Baba
Bathing & cataracts
Namaskar,
In India, especially in the rural village areas, some margiis are keen to focus their eyes on the sun after bathing. They bathe outside so when doing bath mantra they focus their vision on the sun. But that is problematic. Because the sun emits UV (ultra-violet) rays which cause cataracts, if one looks directly at the sun. So there should be heightened awareness about this.
A similar effect could happen with some electrically-powered luminous objects. The following types of electrical lights emit UV rays. So one should never focus their eyes these UV lights:
- tube lights
- fluorescent lights
- coiled electrical bulbs
There are three grades of ultra-violet bulbs: UVA, UVB, and UVC. One should never focus the eyes on any type of bulb that emits UV rays. For your knowledge, the types of UVB bulbs used for indoor planting - i.e. growth lights, as well as lights used for tropical animals, are very dangerous. And the most damaging are UVC bulbs used in swimming pools to disinfect the water. UVC bulbs are also used as a germicide. Be strict and never ever focus your vision on UV light.
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The following types of bulbs do not emit UV rays
- Incandescent bulbs
- LED lights
Sadhaka, UV rays, sun, & cataracts
In the below photo, the sadhaka is doing bath mantra. The sun is high in the sky and the practitioner is wearing a laungota, reciting the mantra, and performing the mudra.
The sadhaka is being careful not to look directly at the sun. Focusing the eyes on the sun is harmful as the UV rays from the sun will damage the retina. That puts a person at risk for cataracts. Unfortunately, in certain village areas around the globe, some simple margiis fix their vision on the sun when doing the bath mantra. They should be educated and warned, lest they do permanent damage to their eyes. One should never focus their eyes on UV light.
In the above photo, the sadhaka is performing bath mantra and being careful not to focus the eyes directly on the sun since that is harmful. The sadhaka is taking proper precautions by focusing his vision straight ahead, while the sun is angled off to the left. By this approach, the sadhaka is safeguarding his eyes. Unfortunately, some margiis focus their vision directly on the sun thereby exposing themselves to dangers like cataracts.
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Dangers of UV lighting
As we know, Baba did not say to focus the eyes on an illumined object during the bath mantra. Baba says to direct the front side of one’s body (i.e. stomach, chest etc) towards the sun but do not look or focus the eyes directly on the sun. Rather one should focus the eyes on a different object. Only the frontal portion of the body should be angled towards the sun or illumined object etc, while the vision is fixed in a different direction. Then one will get all the benefits without harming the eyes. It is extremely important not to ever look at any UV light.
Ananda Marga, vitamin D & health
When the sun’s rays shine on your wet body then due to those water droplets there are greater positive effects. For instance, one receives vitamin D, skin diseases are cured, and the skin becomes healthy. Vitamin D is advantageous and essential for bone health. Angling the wet body towards the sun / illumined object is a very good source of vitamin D. But be very careful to never focus the eyes on any UV light / rays.
Sixteen Points is complete in and of itself for physical, mental, and spiritual development. And the bath mantra is part of Sixteen Points as it is beneficial on many levels.
On the physical plane, vitamin D is very vital component for the human body and maintaining health. The question comes why not just walk in the sun and get Vitamin D, What is the need of this bath mantra. The answer is that when water droplets are on the body it is especially beneficial plus after bathing the whole body is exposed to the sun. Whereas one cannot walk down the street without clothes and water droplets all over the body. Another benefit is that when anything becomes part of your daily routine then it is done - otherwise one may forget. So when one bathes on a daily basis and does bath mantra, then everyday one is nourished with Vitamin D.
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Conclusion
Performing the bath mantra in the sun has many benefits but one should not focus the eyes and directly look at the sun or artificial light etc because they emit UV rays. Those rays are harmful for the eyes and can ruin the retina. Guru’s guideline is to angle the frontal portion of the body towards the sun, and focus the eyes / vision somewhere else. By this way one gets all the benefits without unknowingly or unintentionally harming oneself. And be sure to never direct the eyes towards UV rays.
Namaskar,
In Him,
Shrutigocara’
~ In-depth study ~
Alert about this wrong
Many sincere Ananda Margiis try to follow exactly whatever guideline is printed in our Ananda Marga books. But in the case of the bath mantra / pitr yajina, due to a key error in the printing of the AMPS book, some are harming themselves.
The publishers wrote: “After finishing your bath, before drying your body, recite the following mantra [i.e. Pitr puruśebhyo namah...] while performing the prescribed mudrá and looking at any luminous object.” (2)
Those sincere margiis who are “looking at any luminous object [i.e. the sun etc]” often harm themselves by contracting cataracts, i.e. a clouding of the eye's natural lens leading to vision loss.
~ Related topic #1 ~
Various reasons behind this chant
#1: Reverence to forefathers: During bath mantra one is also remembering and offering reverence to their forefathers. According to Ananda Marga teachings, the system is that if we receive help from anyone then we should offer our appreciation and recognise their support. We have received so much from our forefathers as they have brought civilisation up to this point. And here forefathers means the billions and billions of people who came before us. Their knowledge and the fruits of their labour has been passed on to us. That is why we recognise them.
