Baba
Child without father
Namaskar,
Nowadays countless children are born out of wedlock. Side by side, females struggle to raise the child as a single parent. And this leads to a few key issues. For instance, how should the child be treated? Should the parents face social punishment? How are we to rectify this knotty problem in a comprehensive and meaningful manner. To best address this matter we should understand the historical context of such cases and also examine how these cases are treated around the world today.
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What happened in those days of old
Back in the Mahabharata era, Karna suffered a life of ignominy and disrepute because he was born out of wedlock. According to the Hindu code, Karna’s birth was a sin. In that era, giving birth out of wedlock was one of the worst and most unworthy things a lady could do. And the child was outcaste.
In Ananda Marga teachings, although we do not support premarital relations etc, but we do not punish or blame the child. Whereas in that era of old the child was alienated and "marked." Giving birth out of wedlock was a sin. And both mother and baby were ostracized. Thus Karna was stigmatized his entire life and looked upon as stained.
Ananda Marga philosophy says, “Karna also was not permitted to ascend the throne because he was born before marriage, but what wrong did he do?” (1)
So Baba does not give any credence to the idea that the innocent baby should be blamed. Baba wholly rejects the idea that Karna was condemnable and should therefore have lived a life of disrepute. In our Ananda Marga way of life, no blame or disrespect is to be attached to the baby who was born out of wedlock. No doubt, we do not advocate premarital relations etc, but we do not punish the child. The blame will be towards the parents.
Every child should be embraced by society
According to AM teachings, regardless of their birth, every child should be looked up with love and affection. Every child must be given opportunity to live a reputable life. No one should suffer due to the circumstances surrounding their birth like Karna had to do. According to the purview of our Ananda Marga, pressure should be created for the fathers to take responsibility. Regardless of the situation, the child will never be marked or blamed and always be given the scope to lead a respectable life. The society must support all children, no matter the circumstances of their birth.
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Conclusion
All blame for children born out of wedlock will be towards the parents. Yet whatever punishment is deemed appropriate, that punishment will be towards rectifying their misdeed and helping those parents lead a respectable life. There is no question of branding them as outcastes. Only the aim is to create the best possible scenario for the child to be raised in a happy and safe environment by its parents, both mother and father.
Thus it is the parents who are forced to step forward and take responsibility for their actions. That is the central approach taken in our Ananda Marga way of life. The baby is completely innocent and not to be blamed, branded, or scarred in any way.
Namaskar,
In Him,
Shrii Krsna Kumar
~ In-depth study ~
To resolve this social ill in this present era, the baby should be genetically tested in order to locate and confirm who the actual father is. Then the father by order of the law must bear the entire financial burden of caring for the mother and baby, yet at the same time the father will be forbidden, by court order, to go physically close to the mother and baby.
References
1. Prout in a Nutshell – 17, Move with Ever-Accelerating Speed
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The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
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== Section 2: Prabhat Samgiita ==
“Aarańye giri shire khunje khunje tomáre, din cale jáy sandhyá ghanáy….” (Prabhat Samgiita #2144)
Purport:
O’ Parama Purusa, I passed my days searching for You in the depths of the dense forest and on the remote mountain peaks. Now, it is getting dark and evening is fast approaching. The twilight of my life has arrived. And You never responded. It is extremely difficult to understand what kind of heart You have. But still I feel that You love me so much.
O’ Baba, Parama Purusa, I looked for You in flowers, in the floral nectar, and also in each and every particle of pollen. But nowhere ever did I find You. I could never even get close enough to hold You near. You did not offer the slightest hint as to where You were.
O’ Parama Purusa, I journeyed from one dogmatic tiirtha site to another. I have searched for You in various tiirthas and so-called “holy lands” - Jerusalem, Jamalpur, and I also went to Ananda Nagar, Tiljala, and Varanasi, Puri, Mecca, Rome, & dogmatic religious places, as well as in the caves of treacherous mountains. I wandered hither and thither - all over. I bathed in innumerable so-called holy lakes, rivers, mountain streams, and oceans in hopes of getting You. But I did not get You, nor any peace in my mind, from any of those so-called “holy” dips. Now my empty, unsatiated heart only sheds tears for You.
