Handling the deceased
Namaskar,
Consoling the bereaved, conducting death ceremonies, and handling the dead body of the mahaprayanii (the one who died) are important issues. At some point in life, we all have to deal with such matters and guide others as well. So it is our duty to follow Baba's explicit guidelines and be ready ahead of time to help others during such sensitive occasions.
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Dogma: carry mahaprayanii across the planet
Indeed Baba has dedicated an entire discourse to this important matter and put great value on how to handle a person's death. That way we can minimize the grief of those in mourning by diverting the mind away from their loss. During this difficult time, we can help them redirect their mind towards Parama Purusa.
Here are some of the ways this should be applied in our practical life experiences.
In the unfortunate circumstance that one of our respected persons passes in a far away place, we should know what to do. If certain in-charges decide to (a) hold onto the body of one of our esteemed acaryas or margiis in one place, or (b) ship that body all the way across the country, planet, or in the future from one planet to another planet, (c) put the body on ice until the next retreat or DMS etc, then that drastically slows down the entire grieving process. That deepens the pain and agony of the grieving family as they are sunk in woe for a prolonged period.
Instead of gaining closure in a respectful and timely manner at the place of one's passing, the whole process of cremation is delayed. Those in mourning will indefinitely be plunged into feelings of loss and sorrow. They will be tormented by their grief for a much longer time.
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Why no more than 12-days
Additional drawbacks of transporting the body long distances include the huge effort, time, and money spent to ship it across an entire continent or landmass to a new location. So this notion of transporting a dead body over a long distance to be cremated should not ever be entertained. Nor should a body be kept on ice until the next DMS etc. Both of these approaches go wholly against our Ananda Marga system.
In recent years, such types of suggestions were given in specific cases in our Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha (AMPS). So this is a dogmatic trend we need to be aware of. Baba does not appreciate this as He wants that the mind of those in mourning be diverted toward the Supreme so their suffering is minimized. Yet if their loved one is not cremated for weeks or even months, naturally those grieving family members will not get any relief. That is why the cremation and shráddha ceremony should be done in a timely way—within a 12-day period, as outlined in Caryacarya.
If any delay occurs in cremating the deceased (i.e. the mahaprayanii), those in mourning are forced to undergo psychic suffering for a longer period. Baba does not approve of this. Baba places maximum importance on the care and comfort of the surviving family members by diverting their mind. That is why the cremation should be done within a 12-day period, as outlined in Caryacarya.
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Sending to homeland
In the west, many times they keep the body for some time as that is the religious tradition and there are funeral homes for storing the body. Some naive margiis started doing this. But they are just blindly copying Christian and Judaic dogma. That is unfortunate. Baba wants that the deceased person should be cremated in a timely manner, not in a prolonged, drawn-out affair.
Some of the prevailing Hindu dogmas include transporting the deceased to a so called holy place or tiirtha like Varanasi, and paying priests big bags of money to perform the shráddha, lest the deceased (i.e. the mahaprayanii) turn into a ghost and torment the grieving family, as well as the entire village and greater community.
Let's review a few possible scenarios to make this entire matter more clear.
If a margii or an acarya dies in India and their laokik home or posting was in New York sector, then there is no need to send that body back to NY. Nowadays, due to the advancement of science, some dogmatic communities do this. But, that is dogma.
Every person in Ananda Marga considers this entire universe to be their homeland. To delay the burial, cremation, and shráddha ceremony by transporting the body halfway around the world has no rhyme or reason. Rather it is a harmful dogma.
Baba does not want family and loved ones of the mahaprayanii to be mourning for a longer period of time. Rather the day of the death itself their mind should be diverted toward a spiritual ideation. That is our way. This whole entire matter is not just related with family margiis but with wholetime workers too.
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Why not mummify
In the unfortunate occurrence of PP Dada dying in a plane crash in Berlin sector or Nairobi, then there is no need to bring that body back to DMS or to central office wherein the body will be kept preserved / mummified for future generations like that of Lenin. Rather those local people in Berlin or Nairobi will respectfully manage all related affairs in the appropriate manner. The main point being: There should not be any delay in the respectful and honourable ceremony for handling the death—whether one be a family margii or wholetimer.
If we do not pay heed to Baba's order, then it sets the stage that in the future, the bodies of our esteemed acaryas and margiis will always be subjected to long travel in order to reach Ananda Nagar or some other master unit; plus some will think that the body should be held until the next retreat or DMS—be that 5 weeks or 5 months—so that maximum people can view the body. This is the uncomfortable, dogmatic ritual that we must not allow to become a reality. Such proposals have been put forth, but this is not our way.
You can imagine what will happen when there are Ananda Marga acaryas in every village on this earth, i.e. millions of acaryas. In that case, each and every day—for one reason or another—there might be the loss of a few dozen or few hundred workers. Then if all need to be transported to Ananda Nagar for a grand burial process and / or ceremony, everyone will be involved in managing the bodies. Plus, we will have to have our own air fleet, and verily everyone in AMPS will be involved in travel and ceremony preparations. This is highly irrational.
