Baba
Strictness in Ista defined
(a) Suppose one is flying on a brand new personal jet and the engine fails then money will not help them, only Parama Purusa can save them.
(b) Suppose someone is in the market shopping and a person starts shooting people randomly in that market, then money will not help them, only Parama Purusa can save them.
(c) Suppose a meteor falls from the sky and is going to crush a city or town, then money will not help those inhabitants, only Parama Purusa can save them.
(d) Suppose John is traveling on the highway and a drunk-driver entered the highway going the wrong direction and there is going to be a high-speed, head-on collision, then money will not help John, only Parama Purusa can save him.
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Here the chief point is that strictness in Ista means depending solely on Parama Purusa. And verily He is the only Saviour in this cosmos. For mundane needs, money has a role, but in the grand schema money is not enough. The karuna of Parama Purusa is needed. Only He can save and protect you in all circumstances.
So taking shelter in mundane things like money or prestige is useless. Because neither money nor prestige can save you in your hour of need - or anytime. So one should not rely on those mundane things. Only Parama Purusa can rescue and save you in that most important time. So best is to take shelter in Him always. That is the mark of a true sadhaka, and only their life will be successful.
It is Parama Purusa - not mundane things like money - that saves human beings in all kinds of circumstances. For mundane needs, money has a role, but, in the grand schema, money is not enough. The grace of Parama Purusa is needed. Only He can save and protect you in all circumstances.
Dogma of sheltering in power or post
Some people are intoxicated with their stature in society. They think, "I am a movie star", "I am president of the bank", "I am a sports hero", "I am a doctor", "I am a political leader" etc, and using this measuring rod they calculate that they are impregnable. If the police attempt to give them a citation for any type of wrongdoing, they think they will get out of it because of their power and post. And if any other kind of trouble comes, then again they feel their name and fame will save them. Many such persons think in this manner and foolishly take shelter in their social status.
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Then there are others who take shelter in their mundane relations like their mother, brother, or friend. They think that no matter what happens in life, their close people will save them in times of sickness, despair, poverty, or in any challenging situation. They think that people will always rescue them.
Then there are others who take shelter in all kinds of mundane objects. Essentially, to whatever degree that tendency is prevalent and active in the mind is the degree to which that person is shelterless. Verily, there are so many examples of how some take shelter in something other than Parama Purusa. This shows a distinct lack of faith and trust in Ista. They think, “Who will take care of me – I must have something to fall back on.” And, in that manner, they overlook Parama Purusa, and instead rely on something worldly. But that transitory object will never save them.
We see this even with a few Ananda Margiis – and certainly with common citizens. In materialistic countries, most follow this pattern of living. Yet, as mentioned, it affects some margiis and workers also. They make all kinds of plans and programs to save them from the ravages of time, but those worldly dreams and gains cannot provide safety nor shelter in all situations.
Alas, only Parama Purusa can save you and stand as your eternal shelter. That should be the plan, surrendering unto Him. The more faith one has in Ista, the more they think that Parama Purusa is there and He will watch over to make sure everything is well. That is the mark of a top-grade sadhaka. Side by side, those sadhakas attend to their worldly duties and responsibilities with equanimity and restraint, ever-thinking that Parama Purusa Baba is the ultimate doer and the supreme shelter.
So whenever anyone takes shelter or seeks safety in any finite property, that is the degree to which they falter on the point of Ista. And the more one surrenders to that Parama Purusa, the more they are successful in adhering to the point of Ista.
Danger of sheltering in dogma
Here below Ananda Marga philosophy clearly mandates that fate is not what human beings should shelter in - rather one must live under the shelter of Parama Purusa.
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Ananda Marga philosophy states, "Niyati or fate also cannot be the Supreme Reflecting One (carama pratisaḿvedii). I would like to add further that those who are fatalists are also misguided. It is wrong to leave everything to fate without taking any initiative at the time of grave danger. Once a person has created his or her fate through his or her own actions, it is certainly not proper to completely surrender to that self-created fate." (1)
One must never think that fate, crystals, astrology, palmistry or any other such expression takes precedence over the Divine Entity. Rather, Parama Purusa is the Controller of all.
And this following teaching about microvita leads in the same direction. Parama Purusa lords over microvita so it is therefore wrong to think that microvita is some independent force outside the realm of Parama Purusa's control. It is a defective notion to think that, “microvita will will save me.”
Strictness in Ista = degree of faith in Divine Entity
In sadhana, there are two essential components: The sadhaka and Parama Purusa, i.e. the One being worshiped. Parama Purusa is always singular - never two or more. And, in spiritual parlance, that Parama Purusa or God is known as Ista. In turn, one may call that Ista by any chosen epithet. But that Ista is the Divine Entity.
