Baba
Mahaprayan: copied from Islamic tradition
Namaskar,
It is a natural human tendency to copy or emulate others. What people see others do, they also do. It is just a form of ape psychology. Apes imitate everything. Humans also have this tendency. In day to day life, people copy from others for their own use.
This is also the case with the dogma of mahaprayan / tomb worship. It is quite clear that the inventors of so-called mahaprayan copied their ways of observing "mahaprayan" from Islamic holy tomb (mahasamadhi) worship. Read below and you will find many striking similarities between (a) the 800-year-old Islamic pilgrimage / gathering at Ajmer Sharif for the tomb (mahasamadhi) worship of their great Sufi saint and (b) the recently invented so-called mahaprayan / tomb worship programme in Tiljala.
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For instance, both programmes are exactly six days long and both employ many of the same rituals and tactics like tomb (mahasamadhi) worship, prasad, money collection, mass feeding, asking for boons etc. The only real difference is language: Arabic versus Bangla / Samskrta. I wonder who copied from whom? Seeing how the Muslim ceremony has been going on since the 13th century, it is quite clear. Read below and it all becomes self-evident.
Tiljala tomb worship replica of Islamic tomb worship
Look here at the scene in Tiljala whereby after 1990 the mahaprayan / shraddhainjali / annual death day / tomb worship started. It is just a replica of Islamic dogma. See how the followers of so-called mahaprayan are encircling the tomb in the Memorial. The five-pointed tomb is raised off the ground and above is the actual i.e. mahasamadhi.
So each year for the mahaprayan / tomb worship function, the Tiljala organisers use this mahasamadhi / tomb as the focal point of the program. It is veritably tomb worship or idol worship. Rather, this is the tomb itself and the mahaprayan organisers treat this as a holy place where one can seek boons etc. That is the type of dogma that has been instilled. The proof is that our Dadas call all to Tiljala; our elder brothers feel Tiljala is the only place to perform mahaprayan / tomb worship. It is a point of dogmatic pilgrimage (tiirtha) and at the center of it all is one tomb.
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So the mahaprayan tomb worship function is a shraddha / annual death day dogma - just like as done in Islam (see photo further down in this email). Those mahaprayan organisers feel the deceased is gone and all that is left is to ask for boons etc. Sadly, those organisers lost the idea that Baba is the Eternal Parama Purusa - mahaprayan (tomb worship) is the exact opposite. By sight anyone can understand that the below scene is a carbon copy of Islamic death day worship.
~ Below is the Tiljala MPD ceremony ~
~ Above is the Tiljala MPD ceremony ~
Once again, by the above photo it is clear that the Tiljala organisers use this mahasamadhi / tomb as the focal point of the program. It is veritably tomb worship or idol worship. This is the tomb itself and the mahaprayan organisers treat this as a holy place where one can seek boons etc. That is the type of dogma that has been instilled. The proof is that our Dadas call all to Tiljala; our brothers feel Tiljala is the only place to perform mahaprayan tomb worship. It is a point of dogmatic pilgrimage (tiirtha) and at the center of it all is one tomb. By sight anyone can understand that the above scene is a carbon copy of Islamic annual death day ritual.
Comparing tomb worship in Ajmer (India) & tomb worship in Kolkata
Now compare both: The tomb (mahasamadhi) worship in Ajmer and in Kolkata.
(1) They both have tomb (mahasamadhi) worships;
(2) They both are 6-day programmes of chanting and kiirtan;
(3) They both offer free shraddha food;
(4) They both are annual gatherings;
(5) They both entail requesting boons; etc.
In the below photo, the dome houses the main tomb - that is the focal point. And every year, the Islamic MPD (urs) is organised for an annual death ceremony (mahaprayan / tomb worship) in Ajmer (India). Muslim followers gather for the 6-day commemoration. Huge crowds arrive for this tomb worship ceremony and there are lots of decorations to greet all those worshipers etc.
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So look at the below Islamic tomb worship / MPD photo and compare it with the above photo of tomb worship / MPD in Tiljala. You will find them to be quite similar and at the forefront is that they are both an annual tomb worship ceremony.
~ Below is an Islamic annual death / MPD ceremony ~
~ Above is an Islamic annual death / MPD ceremony ~
In the above photo, the dome houses the main tomb - that is the focal point. And every year, the Islamic MPD (urs) is organised for an annual death ceremony (mahaprayan) in Ajmer. Muslim followers gather for the 6-day commemoration. Huge crowds arrive for this tomb worship ceremony and there are lots of decorations to greet all those worshipers etc. All in all, the above Islamic MPD photo is the inspiration for the MPD / tomb worship programme in Tiljala. The two are quite similar and at the forefront is that they are both an annual tomb worship ceremony.
