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Showing posts with label protest fast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label protest fast. Show all posts

Friday, March 20, 2026

AM & protest fasting + 3 more

Baba
AM & protest fasting

Namaskar,

Much is often made in the press and amongst the general populace about those who engage in protest fasts. Such persons are hailed as heroes and luminaries by the common people and pundits. But in our Ananda Marga way of life, this type of Gandhian approach is not supported.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

Ananda Marga ideology guides us, “So, you should neither encourage voracity, nor should you undergo fasting for a long period of time.” (1)

Do we follow Gandhi?


Those who resort to employing Gandhian philosophy and Gandhian techniques will never get success. Baba has declared how the efficacy of Gandhi's teachings died long ago.

Prout philosophy says, "The philosophy of Gandhi died before India got independence – it died long before Gandhi died." (2)

As disciples of Shrii Shrii Anandamurti ji, we should propagate His ideals of Prout philosophy and not get sidetracked by these defective methods used by pseudo-reformists.

Who gets attracted to pseudo-reformists?


According to Prout, everything in this universe has some redeeming value. Everything has at least a minimal amount of sentient properties or sattvaguna. After all, even garbage can be converted into compost or energy. But that does not mean that one should go around collecting garbage and stuffing it into their house.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

As Ananda Margiis and adherents of Prout teachings, however, we should not get swayed by that slight glimmer of pseudo-reformists. We should not start following their ways. Because we know that the teachings of Prout philosophy are perfect in all respects. In that case, why should we be even remotely moved by some populist preachers.

Here we can only conclude that only those not familiar with Proutistic teachings and only those lacking in tantrika sadhana could get attracted by any such fake type of movement. So with open arms we should try and bring them onto the proper path. That is our sacred duty. As Ananda Margiis and Proutists, we are firmly rooted in our AM way of life and do not peer for answers or inspiration in any other direction.

History: uninformed Proutists revere JP Narayan


Here is a very relevant and meaningful story that relates well with the protest type of fast that pseudo-reformists undertake. As many may recall, back in 1975 Jaya Prakash Narayan - a disciple of Gandhi - started an anti-corruption movement that became extremely popular with students across India. The movement was called Sampurn' Kranti (Sampoorna Kranti) or Total Revolution. People flocked to his meetings.

At that time, certain uninformed Proutists also became attracted to JP Narayan's Sampurn' Kranti or Total Revolution movement. Upon hearing this Shrii Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar lovingly scolded their incharges for their wrongful approach. Better is that you should propagate Prout / Ananda Marga ideology. Do not be attracted by Gandhian movements. That Gandhian philosophy is dead.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

In this way, Shrii Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar guided those uninformed Proutists for their misplaced sentiment in JP Narayan's Sampurn' Kranti movement. Then He ordered Ac Raghunathji to address the matter. So Ac Raghunath published a book aimed at educating uninformed Proutists so that they would not get befooled by or attracted to JP Narayan's movement. Raghunathji's book was called: Sampurn' Kranti Kii A'dha'rshila' (Foundation of Sampurna Kranti or Total Revolution).

By this way, everyone in AMPS and all Proutists clearly understood that our job is to propagate Prout / Ananda Marga ideology and not get allured by other types of movements based on faulty teachings. And indeed, as it turned out, JP Nararyan's movement came into power in 1977 via Parliamentary elections. But in a short 2 1/2 year period that government became wrought with cheating, scandals, corruption, and worse. By 1980, that party was voted out of office, and they lost all their power.

How should we help them?


So again, the Proutistic ideal is do not run off and join other half-baked movements just because they have become popular etc, rather one should propagate the ideals of Prout philosophy.

It is unfortunate that a few people do not know the above history because sometimes a few of our dear and respected brothers and sisters in AMPS seemingly get hooked into this same exact problem. A few margiis and Wts are quite enamoured with those conducting protest fasts etc, but this is just a display of outdated Gandhism etc. And some margiis are anxious to praise those involved in protest fasts, and paint them as great social leaders etc. I cannot fault those margiis / Proutists - all I can do is blame us for not having educated them to follow Prout, and not any outdated Gandhian approach like a protest fast.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

Back in the 1970's this was all addressed by Shrii Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar, as He did not want any margii or Wt to support this type of display. But because margiis do not know this important history, a few uninformed Proutists may still be defending and rallying around those staging protest fasts. I feel confident that any margii temporarily swayed in such a direction will immediately right their course after hearing the above account.

What is fate of unfortunate people?


