Baba
Sin of killing fetus
Namaskar,
Baba places great importance on the study of history as it enables both individuals and communities to learn from past mistakes and thereby progress. Failing that, without the study of history, people commit the same old blunders over and over again. In which case, they remain shackled by the crimes of the past and are unable to advance. So the review of history holds a unique place for the progress of any society.
http://anandamarganewsbulletin.blogspot.com/
As Ananda Margiis, we must know the history of Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha (AMPS) and our stand on key issues like abortion. Please read this below letter as an important marker of how some of our Wts fail to understand the application of AM teachings to contemporary affairs.
In Him,
Dr. Gopal
Ananda Marga News Bulletin Moderators
Note: This below letter was first posted on this network in October 2016.
--
Namaskár,
By promoting the murdering of fetuses, a whole-time (WT) worker Didi has gone against the basic tenets of Ánanda Márga ideology.
Confused WT Didi is against Ánanda Márga teachings
Being a wholetime worker, the Didi holds a responsible position in the society and is indeed a representative of Ananda Marga ideology. People have a certain respect and trust in her and therefore every word spoken by her has the potential to change many lives. Unfortunately, rather than guiding people on the right path of Ánanda Márga teachings the Didi is misguiding people with her public statements that are completely against the basic tenets of Ánanda Márga.
http://anandamarganewsbulletin.blogspot.com/
Do not kill the potentiality
The human fetus is a human being with tremendous potential, and is verily capable of becoming a Sadvipra. Only Parama Purusha knows the great potential that a human fetus contains within it.
Bábá says - “Abortion is killing the potentialities...there is hardly any difference between you and an embryo...he [the embryo] is now within the body of the mother. And you are outside the body of the mother...You have got no moral right to kill him.” (1)
An audio file of Baba delivering the above teaching has been appended below.
Conclusion
Ánanda Márga ideology teaches us that the murdering of a fetus is adhármic. Except when the mother’s life is under threat and no other option is available, murdering a fetus should never be performed as it amounts to the murder of an unborn human being and concomitant destruction of its associated glorious potentialities. In the present materialistic society many people advocate granting fetus murder as a right to victimized mothers to alleviate their terrible sufferings. Ánanda Márga ideology, however, teaches that while solving the problems which lead mothers to commit feticide, one must not support this murdering of a fetus, in which a human being is killed. Instead, we must address and solve the societal problems which cause mothers to seek relief via this dreadful act. Instead of teaching Ánanda Márga ideals, Didi is contravening those very ideals by supporting the murdering of a fetus.
http://anandamarganewsbulletin.blogspot.com/
At His Lotus Feet,
Árádhaná
(Amanda Jones)
Every life is precious
In our Ánanda Márga we respect the rights of all living beings which includes the unborn children. There is an inherent desire to survive in all living beings and that can not be put an end to by murdering unborn babies.
Ánanda Márga philosophy says, "Have mercy on all living beings."
Práńáh yathátmano’bhiiśt́áh bhútánám api te tathá;
Atmaopamyena bhútánám dayáḿ kurvanti sádhavah.
"Just as your life is extremely dear to you, similarly the lives of others are equally dear to them. A person who thinks thus and shows mercy on other creatures is really a sa'dhu, or virtuous person." (2)
Feticide is adhármic
Fetus murder is against Ánanda Márga ideology. In numerous places Bábá has clearly provided us the teaching that human life begins when a spermatozoa and an egg are combined. Murder of a fetus is no less than the murder of a human being, which clearly is anti-dharmic. This excludes therapeutic abortion in which a mother’s life is under threat and can only be saved if the abortion of the fetus is performed. Therapeutic abortion should only be the last resort when no other option for saving the life of the mother is available.
http://anandamarganewsbulletin.blogspot.com/
Fetus murder is against ahimsá
The act of fetus murder is against the tenet of ahimsá. The basic definition of Ahimsa’ is Manovákkáyaeh sarvabhútá námapiidá namahimsá.
