Ananda Marga Universal Forum: 07/01/24

Monday, July 1, 2024

Warning: fake yoga práńáyáma + 6 more

Baba

Warning: fake yoga práńáyáma

Namaskar,

Baba has warned us about doing pranayama when the mind is imbalanced or when one is thinking undesirable thoughts. At that time, pranayama will have a detrimental effect on the mind. That is why in our Ananda Marga we practice pranayama with Cosmic ideation.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

Ananda Marga ideology states, "There are abuses of pra'n'a'ya'ma also. If sa'dhakas during the period of pra'n'a'ya'ma-induced contraction, indulge themselves merely in the parading of their own petty vanity instead of using that force of contraction for the inculcation brahmabha'va (cosmic ideation); that is, if they devote themselves to the expression of their own little egos, they will gradually tend towards crudeness...Pra'n'a'ya'ma is exceedingly harmful – devastatingly disastrous – for those without cosmic ideation or Brahmabha'va." (1)

The operating factor is that whatever state of mind one is in when beginning pranayama then that tendency of mind will multiply. So if one is in a crude, debased frame of mind when doing pranayama, then that degrading state will multiply. Similarly, if the mind is filled with bhakti when doing pranayama, then one’s spiritual flow will deepen. That is the operative factor of pranayama. It increases the dominant propensity of mind.

Wrong pranayama & crudeness

Generally, speaking, people are worried about or indulged in some type of mundane aspect of life. And sometimes they are engrossed in certain propensities like jealousy, hatred, greed, or any other depraving propensity. If the mind is like that when doing pranayama then that propensity will become more dominant.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

For instance, suppose someone is very angry when doing pranayama then that propensity will grow and that may fuel one to commit some heinous act. And if one is involved in dirty thoughts when doing pranayama one may become completely overpowered by that vrtti and commit some crime etc. Whereas if the mind is in a subtle, spiritual flow and moving in a positive direction towards Parama Purusa, then the mind becomes more purified. So pranayama can work in either direction. It can have an elevating or degenerating effect.

Conclusion

In tantra, the mind should be imbibed with Brahmabhava when doing pranayama so it will become suffused in bhakti and spiritual thought. Failing that, pranayama is dangerous. Ultimately, pranayama should not be taught to those not properly habituated in sadhana. Those who do not have proper control of their mind should not do pranayama, just as those who cannot control a gun should not play with guns as they might shoot themselves or harm some other innocent person.

Unfortunately, these days fake yoga people teach dry pranayama without spiritual ideation. That is very detrimental. The problem is that teachers are ignorant and the outcome is that yoga students are harmed. A similar problem is present in Buddhist meditation. Buddhism is an atheistic religion and their sadhana practices and pranayama are non-spiritual. The practitioner merely thinks about or watches the breath etc, and in this way the mind becomes cruder and cruder. If around you if someone is doing the aforesaid practices please make them aware about the dangers.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

For those not aware about how right or wrong pranayama looks from the outside, you can find many pictures of people doing pranayama, and sadly they have not been given the right instruction. For instance, sometimes they are doing pranayama with their eyes open, while others are sitting hunched over with their head down etc. In addition, it is commonly seen that they are all using different hand positions and fingers in their practice. Theirs is surely not a mantra-based approach imbibed in Cosmic ideation. Rather, it seems they are following some type of hodge-podge method where the mind is running hither and thither and not locked in on a spiritual ideal.

in Him,
Raginii

This posting discusses only the inner ideation of pranayama, not the external look.

In the below photo, these youths are interested in doing something good; but due to a lack of a proper teaching they are practicing pranayama in the wrong way - with the eyes open and the mind engaged in worldly thoughts. It is our mistake that we could not reach those youths and guide them properly. So those youths are not at fault - sadly they were misguided by those who do not know about proper spiritual practices.

~ Innocent students taught wrong method of pranayama ~

For those not aware about what right or wrong pranayama looks from the outside, here is a picture of students doing pranayama.

References
1. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life - 5, The Chariot and the Charioteer

* * *

The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.

* * *

== Section 2: Prabhat Samgiita ==

Nectar-filled hearts

Note: Only those bhaktas who feel a spiritual vibration in their heart can understand this song in the depths of their core.

"Khunjiya ber'a'i toma're sada'i...ogo sakhá..." (Prabhat Samgiita #0548)

Purport:

O’ Parama Purusa, my Sakhá, I am desperately searching for You always in my mind, in my mental garden. My eyes are saturated with tears of love in Your longing and waiting. My collyrium eyes long to see You. My eternal Sakhá, in my sadhana I am always trying to get You.

O’ Baba, all the creepers and shrubs are laden with flowers and fruit. Their heavy branches have come down to touch Your feet, in complete surrender. Whatever good things I have in my life, all that sweetness I am offering at Your lotus feet. The flowers of my mind are saturated in their aroma. They are waiting with nectar-filled hearts to surrender that sweetness to You. My ever-present Sakhá, please come.

