Baba
Uniqueness of RM system
Namaskar,
Baba founded Society Building department in Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha in 1960 with following the objectives:
(i) To encourage so-called inter-caste, inter-religious and international marriages;
(ii) To encourage the society to adopt the revolutionary marriage system of Ananda Marga philosophy;
(iii) To inspire young talented youths to choose the life of a wholetimer to propagate spiritual ideals in the society - and forgo marriage.
Revolutionary Marriage
In order to form an ideal society based on strong fundamentals, Ananda Marga teachings encourage so-called inter-caste, international, widow marriages, and marriages of abandoned and shelterless women. The idea of the dowry is rejected outright in Ananda Marga marriages. Owing to their revolutionary nature these marriages are called Revolutionary Marriages (RM). By eliminating the artificial divisions of the society based on so-called caste, creed, colour, nationality etc Ananda Marga marriages help to form a healthy and universal society.
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Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, “Male members of the Marga can marry females outside the Marga, but it will be better to marry a female member of the Marga to a male member of the Marga, as far as possible. If a suitable match is available outside the Marga, the marriage may be solemnized, but efforts should be made to initiate him into the Marga without delay.” (1)
A few special features of revolutionary marriage
1) Ananda Marga upholds oneness & indivisibility of human society: Today, human beings have achieved remarkable progress in the intellectual realm, yet human unity is lacking in society. The artificial divisions on the basis of so-called caste, creed, colour, nationality etc persists even today. In the RM system of Ananda Marga there is no such consideration. Baba inspired His disciples to recognize all human beings as members of a great, universal human family.
2) No dowry: In the social code of Ananda Marga philosophy, Baba has prescribed a simple marriage ceremony where neither party can demand a dowry. Further He instructed His followers that if in a non-Ananda Marga marriage a dowry is demanded on behalf of either bride or bridegroom at the wedding, one may help out manually as required in the arrangements but a sadhaka should strictly avoid partaking any food at the ceremony.
3) Consent of bride & bridegroom for marriage is mandatory: In the Ananda Marga RM system, the guardians arrange and finalise the marriage after ascertaining the consent of the bride and bridegroom, and bless them, at least a day before the marriage is solemnized. If the boy and the girl settle their marriage themselves, it is proper for the guardians to give their consent. In case the guardians feel that the consequences of such a marriage will be harmful, they may ask the boy and the girl to reconsider their decision. Even then, if they do not change their opinion, the guardians should give their consent.
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4) Condemnation of kanyaídaína (gifting away of the daughter): In the Hindu system this dogma continues to prevail. It is considered as most virtuous by those dogmatic parents / guardians. However, in consideration of Ananda Marga teachings, this approach smacks of selling our sons and daughters like provisions. Society must take a strong stand and do away with this dogma which denigrates and degrades the women in our society.
5) Doing away with the system of priest: In our Ananda Marga marriage system two family acaryas (those who teach yoga & meditation to all free of cost and serve the suffering humanity) function as priest on behalf of the bride and bridegroom. In their absence any senior follower of Ananda Marga can conduct the ceremony.
6) Equal status of bride & bridegroom: In our Ananda Marga marriage system, the bride and bridegroom sit facing each other. Parada Pratha (covering face with veil) is prohibited. They take an oath in their mother tongue for accepting each other as husband and wife.
In AM all participate unlike the various religions
7) Responsibility of all the participants: All those who participate in Ananda Marga marriage take an oath that they have witnessed the marriage and will help the married couple in their all round development. The revolutionary marriage makes the society responsible towards the newly wedded couple.
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Ananda Marga Caryacaya states, “Those present, [[at least ten persons,]] led by the ácárya/á, will repeat, “We say on oath in the name of Parama Brahma and Márga Gurudeva that we are witnesses to this wedding. By the grace of all-merciful Brahma, may we be helpful to the best of our capacity for the all-round progress of this newly-married couple”.” (1)
Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, “Male members of the Marga can marry females outside the Marga, but it will be better to marry a female member of the Marga to a male member of the Marga, as far as possible. If a suitable match is available outside the Marga, the marriage may be solemnized, but efforts should be made to initiate him into the Marga without delay.” (2)
More about RM system
8) Simple & economical: The RM system of Ananda Marga is simple and does not call for an ostentatious display. However, one is free to decorate the hall, and arrange instrumental / vocal music according to one’s economic condition. The feast is optional. Arranging feast by taking loan or incurring a debt is prohibited. During marriage garlands or flowers are exchanged by the bride and bridegroom.
9) Importance of mother tongue: In the general Indian society, the hymns / mantras chanted in a typical dogmatic marriage function are not comprehensible to the bride or bridegroom, or the participants. But in the Ananda Marga revolutionary marriage system, the bride, bridegroom and the public take an oath in their mother tongue so they can understand properly. As per Baba, one’s mother tongue is the best medium of expression. Therefore he has given much importance to mother tongue in the marriage system.