Bábá says, “Ahiḿsá means not inflicting pain or hurt on anybody by thought, word or action.” (3)
There is no place for the fetus murder in the Ánanda Márga ideology as it goes against the tenet of ahimsá.
Audio of Baba condemning abortion
Below is the screen-print of the email circulated by that Didi. From this email, it is very clear that the Didi is promoting feticide. (See the highlighted sentences in the below image between the vertical red lines).
In the above image a screen-print of Didi’s email is shown. The email clearly outlines the pro-feticide views of the Didi. Particularly, the sentences marked by the red vertical line show that Didi A. supports the murder of fetuses wholeheartedly.
See below the screen-print of Didi Ánanda Arpańá’s entire email.
References
1. Unpublished Discourse - 8/22/70
2. Yoga Psychology, Instinct and Devotion
3. Guide to Human Conduct, Ahimsa
The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
* * *
Look towards me with Your endless compassion
"Nayaneri ainjan ma'nasranjain tumi janame maran'e sa'thii mor..." (Prabhat Samgiita #1370)
Purport:
Note: Those who don't do 6th lesson sadhana, they can not understand this song.
Parama Purusa, You are the ainjan (spiritual ointment of knowledge) of my eyes, and Manasrainjan, the One who colours my mind with bhakti. You are with me life after life, from birth to death, always. Supreme Entity, in the vast sky of my mind, in my mental horizon, Your attractive and charming form is vibrating and shining. Seeing Your exquisite beauty and blissful vibration, I have become completely captivated and wholly ensconced in You. You are so gracious.
Parama Purusa, this expressed universe is situated in the mirror of Your maya. Everything is resonating in Your eternal sound - nu'pura omkara. Chit-chor, Parama Purusa, You are captivating my mind in all the ways. As my Nearest, look towards me with Your endless compassion.
Baba, my adored One, I do not want anything from You. I want You and You alone. I only have one desire: Please grant me parabhakti and keep me at Your lotus feet. I want to surrender my entire being unto You. Allow me to concentrate all my feelings and surrender my whole existence at Your altar. You are my Ista. You are like the moon, and I am like the chakor bird, always gazing at You without blinking.
Omnipresent Entity, Baba, please give me Your darshan...
Notes For Prabhat Samgiita #1370:
How He colours the mind
[1] Ma'nasrainjan: The mind is affected or coloured by whatever one thinks about in day to day life. Every thought has a particular colour and that colour varies based on one's object of contemplation. If a businessman is thinking primarily about his business, then his mind is coloured in that way. A drunkard's mind is coloured with the thought of wine. When the mind is completely obsessed with a particular thought, the mind becomes fully coloured in that manner, whether it be tamasik, sentient, or spiritual etc.
When Parama Purusa graciously colours a sadhaka's mind with bhakti, they remain wholly ensconced in the thought of Parama Purusa. If a new sadhaka cannot do sadhana at all, then we can understand that their mind is not coloured with bhakti. And if someone longs to do more and more meditation, we can understand that their mind is deeply coloured with with divinity.
Depending on the nature of one's thought, their mental colour changes. It may be black, red, yellow or white etc. Those bhaktas who think of Parama Purusa exclusively will have a white-coloured mind; it will be white effulgence. A violent person's mind will be red in colour. Remember, this colour is not their skin colour, nor any other external colour. Here we are only talking about the colour of their mind - nothing else.
Baba has given countless demonstrations on this. He used to make two sadhakas sit facing one another. Then He would bestow upon one the power to see into the other's mind. Then that bhakta would be able to clearly see the colour of the other sadhaka's mental plate. Still today this is possible, by the grace of Parama Purusa. When one advances in sadhana, they can easily see another's mental colour. Immediately, they can understand what type of person they are. In that case, nobody can hide. There is no scope for hypocrisy.
Parama Purusa, in His role as Ma'nasrainjan, is that Divine Entity who colours and saturates the mind of sadhakas in the fountain of bhakti.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "'rainjana', which means 'the One who colours' - that which colours the mind." (1)
So He is that Cosmic Being who graciously showers unconditional love into the heart and mind of the bhakta. And by such overwhelming Cosmic grace, the bhakta becomes immersed in Supreme bliss and comes in the closest proximity with that Love Personified Entity: Parama Purusa.