Here is an analogy that is also pertinent to this whole affair. There was a person drinking sweet, purified water. But, as fate would have it, he also suffered from an inferiority complex and was therefore easily swayed when he saw what others were doing. One day he saw 100 buffaloes drinking muddy pond water. By seeing so many buffaloes slurping up all that water - influenced by their sheer numbers - the man became attracted and joined them in drinking that muddy water. The man thought that this muddy water must be better than what he was drinking because 100 buffaloes were drinking pond water while he had been drinking his pure water all by himself.

This man wrongly concluded that the "better product or plan" was determined by the vast number of followers. That is why this foolish man walked away from his pure, sweet water and started drinking the dirty pond water with those herds of buffaloes.

Similarly, on this earth, there are many who could not come close to Sadguru Baba, i.e. Shrii Shrii Anandamurti ji, the Taraka Brahma. Yet these very same persons began hovering around fake gurus like x, y, and z etc. That was the unfortunate fate of such people. They could not realise the Divine Personality of Shrii Shrii Anandamurti ji and instead got allured by the hoards following these fakes.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

When I think about that, I feel pity for them. Actually they do not have experience in bhakti and Ananda Marga ideology; that is why they are easily affected by crowds in other camps. Such persons do not like to come to small, dharmic, spiritual gatherings like dharmacakra, and instead are attracted to major dogmatic happenings like the khumba mela etc.

Conclusion


Baba describes this lowly mentality in His discourse, “Shreya and Preya”, from Subhasita Samghraha - 3. We should gently educate such people who follow dogmatic people simply because they are popular. By employing psychological pracara methods, we may positively affect their forward movement, by His grace. When their bhakti grows and their mind gets clear, then those same people will not run towards the crowd. Rather, with their increased bhakti and viveka they will easily see through the fog and march on the path of dharma.

Namaskar,
Vinay

No protest fasts

In our Ananda Marga, we have our allotted fasting days for physical health, psychic clarity, and spiritual surrender and upliftment. Beyond that, we do not engage in fasts for social causes or injustices. Rather, we use our allotted strength and stamina to put an end to all exploitation. Resorting to fasting as a form of protest is not our way. 
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

Ananda Marga ideology guides us, “So, you should neither encourage voracity, nor should you undergo fasting for a long period of time.” (3)

References
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 14, Seven Secrets
2. Prout in a Nutshell - Part 15, Defects of Communism – Section C
3. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 14, Seven Secrets


== Section 2: Prabhat Samgiita ==

Why are You playing this liila

"Dayál prabhu bolo go, tomáy, dayál náme keno d́áká hoy..." (Prabhat Samgiita #0341)

Purport:

My Parama Purusa, please tell me why people call You Daya’l, O’ Merciful One. If You are so merciful then why do the soft, fragrant blossoms have thorns. Those flower petals are very tender and supple, yet they are surrounded by sharp, prickly needles. Can’t You make all flowers have only silky, smooth surroundings without any prickles. The mountain spring is very beautiful and pure, but it always has to suffer the pain of running through the rough, jagged, mountain path. Can’t You have all mountain streams gently flow without hitting any pointed stones. That will be wonderful.

Baba, why are You called Merciful. The lotus and lily flowers are aromatic and lovely but they blossom in the dirty pond. Why don't You provide clean water. Can’t You make all lotii take birth in a pure environment without any mud. Human life is filled with happiness and cheerfulness and gradually moves towards decay and old age. Can’t You create a human life that always remains youthful, devoid of the effects of aging. The cluster of lamps of stars always have to wait for amavasya, the pitch dark night, in order to glitter. Can’t You make stars that shine all the time and are never faint.

People have given Your name as 'Merciful', but when You are playing this type of liila, why is that Your name? The small child is like the softness of one tiny flower, but always the baby cries and cries. Can’t You make all infants be happy and joyful always without ever sobbing. Why does the smiling moon only shine between the slits of the patches of dark clouds. The moon hardly gets an opportunity to glisten in the sky. Can’t You make a moon that is always beaming and never blocked by the clouds. In this world, You have created the gentle, sweet breeze. The soft, tender, fragrant air disappears with the arrival of the hail, thunder, and lightning storm that ruins the scene. Can’t You make it so that all breezes remain soothing and calm and never get overrun by wild thunderstorms. It is so ironic how people call You ever merciful, when Your working style is the exact opposite...


