Baba
Dada / didi beauty competition
Note: This letter is only for those who have reverence for Sadguru Baba Shrii Shrii Anandamurti ji and try to follow His Ananda Marga ideology.
Namaskar,
These days there is a beauty competition going on amongst certain Dadas and Didis. Let’s take a look at the extent to which it is taking place.
Cause: Wts artificially beautify themselves
The use of cosmetics amongst our some wholetime workers has increased exponentially in recent years. Of course, prior to 1990, no worker would dare use cosmetics or perfumes etc. Indeed, no one felt the need to use beauty products as everyone was deeply involved in manifesting Baba's teachings.
Unfortunately, now a number of workers - both Dadas and Didis - are resorting to these beauty products. It seems they have been affected by today's grossly materialistic values.
The question naturally arises: Why do some feel the need to beautify their hair and face? What is the psychic cause. We will address this question and more in this letter.
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First human body after animal life
Our human personality is tri-fold: physical, psychic, and spiritual. Those humans who were animals in their prior life are much more dominated by physical allurements and baser propensities. For them, their animalistic samskaras are still quite active. In contrast, those who have been in human form the past few lives are more oriented towards the psychic and psycho-spiritual realms. So those humans who were animals in their most previous life are primed to be lured towards gross, materialistic attraction. Some Wts fall in this category.
Those who are not developed humans brag about themselves. This type of self-aggrandizement is a mental disease known as gaora. Puffed with vanity, they try to show themselves as being bigger or better than what they truly are.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "Gaorava is the second type of aham'ka'ra [ego]. It means “self-aggrandizement”. Puffed up with vanity, a person will want to project his image in an exaggerated manner. Often we hear somebody say, for example, that they have a rose he size of a balloon in their garden – whereas actually the rose may be the size of a ping-pong ball. Constant indulgence in this type of activity converts the mind into matter." (1)
Mind will become smaller & smaller
Why do people fall in that trap of gaorava or self-aggrandizement? The trend of the general society is towards materialism. That means people are involved in their own external beauty and wish to project themselves as being something great, i.e. superior to who they are. This is all due to their materialistic way of living. When general flow of society is towards materialism then the mass of people fall in that trap. They get caught in things like self-beautification and self-glorification. Then we know they have fallen into gaorava marga (path of hell) and lost their Goal.
Indulging in gaorava (self-aggrandizement) means falling onto the path of negative pratisaincara. Because of avidya maya the person is not focusing their mind towards Ista, i.e. Parama Purusa. Instead, they are just involved in their own personal ego. In that case, the mind will become smaller and smaller and gradually they will not be a normal human being. They will become degraded.
What to say of mukti and moksa, such a person is sinking deep into the clutches of animal life. Due to the depraving effect of avidya maya, their goal was just their own unit self - i.e. not Parama Purusa but their own little ego. In that case they are sure to degrade. Hence the path of gaorava is a very dangerous path.
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Lowly wts trying to attract opposite sex
Another reason behind the use of beauty products is the crude, tamasik desire to attract the opposite sex. That is also one of the expressions of gaorava.
If any Wt, either male or female, is doing this they are in the wrong place. They should just throw away their dress and choose a different way of life. They should not pollute our AMPS. Entering Wt life means focusing on Parama Purusa not the opposite sex. So if any worker is using cosmetics, their situation is akin to some drug addict that walked into one of our Ananda Marga jagrtis. If any worker has gotten confused or led astray and fallen into this trap they should wake up and realise that this is not the path. The goal of a Wt is Parama Purusa.
Hidden Wt beauty competition in DMS
It is true that usually our AMPS competitions occur in seminars and DMS, dharma maha sammelan. At such venues we hold tandava competitions, kaoshikii competitions, and prizes are awarded for the best social service projects also.
So some may be asking where does the Wt beauty competition fit in? And the answer is that the Wt beauty competition is an unspoken competition. They do not talk openly about it, but in a silent manner many workers are competing and taking note of one another. They apply all kinds of chemicals and tonics to their face and hair to look their best - and hope others notice. Various Didis do this and some Dadas too.
They talk about their beauty secrets with their friends but not openly in public because such things not openly supported in AMPS. So if you raise the point and say, "Oh Dadaji, you look so stunning and shiny today, what is your secret?", then Dadaji will not tell all the various cosmetics that he is using. That Wt Dada will simply say, "Sixteen Points". But internally he will be thinking that his fake beauty chemicals are very good. And truth be told, it is the didis who are far more indulgent in this type of ill.
The bottom line is that the only way to know if xyz Didi or Dada is involved in using beauty aids and cosmetics is to check their bags. There you may find an entire case full of their beauty essentials such as: Dyes, creams, and all kinds of superficial beauty things.
