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Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Comparison: Islam & AMPS + 3 more

Baba


Comparison: Islam & AMPS

Namaskar,

You will find many striking similarities between the (a) ten centuries old Islamic pilgrimage / gathering for the tomb worship of their chosen Pir or Faqir and (b) the recently invented so-called mahaprayan programme in Tiljala.

For instance, take a look at the likenesses between the Islamic tomb worship and the Tiljala mahaprayan programme:

  • Both are exactly six days long
  • Both employ many of the same rituals & tactics like tomb worship - mahaprayan
  • Both use prasad
  • Both engage in money collection
  • Both do mass feeding
  • Both ask for boons etc. 

Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, "The period of mourning should not extend beyond twelve days." (1)

So there are numerous similarities between the age-old Islamic tomb worship and newly-devised Tiljala mahaprayan programme. Indeed, Tiljala essentially xeroxed their so-called mahaprayan from that dogmatic Islamic tomb worship gathering. The only real difference is language: Arabic versus Bangla and Sanskrit. Beyond that they are a near mirror image of one another.
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Verily there is no question about who copied from whom? Seeing that the Muslim ceremony has been going on for many centuries, it is quite evident. Please read below for more details. 

Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, "The period of mourning should not extend beyond twelve days." (2)

Trick to collect people

The fundamental equation is if anyone is doing anything anywhere and you go to their location and do what they are doing, it means you are supporting their cause. That is the basic formula that can be applied to countless situations.

Let’s look at this from another angle. Who can forget when Baba was in jail and our Ananda Margii brothers and sisters from all over converged on-site to protest the injustices. Margiis sang kiirtan. And participation in those kiirtan rallies demonstrated support for the greater cause. Those days Jai Prakash Narayan called the police on margiis and had them arrested on the basis that their participation in that kiirtana meant they were the supporters of the political protests against Baba’s incarceration.

Later on, after the rally, that same kiirtan would be sung for purely spiritual purposes during dharmacakra etc. Here the point is that doing kiirtan or raising the slogan at a rally means supporting that issue or cause. Similarly, attending Tiljala dogma means supporting the cause; annual death day.
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Photo of Islamic mahaprayan / tomb worship

See below how hoards of Islamic followers / worshipers have gathered at this maqbara - i.e. a memorial building with a tomb inside. By the design of the building it is clear it is an Islamic memorial building as marked by the round shaped dome. Often such maqbaras have a plaque in the floor where the actual tomb is and they may build some indoor structure on that spot. And that is all housed by the greater memorial building or maqbara.

Islamic worshipers reach there to perform their annual tomb worship - mahaprayan. The Muslim masses surround their lighted mosque day and night and wait on line to do their ritualistic offering etc. Because so many have arrived there is an overflow of people - not all can fit inside. So they remain outdoors, waiting for the opportunity to enter. 

All this they do in the name of Islamic tomb worship - Islamic mahaprayan. See below how the Islamic memorial building itself sits upon the tomb of their deceased Faqir so the entire structure / Islamic memorial is the focal point of their Islamic worship. That is why - even if Islamic followers cannot fit inside - those Muslim followers surround the entire Islamic memorial building: To do their religious rituals - Islamic mahaprayan.




See above how Islamic followers surround the entire Islamic memorial building: To do their religious rituals. The above Islamic memorial building itself sits upon the tomb of their deceased Faqir so the entire structure / Islamic memorial is the focal point of their Islamic worship.
 
Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, "The period of mourning should not extend beyond twelve days." (3)


Photo Tiljala mahaprayan tomb worship

Next, below, we see how the Tiljala  shraddhainjali / mahaprayan / annual death day / tomb worship function is essentially an exact replica of the above Islamic tomb worship--mahaprayan ceremony. Just as the Muslim attendees adorn and surround their memorial / tomb on an annual observation, the attendees of the Tiljala mahaprayan / shraddhainjali / mahaprayan / annual death day / tomb worship function do the same. Followers and supporters of the Tiljala mahaprayan programs gather round the mahasamadhi spot in the memorial building - just as those Muslims do.
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Under the guise of kiirtan they are drawing people into their death day ceremony.

The Tiljala mahaprayan tomb mahasamadhi is actually a type of idol worship where they pay homage to some physical object just as idol worshipers bow down and pray to their clay or wood idol. The same thing happens at the Tiljala mahaprayan / tomb worship ceremony.