O’ my Parama Purusa Baba, by Your grace with intense longing I realised You in my mind. I found You in my heart. In the pores of my mental abode, I have seen a glimpse of Your incredible spiritual radiance. You are there hiding in my I-feeling. In the deep core of the mind You can be realised. Your divine effulgence purely dazzles my entire being...
== Section 3: Important Teaching ==
The case against affirmative actionNamaskar,
According to Shrii Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar - the Propounder of Prout philosophy - wherever a section of society gets special privileges and benefits on the basis of caste, gender, race, and creed then that will severely threaten unity. The reason is that instead of the entire collective body living arm-in-arm according to the same rules and procedures, there is mounting tension between various human groups because one particular group is getting special advantages. Across history and throughout the present-day society, there are numerous examples.
Prout philosophy states, "Caste is another important factor which disrupts society. The evils of the caste system are nowhere better known than in India. For unity in society, there should not be any small groupings within the society claiming economic and social privileges." (1)
For instance, in Israel the ultra-orthodox Jews have been receiving special financial benefits in the form of welfare bonuses. The rules for them are different. This has led to resentment, protests, and heated debates within Israeli society - and unity has been hampered.
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Preferential treatment leads to riots between members of society
We see similar effects in the Indian so-called caste system where so-called harijans (dalits) are scheduled castes and have been granted special privileges in the form of economic gifts and job quotas. That type of preferential treatment / Affirmative action / reservation on the basis of caste, gender, race, and creed leads to strained relations, hatred, and even riots between members of society.
In contrast, if on an economic basis, financially impoverished people are getting monetary support from the central government or state, then that is supported by Prout.
Sadly, to enter the "inner cabinet" and highest decision making body of the various groups in today’s AMPS, there are special requirements. Some groups demand that one should be of a higher so-called caste, while other groups require birth in a certain geographical region etc. In result, tensions rise and the lines are drawn. Under such circumstances, unity can never be achieved. Because there cannot be special rights based on one's birth or social status.
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Proutistic guideline: "For unity in society, there should not be any small groupings within the society claiming economic and social privileges." (3)
In Him,
Prema-bhakti
So-called caste-based quotas India
~ Courtesy of The New York Times ~
The Supreme Court of India has repeatedly tried to curtail the scope of caste quotas, but the Parliament has passed amendments in response to protect and even expand them. The court has ruled that quotas should not exceed 50 percent of university admissions, but Tamil Nadu has ignored this restriction and a case challenging the state’s larger quota has been pending since 1994. In an interview,India’s law minister and minister for minority affairs, said that wealthy beneficiaries of caste quotas should acknowledge that they no longer need set-asides and voluntarily bow out of the system. (Courtesy of the New York Times)
Even monkeys want their fair share
What to say about human beings, even monkeys want their fair share. It is ingrained within even the earliest stages of human evolution. So whenever there is injustice in the unit family, organisation, or society at-large, chaos results. When one group exploits another group that lights the fire of extreme social unrest. To achieve unity in our Ananda Marga special privilege must not be given to any persons or group etc. This is a key point. Nowadays, there are privileges and hence rampant disunity.
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Prout philosophy states, "For unity in society, there should not be any small groupings within the society claiming economic and social privileges." (2)
~ Courtesy of Wikipedia ~
Affirmative action, also known as reservation in India and Nepal, positive action in the UK, and employment equity (in a narrower context) in Canada and South Africa, is the policy of protecting members of groups that are known to have previously suffered from discrimination. (Courtesy of Wikipedia)
References
1. A Few Problems Solved - 7, Social Psychology
2. A Few Problems Solved - 7, Social Psychology
3. A Few Problems Solved - 7, Social Psychology
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Important daily reminderNamaskar,
Those of a materialistic mindset think that power, post, money, and worldly relations are the base of life. They think, “I live and die for this - i.e. power, post, & money etc. For this, I have come on this earth to live happily and enjoy.” In this way, due to avidya maya they pass their whole life in drowsiness. They cannot comprehend this basic fact that what they are depending upon is not permanent. Those things cannot last forever.