O’ Parama Purusa, the sandalwood forest is spreading its sweet fragrance all around. The whole atmosphere is charged with Your divine bliss. The nightingale is busy singing the song of Your reception. The beautiful peacock is dancing alone to the melody and rhythm of its ankle bells, spreading its colourful feathers all around.

Baba, my whole existence, my entire being is ready to receive You. I am searching for You with bhakti and yearning in my heart, in my mind to have your darshan...

Note for Prabhat Samgiita #0548:

[1] Sakhá: Ananda Marga philosophy states, "'Samapranah sakha smrtah'. Where love and devotion are so overwhelming that it appears as if there is only one entity in two bodies, such a pair is known as 'sakha'. The bhakta, the devotee, is the sakha of Parama Purusa, because the bhakta can never think of Him as a separate entity from Him. Here he altogether forgets that he is separated from God. That is why Parama Purusa is also a sakha to His bhaktas and the bhakta is the sakha of Parama Purusa...You should also know-- you should remember this truth - that the only well-wisher that you have in this universe...the only sakha is Parama Purusa." (1)

Reference
1. Ananda Vacanartam - 6, Parama Puruśa – the Only Bandhu

== Section 3: Important Teaching ==

Viváha: no same-sex marriage

This following quote is well-explained and shows how marriage is only between a male and a female and not two people of the same gender. Since the inception of marriage during Lord Shiva's time, marriage has been between a man and a woman. And that is what Baba has approved for AMPS. So when the point of same sex marriage is raised then one should give Baba's teaching that it is always between a man and a woman - not between a man and a dog etc. In the west, some so-called open-minded people are confused and are always trying to bring some argument in favour of gay marriage, but according to the purview of Ananda Marga philosophy, their logic has no legs to stand upon.

Ananda Marga philosophy states, "He [Lord Shiva] declared that women must be kalatra, which means that women must discharge their obligations to their husbands and their children in such a way that the latter will not have the least difficulty."
"Those who accepted this new arrangement were declared married, and the other members of their society would be witnesses to the marriage ceremony, to bless the newly-married couple and pledge their cooperation to them. The Sanskrit equivalent for marriage is viváha (vi – vah + ghaiṋ): it means, after the ceremony, the man and woman can no longer live as libertines or as irresponsible so-called family people. They have to discharge their full obligations as bharttá and kalatra, responsible husband and responsible wife." (1)

Reference
1. Namah Shiváya Shántáya, Shivokti - 3

== Section: Important Teaching ==

Quality of true writer

Ananda Marga teachings guide us, “When for age after age society spins in the murky eddies of evil and vice, when individual and collective knavery masquerades as intelligence, when hypocrisy, bribery and fraud are the yardsticks for measuring the ability to lead – it is then that the genuine followers of Bháratii [the goddess of learning] must struggle on in spite of constant humiliation. Only taunts and insults will be their fate. Those who are afraid of these insults are incapable of offering anything really lasting to humanity. How can people who lack moral strength, under whose feet the soil is not hard and strong, invite anyone into a cool, refreshing shelter and impart happiness to them? It may be possible to drag oneself through life by sucking the blood of others like social parasites, but this will not bring fulfilment to either sáhityikas or their readers.”
“The artist or sáhityika who assumes the responsibility of leading humanity along the path to light from the caverns of darkness will have to heed the road signs on that path. It is not possible to guide others with mere cheap, superficial knowledge, like a half-baked pandit who reads a half-a-dozen books and then spouts a few mouthfuls of grandiloquence, and who has obtained a doctorate by plagiarizing others’ works. Rather it is necessary for the sáhityika or artist to have a keen and vigorous insight, without which all their endeavours will prove fruitless. Merely juggling words or depicting defects in society will not satisfy the hunger of the human mind – and such creations of art are indeed valueless for social progress as well. One must know the path, and one must also know how to move on it. If those who have not comprehended what the form of society will be, allow the trends of the past that have shaped the present to proceed unchecked, they can never lead society to the path of perfection. They will in fact thrust society into darkness in the name of social reform; they will encourage license in the name of freedom. Instead of modelling a woman after the ideal of a goddess, they will mould the image of the goddess after the ideal of a harlot.” (1)

Reference
1. A Few Problems Solved - 1, The Practice of Art and Literature

== Section: Important Teaching ==

Cause of thievery

Namaskar,

(A) Shrii PR Sarkar says, “The people who have committed some misdeeds driven by want (be that want of food or clothes or of physical or mental gratification) make society responsible for it. They want to convey to us that their want was created due to flaws in the social system, which is, however, substantially true.” (Human Society - 1, 1987 Edn, Justice, p.77)

And in the 2000 edition of the same book, it reads:

(B) The altered version of Shrii PR Sarkar’s teaching says, “Those who have committed crimes due to poverty (whether due to lack of food or clothing, or physical or mental factors), will blame society for their offences. They will claim that their poverty is the result of a defective social structure, and in most cases this allegation will be true.” (Human Society – 1, 2000 Edn, Justice)

Note: Here following are some observations about Shrii Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar’s above teaching.

