Baba
So-called sacred land: Jamalpur
Namaskar,
Here is a short yet highly significant update from the recently Jamalpur DMS, 23 - 25 March 2018.
As you may know, Kali Pahar is one of the hills of Jamalpur where Baba used to walk. At the recent Jamalpur DMS, margiis were encouraged to collect and carry water (read as "holy water”) from a spring on that hilltop all the way back to their unit.
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Ritual of collecting so-called holy water
How did this happen - what was the need? Well Dadas had their agenda in mind to give importance to the Jamalpur tiirtha program so they propagandized about the "holy water" of Kali Pahar. By this way they could build their tiirtha dynasty to create revenue. That was their impetus for creating this holy water ploy. On the other end, certain naive and simple margiis participated in this ritual of collecting so-called holy water in hopes of a quick-fix or shortcut way to get some grace. And others participated because it was similar to the Hindu dogma that they grew up with. Naturally, those margiis with a developed ideological understanding did not participate.
Ananda Marga ideology states, "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)
The below newspaper article proclaims Jamalpur as the “Mecca” of Ananda Marga.
The above newspaper article proclaims Jamalpur as the “Mecca” of Ananda Marga.
Holy water or polluted water
All in all, the recent scene at Kali Pahar uniquely resembles how dogmatic Hindus collect and carry water from the Ganges. Such dogmatic Hindus think this is holy water even though it is filthy dirty. "Ganga jal", as it is called, is sold at a costly rate around the globe. Religious traders and exploiters present it as being holy water, when in truth it nothing but polluted water from the so-called holy Ganges. But with this polluted Ganges water they those dogmatic priests make huge money.
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Here below Baba points out the absurdity of thinking that the Ganges - or any water for that matter - is holy.
Ananda Marga ideology states, "If merely a dip in the Ganges made one holy, then the fish that are always in the river would be the most virtuous and holy. Pilgrims do not gain morally or spiritually from their holy baths, but, on the contrary, have to suffer bitter experiences – physical troubles, loss of money, mental anxiety, and humiliation at the hands of robbers and thieves." (2)
Why should we not encash like Hindus priests
Here is a short sampling how such dogmatic priests and businessmen promote this so-called holy water from the Ganges or Gangajal.
Gangajal commands a high value in Indian culture. No ceremony, from birth to death, is complete and perfect without Gangajal. According to Maharishi Vedvyas the only way to fight the malefic effects of the Kalyuga, the holy water of Ganga should be used in all the religious ceremonies. If kept in the copper ‘Kalash’ in homes it gives holy vibrations and fights away evil and bad luck. It endows material prosperity and spiritual growth. (Courtesy of Gangajal website)So the above is how the dogmatic Hindus have promoted the Gangajal, or Ganges holy water.
In a similar fashion, soon we will see Kali Pahar water sold at DMS, seminars, and even on-line and mail order. In order to pitch the business, stories will be propagated that someone with Alzheimer's or AIDS was cured by this "holy water", i.e. Kali Pahar Jal. Plus they will say how cancer, autism, heart disease are also fully curable. This "holy water" will have all the answers for today's problems. This will be their formal advertising message. Today they orally tell like this and soon they will have a developed business model reflecting this approach. After all, some of our opportunistic Dadas are not dumb; they figure, “Why should we not encash on this like Hindus priests have done.”
Now certain margiis have their own jal: Kali Pahar Jal or Jamalpur jal. This is the latest dogma that is unfolding. This time senior Dadas were able to convince margiis to collect and carry such water back to their home. The going myth is that one drop of this water is enough to cure one of sickness. Plus this water is needed at every Ananda Marga ceremony: baby naming, marriage blessing, shraddha etc. Thus the "phenomenon" of Kali Pahar jal is no different from the Hindu dogma of gangajal.