We all know that bhakti is that unique ingredient which allows one to advance in the spiritual field. Without innate love for Parama Purusa one can never succeed.
About the sound of Omnkara
[2] Nu'pura: This universe exists in the mind of Parama Purusa and is marked by three processes: Creation, sustenance, and destruction. Those process are represented by three sounds: A - U - MA. That is the sound of omnkara. Thus Parama Purusa is dancing in the rhythm of creation, sustenance, and destruction. These are the sounds emanating from the ankle bell of Parama Purusa.
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “Listen to these three sounds of aum: a, u, ma. They represent the creation, the retention [or preservation], and the destruction. The first sound, a, represents creation; the second sound, u, represents retention; the third sound, ma, represents destruction. So all those innumerable sounds, all those fifty sounds, are represented by these supreme sounds, a, u and ma; and collectively a-u-ma becomes aum.” (2)
For unit beings the sound they hear depends upon the degree of their realisation. If, by His grace, their mind is in an exalted state then they will hear the full omnkara sound. If one's mind is less elevated they will hear a different type of sound like the roar of the ocean, the sweet melody of the flute, the chirping of the crickets etc. At different stages of realisation the sadhaka can hear these sounds as detailed in the discourse, “The Six Stages of Realization.”
So it is all dependent upon the quality of mind. That determines which sound a person will hear. It is similar to someone looking at a very colourful flower. If their eyes are perfect they will see all the colours of that flower. And if their vision is compromised in any way or if they are colour-blind they will only see one or two of the colours. It depends upon the quality of their vision. In the same way, hearing the omnkara sound is wholly dependent upon the quality of mind of the aspirant.
How He steals the mind
[3] Citta-cor / Chit-chor / Citcor: In His role as 'Citcor', Parama Purusa is the Thief or Stealer of the bhakta’s mind. How does He steal the mind? He captivates their mind and attracts the bhakta by His exquisite spiritual charm - whereby the sadhaka cannot think of anything or anyone else. The sadhaka has lost control of his own mind: It incessantly and unknowingly rushes towards Parama Purusa. The One who makes this happen is Citcor - the Stealer of the mind.
And to some degree this happens in the mundane realm as well, though it is degenerating and not long-lasting. There are numerous worldly examples where a person's mind is stolen. For instance, if they lost money, if they are infatuated with mundane attraction, if they are anxious about something - in all such cases when the person's mind runs again and again in that direction. So to some degree their mind has been stolen. The person's mind is no longer their own - they do not have control over it. Over and over, their mind is thinking of something - yet that something is not eternal but rather short-lived. So the effect is degenerating. Because their I-feeling has become attached to something mundane. In the real sense that is not citcor, but rather a reflection of a reflection of the stage of citcor.
The Entity that causes someone to lose control of their mind is Citcor - the stealer of the mind. And this is a deeply spiritual state. In the sphere of bhakti, only Parama Purusa is Citcor. The sadhaka thinks of Him, unknowingly. Always the mind is goaded in that direction. Even if the bhakta intentionally tries not to think in this way, still his mind becomes ensconced in the thought of the Supreme, i.e. Parama Purusa. This is an elevating experience and has a wholly beneficial result.
Ultimately, when this condition climaxes, in that culminating state the unit mind - the jiiva'tma - becomes one with Supreme Consciousness.
Lastly, another name of Citcor is Makhan Cor (Butter Thief).
A number of dogmatic worshipers think that Lord Krsna is a butter-thief and they portray Lord Krsna as a small child who has stolen butter whereby the child Krsna is eating a lot of saturated fat. The sages tried to teach the common people with analogies but due to a very low standard the people took it in a literal way until finally it became an entrenched dogma. They do not like to hear the real truth of the matter.
