosophy teaches us that the mind is one so concentrate on one. And that singular entity is Parama Purusa not any mythical gods and goddesses.
Typical Hindu puja room
Here below is a typical Hindu family’s puja room, i.e. altar or place of worship. Notice how there are images of various mythical gods and goddesses. They say that in the Hindu scripture there are 33 crores (33 x 10,000,000) mythical deities. Shown below are a few that are given greater significance.
Generally, in any Hindu temple around the world, they worship 4, 5, or 10 mythical deities, depending on the size of the temple. If the temple is very large then there may be hundreds or even thousands of mythical deities.
Unfortunately, there are numerous margii households in India where such images are on display, along with Baba’s photo. When performing the rituals related with any particular mythical deity, then they give respect to Baba as well. This is going on because our acaryas are failing to impart the requisite teachings and guidelines. In result, some simple margiis are immersed in Hindu dogma and wasting their time with such rituals that their family has been doing for generations. To remove this dogma, logic and reasoning are needed, but due to laziness our Wts are not addressing the matter.
One should not forget that the human mind is one. If a person is worshipping more than one then their mind is bifurcated, trifurcated or balkanised. They will be degenerated. That is why the mind should be focused on one and only one Divine Entity. And for Ananda Margiis that singular entity is Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurti ji. Multi-mythical deity worship is complete dogma. That is why the Prabhat Samgiita compositions about Lord Krsna and Lord Shiva are not for real Ananda Margiis. Those songs are for non-margiis.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Photo #1
In the above scene, one child is doing their puja worship. The child is seated in a typical type of puja room (place of worship) common to Indian Hindu households. In Ananda Marga, we would equate this as being their sadhana room. On display, there are more than 50 mythical gods and goddesses on the altar and wall. In the front, there are some small idols as well. And everyday typical Hindu followers recite various spiritual songs or shlokas to please all those mythical deities - one by one. The fear complex has been injected in the mind that if they only worship one mythical deity, and not all the others, then they will be in trouble. Those other mythical deities will be frustrated and bring about their ruination and curse them. So, out of fear, typical Hindus worship countless mythical gods and goddesses. They are dominated by the dogma that there are countless mythical gods and each one controls various aspects of life. Ananda Marga ideology condemns this type of dogma. Ananda Marga philosophy teaches us that the mind is one so concentrate on one and that singular entity is Parama Purusa not anyone else..
Example: dogmatic margiis
carry dogma of multi-mythical deity worship
Some of those raised in dogmatic Hindu families who came into AMPS still carry this old dogma with them. That is why in their puja room they keep photos like Lord Krsna and Lord Shiva along with Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji. Plus they add numerous mythical deities like the elephant god Ganesh mounted on a rat, the monkey god Hanuman in his langota, eight arms goddess Durga, goddess of wealth Laksmi mounted on an owl, ten-armed goddess Kali, Lord Jagannatha without arms and legs, the idol of Shiva’s phallus, and so many mythical gods and goddesses including some real human beings like Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Swami Vivekananda, Shankaracarya etc. These humans are also treated as mythical gods.
When such aforesaid dogmatic margiis do their Ananda Marga sadhana they chant the names of those mythical deities along with their ista mantra. And when the opportunity comes they prefer to sing those Prabhat Samgiita related with Lord Shiva and Lord Krsna. All because of their dogmatic old mindset: It is very hard to give up the Hindu dogma of multiple mythical deity worship.
Such pseudo-margiis worship multiple-entities like Lord Krsna, Lord Shiva, as well as the mythical elephant god Ganesh, the monkey god Hanuman, and so many mythical gods and goddesses, including Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Swami Vivekananda, and Shankaracarya etc.
Whereas, those who are strict margiis only have one ista Baba Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji. They are strict in 16 Points and do not have multiple Istas. They have one-pointed bhakti for Baba Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
How multi-mythical deity worshiper
drowned in whirlpool of flooded river
There is a mythological tale of one bhakta who was drowning in a whirlpool of a flooded river. That multi-mythical deity worshipper cried to one mythical deity for help to rescue him. But just as that mythical deity was about to arrive on the scene, that bhakta cried out to a second mythical deity to save him. The first mythical deity heard this and thought that his help was no longer needed. So he returned back. Now the second mythical deity was quickly reaching to help that drowning bhakta, but before he could reach there that bhakta began calling out to yet a third mythical deity. Hearing thus, the second mythical deity felt his efforts were no longer needed so he returned back. Now only the third mythical deity was rushing to save him when suddenly the dogmatic bhakta called out to a fourth mythical deity. And in this way it continued all the way up to a seventh mythical deity. And by then so much time had gone by that when the seventh one did reach there the bhakta was submerged fully and had drowned.
Here the point is that if the bhakta had simply repeated one name of Parama Purusa then if he would have been saved. So although this is a mythological story, it is very meaningful that multi-mythical deity worship is very bad. If one is not committed to one rescuer - i.e. one Divine Entity Parama Purusa - then one will not be saved.
So true margiis repeat the name of one Parama Purusa and fake margiis do the opposite. The takeaway point here is that for Ananda Margiis there is one Parama Purusa, and they sing bhajans and kiirtan, and repeat the Ista mantra only for singular Entity Parama Purusa Baba
in Him,
Ragatmika'
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, “Thus we see that ideation is association with one or the other idea – knowledge, action or bhakti – just as meditation is associated with ideology. Thus in meditation and ideology, the spiritual aspirant is moving toward the singular Supreme Entity, the pinnacled goal. If the mind accepts two goals, two Lords, the mind becomes bifurcated.” (1)
Why not worship multiple mythical gods and goddesses
According to Ananda Marga ideology, Ista is one - not many. This ethic leads to the cultivation of pointed bhakti and spiritual attainment. That is why in Ananda Marga we only sing those Prabhat Samgiita compositions that are for Baba. Those songs that are for Lord Shiva and Lord Krsna contravene our cult of bhakti. That is why those songs are for the followers of Lord Shiva and Lord Krsna. Those are not songs that sincere Ananda Margis should sing for their intuitional practices such as in paincajanya etc. We are to learn those songs only for the sake of teaching others - to serve those followers. We should show them that in Ananda Marga there are such devotional treasures.