== Section: Important Teaching ==

Action by B group against CC

   Ananda Marga ideology states, "Haven't we any social responsibility for dead persons? When the necessity arises, we should offer shraddhá for them, not barley or wheat or woollen clothes or wrappers or ghee or sesame. What can we do? As long as a man is here in our society we ave a social responsibility for him. Human beings are social beings, we have a social responsibility for them. And when the leave this world and go to the other world, they go beyond the scope of our responsibility. We cannot render any service to them. Our social responsibility is over as soon as the cremation is done."
   Ananda Marga ideology states, "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, and we do nothing else, and we can do nothing else." (1)

Note: Baba's above teaching is cent-per-cent clear and straightforward. When a loved one dies, then we do not offer any physical items - neither food, nor clothing, nor anything else.

For Ananda Margiis, Parama Purusa is that Eternal Divine Entity so there is no question of His death.

But those who don’t have bhakti are most unfortunate and they treat Sadguru as a mortal human being. They think their god is dead. And annually they host a death day gathering with dogmatic offerings - food items, clothes, etc. And this is against Caryacarya on two fronts:

(A) Caryacarya states that the mourning period shall last no more than 12 days, but B group disobeys this point of Caryacarya.

(B) Caryacarya guides us that the offering food and clothes to the deceased on the annual death day is forbidden, but B group disobeys this point of Caryacarya.

In Him,
Premprakasha

Reference
1. Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 3 - Shraddha

Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Failure of hunger strikes + 2 more

Baba
Failure of hunger strikes

Namaskar,

Hunger strikes are a common phenomena in India. What is the reason behind this and why do such strikes occur especially in India? What is the history?

Politicians using false ideas for their own benefit


In elections today, we see many such types of inappropriate ideas being spread. Those ideas are typically narrow-minded and filled with a number of sentiments. Some politicians say that they are going to implement great ideas by which the country will move forward very fast, whereby everyone will be benefited, etc. By spreading such ideas, they get the majority of the votes and are elected to serve in political positions. While other politicians spread narrow ideas by creating division among people:  narrow ideas such as casteism, provincialism, racism, religion, etc.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

For example, in western countries, politicians might use sentiments which appeal to those people with white skin or they might use arguments which promote white supremacy as a means of uniting people to win an election. By arousing such sentiments, politicians indulge the superiority complex of people with white skin. Sometimes, it is very hard to unite people with great ideas, but it is easy to influence people with a narrow sentiment. If one politician says that all humans are equal and tries to infuse a great idea in their minds, that politician will face a terrible uphill battle. Those with narrow sentiments will push back very strongly. It is the quality of human beings that their animalistic propensities are aroused very quickly, as humans are evolved from animals.

For example, a rich person is persuaded many times to donate but is hesitant to give food to a poor person because of his attachment to money and other material objects. But it is very easy to create anger in a person’s mind. The rich person can be persuaded to become angry by touching some of his weak sentiments. In the same situation, if the person is asked to understand the concepts of tya’ga, tapasya’, universal brotherhood, etc., it is difficult to motivate them. Politicians use various narrow sentiments to motivate rich people and others to unite them in political movements.

In India, during Gandhi’s time, the message that was spread was that communism was not good. In communism, people who have more wealth are being tortured in different ways, and their money is being snatched.


Divided India with two streams of ideas

To make India independent two primary forces were there: (a) garam dal (so-called tit-for-tat approach), (b) naram dal (so-called non-violence approach). The garam dal approach was the use of force as needed to fight the Britishers. The naram dal approach was refraining from the use of force against the British oppressors. Advocates of this latter approach started hunger strikes to show and demonstrate their demands. Anything they wanted was demonstrated by protesting in the form of hunger strikes.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

Role of Gandhi & Nehru


One party was formed during that time: the Congress Party. Because of such an approach, the Congress party was divided into two parts. Subhash Chandra Bose was the president of the Congress party then, but he was withdrawn from his position because he was of the opinion that if someone is exploiting then we should be fighting against them. But Gandhi and Nehru were agents of the capitalists, and they did not want to rage a war against those exploiters. Both Gandhi and Nehru proposed that hunger strikes could be the mechanism to mold the mindset of exploiters thinking that then only will they change.

Business intent of British


Britishers did not come to India to take over the country, rather they came to India for business purposes. Ruling India was an act through which they could exploit natural resources. That is why they made roads, bridges, railway tracks, etc. Their primary intent was to exploit only, exploit resources, and not rule the country or to reside in the country. By the time they realized that it had become costly to exploit India, at that moment they went back.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

Example: the landlord conundrum


Similar types of exploitation are found in rural India as well. There are landlords who exploit common people. First, by having an exploitative mindset and lending money  with the sole motive of charging huge monthly interest rates. In order to gain everyone’s respect, the landlord also gives money to other good causes such as the development of the village temple. So the opinion of villagers is divided regarding the landlord. Some think that he is an exploiter, and others think that he is a noble person. The landlord will continue to exist and exploit as long as the village is divided in opinions. But when a revolution against the landlord is anticipated, then, with fear, the landlord will go away from the village to keep himself alive, even without caring for his property.


