Baba
This magazine misguides
Namaskar,
Ásanas are an integral part of Ánanda Márga spiritual practices. Asanas are glandular exercises - not merely physical exercises like running, swimming or bicycling. The beauty of a glandular exercise is that it acts directly on the glands of the body that secrete hormones. Hormonal secretions control the 'vrittis' or propensities of the human mind.
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The correct way to do padmásana
Ananda Marga philosophy guides, "Padmásana is the posture of sitting with the right ankle over the left thigh and the left ankle over the right thigh, the tongue pushing the teeth out. In padmásana alone, the vision can be fixed on trikuti – the middle point between the eyebrows. Just as the lotus blossoms forth in water, so also in this posture the mind tends to evolve. That is why this posture is termed padmásana (padma – lotus, ásana – posture). This is the best ásana for meditation." (1)
Per Baba's guidelines, here are the steps to perform padmásana:
1. Place the right ankle over the left thigh
2. Place the left ankle over the right thigh
Having followed the above two steps in order, when one sits in padmásana, the legs are positioned as follows: left leg is crossed over right leg. This is the proper way to sit in padmásana or lotus posture, and this is a very significant ásana for sádhaná. Hence, no sádhaka should be misguided on this point.
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Blunder in Bhakta Samaj magazine
Here below is an image of a sister sitting in sadhana, printed in the Bhakta Samaj magazine. She has her legs crossed in the wrong order i.e. her right leg is crossed over her left leg. Please compare this picture below with the one above and analyze for yourselves as to what a big blunder has been committed by the publishers of a magazine headed by Santoshananda. The most important teaching of sitting in padmásana for sádhaná has been totally distorted and it is laughable that the publishers failed to show this basic aspect of sadhana in the right manner. It is a sin to show an ásana for sádhaná wrongly. This amounts to misrepresentation of Baba’s teachings. Also, observe carefully how the sister's hands have also been placed in the wrong manner. Everyone knows that one places one's left hand beneath the right hand while performing sadhana.
- Magazines
printed under the name of Ananda Marga have a bounden duty to be a
perfect representation of Baba's teachings to the society. They should
aspire to adhere to the ideals of tantra and Ananda Marga. In failing to
represent the posture for sádhaná correctly, Dada Santos’ananda and his ilk have failed in their duty to be perfect representatives of Baba, thus besmirching Ananda Marga.
- This
type of representation, where a person is shown in sadhana, sitting in a
pose that looks like padmásana with legs crossed in the opposite
manner, is akin to giving a mantra backward or flip-flopping any
spiritual tenet, or saying that our kiirtan as Kevalam Nam Baba or
showing an Ánanda Márga meal that has tamasik food on the plate.
- Ánanda
Márga and its teachings aim to clean the dogmas of the society by
imparting true spiritual teachings. By showing the wrong way to sit in
the lotus posture, this magazine has done just the opposite i.e. it has
introduced a new dogma in the mind of readers. Far from cleaning the
society of its dogmas, the magazine has introduced a new dogma into an
already existing pool of dogmas. There should be no dogmas with respect
to this important ásana.
- In
this day and age, when the whole world is learning asanas, those who
know padmásana will laugh at margiis for doing this most famous pose in a
backward manner. This brings shame and infamy to Ananda Marga!
- Bhakta Samaj is for Hindi readers and in this magazine, they are using an image of an overseas sister. This imposes inferiority
complex amongst Indians and Hindi readers that Indians are not good
enough or that Indian sisters are not good enough. They should have a
photo of an Indian person. Baba has always been in favor of upholding
the sentiments of local people by encouraging locals.
- If
they need a photo, they can just go to a Dharma Chakra hall and shoot a
picture of a local person doing the lotus pose properly. They need not
rummage through the internet and get a defective picture of an overseas
sister who is doing padmásana the wrong way. As mentioned earlier, this
not only infuses inferiority complex in the minds of local readers but also engenders a new dogma.
One of the most important ásanas in our spiritual practice is padmásana, the lotus posture. This is the posture in which one sits to perform sádhana and there should be no misguidance or misunderstanding regarding how one must sit in padmasana. This letter focuses on how a so-called Ananda Marga magazine is misguiding readers about this very important ásana by highlighting images of padmasana performed in the wrong fashion. The right way to sit in padmásana has also been explained for readers' awareness.
Struggling publication: not up to the mark
The magazine printing this erroneous information is Bhakta Samaj, started by Santos’a’nanda. As such, Bhakta Samaj is not an authentic Ananda Marga magazine, but a struggling publication which does not meet the ideals of an Ananda Marga publication, nor does it meet the ideals of Tantra for it misguides and misinforms the readers on important matters pertaining to spiritual sádhaná.