Tiljala & Islamic tomb worship: mournful death ceremonies
Plus in both observances, the worshipers think a great saint died. The dire irony is that one of these programmes is related with a human being; and, humans do die. Whereas, the other - i.e. so-called mahaprayan / tomb worship- is related with Sadguru; and, Sadguru never dies. So although Sadguru does not die, those attending so-called mahaprayan / tomb worship think He has died. Thus, this point is similar in both programmes, since those at so-called mahaprayan feel He is gone forever - tomb worship.
The Muslim saint died and those followers think he died - so that is fine. With regards to Baba, the Sadguru incarnate, He did not die but so-called mahaprayan participants think He died. So from the participants' perspective it is 100% the same. Both are annual death / tomb worship ceremonies. Both are ceremonies where people mourn and cry. Thus, the Islamic programme in Ajmer (India) and the so-called mahaprayan programme in Tiljala are strikingly similar. The Tiljala mahaprayan tomb worship is an exact copy of the Islamic tomb worship in Ajmer.
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Ask Sarvatmananda why he imported Islamic dogma
Why did Dada Sarvatmananda copy and import it into AMPS? The answer is very simple. Several thousand Muslim priests enjoy their material life by the generous offerings of bhaktas who come each year for their annual death ceremony programme. It is a lucrative programme for those priests. And Dada Saravatmananda wanted the same type of situation. Financial and material gain then is one distinct reason behind the current so-called mahaprayan program.
Secondly, hosting a "mahaprayan" / tomb worship programme in Tiljala is supportive of their narrow agenda of geo-sentiment. Those organisers of so-called mahaprayan want to make Tiljala the epicenter of Ananda Marga. For this, our Dadas know they must have something in Bengal to attract naive margiis - i.e. those who do not read Baba's books critically.
For those "mahaprayan" / tomb worship organisers, their goal is to portray Tiljala as a veritable tiirtha (pilgrimage) to attract money and people. By this way, our Dadas will gain fame and prestige as well.
Namaskar,
in Him,
Riten Chattopadhyay
Mahaprayan is just one copy of Islamic dogma
By Baba's grace we should strictly follow His below teaching and not turn any limited physical spot into a place of worship. Mahaprayan tomb worship is just one copy of Islamic dogma - we must not fall in this trap. By His grace we are to realise Him within.
"Vya'pitvm ca...dine"
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "The Supreme Being is omnipresent, all-pervading and witness to everything, everywhere. It is not proper to confine Him to a particular place and say that He has eaten butter at this place or taken a dip in the Ganges at that particular place, thus limiting Him to a particular region or a particular country or the glorification of a particular sacred place, and thereby limit His all-pervasiveness" (1)
Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, "The one formless, beginningless and infinite Parama Brahma (Supreme Consciousness) is the only entity to be attained by living beings – That alone is Jagat Guru (the Supreme preceptor), That alone has revealed Brahmavidyá (intuitional science) to us through the medium of the name and form of Anandamúrtijii. Unit beings must be made to appreciate Its majesty. " (2)
One should not drown in tomb worship dogma -
follow pre-1990 Caryacarya
It is unfortunate that despite Almighty Baba's warnings about such dogmatic ways of worshiping Him, now a few of His own so-called disciples are doing the very things He warned against. All His teachings of sadhana have been pushed aside and in place of that tomb (mahasamadhi) worship has started. Reverence to Baba means following His guidelines - not following the guidelines of the dogmatic religions in the name of Baba.
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Baba Shrii Shrii Anandamurti ji has given thousands of discourses, but nowhere will you find instructions for observing so-called mahaprayan / tomb worship as it is going on now. Only in Islamic scriptures can you find such guidelines. As bhaktas of Baba, we should follow all the sadhana lessons and meditate on Him, and study His spiritual teachings given in Subhasita Samgraha etc. We must not follow the dogma of Islam.
~ In-depth study ~
The so-called mahaprayan / tomb worship programme was copied from Islam. Here is the proof; please read carefully. This type of annual death ceremony of mahaprayan / tomb worship is only done in India by Muslims. Lord Krsna and Lord Shiva never die. Furthermore, nobody reaches to some spot to celebrate Lord Buddha's passing.