And strictness in Ista means having firm faith and belief that the Divine Entity will solve all your problems and grant you eternal shelter. To the degree one harbors doubt in the Supreme Entity is the degree to which they are weak or lacking in Ista. The degree of trust one has in the Divine Entity is the measure of faith one has in Ista.
Just as a child thinks that its mother will certainly solve all their problems, similarly a sadhaka holds firm that Parama Purusa will surely save them in all circumstances. That is strictness in Ista. Trust in God means having firm faith in Ista. And that Ista must be singular in nature - not many.
Conclusion
Point #10 of Sixteen Points - non-compromising strictness and faith regarding the sanctity of Ista - is one of the key aspects of spiritual life. Every sadhaka should be keenly aware of their own standing on this tenet. With the following four factors, everyone can evaluate their own strictness and faith in Ista.
(a) Worshiping or relying upon multiple deities as per prevailing religious dogma goes directly against the point of Ista. No sadhaka should do like this. Rather every aspirant should pointedly surrender to that singular Divine Entity.
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(b) Those who are not strict in Ista suffer from cowardliness. They are unable to stand up strong in the face of dogma and injustice. Rather, they shirk their responsibility and enable the exploiters to continue in their unholy ways. Whereas, those strict in Ista are the embodiment of courage and tenacity, ever-ready to bravely uphold the flag of dharma in all circumstances.
(c) Those who rely on and take shelter in material, transient things like money, post, or power are severely lacking on the point of Ista. They have completely forgotten the goal of life and are moving in the wrong direction. Only those who take shelter exclusively in that infinite Parama Purusa can advance on the path, by His grace.
(d) Those who give credence to the false notion that something can function independently from Parama Purusa are not strict in Ista. Rather, they rely more on palmistry, microvita, crystals, charms, or something else besides Parama Purusa. Only those sadhakas are blessed and pointed in Ista if they think that Parama Purusa is Supreme and the all-powerful Entity, controlling each and every aspect of life.
Strictness in Ista is vital. One should surrender unto Him, and not get caught in some other direction. By being sincere and honest in this regard, a sadhaka will surely reach their cherished Goal.
Namaskar,
In Him,
Mainjusa’
~ In-depth study ~
One of the central tenets of Ananda Marga ideology is embedded within point #10 of Sixteen Points.
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "Observe non-compromising strictness and faith regarding the sanctity of Ista."
But how can one clearly know if they are properly adhering to this tenet of Ista? In contrast, if you attend the local dharmacakra each week then you can definitively state that you properly follow point #16 of Sixteen Points. Likewise if you do half-bath regularly according to the prescribed system then you can confidently say that you adhere to point #5 of Sixteen Points. Certainly, many or most of the Sixteen Points are empirically verifiable. So how do we measure or evaluate one's strictness in Ista.
In this letter we identify key factors that clearly delineate one's standing on the point of Ista, as well as how people take shelter in mundane things - like power, post, family members, fate, etc. They think those worldly elements will save them in their hour of need - but that is wrong.
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Point of Ista of 16 Points is the backbone of sadhana
If a person seeks shelter in money or thinks that their accumulated mundane wealth will save them in their hour of need or in late age etc, then we can readily conclude that such a sadhaka is weak on the point of Ista. They do not have firm faith that Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji is the Supreme Controller of this entire cosmos, and that He will take care of them.
Nothing can function independently of Parama Purusa
Some believe that there are certain things in this universe that function outside the boundaries of Parama Purusa’s kingdom, i.e. which He does not control. Some think that there are entities that work wholly independently of Parama Purusa. To the degree one thinks in this way is the degree to which they are deficient on the point of Ista.
Here are a few examples.
Certain dogmatic-minded people, and even some so-called sadhakas, think that palmistry is a special force that is separate from the rest of this universe. They think that palmistry will be able to give them all the correct answers when they need help in life. They become completely and fully dependent on palmistry. Those who fall prey to this mentality have less faith in Ista and more faith in palmistry. Here again, the degree to which they really feel that palmistry is powerful is the degree to which they suffer from a lack of strictness in Ista.
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Another case is that of microvita. Some so-called sadhakas think that microvita acts independently of Parama Purusa. Along this approach, they aim to get more and more positive microvita as if that is the way to overcome difficulties and survive hardships. They fail to realise that everything follows the command of Parama Purusa and functions by His grace - even microvita. The fact is that there is no other independent energy source that can save you from trouble - not microvita or anything else. Microvita can never get the upper hand on Parama Purusa. Yet some feel that microvita is a guiding and determining factor in this universe. This also reflects a lack of faith in Ista.