See below how the scene in Tiljala unfolds:





At the end of the day, everyone can see for themselves how the inventors of the Tiljala mahaprayan worship at their mahasamadhi tomb in the Memorial building is a carbon copy of those Muslims who perform tomb worship - mahaprayan in their designated memorial building at the site of the tomb of their holy Faqir. etc They are using kiirtan to lure margiis to this death day ceremony.

Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, "The period of mourning should not extend beyond twelve days." (4)


Margiis' inner spiritual feeling wounded

This is very sad that by declaring Baba as dead and offering the yearly last rites to Baba, those Tiljala mahaprayan organisers do not care about the personal spiritual sentiment of other margii bhaktas. There are hundreds and thousands upon thousands of margiis who think and feel that Baba is with them and that He has not gone away. In their heart they feel He is gracing and helping all the time. They feel that by their dhyana, Guru puja, 2nd lesson, Guru Sakash - always they feel Guru near. So it hurts their sentiment when MPD organisers declare Baba’s departure by doing shraddhainjali and final rituals etc. That mahaprayan ceremony itself means great departure, i.e. gone forever. And that is very hurtful to any true bhakta.
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O’ believers of MPD, by your behaviour the spiritual feeling of many margiis is wounded. You are declaring their Ista as dead. Please pay heed and don’t hurt the personal inner sentiment of other margii bhaktas.

And everyone should beware of this fact: the Tiljala MPD organisers are using kiirtan to lure people to this annual death day observance. That is their chief strategy. 


Conclusion

So the root of mahaprayan is very old. It began centuries ago with the Islamic tomb worship programme and in the very recent history that dogmatic tomb worship has been embraced by Tiljala with their copycat invention of their mahaprayan programme.

In Him,
Rabi Ganguli

Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, "The period of mourning should not extend beyond twelve days." (5)

Attending means supporting cause


Here are some key points everyone should know about the mahaprayan / shraddhainjali dogma:

Attending Tiljala dogma means supporting the cause of the annual death day.

Some wrongly justify that, “What is wrong, I am just going to Tiljala for the kiirtana, not for the sake of the mahaprayan program.” Here it should be clear: Going to the annual mahaprayan gathering for the sake of doing kiirtan is a bogus justification. Merely attending that mahaprayan gathering signifies your wholehearted support of that event. The fundamental equation is if anyone is doing anything anywhere and you go to their location and do what they are doing, it means you are supporting their cause. That is the basic formula that can be applied to countless situations.
https://anandamarganewsbulletin.blogspot.com/

Let’s look at this from another angle. Who can forget when Baba was in jail and our Ananda Margii brothers and sisters from all over converged on-site to protest the injustices. Margiis sang kiirtan. And participation in those kiirtan rallies demonstrated support for the greater cause.  

Later on, after the rally, that same kiirtan would be sung for purely spiritual purposes during dharmacakra etc. Here the point is that doing kiirtan or raising the slogan at a rally means supporting that issue or cause.

Of late, both H and B groups have used kiirtana programs as a strategy to reclaim and recapture various AMPS buildings for their group cause. And those who participate in that kiirtana are their pawns for their groupist agenda. That is what happened in Goddha, Ananda Nagar, Bhopal, and numerous other places where H and B were battling for control of that jagriti etc. Kiitana programs are their main arsenal for capturing those properties from the opposite group. This happened so many times in the past and will happen in the future also as this is their cherished strategy.

Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, "The period of mourning should not extend beyond twelve days." (6)

References
1. Ananda Marga Caryácarya Part 1, Shráddha Ceremony
2. Ananda Marga Caryácarya Part 1, Shráddha Ceremony
3. Ananda Marga Caryácarya Part 1, Shráddha Ceremony
4. Ananda Marga Caryácarya Part 1, Shráddha Ceremony
5. Ananda Marga Caryácarya Part 1, Shráddha Ceremony
6. Ananda Marga Caryácarya Part 1, Shráddha Ceremony


*        *        *

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

*        *        *

== Section 2: Prabhat Samgiita ==

Your liila is fathomless

"Prabhu toma'r liila' apa'r, buddhite ke bujhite pa're..." (Prabhat Samgiita #0507)

Purport:

Prabhu, Your divine liila is beyond all human comprehension. Merely relying upon one's own intellect, who can understand Your vast cosmic play - no one. So many things are continually unfolding in the universe. This is all a display of Your grand liila. When I try to understand the reason why this is happening, I do not have any answer. Baba, You are present in form as well as in the unexpressed universe. You reside within everything and are also surrounding each and every manifestation. You are infinite - hiding in the form of flora and fauna, plants and animals. You are concealing Yourself within them and enveloping them also. 