Conversation with Parama Purusa
[4] Parabhakti: Par means divine; and apara means worldly. The feminine is para and when combined with bhakti, it is parabhakti. That is the highest bhakti. In that blessed state, bhaktas want to do each and everything for Parama Purusa and give Him pleasure. In return, they do not want anything. Those sadhakas who got Parama Purusa, by His grace, have gotten everything. This is the highest type of bhakti where one wants only Parama Purusa and does not want anything from Him, whereas aparabhakti is when one asks the Lord for mundane gains.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "When one wants Parama Purus'a from Parama Purus'a,then that bhakti is para'bhakti..."
"And what is para'bhakti? 'O Parama Purus'a, You know whether I am Your devotee or not. It is You who are to judge whether I am Your devotee or not -- but I want You...I want You. And why do I want You? Because I want to serve You'."
"And when asked by Parama Purus'a, 'O my boy, why do You want to serve Me?"...The reply should be, 'By serving You I want to give You pleasure. That's why I want to serve You. I don't want to enjoy pleasure'."
"This is the highest phase of para'bhakti." (3)
Ananda Marga ideology says, “When people beseech the Lord to fulfil all their selfish desires, this is called aparábhakti. “Oh Lord, I am your devotee, help me to pass my examination… Oh Lord, my daughter has attained marriageable age – help me to find a worthy suitor… Let the bridegroom be ideal, let me not spend much on the wedding…” This type of showy devotion that simply asks for mundane objects, is no devotion at all, because it demands everything except Parama Puruśa. Such devotees never say, “Oh Lord, be mine… I want You and only You.” They always say, “I want this, I want that.” In fact this is no devotion at all. When one asks only for Parama Puruśa, this is the true devotion, parábhakti.” (4)
[5] Cakor / Chakor Bird: The red-legged Bartavelle bird or Greek Partridge that seems to subsist on moonlight alone. All night long the cakor bird looks and stares at the moon - wanting to soak up and drink each and every ounce of moonlight. It is completely linked with the moon (vidhu). That is why it is said that the cakor bird has a deeply loving relation with the moon. In the above composition of Prabhat Samgiita, the bhakta is compared to the cakor and Parama Purusa is likened to the moon.
References
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 1, Devotion
2. Ananda Vacanrtam - 14, Acoustic Roots
3. Subhasita Samgraha - 24, p.97
4. Ananda Marga Ideology & Way of Life - 11, Taking the Opposite Stance in Battle
Recent postings
Other topics of interest
1. Unpublished Discourse - 8/22/70
2. Yoga Psychology, Instinct and Devotion
3. Guide to Human Conduct, Ahimsa
* * *
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 ==
Look towards me with Your endless compassion
"Nayaneri ainjan ma'nasranjain tumi janame maran'e sa'thii mor..." (Prabhat Samgiita #1370)
Purport:
Note: Those who don't do 6th lesson sadhana, they can not understand this song.
Parama Purusa, You are the ainjan (spiritual ointment of knowledge) of my eyes, and Manasrainjan, the One who colours my mind with bhakti. You are with me life after life, from birth to death, always. Supreme Entity, in the vast sky of my mind, in my mental horizon, Your attractive and charming form is vibrating and shining. Seeing Your exquisite beauty and blissful vibration, I have become completely captivated and wholly ensconced in You. You are so gracious.
Parama Purusa, this expressed universe is situated in the mirror of Your maya. Everything is resonating in Your eternal sound - nu'pura omkara. Chit-chor, Parama Purusa, You are captivating my mind in all the ways. As my Nearest, look towards me with Your endless compassion.
Baba, my adored One, I do not want anything from You. I want You and You alone. I only have one desire: Please grant me parabhakti and keep me at Your lotus feet. I want to surrender my entire being unto You. Allow me to concentrate all my feelings and surrender my whole existence at Your altar. You are my Ista. You are like the moon, and I am like the chakor bird, always gazing at You without blinking.
Omnipresent Entity, Baba, please give me Your darshan...