And there are more examples such as those who put faith in certain stones or crystals etc. Whenever anyone feels that something is functioning outside the purview of the Supreme Entity, then that person is exhibiting a blatant lack of faith in Ista.
Other ways people fall
If in times of trouble any sadhaka relies on dogma like religious deities etc, then such a person cannot be thought of as being strict in Ista. Then they do not have strong faith in the Divine Entity Sadguru Baba. And if a person lacks the requisite courage - i.e. inner psychic force to stand up to injustices and wave the dharmic flag of Ananda Marga ideology - then that sadhaka also is deficient on the point of Ista. They do not have keen strictness in Parama Purusa Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji.
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Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "Every devotee possesses enough courage. Those who pursue the path of bhakti automatically acquire such courage – they are not timid...Devotees are capable of doing anything and everything." (2)
References
1. Ananda Marga Ideology & Way of Life - 11, The Omni-Reflective Cognitive Consciousness
2. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 7, The True Nature of Bhakti
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The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
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The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
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== Section: Important Teaching ==
Confines of patriotism
Prout philosophy states, “It has become fashionable today to cry out for nationalism. In fact, nationalism is also a psychic ailment. The supreme broadness lies with the Supreme Self. The broadness of an individual depends on his or her angle of vision – as the angle of vision becomes smaller and smaller, he or she gets more and more mean-minded. Those who think that casteism is worse than nationalism are incorrect. The total population of Brahmins in India is approximately 20 million people and the Malayan population is near 4.5 million. The angle of vision of a Brahmin is bigger than a Malayan nationalist. Persia has a population of 15 million people and Australia has a total population of 7.5 million. The continentalism of Australia is worse than the nationalism of Persia. An Indian nationalist is more mean-minded than a Chinese nationalist. Thus it is universalism and universalism alone that deserves support. In fact universalism is no ism, for it is all-pervading and does not favour any group or party interest. The mental projection of a universalist does not know any narrowness. Universalism is the only panacea for all mundane and supramundane ailments. Therefore, a Proutist is necessarily a universalist.” (1)
Note: Everyone knows that nationalism and patriotism are the same thing.
Reference
1. Prout in a Nutshell - 15, Talks on Prout
== Section: Important Teaching ==
What make people embrace mud as gold
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "Under the influence of avidyá, people become so infatuated that they forget the difference between pure and impure; and so greedy that they eat rotten meat, choose to forget that alcohol is bad for health, and even try to prove the unholy as being holy by force of logic. Some people claim that eating meat and drinking alcohol are a part of dharma sádhaná; and some state they eat meat to maintain their health and strength."
"Lost in blind pursuit for finite objects, people fail to realize that the pleasure they derive will actually bring more sorrow in the future. An alcoholic does not understand that heavy drinking severely damages the liver: an opium addict does not understand that the temporary pleasure derived from the drug gradually benumbs the nervous system. This mistaking pain to be pleasure is caused by the influence of avidyá. Those who succumb to this influence can be likened to a dog chewing on a dry bone in a burial ground. The dog thinks that the blood oozing out of its jaws comes from the dry bones and greedily bites even harder, further damaging its jaws. The poor animal wrongly thinks sorrow is happiness." (1)
Note: You might have come across how even some proper humans get degenerated and indulge in all kinds of vices. The root cause is their free will and avidya maya. The way avidya maya binds humans it does not do to animals. Humans have freedom / free will and they are therefore more prone to be bound by avidya maya. So avidya maya allures them and pushes them into the deep, dark chasm. And they degenerate. That is the sorry state of affairs. That is why sometimes you see that even those who were once great monks end up leading a degenerated life. If the noose of avidya maya is very strong then they do not realise their downfall either. They cannot understand that they are so degenerated, just like most of our purodha ji maharajas.
Reference
1. Ananda Marga Ideology & Way of Life - 8, The Macrocosmic Stance and Human Life
== Section ==
Must initiate the child to make great
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "It is meaningless to impart diikśá under five years of age, since at this stage the nerve cells of a human child are undeveloped. Consequently, at age of five, there is no disposition or propensity for intricate types of spiritual practices. But, in absences of initiation of five years of age, there is apprehension of the child going astray. Verily, all the human vices are acquired during the age of five to fifteen years. The child has a great inclination to imitate. It hears abusive words and learns them. The robbers sons turn to be robbers only on account of environmental influence. For this reason, if the child be initiated on attaining five years of age, it can develop into a perfect human being – it will be a perfect man." (1)
Reference
1. Táttvika Diipiká (Paiṋcama Parva)
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