Baba, You are present in the depths of the deep blue ocean as well as on the whitish, foggy tall mountain peaks. Wherever I look and even in the places that I cannot see, everything resides within Your mind, and You are surrounding that as well. 

Parama Purusa, You are in the poreless solid rocks and also in all the revolving seasons; You are all-pervading and remain in the animate as well as inanimate entities; You are everywhere. Baba, whatever I think and even what I do not think, everything resides within Your mind. You are so vast.

Baba, Your liila is fathomless; I long for Your causeless grace...


== Section: Important Teaching ==

Examples: inhuman religious tortures in recent past 


Ananda Marga philosophy states, “You are possibly aware of the fact that there was a time when people used to bother too much about castes. And in this regard, they displayed terrible intolerance. Caste-discrimination was about to strangle humanism. In many cases this happened. People belonging to the so-called lower strata of society were not really considered human beings. In certain spheres they were treated worse than animals. It was not thought that a food item must be discarded – it is not considered so even now – when a mouse, a mole, a fly or mosquito touched it. But what to speak of it being touched by certain so called lower-caste people or their entering the kitchen or their sitting in the kitchen veranda – in certain cases, they were even barred from entering the courtyard of the house. Although it was loudly claimed that everything is the manifestation of Brahma, Sarvaḿ khalvidaḿ Brahma, in reality all kinds of casteism were concealed within the boundaries of religion.” (1)

Ananda Marga philosophy states, “In those days the boomerang of this religious bigotry did not spare even the heads of society. On the contrary, it was Brahmans who did the greatest injury to other Brahmans. The descendents of Krttivas Thakur (his nephew’s line) had to carry a social stigma because Krttivas Thakur had committed the offence of translating the Rámáyańa into Bengali. A high-caste Brahman was downgraded due to leaving his village to settle in another. Thus surnames like Banerjees became Kusháriis, Batabyals, Máscaŕaks; similarly, Chatterjees were downgraded to Káiṋjiilals, Pákŕáshiis; Bhattacharyas became Chakravartis. For a petty offence a person was expelled from his or her caste or expelled from his or her religion. People were forced to renounce their religion or undergo various kinds of persecution under pressure of circumstances. Looking more closely, it would seem that in those days the only job of one class of people was to find fault with others, to ruin people in the name of religion.” (2)


In AMPS also

Note: In the past, innocent people were harassed, expelled, tortured, outcasted, terrorised, and killed by their own religion - for various reasons and under various pretenses. These days unfortunately a similar thing is going on in AMPS. The various factions harass, threaten, beaten, and expelled those who are not their yes-men, i.e. those who do not participate in their dirty dealings.

At the time of DMS, many in our AMPS may be facing this very situation. They may not be allowed to stay in certain places because they are not in a particular group, and they may not be allowed to attend a particular dharmacakra etc. And they may even be subject to threats, attack, expulsion, and worse.

In contrast, obedient supporters of those group leaders are rewarded with higher posts regardless of their low character and sexual misconduct. Such yes-men become purodhas and high post holders etc,  while qualified wts, margiis, and lfts are pushed aside, humiliated, threatened, and attacked etc. They face all sorts of problems and difficulties and are even barred from having their daughters married in Ananda Marga.

References
1. Shabda Cayaniká Part 4, Disc: 23
2. Shabda Cayaniká Part 4, Disc: 23

Sunday, September 12, 2021

Mahaprayan of Ac Nityeshananda Avt Mumbai

Baba 


Mahaprayan of Ac Nityeshananda Avt Mumbai

Namaskar,

It is with much sadness that we share the news of the mahaprayan of Ac Nityeshananda Avt which occurred today, Sunday, 12 September 2021, at 08:30am IST at Shelu Anandamarga Jagriti, 90 km from Mumbai. Leading up to his mahaprayan, Dada ji had been suffering from chronic asthma and other health issues and was bedridden for nearly the last 18 months at Shelu Jagriti. He was recently discharged from Badalapur hospital. At the time of his mahaprayan, it is believed that Dada Nityeshananda ji was around 75 - 80 years of age. 