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A cash cow
Why are Dadas encouraging this? Such dogmas give more power to religious traders, i.e. the priests, Wts, monks, rabbis, avadhutas, imams, clerics etc. It is an easy business. Common citizens are forced to reach to that place to collect and purchase their holy water. Then an entire enterprise is formed around this dogma with the potential for huge monetary gain. People get duped into thinking that the only way to be graced in this world is by collecting mundane things from their so-called holy land. That is the defective mindset. And for Dadas this is a big money-maker. Not all Wts and avadhutas are religious traders, but some are.
In contrast, if one propagates the dharmic point that Baba's grace is everywhere and is not limited to a certain place or to a certain jug of water, then that will rapidly undo the Kali Pahar dogma. So such Dadas do not talk about this. Just they promote the Hindu dogma of "holy water".
This is not limited to any particular group in our Marga. All the groups are fascinated by the concept of making big dollars from dogmatic rituals. It is the ultimate get-rich-quick model. That is why one can get such holy water in Tiljala as well by the site of the tomb. Hence all the leading groups do such things.
Unnecessary troubles and frustrations
Here below is Baba's dharmic teaching where He vividly opposes such dogmas like Ganagjal and Kali Pahar Jal.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "Now, if people, instead of searching for Him in their own “I” feeling, roam about in the external world, they will certainly meet with disappointment: they will have to undergo unnecessary troubles and frustrations, and Parama Puruśa will remain unrealized."
Átmanasthiitaḿ shivaḿ tyaktvá vahiśt́haḿ yah samarcayet"How unreasonable it is to search externally for the Supreme Entity instead of searching within! It is like throwing away the foodstuff in one’s own hand, and then complaining of hunger and begging for alms from door to door. On the one hand Parama Puruśa is very vast; on the other hand He is very small. He is so vast that you cannot fully see Him." (3)
Hastasthaḿ pińd́am utsrjya bhramate jiivitáshayá.=
Baba's divine presence is all-pervasive. He resides within each and every entity - within the heart of every bhakta. The dogmas described above represent the latest groupist money-making scheme, i.e. holy water dogma in AMPS.
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Namaskar,
In Him,
Iishvara
~ In-depth study ~
On this point, the dharmic teachings of Ananda Marga uses the example of Vyasa Deo who wrote so many puranas, or mythological stories, about the Lord. Vyasa Deo emphasized the importance of different places by telling that such-and -such location is more important because the Lord did certain special things there. Later on, after reflecting on this, Vyasa Deo expresses his repentance in the following shloka.
Ananda Marga ideology guides us:
Rúpaḿ rupavivarjjitasya bhavato yaddhyanena kalpitamAnanda Marga ideology states, "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" (5)
Stutyánirvacaniiyatákhilaguro duriikrta yanmaya
Vyapitvyam ca nirakrtam bhagavato yattirtha yatradina
Kśantavyaḿ jagadisho tadvikalatadostarayam matkrtam. (4)
References
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 11, p.29
2. Ananda Vacanamrtam, part 33, Samádhi and Mrtyu
3. Subhasita Samgraha - 12, The Secret of Dharma Lies Hidden in the Mind
4. Namah Shivaya Shantaya, Shiva's Teachings – 2 (continued) (Discourse 16)
5. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 11, p.29
* * *
The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stands on their own as points of interest.
* * *
== Section 2: Important Teaching ==
Natural deserts vs deforestation
Prout philosophy says, "Ecologists claim that some deserts are essential for keeping the global ecology in a balanced state. The high day temperatures and the cold night temperatures that occur in desert regions create a useful effect. The hot, dry desert air rises and creates a vacuum which sucks in cool air, generating a chain reaction. Moist air is sucked in from the sea and formed into clouds which then rain on the land. If deserts vanish entirely, the overall rainfall will be reduced." (1)
Note: Nowadays with the rapid increase of deforestation, we see desertification occurring across many land masses. This has had a horrific effect on ecological balance and human survival. However, one should not think that all deserts are inherently bad. Those regions that are natural deserts have a highly beneficial effect on the ecological balance.
Reference
1. Prout in a Nutshell - 16, Integrated Farming
== Section 3: Links ==
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This email contains three sections:
1. Posting: So-called sacred land: Jamalpur
2. IT: Natural deserts vs deforestation
3. Links