And not only that, but what about in the future when people live on different planets, then they will have to hire a spaceship to bring the body across the solar system to reach Ananda Nagar.
The rational approach is for local people to handle all said affairs in a timely and honourable manner.
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What you can offer to the mahaprayanii
We have to remember that Baba's main teaching is one should divert the mind of those in mourning. They should not be reminded again and again of their loss. Rather we are to help goad their mind in a different direction—i.e. towards Parama Purusa—so they may gain a sense of peace.
Another key important point is that the shraddha ceremony aims to bring closure and comfort to the surviving loved ones. It has a big effect on the psychological state of those in mourning; that is the main benefit. The shráddha ceremony has no bearing on the future of that deceased soul.
Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, "The departed soul does not get any advantage from the shráddha ceremony [memorial ceremony]. It is only meant for the psychic satisfaction of the person performing it." (1)
If the deceased person was a sincere sadhaka and had one-pointed devotion for Baba, Parama Purusa, then they will get mukti or moksa. In which case the deceased person is not there to listen to your shráddha.
If a person was poor in sadhana and not practicing regularly then he will get rebirth. In that case also, he will not be witness to the shraddha ceremony. The deceased may already be taking new life.
In either case—whether moksa or rebirth—the shráddha ceremony is done for the well-being of the surviving members of the society, not the deceased. You cannot give anything to the deceased.
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Who suffers after death
Those who think that the deceased person will receive the food and clothes offered to others at the time of shráddha are dogmatic.
The cremation ceremony is a time to bring closure for the family and relatives. Hence it should be done in a timely manner lest they undergo more suffering.
Baba has strictly placed a 12-day limit on the period of mourning and the completion of the shráddha ceremony. But, the sooner it is done the better. And, of course, there must not be an annual celebration or remembrance of that death day. Rather as jiivas, we are to move on psychically.
Here is one inherent danger of preserving the deceased body or erecting a tomb to honor the deceased. Then one will have given too much importance to the deceased, the mahaprayanii, and have no psychic space left to think about Baba as one's object of ideation.
Tadekaḿ smarámah tadekaḿ japáma
Tadekaḿ jagatsáksiirúpaḿ namámah.
Our Guru's teaching guides us what to ideate upon:
Ananda Marga ideology states, “If I remember anyone, I will remember only that One Entity and not many. If I repeat anyone’s name, I will repeat only the name of the Lord. If I ever salute anyone, I will salute only the Supreme One and no one else.” (2)
Thus if anyone is involved in transporting or keeping the dead body for weeks or months or making a tomb etc, then that goes against the spirit of Baba's aforesaid shloka. If you do not understand, then read Baba's teaching again.
The common belief is that the deceased suffers after death—but that is wrong. The bodiless mind does not feel anything and does not suffer. Only the surviving members suffer—for a few days. That is why the funeral should not be delayed. Delaying the funeral means more suffering by the grieving family. That is why in Ananda Marga the maximum limit is twelve days.
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Guru's blessing
Baba has graciously given all the requisite instructions and guidelines for how to deal with death. By following His guidelines, the grieving family members will be properly cared for and attended to, and the deceased will be cremated in a timely manner.
Here following is how Baba beautifully concludes the shráddha ceremony.
Sarve’tra sukhinah bhavantu sarve santu nirámayáh;
Sarve bhadráńi pashyantu na kashcid duhkhamápnuyát.
Oṋḿ shántih oṋḿ shántih oṋḿ shantih.
[Let everybody be happy; let everybody be free from all physical or psychic ailments; let everybody see the bright side of everything; let nobody be forced to undergo any trouble under pressure of circumstances… Oṋḿ shántih, oṋḿ shántih, oṋḿ shantih.] (3)
Namaskar,
Avyakta Deva
Baba's main ethic is that in a psychological way, people's minds should be goaded away from sorrow. Those in mourning should not be forced to suffer unnecessarily. In His discourse, Baba gives us so many practical guidelines for how to help a grieving family. Acknowledgement of their sorrow and diverting the mind upwards are two of the key elements of Baba's guideline.
~ In-depth study ~
Dogma related with death
Hindu, Christian, Jewish harbour a similar type of ignorance.
The carrying of the dead body to a so-called holy tiirtha etc is very common in the Hindu dogma and now some are emulating it and bringing it into AMPS. It is not accepted, but due to their ignorance and group allegiance certain avadhutas did it anyway.
Hindus do shráddha because of their fear of ghosts, but in Ananda Marga we know that such ghosts do not exist. That is just dogma. This following paragraph illustrates why Hindus do shráddha.
Here is another dogma from the Hindu religion on this point of shráddha: If the shráddha ceremony is not done then the deceased will become a ghost and harass the family, friends, villagers—everyone. The will bring disease, struggle, strife, loss, accidents and all kinds of troubles. With this fear, the common people are terrified of what will happen if they do not arrange the shráddha ceremony for the deceased. This is the dogma they suffer from. We know that there is no such thing as ghosts—just it is dogma. So they pay / donate Hindu priests huge amounts of money to preside over the shráddha ceremony. Thus in Hinduism, their shráddha ceremony is done for the "benefit" of the deceased and for the surviving members—that way they will not be tortured and harassed by any ghost or face serious problems. Christians and Jews have similar ignorance.