Ac Nityeshananda was a longtime senior worker, deeply committed to the propagation of the teachings of Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurti ji. Throughout his Wt life, Dada ji was posted throughout India - in the south, Bihar, and the bulk of his time in Delhi. Indeed, it was in Delhi where he was instrumental in the publishing of "Prout Daily". Dada ji was of sweet and smiling behaviour and looked upon as a trusted and elder brother by many. Verily, he will be missed by all who knew him, as well as by our entire AM society. 

May we all take solace in the fact that Ac Nityeshananda Avt was a bhakta of Sadguru Baba. Certainly he will attain mukti or moksa, accordingly. Baba will lovingly bestow His infinite grace.

in Him,
Caetanya Deva 

Note: Here is an alert for those cremating a dead body in India or Indian managed cremation homes around the world. Their custom is to put the fire in the mouth of the deceased to initiate the burning of the body. This is prohibited in AM as it is uncivilised. So watch out; do not allow this. If you are not careful, they will end up cremating the body in this manner. Make them aware ahead of time. 

Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, "The practice of putting fire into the mouth of the dead body is repulsive, it should not be encouraged." (Caryacarya - 1, Disposal of the Dead Body)


~ In-depth study ~

We have seen that when somebody dies then in offering their condolences people say now Mr So-and-so is sitting on Baba's lap. On other occasions when telling a Baba story people also say, "Such and such person sat on Baba's lap." But these days the trend is that "sitting on Baba's lap" is used more in connection with death. And that causes some confusion in reader's mind. To unknot the situation please read below. 

Dogma: if "on Baba's lap" only used for death

Here are quoted lines from recently posted emails on various forums, wherein the writer uses the phrase - "in Baba's lap" - with the occasion of death:

- "May Parama Purusa Baba accept her in HIS divine lap"

- "We pray to Baba - please give him shelter in his lap... "

- "May his soul rest in the lap of our beloved BABA"

- "Now she is taking rest in Baba's Lap."

- "May Baba accept him in HIS divine lap....."

- "May he rest in HIS loving lap of eternity."

- "We are sure that Baba has taken him in His loving lap."

- "May his soul rest in Baba's lap forever."

- "Let her rest peacefully in Baba's Lap - which she always desired."

- "now he is in beloved Baba's lap"

- "May his soul get peaceful place in His lap"

- "He is now in Bábá's loving lap"

- "May Baba bless him with a seat in His lap."

- "May BABA accept him in HIS divine lap!"

- "May Baba take him in his eternal loving lap."

- "May his soul rest in peace taking shelter in Baba's lap."

- "Please keep him on Your lap forever."

- "We all collectively pray to Baba to take him on Baba's divine lap forever.”

All of the above lines are commonly written in eulogizing the deceased. These days mostly it is used in a eulogy and rarely used to recount one's intimate spiritual experiences - unfortunately. By this way, the phrase "in Baba's lap" is being misused and step by step the real meaning is being forgotten as now people more commonly use the phrase to eulogize those who have died, and much less so to express their inner feelings of bhakti. Unfortunately, the meaning and inner spirit of the phrase is getting lost.


Baba story: "sitting on Baba's lap"

Some time ago after dharmacakra, a senior margii was recounting his experiences of having dharma samiiksa with Baba. He said, "After being lovingly scolded by Baba for my wrongdoings, then He called me close and placed me on His lap - I remained there for some time soaking up His love - and He blessed me."

We all enjoyed hearing about his personal account with Baba during dharma samiiksa. When he finished telling his factual and historical event, there was a call for questions. Various people posed their queries. Towards the end, one new margii raised his hand and asked, "How did Baba bring you back to life?"

Everyone stared at the new margii in amazement. There was a look of astonishment all around - people were really shocked to hear him say this. The new sadhaka sensed that something was wrong He said very matter-of-factly, "I thought that sitting on Baba's Lap means that he (the margii) died - that is why I asked that question."