Ananda Marga ideology states, “Pitr Yajiṋa means remembering the ancestors and the sages. As long as a person possesses the physical body, he remains indebted to his ancestors. Those who are capable of working for their own emancipation, as well as of the society by virtue of the knowledge acquired through the austerities practised by the sages, are indebted to the sages. Sages are those who are helping and who have helped human society in numerous ways, such as the invention of new subjects. You enjoy the fruits of the inventor of railway engines. Is it not a fact that present intellectual currents originated from the fountain of their wisdom? Many people say that science is detrimental to civilization and an impediment to civilization, that the old world was indeed good. They forget that science also existed in the old world and, although it was very undeveloped, the people had adopted it according to their standard of wisdom and knowledge. We are progressing on the road constructed by them. We proceed and extend these roads by cutting down the jungles and the hills. Their bullock carts have given us the incentive for our railways and cars. We have converted the yachts constructed by them into submarines. That is why I say that there is no fault in the development of science. Time is also not to blame. The fault rests with us. Science does not tell us to use nuclear energy in destructive ways. To do so is to use science to establish our animality. Those who have invented destructive weapons with the help of science are not sages, because their Sádhaná does not contribute to the welfare of humanity. On the other hand, those sages who have looked to the well-being of humanity certainly deserve our revered memory. To pay homage to them is Pitr Yajiṋa.” (1)
#2: Spiritual ideation & madhuvidya: The large majority and much of the emphasis of the bath mantra is about our connection to Parama Purusa and serving Him. By this way we inculcate the spiritual ideal that He is the ultimate Doer and that by doing His work and remembering Him one will merge in Parama Purusa. So the overarching import of this mantra is to be completely immersed in madhuvidya, or second lesson. The sadhaka is to see everything (the offering, the action, the receiver, the doer) as Brahma and remember this fact every day during each and every waking moment.
#3: Easy to memorise: The great benefit of incorporating all this into a particular mantra - like Pitr puruśebhyo namah... - is that it is easy to memorise because the mantra has a particular rhythm. And by using a mantra the ideation of the practice is complete. Otherwise some will do something and remember something, and others will do something else and remember something different. So having a mantra makes it easy to perform and it keeps the whole idea in tact.
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~ Related topic #1 ~
Why mudra
The reason why the Saḿskrta language is used for our bath mantra is because most of the spoken languages of the world come from Vedic Saḿskrta - including all the Euro, Indo, and central and Southeast Asian languages, as well as the dominant languages of the Americas etc. And this shloka is vedic or old Saḿskrta. And our Ananda Marga does not belong to any particular country; it is universal. So if the bath mantra is done in one’s own mother tongue then the cohesiveness of the practice will be lost. Whereas the way it is now, margiis from the North Pole to the South Pole will chant the same shloka / mantra and that engenders feelings of closeness. That is why we chant this bath mantra in Sanskrit.
The use of the mudra (i.e. various hand postures) when reciting this shloka / mantra has numerous benefits. When turned towards an illumined object or the sun, then one will be forced to actively remain in that position and it will not be boring because you are actively engaged in doing something. Plus by moving the arms more parts of the body come in contact with the sun’s rays. So this is a type of gentle and soft exercise that helps nourish various parts of the body by exposing them to the sun. Plus, just as dancing lalita marika during kiirtan is more meaningful than just sitting and chanting kiirtan, similarly by the bath mantra mudra, more of the body organs are engaged and that makes one’s mental ideation stronger.
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Here is the full bath mantra:
Pitr puruśebhyo namah rśi devebhyo namah.
Brahmárpanaḿ Brahmahavir Brahmágnao Brahmańáhutam.
Brahmaeva tena gantavyaḿ Brahmakarma samádhiná.
References
1. Subhasita Samgraha - 1, Yajiṋa and Karmaphala
2. Caryacarya - 3, Bathing Procedure and Pitr Yajiṋa
* * *
The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
* * *
== Section 2: Important Teaching ==
Air purification or pollution
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "If peoples blind attachment to sacrificial rituals and love for outmoded customs are intense, they will not disappear when confronted with logical arguments or shaken by the first jolt caused by psychic clash. But if one can create a suitable environment of constant psychic clash their blind attachments are bound to disappear. Some people believe that the fragrance of the sacrificial smoke purifies the air and kills germs. This is not true. On the contrary, the increase in the amount of carbon particles makes the air more impure. A highly pungent smell is much more effective in destroying germs. Thus, due to the impact of constant psychic clash, people eventually understand the defects of old systems and ideas." (1)
Some have taken to the practice of lighting incense when doing meditation or in other gatherings etc. They do so under the dogmatic belief that it will make the air cleaner and the room more sentient. But nothing could be further from the truth. In His above teaching Baba clearly guides us that the burning of incense increases the level of carbon dioxide and pollutes the air. So there is not an iota of truth to the notion that incense cleans the air. That is just a dogma of religious ritualism. Everyone should be aware about this.
Reference
1. Ananda Marga Ideology & Way of Life - 8, Struggle and Progress
== Section: Important Teaching ==
No true human can bait animals
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “If mango glue is kept in a container and bird seed is put on it and a bird fearlessly alights to take that food and then cannot fly away because its feet are stuck in the glue, and if a fowler takes this opportunity to put it into a cage, then that would certainly be called cheating. So since ancient times people have condemned both catching fish with a fishhook and the fowler’s way of catching birds. No honest man should do it. It is not cheating when fish are caught with a net. For this reason the fisherman’s profession was not considered as despicable as the fowler’s, because they do not kill innocent creatures by making them swallow bait. Under no circumstance can harming a person or a creature after winning their confidence by tempting them with food be considered the deed of an honest person.”
(1)
Note: As human beings become more devloped, the rules of ethics also become more refined. In World War Two, the military destroyed neighborhoods and cities of opposing countries. They did not make a distinction between civilian and military targets. Later on they made the rule that civilians should not be targeted. That became a war crime. In the past criminals and those detained were also tortured. But in civilised countries this has stopped. The ethical rules of today also will develop tomorrow and become more refined. Those moral human beings should not deceive animals. That is the central guideline of the above teaching.
Reference
1. Shabda Cayanika - 5, Kut́a to Kut́t́ima (Discourse 28)
== Section 3: Links ==
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