Here Baba clearly guides us that this pursuit of physical beauty is nothing but to fall prey to negative microvita - kinnara.
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Ananda Marga philosophy says, "Kinnara microvita is that category of microvita which creates a thirst for beauty – a strong desire for beautification and decoration. The word kinnara means “receptacle of beauty” or “a beautiful and graceful structure”. This category of microvita creates a tendency in the human mind to make the human body as beautiful as the many forms and figures it observes in the external world. This tendency or propensity is called “kinnari vrtti”. If the kinnaras direct the mind towards crude matter instead of leading it towards the subtler layers, they are considered to be enemy microvita or negative microvita." (2)
Must make them shun this habit either by sweet or harsh words
Now it is the duty of every disciple of Shrii Shrii Anandamurti ji to watch and see if anyone is choosing this wrong path of raorava marga, i.e. seventh hell. We should try to protect them by pointing them out.
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "All Ananda Margis, when they see other Margis acting against the principles of yama and niyama, must make them shun this habit either by sweet or harsh words or by dealing even more strictly." (3)
Thus it is our duty to open the eyes of those involved in this fake beauty competition. If we do not wake them from their stupor, they will continue to fall deeper into the dungeon of materialism.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "It is the innate characteristic of the human mind to become as it thinks – Ya'drshii bha'vana' yasya siddhirbhavati ta'drshii [“As you think, so you become.”]" (4)
Thus those who are just thinking about their own so-called beauty are bound to fall and ruin themselves. We should help them climb back onto the path of spirituality and think of Baba. Then they will truly become great.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "To associate oneself with Parama Purus'a, the Supreme Entity, is the actual sa'dhana'. There is no one greater than Parama Purus'a, and so, when the mind ideates on Him, it expands." (5)
Conclusion
The concluding idea is that in our Ananda Marga way of life there is no room for beauty products for physical "enhancement", psychic bragging, or fake spirituality. All these are highly detrimental - especially so when our Wts are involved. Sadly, some male and female Wts dye their hair among other beauty tips, and they both are prone to contravene Guru's conduct rule about length of the hair on the head in order to allure the opposite sex. All in all, this type of self-indulgence and thinking about oneself and one's own glory degenerates the mind. And it sets a bad example for society.
We should all think of the Supreme Entity and not get drowned by the lowly ways of self-aggrandizement and self-beautification etc. We should not become the selected pawns of the capitalist beauty industry.
Baba says in Ananda marga Ideology, "An inflated ego is like drinking wine, self-aggrandizement leads one into the deepest hell, and social status is like the excrement of a pig. Give up all three of these and only sing the glories of the Lord." (6)
Namaskar,
in Him,
Shivamurti
Note: Here we are not talking about skin moisturizing cream which is especially used in cold countries to protect the skin. Using moisturizing cream is ok.
~ In-depth study ~
Wt conduct rules: Baba opposes cosmetic beauty aids
However all the sue of all these superficial beauty ointments are against the conduct rules for our Wts.
- Wt conduct rule states: "...Artificially perfumed things should not be used." (7)
- Wt conduct rule states: "Perfumed oil should not be used." (8)
- Wt conduct rule states: “Any medicated soap, but not cosmetic or perfumed, should be used" (9)
- Wt conduct rule states: "...Avadhuta shall not...use any article which is artificially scented." (10)
Naturally, since it is detrimental to one's spiritual progress, sincere margiis and devotees do not feel comfortable using cosmetic beauty products because the goal of life is Parama Purusa - not superficial looks.
Finally, we should all keep in mind that females are more prone to use such cosmetics. That is a fact. The proof being that the entire beauty industry is directed towards females. But these days more males have begun this dirty game as well.
Wt defect in mind
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "We have seen bulls moving about in the streets with an air of arrogance. Such a bull creates a sound expressing the idea that it is big – Ham bar'a'. But when the bull dies and ta'nt [vina string] is made out of its intestines and musicians start playing on it, the sound which is then emitted expresses the idea Tun bar'a' – meaning thereby that the bull realizes that others are big, and realizes that he has arrived at this condition because of his arrogance."