In Him,
Prakásha
~ In-depth study ~
Significance of padmásana
As we all know, according to Ananda Marga system, when one is initiated and receives the first lesson of sadhana, one is instructed to first sit in padmásana, the lotus posture, before one begins to meditate. Padmásana is the ásana for many of our sadhana lessons. Sitting comfortably in padmásana can greatly enhance one’s sadhana.
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Ananda Marga philosophy guides, "“Ásana” means “a position in which one feels comfortable” – “Sthirasukhamásanam.” " (2)
Baba, in His numerous discourses, has explained the significance of padmásana. He has explained how Lord Shiva, the epitome of composure and bliss, would usually sit in padmásana. Even though Shiva would take the responsibilities, trials, and tribulations of the entire world upon himself, when he sat in padmásana, his mind would transcend beyond the impurities of the world and Shiva would achieve a perfect harmony between physical, psychic and spiritual worlds. By this explanation, we know how significant this ásana is for a sádhaka in the path of sádhaná and how important it is to get the lotus posture or padmásana right.
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "It is called padmásana because it is just like a lotus in full bloom. Just as the roots and stems of the lotus remain under the water and only the leaves and flowers float above it – and although it is born in the mud it sustains its love for the stars – in the same way, people sitting in this lotus posture and remaining in the world, can keep their minds above their mundane environment." (3)
Conclusion
Readers are encouraged to contact the editors of this magazine and urge them to correct their blunders. Furthermore, such magazines which circulate under the name of Ánanda Márga, but represent Baba's teachings in poor light, should really go out of publication. As Ánanda Márgiis we have a responsibility to do whatever it takes to make sure that Baba, His teachings and Ánanda Márga are never portrayed in a wrong manner to the society.
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Ásanas are an integral part of Ánanda Márga spiritual practices. Asanas are glandular exercises - not merely physical exercises like running, swimming or bicycling. The beauty of a glandular exercise is that it acts directly on the glands of the body that secrete hormones. Hormonal secretions control the 'vrittis' or propensities of the human mind. For a sádhaka, it is of utmost importance to have balanced vrittis in order to perform sádhana and merge the unit mind with the Cosmic Mind. Imbalance in the vrittis leads to an imbalanced state of mind and makes one-pointedness of mind in sadhana highly impossible; no matter how hard a person tries to perform sádhaná sincerely. Hence it is imperative to do asanas regularly and also do them in the right manner for maximum benefit.
References
1. Táttvika Diipiká (Paiṋcama Parva), Teaching to Sit in padmásana
2. Ananda Marga Caryácarya Part 3, Ásanas
3. Namah Shiváya Shántáya, Shiva in the Dhyána Mantra (Discourse 20)
Alternate: Santosananda, Santos’ananda, Dada Santoshananda, Santosanand
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The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
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== Section: Important Topic ==
Ruins their ability to reach Parama Purusa
Those intellectuals and scholars who think about themselves become narrow-minded and degraded. Under such circumstances, it is impossible for them to reach Parama Purusa. Instead their mind becomes smaller. In their next birth they will not even get human life because their mind is lowly. That is the terrible danger of thinking about oneself: One becomes an animal or even a lower creature like a plant or an inanimate object. That is what is explained here below.
Ananda Marga ideology states, "You see, preya or káma remains busy with finite units only, and thus, the ego, who is the enjoyer of such fragmentary units, must be the small ego. It is impossible to develop such an ego which remains always absorbed in these units. Even people of wisdom, of high social status – even so-called intellectual and accomplished scientists and philosophers who are always concerned with earning high respect for themselves or saving their own prestige – even they pursue sensuous or fragmentary objects for the gratification of their egos. Perhaps they deliberately refuse to realize that these petty objectives of their egos will infuse their minds with meanness, as a result of which all their egoistic respect, prestige and status will ultimately be pulverized into dust." (1)
When a person does "service" for their own self-satisfaction that is not real service. Rather their ego is involved and instead of helping others they are ruining and destroying themselves by becoming more narrow-minded. Their future is very grim. The answer, as Ananda Marga ideology guides us, is to ideate on the Supreme and do thinking that you are serving Him. Then one's service will be true service and the one doing the service will develop a magnanimous and selfless outlook, by His grace.
Reference
1. Subhasita Samgraha - 3, Supreme Benevolence and Mundane Pleasure
== Section 2: Links ==
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