Notes For Prabhat Samgiita #1370:
How He colours the mind
[1] Ma'nasrainjan: The mind is affected or coloured by whatever one thinks about in day to day life. Every thought has a particular colour and that colour varies based on one's object of contemplation. If a businessman is thinking primarily about his business, then his mind is coloured in that way. A drunkard's mind is coloured with the thought of wine. When the mind is completely obsessed with a particular thought, the mind becomes fully coloured in that manner, whether it be tamasik, sentient, or spiritual etc.
When Parama Purusa graciously colours a sadhaka's mind with bhakti, they remain wholly ensconced in the thought of Parama Purusa. If a new sadhaka cannot do sadhana at all, then we can understand that their mind is not coloured with bhakti. And if someone longs to do more and more meditation, we can understand that their mind is deeply coloured with with divinity.
Depending on the nature of one's thought, their mental colour changes. It may be black, red, yellow or white etc. Those bhaktas who think of Parama Purusa exclusively will have a white-coloured mind; it will be white effulgence. A violent person's mind will be red in colour. Remember, this colour is not their skin colour, nor any other external colour. Here we are only talking about the colour of their mind - nothing else.
Baba has given countless demonstrations on this. He used to make two sadhakas sit facing one another. Then He would bestow upon one the power to see into the other's mind. Then that bhakta would be able to clearly see the colour of the other sadhaka's mental plate. Still today this is possible, by the grace of Parama Purusa. When one advances in sadhana, they can easily see another's mental colour. Immediately, they can understand what type of person they are. In that case, nobody can hide. There is no scope for hypocrisy.
Parama Purusa, in His role as Ma'nasrainjan, is that Divine Entity who colours and saturates the mind of sadhakas in the fountain of bhakti.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "'rainjana', which means 'the One who colours' - that which colours the mind." (1)
So He is that Cosmic Being who graciously showers unconditional love into the heart and mind of the bhakta. And by such overwhelming Cosmic grace, the bhakta becomes immersed in Supreme bliss and comes in the closest proximity with that Love Personified Entity: Parama Purusa.
We all know that bhakti is that unique ingredient which allows one to advance in the spiritual field. Without innate love for Parama Purusa one can never succeed.
About the sound of Omnkara
[2] Nu'pura: This universe exists in the mind of Parama Purusa and is marked by three processes: Creation, sustenance, and destruction. Those process are represented by three sounds: A - U - MA. That is the sound of omnkara. Thus Parama Purusa is dancing in the rhythm of creation, sustenance, and destruction. These are the sounds emanating from the ankle bell of Parama Purusa.
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “Listen to these three sounds of aum: a, u, ma. They represent the creation, the retention [or preservation], and the destruction. The first sound, a, represents creation; the second sound, u, represents retention; the third sound, ma, represents destruction. So all those innumerable sounds, all those fifty sounds, are represented by these supreme sounds, a, u and ma; and collectively a-u-ma becomes aum.” (2)
For unit beings the sound they hear depends upon the degree of their realisation. If, by His grace, their mind is in an exalted state then they will hear the full omnkara sound. If one's mind is less elevated they will hear a different type of sound like the roar of the ocean, the sweet melody of the flute, the chirping of the crickets etc. At different stages of realisation the sadhaka can hear these sounds as detailed in the discourse, “The Six Stages of Realization.”
So it is all dependent upon the quality of mind. That determines which sound a person will hear. It is similar to someone looking at a very colourful flower. If their eyes are perfect they will see all the colours of that flower. And if their vision is compromised in any way or if they are colour-blind they will only see one or two of the colours. It depends upon the quality of their vision. In the same way, hearing the omnkara sound is wholly dependent upon the quality of mind of the aspirant.
How He steals the mind
[3] Citta-cor / Chit-chor / Citcor: In His role as 'Citcor', Parama Purusa is the Thief or Stealer of the bhakta’s mind. How does He steal the mind? He captivates their mind and attracts the bhakta by His exquisite spiritual charm - whereby the sadhaka cannot think of anything or anyone else. The sadhaka has lost control of his own mind: It incessantly and unknowingly rushes towards Parama Purusa. The One who makes this happen is Citcor - the Stealer of the mind.