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10) Spirituality: The base of the Ananda Marga revolutionary marriage system is spirituality. Those who attend the marriage function including the bride and bridegroom sing spiritual songs and do collective meditation before the marriage proceeding starts. Everybody takes oath in the name of Parama Brahma and Marga Gurudeva. Throughout their life the couple married through the revolutionary marriage system of Ananda Marga does spiritual practices of yoga and meditation. They remember God or Parama Brahma whenever any work is commenced. Naturally their offspring become more spiritually inclined. Inspired by the above mentioned principles many young men and women taking the oath of marriage. In India so-called intercaste and interstate marriages are extensively performed by the Society Building department of AMPS.
In Him,
Lalita’
~ In-depth study ~
How to describe AM to non-margii wedding guests
AMPS, a global socio-spiritual organization was founded in 1955 by Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji (Shrii Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar) in Jamalpur, Bihar. The mission of AMPS is liberation of self and service to humanity. For individual liberation, AMPS advocates practice of meditation, asanas, moral principles and others. For the service of humanity, AMPS has inspired many social service projects throughout the globe. These service projects include schools, children's homes, old age centers, medical units, and renders disaster relief during natural calamities on non-commercial basis with the spirit of service. For its commendable relief work, Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team (AMURT) has been recognized as an NGO (Non Governmental Organization) by UNO (United Nations Organization).
Baba gave an alternative socio-economic theory called PROUT (Progressive Utilization Theory) which stresses the need to provide guaranteed availability of basic amenities to each and every individual. This new theory advocates the maximum utilization and rational distribution of all potentialities of the universe. He has put forth a new social concept known as neo-humanism which has been applied to education. In addition, He has created a new genre of music called Prabhat Samgiita encompassing a treasure of 5019 songs in eight different languages. His new scientific theory of microvita resolves the mystery of creation and has been drawing the attention of the intellectuals across the globe.
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Guru's guidelines about AM marriages
The following is from the Marriage Ceremony chapter of Caryacarya part 1:
1. In the case of arranged marriages, the guardians should not consider the caste or nationality in arranging the marriage, but they must consider the family and the merits and demerits of the bride and bridegroom. The guardians, before fixing the marriage shall seek the opinions of the prospective bride and the bridegroom and proceed accordingly. The guardians should not allow matrimony between persons connected with each other either on the paternal or the maternal side for three generations, ascending or descending.
2. In the case of arranged marriages the guardians should finally meet and ascertain the consent of the bride and bridegroom, and bless them, at least a day before the marriage is solemnized.
3. If the boy and the girl settle their marriage themselves, it is proper for the guardians to give their consent. In case the guardians feel that the consequences of such a marriage may be harmful, they may ask the boy and the girl to reconsider their decision. Even then, if they do not change their opinion, the guardians will give their consent but they will be in no way responsible for such a marriage.
4. Every person should marry if there is not sufficient reason against marriage. A decision for marriage should be taken with full consideration of one’s physical, mental, and financial conditions and environmental circumstances. No one should exert pressure in the matter of marriage. Marriage is not a hindrance to dharma sádhaná; marriage is a dharmic ceremony.
5. Male members of the Marga can marry females outside the Marga, but it will be better to marry a female member of the Marga to a male member of the Marga, as far as possible. If a suitable match is available outside the Marga, the marriage may be solemnized, but efforts should be made to initiate him into the Marga without delay.
6. For marriage, neither party can demand a dowry.
7. A widow or a woman forsaken by her husband can remarry. A man marrying such a woman will be given a special status in the society. He will have to shoulder the responsibility of bringing up the children of her previous husband.
8. If a woman forsaken by the society desires to lead an honourable life, proper opportunities should be afforded to her. If anyone marries such a woman in the manner prescribed by the Marga, the marriage should be properly respected.
9. Men can prove their manliness by marrying shelterless women. Do not allow at all a woman to lead a shameful life.
10. It is proper not to marry again when one’s wife is alive. But sometimes, due to social or family necessity, more than one marriage can be accepted due. If there is a need of more than one marriage, the clear permission of the wife has to be obtained in the presence of five responsible persons (one of whom should, preferably, be an ácárya/á). The second marriage will not be permissible without the permission of the wife. These five persons will specifically ascertain the veracity of the statement of the petitioner.
(Social necessity: If at any time the women far outnumber the men, more than one marriage for men will have to be accepted to safeguard social purity. Family necessity: If the wife is a chronic patient and therefore unable to work, or is sterile and there is no hope of her becoming healthy and conceiving a child, the man may marry a second time to maintain the lineage and/or to obtain help in the performance of domestic work.)