1. This tragic scene which Shrii PR Sarkar is describing is happening throughout the globe. In “third-world” countries and in so-called advanced nations, often the common mass is denied their basic necessities– in which case, with no other option, they are pressured into committing crimes.

For example, if a person does not have food, even if they do not have a tendency towards theft, they might steal food due to severe pressure of circumstance. And the same can be said of so many other situations. If a person lacks a proper shelter on a cold, stormy night, they may break into a building to save themselves. So there are many ways in which this could take form. There are innumerable circumstances where due to extreme need and want, a person resorts to crime.

2. In turn, the “powers-that-be” wrongly blame that individual and charge / label them as a thief or criminal.

3. However, in His dharmic and revolutionary approach, Shrii PR Sarkar views the situation completely differently. He holds that the society is at fault for putting its own citizens in such a dire position wherein they cannot even get their minimum requirements.

4. We should pay heed to Shrii PR Sarkar’s guideline and also make it known that the real culprits are those who are hoarding all the material wealth and not allowing general society members to get their basic needs met.

5. Parama Purusa has given an enormous amount of wealth for maintaining the human society, but due to terrible and improper distribution, drastic inequalities have emerged, and so many problems have erupted around the globe.

6. Everyone should remember Prout’s unique approach that 100% of the wealth belongs to Parama Purusa. He is the owner. All can and have the right to utilise this wealth in a rational way, but He is the Creator and the Owner.

in Him,
Dhiirendra

Scripture distortion in 2000 Edition

The teaching from the ‘Justice’ chapter of the book, “Human Society”, has been translated and published in two different ways - both of which are presented below.

The yellow highlighted version from 1987 is more legitimate than the green highlighted version from 2000. Unfortunately, in his latest rendering (2000 edition) brother Jayanta of Suva sector ruined the book by retranslating them.

In the green highlighted 2000 edition, the thieves referred to in the passage are said to blame the society: “Those who have committed crimes...blame society for their offences.” But that is wrong. Those thieves never openly state that society is at fault. Rather, a careful analysis of their actions - i.e. theft due to pressure of circumstance - reveals that society is at fault for those crimes. And it is the Author and Propounder of Prout Shrii Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar - not those thieves - who makes this revolutionary assessment and points out that society is to blame.

Due to Jayanta’s superficial understanding he could not manage the task of republishing the books. And the problem shown in the below green highlighted version is just the tip of the iceberg. Everywhere, throughout the entire text of Human Society (2000 Edn), there are countless mistakes. If you have the older 1987 edition, simply compare the two texts and you will find a stark difference.

* If you need a copy of the 1987 edition, let us know as we can provided an e-version as needed. - Eds

(A) Shrii PR Sarkar says, “The people who have committed some misdeeds driven by want (be that want of food or clothes or of physical or mental gratification) make society responsible for it. They want to convey to us that their want was created due to flaws in the social system, which is, however, substantially true.” (Human Society - 1, 1987 Edn, Justice, p.77)

And in the 2000 edition of the same book, it reads:

(B) The altered version of Shrii PR Sarkar’s teaching says, “Those who have committed crimes due to poverty (whether due to lack of food or clothing, or physical or mental factors), will blame society for their offences. They will claim that their poverty is the result of a defective social structure, and in most cases this allegation will be true.” (Human Society – 1, 2000 Edn, Justice)

== Section: Important Teaching ==

Bedmates: capitalists & priests

In the past and in the present also, those in power have used the notions of fate and predestination as a tactic to exploit the common people. If everyday citizens feel that the hell they are facing in their day-to-day life is a matter of fate and there is nothing to be done about, then those people will be easier to control and manipulate.

Now in the height of this materialistic era, the top capitalists employ the clergy, chaplains, and counselors etc, and those paid clergy, chaplains, and counselors are effectively able to convince the common people to sit back and accept their fate. By infusing this psychology upon the masses, then vaeshyas feel assured there will not be any uprising against them.