Hunger strike movement

Gandhi was not supportive of fighting against Britishers with force. Rather, he called the attack against Britishers by Indian people a terrorist movement. Around the same time, there were communist movements at their peak in other parts of the world such as Russia and China.  One of the disciples of Gandhi, Vinoba Bhave, initiated a movement called “bhu-daan”, “giving away land”.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

What is “giving away land” movement?


In India, there were a lot of landlords, and they occupied more than 90% of the land. For there are about 10,000 acres of land available in the village. All of the 10,000 acres were occupied by the landlord only while others in the village would work for the landlord. Gandhi started the “bhu-daan” movement to unite people so that common people can have more land while landlords can donate the extra land they possess. Land donation did happen in India, but landlords donated lands which were barren fields, not suitable for agriculture or anything productive. Newspapers did spread the word that landlords were donating lands just by protesting and not being engaged in any war. So what is the benefit of being involved in a war?  This was the initial movement in which Gandhi began to show people that there is no need of fighting wars, rather justice can be achieved with non-violence.

There was another disciple of Gandhi named Jayprakash Narayan. His movement was named  “Sarvodaya”, which means that rich people are going to help the poor so that the whole society will move forward. In reality, these people were agents of capitalists and had no intention of bringing welfare to the society. These movements were only to misguide common people so that they would not create a revolutionary movement.

Moreover, to hoodwink the common people, Gandhi said that everyone should spin their own cotton, and not purchase garments from outside. Even children in schools were taught how to use the spinning wheel. And Gandhi himself used to spend a couple of hours per day generating cotton. His point was everyone should be self-sufficient; everyone should know everything so that there would not be any dependence on others. That was his viewpoint of society which stands in stark contrast to our  Ananda Marga’s viewpoint for building an organized society where coordinated cooperation is integral.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

What is an organized society- AM View


Baba says that in an organized society each person should not be doing everything by oneself. Each person’s specialty is different. For example, if one is a doctor, then he should continue to practice medical service and not take up other jobs. If a common person is suffering from any disease then s/he can go to the doctor, and since the doctor knows the profession very well, he can serve them better. In this way, the doctor is able to do his work, and the patient gets benefitted. If everyone is a doctor, if everyone is a farmer, if everyone is a lawyer, this will not work in forming an organized society.

A sequence of similar pre-independence events in India

In India, several movements such as donate land, hunger strike, helping the poor were created during the Gandhian era. The motive of all such movements was to use a non-violence approach assuming that the exploiter also has a heart and by showing non-violence protest the exploiter will eventually understand what is right and will do what the protestors are demanding. But Baba’s approach is different to deal with exploiters. Baba says that exploiters do have a heart, but their heart is corrupted by bad thoughts. A corrupt businessman plans to build a factory, and how to utilize poor labourers with minimal hourly wage so that they will remain as labourers for generations. In this way only the businessman will make a profit. Exploitation becomes a habit of such businessmen and such habits do not go away easily.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

Dogma continues to exist for thousands of years


In Bihar, there is a ceremony called “Chhath puja”, which is more than 20,000 years old. People used to worship the sun as a female God to bestow rain to help farmers grow crops. Even today, people in Bihar, worship the sun as a female God for blessings. In Bihar, irrespective of religion, being Hindu or Muslim, everyone is involved in this worship at the time of growing crops. Such worship does not make any sense. The point here is that once a dogma is created, it spreads quite fast, and continues to exist for a very long period of time.

Hunger strikes continue to happen in India

In India, though the number of hunger strikes has reduced compared to the past, still today people use hunger strikes as a weapon to fulfill their demands. With the advancement of medical science, doctors can easily find out cheaters in the name of sitting in a hunger strike who take food behind the scenes. But still, to some extent, some true hunger strikes do take place. If hunger strikes go on for more than two days or so, then the government is under pressure just to ensure that no one should die because of such strikes. There are some people who are cheaters in the name of hunger strike, just to show off, but still, there are people in India who continue to fast for multiple days for the purpose of protesting a certain cause.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

Baba says that such hunger strikes are not useful and are outdated in today’s society. Without having proper Ananda Marga knowledge, some wrongly become sympathetic to such hunger strikes or even embark on them themselves. But this is wrong.