Hence so-called mahaprayan tomb worship can only be a copy of Islamic dogma. It is quite obvious that Dada Sarvatmananda wanted such a tiirtha related with the death so he copied Islam.
It is very disgraceful that when Sadguru does not die, even then the inventors and participants of "mahaprayan" / tomb worship treat Him as an ordinary mortal who dies. I request participants to please consider and think about what you are doing. If you are not following Baba, He will not harm you, but nature will not spare you.
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Similarity between Islamic mahaprayan & AMPS mahaprayan
Here following is a detailed, point by point listing of the Islamic tomb (mahasamadhi) worship ceremony that is done by Muslims. See for yourself if this resembles the so-called mahaprayan programme in Tiljala
~ Below is courtesy of dargahajmersharif ~
[1] "The six-day Urs (death ceremony or mahaprayan in Sanskrit) commemorates the death anniversary of the Moin-ud-din Chisti. It is held in the Islamic month of Rajab, the time when the Khwaja (deceased saint) died. Muslims from all over India and even abroad throng Ajmer during the festival."
[2] "Every year Urs (mahaprayan) is held here for six days in his remembrance."
[3] "The Dargah (tomb) Sharif Ajmer, located at the foot of a barren hill, is the place where the Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti mortal remains lie buried. The Dargah (tomb) with a marble dome is situated in the center of a courtyard and is surrounded by a silver platform. This dogma is propagated by mullah that the shrine is a place of wish fulfillment for those who pray with devout and pure hearts."
[4] "The most important of all Muslim pilgrimage centers in India, the dargah (tomb) of Khwaja Moin-ud-din Chisti at Ajmer Sharif."
[5] "The shrine or tomb (mahasamadhi) comes alive with activity when thousands of followers throng the shrine during Urs (mahaprayan) fair. Urs (mahaprayan) is held on the seventh lunar month according to Islamic calendar and is variable according to the solar calendar. Sufis and believers converge from all over India and abroad, as it is a dogma propagated by mullah that those visiting during Urs (mahaprayan) receives special blessings of the saint."
[6] "The best time to visit is during the Dargah (tomb) Sharif of Ajmer in Rajasthan, India. The dargah (tomb) becomes a hub of activity in the seventh month of the lunar calendar when the Urs (Mahaprayan) is held to mark the death anniversary of the Khwaja Moin-ud-din Chisti."
[7] "Several thousand followers of Islam throng to this place during this time of the year and food is cooked in huge cauldrons and served to the Worshipers of Islam."
[8] "Upon arriving at the shrine, one has to make the entry from the Dargah (tomb) Bazaar. This would lead to the first courtyard. There is a mosque built by Emperor Akbar in this courtyard. There are also present two cauldrons or degs, where donations could be made."
"This dogma propagated by mullah followers of Islam visit Ajmer Sharif to be blessed by the Khwaja (deceased). When their prayers are answered, their wishes fulfilled, they come again to offer the promised gilaf (velvet cloth), ittar (perfume), etc. Besides these offerings, they also recite the holy Qur'an (holy scripture), nafal namaz, milad and aayat-e-karima and khatam khawajgan."
~ Above is courtesy of dargahajmersharif ~
References
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 11, The Psychology behind the Creation of Mythological Gods and Goddesses
2. Caryacarya - 2, Sadhana, point #1a
* * *
The below section is an entirely different topic, unrelated to the above material.
It stands on its own merit as a point of interest and ideological awareness.
* * *
== Section 2: Important Teaching ==
Ananda Marga Caryacarya states:
"(1) Immediately upon reaching adolescence (in India, one reaches adolescence in between the ages of twelve and fourteen), males should start using Kaopiina (laungot́á) and should pull back the foreskin of the penis.
(2) The foreskin should be pulled back and the area washed and kept clean.
(3) Never indulge in bad practices, such as masturbation, etc." (1)
Reference
1. Caryacarya - 3, General Health Rules, For Males
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Key points for living in society
Ananda Marga Caryacarya states:
“(7) Help the weak and the helpless in all possible ways."
"(8) You should always strive to maintain the honour of women, without considering whether a woman belongs to a particular caste or religion."
"(9) Never attack the religious beliefs of anyone. Make the person understand gradually with logic. If you attack a person's religious beliefs, it means you have attacked Ananda Marga."
"(10) Distinctions based on profession, wealth and birth are man-made. You must not give indulgence to these things in any way. Only vested interests are behind class distinctions." (1)
Reference
1. Caryacarya-2, Society, Points #7-10
== Section 3: Links ==
Other topics of interest
