Baba
This email contains two sections:
1. Posting: Unethical thing in Prajiná Bháratii
2. Links
Namaskár,
In the cosmic flow of pratisaincara, all of us are marching towards the Cosmic Hub, the Parama Puruśa. Our past samskáras, with which we are born, determine our distance from Parama Puruśa. After that, each human being, without any bar can perform dharma sádhná and burn one’s samskára by His grace. Getting diikśa (initiation) into Ánanda Márga (the path of bliss) is also a step in this glorious journey towards Him. However, as one enters the Márga one may still have a stifling burden of past samskáras and still carry some dogmas of past beliefs. Moving forward without renouncing these dogmas is impossible. Prárthná or prayer is one such dogma that many people carry forward from other religions or faiths into Ánanda Márga (AM). Bábá has emphatically spoken about the inferior nature of prayer based worship in numerous places.
Ananda Sutram teaches us:
Prárthanárcaná mátraeva bhramamúlam.
[Prayer and ritualistic worship [[are but]] a source of confusion.]
“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 Ananda Marga there is no credence or value given to prayer. In spite of this clear guideline from the Guru, there is a poem published in Prajiná Bháratii (PB) magazine #249 entitled “Prárthná.” See the scan below:
Prayer means blaming God
Regarding prárthná or prayer Baba has given the following.
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. One who performs actions will also bear the consequences, and blaming God for it as His partiality is not going to save one from bearing the consequences.” (2)
Thus the notion of “prayer” is very negative and anti-spiritual.
Prajiná Bháratii being a magazine to do pracár of Ananda Marga should be particularly careful in editing the contents and contributions. Due care should be exercised in sanitizing the published items in Prajiná Bháratii in order to align them with the main objective of doing pracár. Sloppiness of this type in allowing title of a poem to be “Prárthná” can lead to the negative pracár of the Ananda Marga.
Summary
Thus we see that the very notion of prayer or prárthaná is very negative and anti-spiritual as per AM ideology. Prajiná Bháratii enjoys a special status of being a vehicle for AM pracár and thus should be extra careful in editing its contents. The poem published in Prajiná Bháratii #249 with a title prárthaná is highly objectionable and must not have been published. In addition, Prajiná Bháratii editors should learn lessons from this incident to exercise due care in future.
in Him,
Bhakti
Reference
1. Ananda Sutram, 3-11
2. Ananda Marga Elementary Philosophy, How Should Human Beings Live In This World?
This email contains two sections:
1. Posting: Unethical thing in Prajiná Bháratii
2. Links
Unethical thing in Prajiná
Bháratii
Namaskár,
In the cosmic flow of pratisaincara, all of us are marching towards the Cosmic Hub, the Parama Puruśa. Our past samskáras, with which we are born, determine our distance from Parama Puruśa. After that, each human being, without any bar can perform dharma sádhná and burn one’s samskára by His grace. Getting diikśa (initiation) into Ánanda Márga (the path of bliss) is also a step in this glorious journey towards Him. However, as one enters the Márga one may still have a stifling burden of past samskáras and still carry some dogmas of past beliefs. Moving forward without renouncing these dogmas is impossible. Prárthná or prayer is one such dogma that many people carry forward from other religions or faiths into Ánanda Márga (AM). Bábá has emphatically spoken about the inferior nature of prayer based worship in numerous places.
Ananda Sutram teaches us:
Prárthanárcaná mátraeva bhramamúlam.
[Prayer and ritualistic worship [[are but]] a source of confusion.]
“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 Ananda Marga there is no credence or value given to prayer. In spite of this clear guideline from the Guru, there is a poem published in Prajiná Bháratii (PB) magazine #249 entitled “Prárthná.” See the scan below:
Prayer means blaming God
Regarding prárthná or prayer Baba has given the following.
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. One who performs actions will also bear the consequences, and blaming God for it as His partiality is not going to save one from bearing the consequences.” (2)
Thus the notion of “prayer” is very negative and anti-spiritual.
Prajiná Bháratii being a magazine to do pracár of Ananda Marga should be particularly careful in editing the contents and contributions. Due care should be exercised in sanitizing the published items in Prajiná Bháratii in order to align them with the main objective of doing pracár. Sloppiness of this type in allowing title of a poem to be “Prárthná” can lead to the negative pracár of the Ananda Marga.
Summary
Thus we see that the very notion of prayer or prárthaná is very negative and anti-spiritual as per AM ideology. Prajiná Bháratii enjoys a special status of being a vehicle for AM pracár and thus should be extra careful in editing its contents. The poem published in Prajiná Bháratii #249 with a title prárthaná is highly objectionable and must not have been published. In addition, Prajiná Bháratii editors should learn lessons from this incident to exercise due care in future.
in Him,
Bhakti
Reference
1. Ananda Sutram, 3-11
2. Ananda Marga Elementary Philosophy, How Should Human Beings Live In This World?
== Section 2:
Links ==
