Baba
Is deceased benefited?
Namaskar,
In all the dogmatic religions, the death ceremony is done to arrange a seat in heaven for the deceased. Those religious followers are indoctrinated into the dogma that until the death ceremony is performed the deceased will not have any peace. They believe the distressed soul will be wandering around creating a nuisance in the family and community etc. The deceased will not have a place to stay in heaven.
So, according to those religious doctrines, the death ceremony is done to provide refuge for the deceased. The various religions (Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam etc) all do the death ceremony with this defective idea in mind. This dogma has been going on for thousands of years. And, like all dogmas, there is no sign that it will die anytime soon. Those who want to remove this dogma have to work hard.
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Done by grieving family for their own comfort
In our Ananda Marga, the shráddha ceremony is done by the grieving family members for their own comfort. The deceased is not benefited in any way by this ceremony.
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, “The microcosm [of the deceased person] or unit spirit, does not require any food or clothes or sesame or utensils. All these ideas are scoundrels’ philosophy. And they have been doing this type of exploitation for the last five thousand years, since the time of the Atharva Veda.”
“In some other corners of the world, people wait for forty days [Semitic Religions], and after forty days they offer a particular type of prayer, and that prayer is supposed to make the position of the dead person secure. Is this logical? Certainly not. All these things done in the name of shráddha [dogmatic religious death ceremony] are nothing but a cheating business.”
“In prehistoric times also, those people of less-developed intellect used to think in this same way, that even after death people require worldly objects. So in prehistoric times also you would find, looking within the graves, that they used to offer barley (at that time wheat was not popular), wine, honey, such things. And even now in India during shráddha [dogmatic religious death ceremony] they use these things – barley, wine, wool – so that the dead person will wrap that woollen cádar around themself, etc.”
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, “Now, as I told you, in all corners of the world this type of exploitation is going on. And why are the people being exploited? Because they are under the veil of superstition. They are superstitious people. They are less developed in intellect.”
“So this is the commercial story regarding shráddha [dogmatic religious death ceremony]. There is nothing in it.” (1)
Can we do anything for the deceased - or not
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, “So what should one do? Haven’t we any social responsibility for dead persons? When the necessity arises, we should offer shraddhá [reverence] for them, not barley or wheat or woollen clothes or wrappers or ghee or sesame. What can we do?...when they [the deceased] leave this world and go to the other world, they go beyond the scope of our responsibility. We cannot render any service to them [the deceased]. Our social responsibility is over as soon as the cremation is done.”
“So what can we do? We can say “O Parama Puruśa, while that man was with us we tried our best to do whatever we could do. But now they are beyond our scope, they are beyond our jurisdiction, so please do take care of them.” This much of a request can be made by us, and nothing more than that. And the Ananda Marga shráddha is just like that. Here we require no edibles, no clothes or anything else. We offer our shraddhá [reverence], and we do nothing else, and we can do nothing else.” (2)
Conclusion
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, “When they [the deceased] leave this world and go to the other world, they go beyond the scope of our responsibility. We cannot render any service to them [the deceased]. Our social responsibility is over as soon as the cremation is done.” (3)
Ananda Marga Caryacarya says, “The departed soul does not get any advantage from the shráddha ceremony.” (4)
If a death ceremony (shráddha) is not performed, what will happen to the deceased? Nothing will happen to the deceased; no harm will come to them. Either they will move on in the cosmic cycle or get mukti / moksa, accordingly. The shráddha / memorial ceremony does not affect or help the deceased in any way. The shráddha ceremony is done solely for the welfare and benefit of those in mourning.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
in Him,
Chandrabhanu
References
1. Ananda Vacanmrtam -3, Shráddha
2. Ananda Vacanmrtam -3, Shráddha
3. Ananda Vacanmrtam -3, Shráddha
4. Caryacarya-1, Shráddha Ceremony
* * *
The below section is an entirely different topic, unrelated to the above material.
It stands on its own merit as a point of interest and ideological awareness.
* * *
== Section 2: Prabhat Samgiita ==
"Toma'y a'ma'y pratham dekha' kon se atiite..." (Prabhat Samgiita #1544)
Purport:
Parama Purusa, we first met long ago in the hoary past. But this intimate talk of ours is not written about in the pages of history, nor in the books of mathematics or philosophy. It is not mentioned anywhere, nor is there any record of it. Only You and I know of that first affectionate sharing of our hearts that happened long, long ago. You are so gracious who loves me so much.
Parama Purusa, nobody knows about our closeness. It is not drawn in geometry, and it is not written in ink. Indeed, there is no brush mark or painting related with our first rendezvous anywhere in this expressed universe. Nay, there is no carving, sculpture, or sketch that describes our intimacy. You first met me long back in a bygone era, and since then You became mine alone. Our relationship is eternal.
Parama Purusa, Baba, we are so linked. Whenever I went away and got lost in the dungeon of maya, You lifted me onto Your lap, played divine music, melody, and sweet rhythms, and held me in the deep recesses of Your prana, in Your mind. You kept me close and never left me all alone. By Your causeless krpa, I remain in Your eternal shelter. We came to know one another long ago in the distant past. Our personal warmth spans generations.
