Baba
Path of Bliss group: Flawed way
Namaskar,
On
Sunday, 24 April 2022, a shraddha ceremony / memorial service was held
for our dear brother Giridhara ji, a longtime & senior margii of NY
sector. And in the announcement about his life the following heartfelt
statement was given:
“Giridhara dedicated his life first and foremost to serving Baba’s Mission...In so many ways Giridhara was an ideal margii…and was non-compromising in living a dharmic life.”
Given
the above statement of dedication to AM ideals and values, it is quite
ironic that in the very last act related with his mortal form, those
closest to Giridhara ji were unable to abide by his wishes. Giridhara’s
aim in life was to always follow Baba, but his very own memorial service
was in opposition to Baba’s teachings and Caryacarya. See here Baba’s
key guideline about the shraddha ceremony.
http://anandamarganewsbulletin.blogspot.com
Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, "The period of mourning should not extend beyond twelve days." (1)
That
means the shraddha ceremony is to be held within twelve days from the
time of death. And brother Giridhara underwent his mahaprayan (death) on
05 April 2022. According to Caryacarya, the window for performing his
shraddha ceremony extended up to 17 April 2022. Holding the shraddha
ceremony after that death was a clear violation of Caryacarya. Yet,
those in-charges somehow opted to hold Giridhara’s shraddha ceremony on
24 April, a full week beyond.
So
it is quite tragic and sad that for the man who always wished to adhere
to Baba’s ideal, such a gathering like his own shraddha ceremony
(memorial service) failed to be in accordance with Caryacarya / Baba’s
teachings. It is unfortunate that the organizers could not satisfy
Giridhara’s last wish.
http://anandamarganewsbulletin.blogspot.com
Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, "The period of mourning should not extend beyond twelve days." (2)
In Him,
Mantershvar
A few related points
In the invitation they wrote:
“The Shraddha service will be led by Dada Daneshananda and the Memorial Service with Slide Presentation of images from Giridhara's life and sharing stories (2-3 minutes each) will be facilitated by Arun and Mahajyoti (from Denver CO) and Dada Vedaprajinanda.”
(A)
Our AM shraddha ceremony is an occasion of dignity - solely meant for
the peace and comfort of those in mourning. No person or individual is
highlighted. We are to ideate on Parama Purusa and support those who are
grieving. Announcing the name of the person who is so-called leading
the ceremony as if he is some type of star rapper emcee goes against the
ethics of Ananda Marga.
http://anandamarganewsbulletin.blogspot.com
(B)
It is not proper to display photos / slideshows of the deceased during
the shraddha ceremony as it accentuates the sense of loss, and those who
are grieving most are thrust into a deep state of sorrow. For more
about this read:
References
- #6: How greedy do
- #7: AP: dos & don'ts
Other topics of interest
