Ananda Marga Universal Forum: 07/17/25

Baba

Attire for death ceremonies

Namaskar,

When a person dies, then what colour clothes should we wear to their death ceremony? For example, some female Christians wear a black dress when their spouse dies. In the religions around the world, similar provisions of wearing particular clothes exist. What does AM philosophy recommend on this matter?

Vibration of colour

Every colour has a vibration. For example, white colour represents a sattvika feeling. It creates a soothing good feeling in the mind. The colour red generates feelings of himsa (violence) feeling. According to AM philosophy, colour does not represent psychological feeling, but rather each colour affects the mind according to the vibration of the colour. Saffron colour represents sacrifice; and, black has the vibration of sorrow and depression. When people use a specific colour of dress for an occasion it is because of what they have been following as tradition. It is not based on the vibration of the colours.
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Which colour & attire in sad occasion

When we are surrounded by sadness; we should use a colour which removes that sadness. But if we use black colour which generates a vibration of sadness then it will not work, it will make the situation worse. That is why when there is sorrow or darkness, then using black colour will increase the sorrow further. That is why it is not recommended to use black colour when attending a death ceremony (shava-satka’ra). One can wear white, but AM philosophy does not recommend any specific colour. This is because Ananda Marga is manava dharma which is for all human beings irrespective of caste, colour, age, race, ethnicity, geographical location etc. So AM sadhakas live everywhere in the world including in rich and poor countries, very hot to very cold climates etc. So recommending a dress code in these circumstances is not appropriate. That is why in AM there is no dress code for observing death ceremonies.

AM philosophy says the dress code should be appropriately made for different types of climatic conditions, needs of people at different locations. Yes---He guides that people should cover their bodies when they go out of the house, which is good for society. But which type of dress to use there is no restriction as long as the body is covered. The question of who is going to wear pants, who is going to wear kurta is according to availability of clothes, and the location where one lives. If one is a poor farmer, how can one afford to use a dhoti or pants? Similarly, if one works on mountains, then their dress will be different, as per the needs of circumstances one is in.
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So Ananda Marga is for all. One can die anywhere, and when rules are written for human dharma, then that should be followed. By considering all these factors, AM philosophy made guidelines which can be easily followed by all as well as which are logical. While white dress is good, but it is not strictly recommended that one would wear white colour dress in the event of death. But according to rule, as much as possible one should not wear black colour dress in the event of death because of aforementioned effect of black colour vibration and so should not be used. But if possible white colour can be used because white has a satvik vibration which will lead to reducing the darkness around.

One example: The king of Thailand died in recent years. People were ordered to mourn his death for an entire year, and then after a year it was decided that his body will be burnt. On this occasion it was ordered that whoever has been a public employee in the past or present, as well as people who came from abroad, will wear black dress. Everyone who was present had to wear black clothes. This is dogma. There is no such logic on why such dress colour was ordered. It might be the case that someone has started such a tradition before and people are following it blindly.

AM Guideline: attire

The summary is AM is for everybody, and so in AM there are no specific guidelines in using dress type and colour in observing death ceremonies. People live in very diverse climatic conditions; some live in very cold climates, while others live in extreme hot climates. People in cold climates need to cover their whole body, whereas people in hot climates use dress so their body can get air, and will not be affected by extreme heat. If there were specific rules, then people who live in extreme climatic areas may feel that they are not able to adhere to strict guidelines of manava dharma. For that reason, there is no specific guideline. But in the so called religions around the world, people who follow them blindly buy clothes for specific ceremonies (black dress for the death ceremony).
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But people who are new in Ananda Marga and whose ancestors were Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus or any other religion, may even try to follow what their ancestors did and follow family traditions. But according to AM philosophy there is no dress type or colour code for death ceremonies. If one has the option, they can wear white but not black. Wearing black dress is a dogma, and one should reject that approach.

In Him,
Nirakara

One note here is that colour is mentioned in the sense of matter (such as dress) but not the colour of human skin. All humans are equal, and skin colour is not a representation of how one thinks. But certainly the colour of material objects has a vibration; one who is crude may not feel it but others can recognize it.
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Sad occasion: white attire

Here below is an English summary of Baba’s original Hindi teaching of Svastik Jhan'd'a' (1970).

Various colours each have their own particular effect on the human mind. White colour is the symbol of purity. There is an old tradition in India that at the time of sad occasions they used to wear white coloured dress. That means the pain which has come in the mind due to loss, that loss they wanted to remove by this white coloured attire or garment. Because of this, people used to wear white dress. The colour of sadness is black. If someone uses black dress in an attempt to remove their pain or agony, in result they will only increase their suffering. Because of this, in any sad occasion or mourning ceremony, black colour should never be used. One should use white dress. (English summary)

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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.

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== Section 2: Important Teaching ==

Why anger is your enemy

Ananda Marga philosophy states, “When this anger creates its own vibrations in the mind, it exerts a tremendous influence on the nerve cells in a very short time, and causes disarray in the thinking process. The restlessness of the nerve cells causes a violent vibrational agitation in the nerve fibres, and as a result, the whole body starts trembling; the flow of blood to some parts of the body increases, and the functioning of the heart is disturbed. There is a tremendous deterioration of health. Such a person is easily defeated in any fight. Anger leads to premature death. This is not all. During anger the power of one’s thinking is impaired. Even long after the anger subsides, this state continues, and the constant brooding of the mind disturbs one’s spiritual sádhaná. So we see that the vrtti [propensity] of anger harms the body and stuns the mind and creates obstacles for spiritual progress. Shiva, the great yogi, was well aware of this truth, and thus He clearly stated, Krodha eva mahán shatruh [“Anger is a great enemy”].” (1)

Reference
1. Namah Shiváya Shántáya, Shiva's Teachings – 1 (Discourse 9)

== Section: Important Teaching ==

Oppose those who invented differentiations

Ananda Marga ideology says, “Just see the case of air, light, water, respirations and everything. The need for these things is the same for all individuals. There have been no differentiations. These differentiations that we see in society are creations of vested interests, creations of depraved persons, of degenerated, immoral people. So you should not support these actional defects of immoral persons. You should follow the divine vibrational system, that is, you must not try to find any differentiations among individuals. “Devábhágaḿ yathápúrve saḿjánáná upásate.” It is the wont of divine expressions that there be no differentiations, no class of exploiters and exploited. That is, this wont of not creating any differentiations was not only their duty, it was their upásaná, the desideratum of their existential march.”
“Samáni va ákuti”. When everything cometh from the same source, from the same Progenitor, and when finally everything goeth back to the same desideratum, there must be the same aspirations, the same longing, in the heart of each and every individual. But due to the depraving actions of immoral people, those exploited, those downtrodden people are forced to forget their goal. They are drifted away from the desideratum of their life. This should not be done. Everybody should get the chance to develop their natural longings for Him.” (1)

Reference
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 3, Saḿgacchadhvaḿ

== Section 3: Links ==

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