"In fact the inculcation of gaorava leads one to the worst hell. Just as there are six layers, or lokas, of the Cosmic Mind above the crude world, so are there six types of hell, six narakas, below the physical world. The names of these hells are tala, atala, tala'tala, pa'ta'la, atipa'ta'la and rasa'tala. Another term for rasa'tala is raorava naraka – and a person indulging in gaorava will certainly go to raorava [crudest state of mind]." (11)
Ananda Marga ideology says, "The seventh hell is rasa'tala, the very crudest of all stages of existence. Obviously in that state human beings are no longer human beings: their minds, their intellects are reduced to extreme crudity, a stage of no return. Similarly when people start becoming degraded, a stage comes when they can no longer elevate themselves; rasa'tala is such a state." (12)
Why does this happen? This happens when the mind is not focused on Parama Purusa, but on one's own unit ego. Gaorava then is a defect in mind which may express itself physically and psychically. To take advantage of this mental ailment, capitalists exploit this weakness by marketing more and more beauty products. It is a multi-billion dollar industry. Because of their psychic ailment, people easily get scooped up into this capitalist trap and spend huge money on cosmetics, beauty aids, perfume, cosmetic surgery, etc.
Decades ago it was unheard of for our some wts to get pulled in this direction, but tragically nowadays some of our workers have gotten trapped just like the film industry and fashion models. That is their psychic ailment that needs to be addressed.
Of course there are an extreme minority of good Wts who have nothing to do with this. By Baba's grace they have dedicated themselves to self-realisation and service to humanity.
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Just trying to fake the great sages
Amongst our Wt ranks, such participants want to make their face shine in a fake way so they look more vibrated and attractive - as if they are on the doorstep of moksa.
Everyone knows that all truly great personalities - those rishis, yogis and true sadhakas - have a glow or psychic lustre (ojah / ojas) because of their high spiritual attainment. Due to their sincerity in sadhana, their face changes and they naturally exude a deep sense of sentient peace and divine love. That is depicted in various images of such great personalities. Baba has describe this in discourses like, "Pa'rthasa'rathi Krs'n'a and Aesthetic Science".
Some fake Wts want that same lustre for their own prestige. When they understood that they cannot get it naturally because they are not involved in sadhana caught up in avidya maya they began to arrange it artificially. By this way they could (try and) befool others that they are great.
All the while one should remember: Focusing on oneself, i.e. one's own greatness, leads to degeneration. And that is what happened to some of our workers.
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References
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 23, Safeguards against the Defects of Jiṋána and Karma
2. Microvita in a Nutshell, Crude and Subtle Microvita
3. A Guide to Human Conduct, How to Live in Society
4. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 4, Tantra Is Sádhaná, Sádhaná Is Tantra
5. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 4, Tantra Is Sádhaná, Sádhaná Is Tantra
6. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 23, Safeguards against the Defects of Jiṋána and Karma
7. 32 Rules for Avadhuta, Point #12
8. 32 Rules for Avadhuta, Point #3
9. 32 Rules for Avadhuta, Point #8
10. 32 Rules for Avadhuta, Point #32
11. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 23, Safeguards against the Defects of Jiṋána and Karma
12. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way Life - 12, Taking the Opposite Stance in Battle
* * *
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 ==
We are here to serve all
"Jiirńa vishiirńa jiiver karibo sevá, árte kśudhárte báincábe natuvá ke bá..." (Prabhat Samgiita 3714)
Purport:
O’ Parama Purusa, we will help all, using the strength of mind which You have blessed us with, and serve all those living beings who are suffering. This is our vow. After all, if we do not rescue the hungry with food, the sick with medicine, the homeless with shelter, the illiterate with education, and the impoverished with clothing, and give love and care to all distressed people, then who shall save and look after them. We cannot allow our universal family of humans, animals, and plants to wallow in want and neglect.
Baba, by Your blessing, we are here to look after all those who are undergoing various physical and psychic ailments. We have taken birth for all those sick, distressed human beings and animals, birds, and plants - all flora and fauna. Creepers and shrubs bushes trees are also living beings; they too have their lives. We are thinking about them and all animate and inanimate entities. We have to watch over them also - not one shall be left aside.
Parama Purusa Baba, by Your mercy, I pull all those who were distant close to my heart and embrace them all as my close. Everyone is kith and kin - not a single person is alien; all are my family members. We wholeheartedly accept that the property of Parama Purusa has been given for the prosperity and well-being of all. The wealth of the universe has not been exclusively reserved for a few greedy rich individuals. We shall selflessly assist all those living beings who are in distress...
== Section 3: Comment ==
Re: Why missing family feeling: AMPS
Jai Baba, I totally agree all that is said in the open donation system. This attracts large numbers to seminars..there is no doubt about this. Now in the west they not only charge for seminars too much but if one dada is expert in psychology they charge big fees for consultations also. So progress. In number of margis not taking place either. World over they should follow great example of seminar system only right now, if one is sincere in bringing in greater number of Margiis as Baba devotees.
in Him,
Rao
- Here is a link to the initial letter on this topic: Why missing family feeling: AMPS
== Section 4: Links ==
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