Baba
Tomb worship in AMPS
Namaskar,
Throughout His teachings Baba has presented us with various analogies that shed light onto the journey on the spiritual path. Such analogies - like the below about the musk deer - contain unique guidelines about how to should proceed and avoid the missteps of material cravings.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Danger of seeking Him externally
Baba tells again and again that we must not seek Parama Purusa in the external world, rather we are to seek Him within. In His discourses and in Prabhat Samgiita, He emphasizes this point repeatedly. Always He warns us of the danger of looking for Him externally.
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "If, however, one thinks that He is far away, He will remain even further away. In this context, two terms – “dur” (far) and “sudur” (very, very far) – are used. “Dur” means quite far but still within the scope of measurement, such as something thousands of miles or light years away. But if the distance cannot be measured and all mathematical calculations miserably fail, the term “sudur” – very, very far – is used...[Those who] think that Parama Puruśa is far away, may cry themselves hoarse, yet their sobs will not be heard by Him." (1)
By looking for Him externally and thinking that He is away, the sadhaka only pushes Parama Purusa further and further away, beyond the grasp. Even then, in their worship, so many seekers and religious followers fall into this negative cycle.
By worshiping idols, taking pilgrimages, and following so-called mahaprayan, various people think they are doing things that will enable them to attain Parama Purusa. But this is not just not so. Rather, by thinking that He is outside them and away they are pushing Him from near to far to an incredibly distant place.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Musk deer analogy: running oneself to death
The unenviable plight of the above dogmatic worshipers who push Parama Purusa away is just like this analogy about the musk deer.
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "The musk deer lives in cold countries and looks ugly, but the hormone secreted from its glands gradually accumulates in the navel. Eventually the liquid portion evaporates and the remainder becomes hard, and the harder it gets, the stronger its fragrance becomes. The female deer does not have this musk scent. The male deer becomes so intoxicated with its own fragrance that it goes berserk searching for the source of the smell. It fails to realize that the source of the smell is its own navel. Ultimately, after much running, the exhausted musk deer falls down dead." (2)
So we should be sure that our approach is introversial and psycho-spiritual, where we seek Him within. We must not run around senselessly like the musk deer, as those religious fanatics do, not knowing that what we ultimately seek lies within. Verily, it is a defective approach to think that Baba is away as in the case of so-called mahaprayan. That is Baba's warning about the musk deer analogy.
Just as the musk deer falls down tired and, ultimately dead, after its failed pursuit of trying to find that aromatic smell in the external world, the same is true of those idol worshipers etc who seek their god through external objects and displays. In the end they do not get Him and instead fall down tired or dead. Then in their next life they get transmuted into rock, iron, or even stone - i.e. as you think so you become. Because they worship idols they become that wood, stone, metal etc, - whatever the idol was made of. In the case of MPD tomb worship, the tomb is made of stone, so tomb worshipers will turn into stone. That is a horrendous state of negative pratisaincara. So one should refrain from doing idol or tomb worship.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
In Him,
Nandinii
References
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 4, He Is Even Nearer Than You Think
2. Microvitum in a Nutshell, Smell and Microvita – Excerpt B
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The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stands on their own as points of interest.
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== Section 2: Important Teaching ==
The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stands on their own as points of interest.
* * *
== Section 2: Important Teaching ==
How to write a best-seller
Ananda Marga philosophy says,"These days Sáhitya Sarasvatii [the goddess of art and learning] is mortgaged to Lakśmii [the goddess of wealth], for the value of the goddess of learning now depends upon the favours of the goddess of wealth. Whatever the quality of the writing, if the publisher is well-established, the book will sell well in the market due to effective advertising. Thus the indigent sáhityika suffers humiliation as he or she cringes at the doors of reputed publishers; and publishers are quick to exploit this situation in their favour. Due to publicity stunts and propaganda, it has become impossible for the common people to know which book is good and which is not." (1)
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "There is a flagrant dearth of developed critical literature or critical magazines in every country of the world. Books sell in the market on the strength of publicity skills, or on the strength of how they excite the lower human propensities, or in some cases by their crude ability to provide entertainment for the common masses. That is why we find that books published by the authors themselves, regardless of how good they are, do not sell well in the market. On the other hand, books which excite people’s sexuality, whatever might be their content or language, sell extremely well." (1)
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "...Thus sales are not a criterion for judging the superiority of a book. It is therefore a great problem for the readers, purchasers and library directors to select books, and there will be no solution to this problem as long as high-quality critical literature and critical reviews are not available." (1)
References
1. A Few Problems Solved - 1, The Practice of Art and Literature
== Section 3:
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