Dogmatic Hindus believe that if money and rituals are offered to the priest then the deceased who was roaming as a ghost in their native village will get a grand mansion in heaven with a lot of servants. The deceased will reside there and enjoy. In this way Hindus get cheated by priests. A similar custom is present in Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. But Ananda Marga has come on this earth to wipe away all these dogmas and rescue the exploited mass.
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Naive people talk with the deceased at their tomb
Christians and Jews carry the dead body from the four corners to their homeland because of the dogma that family members and friends can talk with the deceased at their tomb. If the deceased was a senior member of the family they will ask their advice and counsel, and if the deceased was a child they will offer toys at the site of the tomb / grave. This mindless ritual goes on endlessly. And there is an ignorant belief that in the future when doomsday comes then the body of the deceased will rise from the tomb and go to heaven on their judgement day. That is why the body parts / body of the deceased is highly needed.
Of course in Ananda Marga we do not subscribe to such dogmas or superstitions. We know that the shráddha ceremony is only done to support the grieving family; it brings a sense of closure so they can move ahead in life. The shráddha ceremony, like all our Ananda Marga ceremonies, is free of cost.
The dogmatic Hindus do yearly shráddha ceremonies also. That system has been imitated by the Kolkata faction and that Tiljala team, and called "mahaprayan". They just copied this from other religious dogmas. Unfortunately from that yearly "mahaprayan" shráddha ceremony which was invented by B group, some dogmatic people have applied this for an annual ceremony for their deceased, the mahaprayanii loakik relations.
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In reality dead body is like old, tattered clothes
Ananda Marga ideology states, “When the clothes become old and tattered, they are replaced with newer ones. This is the law. Nobody wants to wear old, tattered, and dirty clothes. Similarly, when the body becomes old and worthless, it is changed for a newer one.” (4)
“Do you know what death is? Death means a change of form. A boy of five years became a young man—now, the body of that boy underwent death. That young man became old—the body of that young man underwent death. That old man died and he again came here in the form of a little boy—the body of that old man underwent death. Death means a change of form.”
Vásáḿsi jiirńani yathá viháya naváni grhńáti naro’paráńi;
Tathá shariiráni viháya jiirńányáni saḿyáti naváni dehii.
“Just as you change the old cloth for a new cloth, similarly you change the old body and you reappear in this world in a new body. This is what death is.” (5)
References
1. Caryacarya Part 1, Shráddha Ceremony
2. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life -11, Relativity and the Supreme Entity
3. Caryacarya Part 1, Shráddha Ceremony
4. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 23, Accomplish Your Work with This Body Only
5. Subhasita Samgraha - 24, The Causal Matrix
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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: Important Teaching ==
The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
* * *
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Best tool of pracara: bhakti
When one has bhakti they can solve all types of problems. And without bhakti, nothing is possible. Due to a lack of bhakti, some did far more harm than good when they tried to help the society. They created huge problems for the people. So bhakti is the key for success in any field or arena of life.
Ananda Marga philosophy says, “Devotion [to Parama Purusa] has tremendous power which neither knowledge nor action has. Rather people of knowledge, the jina’nis, have a subtle sense of vanity...So, if you can arouse devotion, then by coming in contact with you, thousands and thousands of people will attain real paramartha’ and spiritual salvation. That is, in order to attain liberation from the triple bondages– physical, psychic, and spiritual– you will have to attain paramartha’.” (1)
Reference
1. A Few Problems Solved - 3, The Importance of Society
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Bad idea: dividing on basis of language
Prout philosophy states, “In the western corner of India there is a move for Punjabi Suba. This is the outcome of the cry for linguistic states by some respectable all-India leaders. These leaders noted that certain other leaders are sympathetic to Muslims, so they proclaimed Punjabi Suba. Their intention is to create an independent Punjab. In the past they launched a campaign for Sikhistan. However, large numbers of Sikhs only live in the northern and western Punjab. Moreover, there is practically no difference between Hindus and Sikhs as they speak the same language and are guided by the same Hindu Code. Before independence there were 57% Muslims, 30% Hindus and 13% Sikhs in the Punjab. Now there are 70% Hindus and 30% Sikhs. The demand for Punjab Suba, though inwardly communal in character, outwardly appears to be a demand for a linguistic state. Those leaders who once supported the idea of a linguistic state are now afraid of the demands of the Sikhs. This is a funny occurrence indeed! Fissiparous forces always create disunity and exploitation in collective life. To counteract these fissiparous forces, PROUT encourages those common factors amidst divergent views which lead to unity and synthesis.” (1)
Reference
1. Prout in a Nutshell - 15, Talks on Prout
== Section 2: Links ==