Ananda Marga philosophy says, "The vaeshyas [capitalist exploiters] use the vipras to try to spread intellectual propaganda among the masses to prevent them from finding any philosophical justification for their suppressed grievances against the vaeshya structure. This intellectual propaganda aims to convince people that they are the victims of circumstance. It argues, “Everything is destiny. Everything is preordained.” Such doctrines help the vaeshyas to perpetuate their structure. They destroy the personal force of people and make them the playthings of fate. People accept the idea that everything is preordained, and support the status quo." (1)

Reference
1. Human Society - 2, The Vaeshya Age

== Section : Important Teaching ==

Greatest & most harmful bondages

Ananda Marga philosophy states, "It is the sense of duty that causes one person to renounce everything; and it is the sense of duty that inspires another person to readily accept the burden of caring for his or her family. It is the sense of duty that makes a person great. Of all bonds, the bond of duty is the strongest, and the bond of moha [blind attachment or infatuation] is the worst. Humanity will have to break the bonds of moha and increase the bonds of duty willingly and consciously. This is the law." (1)

Reference
1. Namámi Krśńasundaram, Disc: 13

== Section: Prabhat Samgiita ==

तुम मेरे अँधेरे से भरे जीवन के रास्ते में प्रकाश दिखाने वाले दीपक हो

प्रभात संगीत 946 - ओ परमपुरुष, एसो प्रभु आमार घरे तोमाय आमि चेयेछि…

भावार्थ

हे प्रभु बाबा! हे परमपुरुष! कृपा कर मेरे घर में आओ, मैं बहुत ही बेचैनी और प्रेम से तुम्हें पुकार रहा हॅूं। मैं तुम्हें चाहता हॅूं और ध्यान में तुम्हारे अधिक निकट आना चाहता हॅूं। कृपा कर मेरे हृदय की पुकार सुनिये । मेरा मन तुम्हारे न आने से दुखी है । बाबा ! मैं केवल तुम्हारे लिये ही जीवित हॅूं। मेरा जीवन मूलतः तुम्हारे लिये ही है। मुझे , तुम्हारे आदेश के पालन करने के अलावा कोई कार्य नहीं है।

हे दिव्य सत्ता! तुम मेरे अँधेरे से भरे जीवन के रास्ते में प्रकाश दिखाने वाले दीपक हो, और मेरे घायल हृदय के लिये प्रेम की गुणकारी मरहम भी तुम्हीं हो। हे परमपुरुष! तुम मेरे मस्तक पर लगे चंदन का टीका हो। हे प्रभु! तुम शुद्ध हो और दिव्य प्रकाश से चमकते हो। तुम पाप रहित हो।

बाबा! तुम मेरी वह मूल्यवान अर्थात बहुत कीमती मणि हो, जिसे मैं ने खो दिया था, आज उसे पाकर खुश हूँ । हे प्रभु! तुम्हारी कृपा से मैं तुम्हें और तुम्हारी वास्तविकता अर्थात असलियत को समझ गया हॅूं। बाबा! कृपा कर मेरे हृदय में अधिक निकटता से आ जाइये। तुम मुझे सबसे अधिक प्रिय हो, मैंने अपने हृदय में तुम्हारे लिये प्रेम का अमृत भर रखा है।

हे दिव्य सत्ता! हे बाबा! मुझे भक्ति का आशीर्वाद दीजिये ताकि मैं तुम्हारी सेवा सदैव करता रहॅूं।

टिप्पणी:-

निष्पाप - परम पुरुष कभी कोई पाप नहीं करते ।

“परमपुरुष के लिये प्रतिक्रिया का प्रश्न लागू नहीं होता, क्योंकि उनसे आगे कुछ भी नहीं हैं, इस व्यक्त संसार में प्रत्येक वस्तु उनके ही भीतर है और वह अपने द्वारा निर्मित वस्तुओं के साथ अपनी इच्छा से व्यवहार कर रहे हैं। इस प्रकार अच्छे और बुरे का प्रश्न ही नहीं उठ सकता है। यही कारण है कि उनके मामले में क्रिया की प्रतिक्रिया होने का कारण ही नहीं है। यदि आप किसी सज्जन व्यक्ति के गाल पर तमाचा मार दें तो इसकी प्रतिक्रिया होगी क्योंकि यह करना आपके लिये उचित नहीं है। परंतु यदि अपने गाल पर ही तमाचा मार लें तो क्या यह भी अनुचित कार्य होगा ? बिलकुल नहीं, क्योँकि कोई भी आपकी आलोचना नहीं करेगा, कोई भी इसके विरुद्ध कोर्ट में केस नहीं करेगा क्योंकि यह पूर्णतः आपका व्यक्तिगत मामला होगा। इसी प्रकार परमपुरुष जो भी करते हैं वह अपनी ही निर्मित वस्तुओं के साथ ही करते हैं अतः ‘‘विपाक‘‘ का प्रश्न नहीं उठता। यही कारण है कि उन्हें पाप कर्म कर पाना असंभव है और वे दिव्य रुप से पवित्र रहते हैं और निष्पाप कहलाते हैं।” (1)

References
1. AMIWL-11, Parama Puruśa and His Creation

== Section 4: Links ==

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