Conclusion


Hunger strikes were created by Gandhi as a means to fulfill the demands of common people without physically harming the exploiter. This principle misguided the people in fulfilling their demands. Such protests do not end exploitation. For example, if a mosquito bites, then pray to the mosquito, and it will stop biting? This type of approach does not work. In religion, such types of approaches exist. Much worship exists in India in anticipation of not being affected by natural phenomena, or by exploitation etc.

Baba says that one has to do sadhana, which is fighting against avidya, then only one can make progress, and overcome hurdles. Baba says that such approaches of non-violence and ritualistic worshipping are anti-revolution, and do not provide any way of growth. Only time is wasted with such approaches, exploitation, and the pain of common people increases without any progress. To stop exploitation, dharmic revolution is needed. Hunger strikes and other approaches created during Gandhian times are not successful approaches. And verily, hunger strikes are rarely done in other parts of the world.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/

In Him,
Nirakar

Peak days of communism

When communism was expanding in the world, people all over the world were thinking that communism was created to diminish the inequity between the wealthy and the  poor. In many societies, wealthy people were the ones amassing wealth and had access to everything whereas the general mass was suffering from the lack of basic needs. Communism was first seen in Russia, then in China, and slowly spread into other countries such as Vietnam, Cuba and more.

*        *        *

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

*        *        *

== Section: Important Teaching ==

Why not pray

Note: This letter is for those who understand Ananda Marga philosophy or those who have a keen interest to know Ananda Marga philosophy. If someone is not in either of these categories, then for them this letter is useless.

Namaskar,

Here is Guru's teaching from Ananda Sutram: Prárthanárcaná mátraeva bhramamúlam.

“Purport: It is useless to pray to God for something, for He is sure to give what is necessary. Solicitation or importunity in the name of worship is nothing but toadyism and flattery.” (1)

In His above teaching of Ananda Sutram, Guru guides us that any type of prayer to Parama Purusa is useless and hinders one’s progress on the path. In our Ananda Marga we do not pray to Parama Purusa because He is all-knowing and all-benevolent so naturally He knows more about our needs than we do.

Anyone who has studied even the basics of Ananda Marga philosophy understands this fact: A true sadhaka will never pray to the Lord. By mere use of the word “pray” - it is evident that a person is unaware about this fundamental aspect of Ananda Marga philosophy. And if such a person is an avadhuta or senior person in AMPS, he is leading others astray. 

Praying to God means accusing Him of partiality


Ananda Marga philosophy states, “Prayer is the act of asking for a favour with earnestness. It also means a solemn petition addressed to the Supreme Being for certain benefits. One prays to God for something which one does not possess or thinks one does not possess. One asks God for these favours with the faith that He alone can bestow everything and by His mere wish all wants can be satisfied. By prayer or by begging one wants to awaken His wish so that one may be granted the things one lacks. Does not one’s attempt to rouse the wish of God to fulfil these needs, upon careful and rational thinking, appear to be a reminder to God to give one something of which God has kept one deprived? It would otherwise not be necessary to remind Him in prayer of that thing or to try to arouse His wish to give. For instance, if one is in need of money, one would, with the faith that God alone can give, pray to Him for the favour of giving one money. Does not this request show God’s fault in keeping one in want of money, when He alone can give it? God alone is blamed for it, and by praying to Him for money one is precisely pointing out to Him His partiality in not giving one the money one needed. Therefore, prayer or asking for favours from God is only pointing out to the Sole Giver His mistakes in the distribution of His favours. It only presumes lack of impartiality in Him, and that is why He is blamed for making some very rich and others very poor. Praying to God for favours is only to bring to His notice the charge of partiality levelled against Him. When prayer leads to such a conclusion, it is only ignorance to ask for favours.” (2)

In brief, prayer undermines His supreme stature and blatantly exposes that seeker as selfish, ignorant, and arrogant. 

As disciples of Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji it is our duty to stay true to the path of pure spirituality and not get caught up in any type of dogmatic or ritualistic prayer. We are to propagate the ideals of dharma sadhana and bhakti, i.e. love for Parama Purusa. 

Namaskar,
Sanjay
Sam Woods

References
1. Ananda Sutram 3-11
2. Ananda Marga Elementary Philosophy, How Should Human Beings Live In This World?



== Section 2: Links ==

Upcoming Festival: Shravanii Purnima - 09 Aug 2025
#6: AM: unique starting point
#5: Celebrating Shravanii Purnima
#4: Festival: the path of advancement
#3: Margiis also tantrikas
#2: Upcoming festival Shravanii Purnima
#1: Meaning behind Shravanii Purnima
Postings to Read
The worst bondage: blind attachment
For all sadhakas: the gunas
Realizing your spiritual power
Story: new bhakta hiding from Baba



SUBJECTS TOPICS