Baba, You are my eternal companion. I surrender to You - at Your lotus feet...
== Section 3: Important Teaching ==
Here is an English summary of one section from Baba’s discourse (SS-25) originally given in Hindi:
No one can lay claim that they themselves are victorious. All that can be said is that satya was victorious. It is only by aligning oneself with the path of satya that one gets victory. No one gets victory on their own.
It is just like if one boards a train from Jabalpur to Mumbai. After arriving in Mumbai, people say that, “Mr So-and-So has made the arduous journey from Jabalpur.” But the fact is that he did not do anything: he just sat on the train, and the train made the journey. Then they cannot claim that they reached their destination on their own. Rather they got there by boarding a train.
Same is the case with the path of satya. People say that, “You got victory.” But that is not correct. Those who are victorious traveled the path of satya. They did not gain victory by their own merit. Those who wish to be victorious should follow the path of satya, not the path of falsehood. (English summary)
The above is an English summary of Baba’s original Hindi discourse, “Satyena Pantháh”, S25-02, DMC 26 October 1963 Jabalpur.
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "If the vegetables get a little burnt and [you think] that 'Oh, people can't eat this.' [Then] Quick- pour a lot of water onto them, and add fifteen or twenty betel leaves. That will reduce the burnt effect." (1)
Reference
1. Namámi Krśńasundaram, Vraja Krśńa and Vishuddha Advaetaváda – 3 (Discourse 12)
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Cancer & sleep
Remaining
awake after midnight and sleeping after sunrise comes under the
definition of being awake at night and sleeping during the day. And that
very condition invites cancer:
Ananda Marga Yogic Treatments says "Persons... [who] sleep during the day and keep late nights are most likely to be attacked by cancer." (1)
Note: Sleeping during the day does not just mean taking a nap in the afternoon or in the late morning. Sleeping during the day also means not getting up in the early morning for paincajanya.
Reference
1. Yogic Treatments, Cancer
Ananda Marga Yogic Treatments says "Persons... [who] sleep during the day and keep late nights are most likely to be attacked by cancer." (1)
Note: Sleeping during the day does not just mean taking a nap in the afternoon or in the late morning. Sleeping during the day also means not getting up in the early morning for paincajanya.
Reference
1. Yogic Treatments, Cancer
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Bhakti & cowardliness are mutually exclusive
If an Ananda Margii uses intoxicants that is against the ideology. In a similar way, if a sadhaka is afraid with anybody it means they are not following the ideology. If one is drinking liquor that is anti-ideological and if someone is suffering from fear that is also unideological. The reason is that srsti (this creation) is in the mind of Parama Purusa. And He loves His bhaktas more than anyone else. And the person who is scaring you is also getting their energy from Parama Purusa. But because Parama Purusa loves you more and everything is in His control, then there is no reason to be afraid. Being afraid means not trusting on Parama Purusa. For example, suppose you visited your parents after a long time. And this is the first time you are meeting your mother’s new, large ferocious dog. And mother is greeting you with her menacing dog on a leash, then by seeing the dog will you be afraid? If you are afraid it means you do not trust your mother. In the same way, being an Ananda Margii, if you are afraid with anyone it means you do not trust Parama Purusa. And not trusting Parama Purusa means one is not following the ideology. This is the gist of what Baba explains in the following teaching.
Ananda Marga ideology states, “As I have said previously, our ideology maintains that no one need be afraid of anything under any circumstances. If anyone does become afraid, it should be understood that he or she is doing something opposed to our ideology. So you should remember that no situation will ever arise in this world which will give you cause for fear. It has been said that Parama Puruśa is the fear of fear. That is, fear is as afraid of Parama Puruśa as humans are afraid of [objects of] fear. Bhiiśańaḿ bhiiśańánám – “He is the dread of all dreaded things.” A feared object is as afraid of Parama Puruśa as others are afraid of it. So, as you are the progeny of Parama Puruśa, who or what can possibly give you cause to fear?” (1)
Reference
1. Kolkata, 14 November 1978, As-Is version
== Section: Important Teaching ==
A look at future humans: biological babes
Prout philosophy states, “Compared to mechanical babes, biological babes will be perfect. Ova and spermatozoa, both being chemical compounds, can be created in a laboratory. Embryos, created by the fusion of spermatozoa and ova, can also be developed in a laboratory. Babes created by such a method will be called biological babes. The entire body, including the brain, can be created, but it is beyond the scope of human endeavour to create mind. As in the natural evolution of human beings, nature will put a bodiless mind into the embryo of the laboratory babes. This explains why a laboratory babe will not be free from saḿskáras or the reactions to past actions. With the development of medical science, laboratory babes can be given a long life in comparison to normal human beings.”
“It may be possible for future humans to disconnect their limbs and move anywhere freely with their brain only. The different parts of the body of a biological babe can be replaced, but the brain cannot be replaced, for it is a brain with a particular set of saḿskáras, and hence replacement of the brain would mean replacement of the personality. The brain is a collection of nerve cells, the totality of which is the personality. It is not possible to change the brain without changing the nerve cells and consequently the personality.” (1)
Reference
1. Prout in a Nutshell - 15, Talks on Prout
== Section 4: Links ==