This was quite eye-opening for those of us in the room: Through our language and expression we had unknowingly taught someone to think that being on Baba's lap is the equivalent of death. Because it seems that nowadays people only use the phrase "Baba's lap" when a person has died, such as "Let him rest peacefully in Baba's lap", as if in order to sit on Baba’s lap one has to die. But that is false. Sincere sadhakas regularly sit on Baba’s lap in their meditation. It is His grace. It is just like a child need not die in order to sit on his father’s lap.

The idea is that this phrase - Baba's lap - has been linked with death due to extreme overuse. So for some time if sadhakas use this phrase exclusively for spiritual purposes, that will be best. The phrase, "sitting on Baba's lap", should not meet a similar fate. It should not lose its pure spiritual quality and just refer to one's death. That will be very negative.

Baba would bless bhaktas and place them on His lap


There are tens of thousands of recorded stories by sadhakas where they use the phrase, "on Baba's lap", when describing their experiences of being with Baba: He used to bless them and bring them on His lap. People should understand the deeply mystical value of this expression, and not just think that Baba's lap means death, i.e. that you can only sit on His lap at the time of death. Still today there are thousands of margiis walking this earth who sat in Baba's lap. And not only that, there are countless more sadhakas who were blessed by Baba in dreams and sadhana wherein they sat in His lap. And still today this deeply intimate experience is attainable by sadhakas, by His grace.

There are so many ways an aspirant can reach unto Baba's lap including in sadhana. That is the main idea that should be preserved. Sadhana is a spiritual practice and one can sit on Baba's lap in sadhana. We should make it cent-per-cent clear to one and all that the phrase, "sitting on Baba's lap", does not mean death.

"Mahaprayan" means death of mortals - confirm for yourself
from the Samsad Bengali-English Dictionary


Mahaprayan (Death): Many are aware that mahaprayan (death) is the common term used in India and especially in our Bengal to describe the death of any human being, even ordinary people. In that way, the obituary columns of the newspapers of Bengal regularly cite the mahaprayan (death) of various persons of society who died or passed away.

Some may get confused and wrongly think that the word 'mahaprayan' (death) is one extraordinarily term of bhakti to be used in association with Parama Purusa. But that is not at all the case. Rather to do so is only to undermine the eternal presence of Parama Purusa. That is why no bhaktas ever use the word 'mahaprayan' in reference to Lord Shiva or Lord Krsna. Because Lord Shiva and Lord Krsna exist eternally. Then there is no question of Their mahaprayan (death).

Baba is Parama Purusa so He is eternal and there is no question of His mahaprayan.

Here it should be known that the convention of an annual death day ceremony (i.e. shraddhainjali or mahaprayan) is a foundation of the Islamic tradition. Muslims are well known for this, and their approach of an annual death day ceremony was adopted by the leader of a particular group in AMPS. So no one should think that mahaprayan is some type of sacred event. It is done on the death day anniversary of Muslims.

And for those who need still more technical proof then all this can be clarified quite readily by referencing the dictionary. Specifically in the Samsad Bengali-English dictionary 3rd edition on page 848. Checking there it will be confirmed that the word 'mahaprayan' means death. Which is why it is used to refer to the passing away of even common citizens. And that is the case in this letter also. The term mahaprayan means death and this is the ideal term for this purpose.

Mahaprayan is only for humans not for Sadguru


Here it should be qualified that there is both real mahaprayan and fake mahaprayan. Real mahaprayan marks the death of any ordinary human being, just like the aforesaid news. This is the proper use of the term: To note a person's departure from this earth. That is the meaning of the mahaprayan term and that is the standard way the term is used in Indian languages.

Then there is the fake, or so-called, or dogmatic mahaprayan. That is when certain vested interests try to apply the mahaprayan term to Parama Purusa. This is grossly inappropriate because when Parama Purusa Sadguru Baba is that Divine Entity who is beginningless and endless and resides always in our heart, then it is entirely wrong to proclaim that He is gone.

That is why rational margiis are protesting; because the Oct 21st program is so-called mahaprayan. So-called means that something is fake. Parama Purusa is eternal, thus for some vested interests to declare "mahaprayan of Parama Purusa" is nothing but so-called mahaprayan.

Mahaprayan only really happens in the case of human beings, not Parama Purusa. Those doing mahaprayan for Sadguru are hypocrites. On the one side in meditation they ask His grace thinking that He is ever-present, and on the other side they think that Baba has passed away. That is their hypocrisy.


== Section 2: Links ==

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