In this universe, everything is moving and the speed of movement also varies. So when two people are moving in with a similar speed then they are called a family. But no two persons can maintain a similar speed for long. Either one moves away, dies, divorces, or their liking or disliking changes. What they formerly cherished has now become useless in their eyes.
That is why nothing in this created world can be the base of life. None of those things can provide permanent happiness. Animals cannot comprehend this simple truth - but humans can understand it. Those who fail to comprehend it are worse than animals. Only that Eternal Entity Parama Purusa alone is the base of life. He was with you, He is with you, and He will always be with you up to eternity. So when you have one Entity who always remains with You then why not cultivate a close and intimate relation with that Supreme Entity. That will signify the start of gaining real meaning and fulfillment of life.
Ananda Marga ideology states, "That which is finite cannot be the base of your life, because it will be used up and will leave your mind unsheltered. Thrusting you in the abyss of darkness, it will pursue its course on the unending path. Therefore, no one except Brahma, the beginningless, endless and infinite can be the object of your mind and the base of your life.” (1)
In Him,
Dhrti
References
1. Subhasita Samgraha - 1, The Base of Life
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Namaskar,
Some claim to communicate with the gods and goddesses of certain shrines to obtain cures for a disease. And veritably, when they visit those religious sites, sometimes they do indeed receive the remedy. The question arises, do the gods and goddesses really give them the cure to those diseases? Here below Sadguru Baba uncovers the mystery behind this.
Ananda Marga philosophy says, “The remedies for illnesses or answers to questions that a person receives at the shrine of different gods and goddesses is not due to the greatness of those gods and goddesses. As a result of sincere longing a state of one-pointedness arises in the mind and if, at that time, that person falls into deep sleep because of physical tiredness then the answers to his or her questions may descend from the unconscious mind into the subconscious mind. There the person receives the answers to his or her questions about illness or other questions according to his or her mental conceptions and beliefs. The person thinks that he or she has perhaps received these answers due to the grace of such-and-such god or goddess. Actually, thanks to the grace of the Supreme Consciousness, his or her unconscious mind is the hidden repository of infinite knowledge. Due to one-pointedness, the person has been able to temporarily submerge part of his mind within the boundaries of that profound knowledge.” (1)
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "Those staging a dharńá are convinced that a certain deity will give the cure for a disease or answer any question they may ask. Therefore, when the answer comes, they naturally conclude that it was given by that very same deity. In fact, this vision of the deity, like the vision of the ghost, is simply a play of the mind. After being told about the greatness of a particular god or goddess a person will go to make offerings and will often receive the expected cure or answer. There is no question of a god or deity being involved here; God had nothing to go with what happened. It is purely a psychic phenomenon. The effectiveness of the cure or answer depends upon the degree of concentration of the mind." (2)
When a person has been fully concentrating on a particular problem or circumstance, then they may draw the answer from their unconscious mind, which is the hidden repository of all knowledge. And that is exactly what happens when some people sit before an idol or shrine seeking a cure to their ailment. With their intense mental engagement that person has been able to submerge their mind into the pool of infinite knowledge. That is how they get the cure. The imaginary god and goddess of those dogmatic religious sites have nothing to do with it.
In Him,
Bhakti
References
1. Shabda Cayanika - 2, Indukamala to Iyatta (Discourse 7)
2. Ananda Marga Philosophy in a Nutshell - 3, Some Questions and Answers on Ananda Marga Philosophy – Excerpt B
== Section : Important Teaching ==
Ananda Marga ideology says, "Those who have established themselves in their spiritual being through the practice of spiritual cult are the real human beings. Others, who do not move on the subtler and sublime path of spirituality, and behave like animals, are humans only in name. Human beings alone have the privilege to do sa'dhana'. Animals, because of their intellectual deficiencies, are unable to adhere to the spiritual cult...Human beings, on the other hand, have the capacity to develop even in the spiritual realm. Those who do not pay heed to this special gift are animals, nay, even worse than animals. Animals are unable to make efforts for their spiritual development, whereas humans do have this ability." (1)
Note: Generally people think everyone with a human body as being human, but according to Baba's above teaching all are not human. In the above guideline Baba differentiates how and why.
Reference
1. Subhasita Samgraha - 24, Mysticism and Spirituality