Some overseas suffer in a similar manner
This above guideline is not only for those born on the Indian subcontinent etc. Those Ananda Margiis coming from the Semitic religions also suffer from similar problems regarding this point of Ista. Some from the Christian, Judeo, and Islamic backgrounds carry their religious dogma with them when they enter into Ananda Marga. They have attachment for their past religious photos, statues, and rituals etc. And they offer their reverence to those old beliefs and dogmas and ask for boons. Such persons do not have the requisite strictness in Ista. So those from overseas regions should also pay heed to the guidelines offered in this above posting.
And phallus worship is practiced by all religions of the globe.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Hanuman story of one name one God
Here is a very significant story about the mythological bhakta - Hanuman.
"When Hanuman was asked why he was so insistent on taking the name of Ráma and never taking the name Náráyańa, he promptly replied:
Shriináthe jánakiináthe cábheda Paramátmani
Tathápi mama sarvasvah Rámah kamalalocana.
“I know by philosophical analysis that there is no difference between Náráyańa and Rama, and yet I will channelize my mind towards One Entity and not many. For me there is no Náráyańa, there is only Ráma.”
"Likewise for the genuine spiritual aspirants there is only One Entity, and they rush only towards that Supreme One. Their minds move only in one direction, not in a thousand directions." (2)
In that discourse, Baba's pointed teaching in this story is that a sadhaka's devotional feeling must be linked with one Ista - for Ananda Margiis that Ista is Baba Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji. None else.
Special extra worship
Although on a regular daily basis - morning and evening - such dogmatic Hindus do their regular multiple mythical deity worship, but then an extra puja is done on a special occasion for a particular mythical deity. Every week or every month is allocated to pay homage to a different mythical deity. Today is the puja of the monkey god and tomorrow or next week is reserved for the worship of Sarasvati (goddess of knowledge) or Durga puja, and Sunday is for Ananda Marga sadhana etc.
In the below quote, one dogmatic worshiper is doing puja and in his puja he is calling out the names of countless mythical gods and goddesses, and Baba is mocking that scene because that type of chant is not only useless - but harmful and a waste of time.
Here following Baba is recalling one incident when one dogmatic follower is doing puja, singing the glory of Parama Purusa, and saluting Parama Purusa by calling out so many names. That completely undermines his approach.
Ananda Vacanamrtam says, "A person whom I was very close to, a relative of mine, used to recite the following after taking bath: “Victory to mother Káli, victory, victory to Káli, victory to mother Káli of T́han T́haniá, victory to mother Káli of Dakśińeshvar, victory to Bábá Táraknáth, victory to Bábá Vaidyanath of Deoghar. O, Fathers! None of you should think that I am leaving out someone's name.” After this he would say, “O, gods and goddesses, please forgive me if I have omitted any name inadvertently. Please assume that I have mentioned your name also.” Does this yield anything at all? One says “victory to mother Káli of Kálighát” and in the same breath one says “victory to mother Káli of T́han T́haniá.” It signifies that the mind is moving both towards Kálighát and T́han T́haniá. Can the mind become concentrated in this way? Certainly not." (3)
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This is a typical puja room that most well-to-do Hindu families have whereas financially poorer families will put the photos directly on the ==mud wall. And if they become a margii they will put Baba’s photo there as well.
They will light and wave incense there in the morning and evening and when cooking they will bring an offering of sentient food near the photos for a few minutes. Then after sometime they will eat that food as prasad etc.
One such mythical deity on their puja table is the elephant god Ganesh, featured in the center of the big black photo on the left. Ganesh is the one under the umbrella so he is the top most mythical deity - see his long trunk.
So this is an example of multi-mythical deity worship. By that way the mind becomes bifurcated and balkanised. Ananda Margiis should not commit such a blunder. Parama Purusa is one and the mind should be pointed on Him and Him alone. That is why in the scripture it has been said, “Ekah Devah” - one God.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Here below are some of the more popular Hindu mythical deities like Vishnu, Durga, Surya etc. And among them some Ananda Margiis will place Guru’s image. And when lighting incense and waving it in front of all the images per the Hindu ritual, then they will include Baba’s image as well. Some do like this. Sadly, that is their sadhana or at most they sit for one or two minutes of meditation.
Multi mythical deity or polytheistic is against all logic and reasoning. The ultimate controller cannot be more than one otherwise the universe will collapse. It is just like if two people are steering an automobile. Then the car will crash. So the final controller must be one. Since this universe has not collapsed it is evident it is moving smoothly guided by one Entity. If this point is not clear then please write.
So true Ananda Margiis are strict in Ista. They will sing the song of one Parama Purusa, one name, and one ista mantra - not multi: not Lord Shiva, nor Lord Krsna, nor Ganesh. They will only recognise Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji. Those who are naive sing Prabhat Samgiita for Lord Ksna and think, “O’ Lord Krsna please grace me”, and then the next moment, they sing for Lord Shiva and think, “O’ Lord Shiva please grace me.” And then the next moment they sing for Baba and ask for His grace. By this way they do not get any grace.
References
1. Subhasita Samgraha - 18, The Cult of Spirituality – the Cult of Pinnacled Order
2. Ananda Marga Ideology & Way of Life - 11, Relativity and the Supreme Entity
3. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 10, The Supreme Entity Transcends All Colours
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