11. In Ananda Marga no one will be looked down upon as an illegitimate child. ..
12. The oaths in the Ananda Marga marriage system are such that the question of divorce does not arise; but in very extraordinary circumstances, on charges of characterlessness, irresponsibility, or cruelty, divorce may be accepted. The complainant (man or woman) will appeal to five important responsible persons of the Marga (an ácárya/á preferably being one of them). On being satisfied regarding the validity of the complaint, will allow the complainant six months time for reconsideration. If the petition is still not withdrawn and the reasons for the complaint remain unaltered, divorce will be accepted. In this connection, the procedure for the division of the properties shall be formulated according to the demands of the time.
The above is from the Marriage Ceremony chapter of Caryacarya part 1.
Overview of a typical revolutionary marriage
Here is a description of a revolutionary marriage as per the procedure given by Sadguru Baba, the founder of AMPS. Both the bridegroom and bride should be initiated sadhakas of Ananda Marga sadhana.
Before the marriage there can be akhanda kiirtana for three hours followed by collective Iishvara pran’idha’na. Then a few songs of Prabhat Samgiita can be performed. After the song and dance programme is over, a senior margii should explain the revolutionary marriage system to all attendees in their mother tongue.
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Then the margiis, relatives of bride & bridegroom collective perform meditation and Guru puja. The family acaryas convening the marriage guide the bridegroom and bride through the marriage oaths in their mother tongue. Then a public oath is taken by all the attendees in their mother tongue; this might entail the oath being recited in two, three, or even four languages, depending upon the linguistic background of the attendees.
Then all present may offer their wishes to the married couple. At the same time the musicians may perform various songs.
Ananda Marga books may be sold onsite.
Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, “Male members of the Marga can marry females outside the Marga, but it will be better to marry a female member of the Marga to a male member of the Marga, as far as possible. If a suitable match is available outside the Marga, the marriage may be solemnized, but efforts should be made to initiate him into the Marga without delay.” (3)
References
1. Caryacarya - 1, Marriage Ceremony, A Few Instructions, Point #5
2. Caryacarya - 1, Marriage Ceremony, A Few Instructions, Point #5
3. Caryacarya - 1, Marriage Ceremony, A Few Instructions, Point #5
* * *
The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
* * *
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “It was considered nothing short of blasphemy to translate the religious scriptures from Saḿskrta into Bengali. The Nabab Hussein Shah personally tried to develop the Bengali language. With his active support Krttivása Ojah translated the Ramayana, Káshii Ram Dash translated the Mahabharata and Máladhra Vasu translated the Bhágavata from Saḿskrta to Bengali. This caused a furore among the community of scholars. They tried to brand Hussein Shah as a saboteur of the Hindu religion because, according to them, to translate the holy scriptures into Bengali was to defile the Hindu religion. Máládhra Vasu had to bear the stigma of being a Moslem convert and was widely ridiculed as Guńaranjiṋa Khan. So incensed were the Saḿskrta scholars over the translations of Krttivása Ojah that he was declared an outcaste for committing an act of sacrilege. All this took place only 450 years ago.” (1)
Reference
1. A Few Problems Solved - 2, Human Society Is One and Indivisible – 2
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Who are the ignorant and foolish ones
Ananda Marga ideology states, "All people should have proper knowledge and understanding of what is shreya and what is preya, what is vidyá and what is avidyá, for lack of this knowledge causes their downfall, and with its help, they progress onwards through proper sádhaná. Behind human desires the sweetly benevolent inspiration that the soul imparts, leads human beings to consciousness, not crudeness. That is why the wise try to develop their wisdom and intelligence more and more. No one wants to remain a fool: not even a simpleton wants to be called an idiot. To acquire true wisdom, judgement is necessary and judgment involves discrimination. The proper applications of this discriminating judgement is wisdom. This is why the discriminating people take Brahma, the ultimate stage of their consciousness, as their objective."
"But the ignorant or foolish ones who do not utilize their discriminating judgement but are tempted on to the path of materialistic sádhaná for their temporary enjoyment, eventually become crude themselves. The Yama said, “Allured by the paraphernalia of enjoyment these fools do not understand nor do they want to understand, the Supreme Entity. They cannot even imagine a subtler world beyond this material quinquelemental world and so they totally deny it. Those who take the crude as their objective, have to come again and again into this material world in crude forms to enjoy and endure the crude. Trudging along a dark path they are gradually transformed into matter. Thus, they come under my sway again and again, for it is impossible for them to redeem themselves from the cycle of birth and death." (1)
Note: In the present world, countless innocent people in the so-called advanced societies - and wherever materialism reigns - suffer terribly from this above described ailment. It is our duty to save them from their complete destruction and demise.
References
1. Subhasita Samgraha - 3, Supreme Benevolence and Mundane Pleasure
== Section 2: Links ==
Postings to ReadHow to overcome maya
Names of Parama Purusa
Story: day after PC
Blessings at dharma samiikśa
Sadhaka life vs material pursuit
Puja: closed eyes or open