And to some degree this happens in the mundane realm as well, though it is degenerating and not long-lasting. There are numerous worldly examples where a person's mind is stolen. For instance, if they lost money, if they are infatuated with mundane attraction, if they are anxious about something - in all such cases when the person's mind runs again and again in that direction. So to some degree their mind has been stolen. The person's mind is no longer their own - they do not have control over it. Over and over, their mind is thinking of something - yet that something is not eternal but rather short-lived. So the effect is degenerating. Because their I-feeling has become attached to something mundane. In the real sense that is not citcor, but rather a reflection of a reflection of the stage of citcor.
The Entity that causes someone to lose control of their mind is Citcor - the stealer of the mind. And this is a deeply spiritual state. In the sphere of bhakti, only Parama Purusa is Citcor. The sadhaka thinks of Him, unknowingly. Always the mind is goaded in that direction. Even if the bhakta intentionally tries not to think in this way, still his mind becomes ensconced in the thought of the Supreme, i.e. Parama Purusa. This is an elevating experience and has a wholly beneficial result.
Ultimately, when this condition climaxes, in that culminating state the unit mind - the jiiva'tma - becomes one with Supreme Consciousness.
Lastly, another name of Citcor is Makhan Cor (Butter Thief).
A number of dogmatic worshipers think that Lord Krsna is a butter-thief and they portray Lord Krsna as a small child who has stolen butter whereby the child Krsna is eating a lot of saturated fat. The sages tried to teach the common people with analogies but due to a very low standard the people took it in a literal way until finally it became an entrenched dogma. They do not like to hear the real truth of the matter.
Conversation with Parama Purusa
[4] Parabhakti: Par means divine; and apara means worldly. The feminine is para and when combined with bhakti, it is parabhakti. That is the highest bhakti. In that blessed state, bhaktas want to do each and everything for Parama Purusa and give Him pleasure. In return, they do not want anything. Those sadhakas who got Parama Purusa, by His grace, have gotten everything. This is the highest type of bhakti where one wants only Parama Purusa and does not want anything from Him, whereas aparabhakti is when one asks the Lord for mundane gains.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "When one wants Parama Purus'a from Parama Purus'a,then that bhakti is para'bhakti..."
"And what is para'bhakti? 'O Parama Purus'a, You know whether I am Your devotee or not. It is You who are to judge whether I am Your devotee or not -- but I want You...I want You. And why do I want You? Because I want to serve You'."
"And when asked by Parama Purus'a, 'O my boy, why do You want to serve Me?"...The reply should be, 'By serving You I want to give You pleasure. That's why I want to serve You. I don't want to enjoy pleasure'."
"This is the highest phase of para'bhakti." (3)
Ananda Marga ideology says, “When people beseech the Lord to fulfil all their selfish desires, this is called aparábhakti. “Oh Lord, I am your devotee, help me to pass my examination… Oh Lord, my daughter has attained marriageable age – help me to find a worthy suitor… Let the bridegroom be ideal, let me not spend much on the wedding…” This type of showy devotion that simply asks for mundane objects, is no devotion at all, because it demands everything except Parama Puruśa. Such devotees never say, “Oh Lord, be mine… I want You and only You.” They always say, “I want this, I want that.” In fact this is no devotion at all. When one asks only for Parama Puruśa, this is the true devotion, parábhakti.” (4)
[5] Cakor / Chakor Bird: The red-legged Bartavelle bird or Greek Partridge that seems to subsist on moonlight alone. All night long the cakor bird looks and stares at the moon - wanting to soak up and drink each and every ounce of moonlight. It is completely linked with the moon (vidhu). That is why it is said that the cakor bird has a deeply loving relation with the moon. In the above composition of Prabhat Samgiita, the bhakta is compared to the cakor and Parama Purusa is likened to the moon.
References
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 1, Devotion
2. Ananda Vacanrtam - 14, Acoustic Roots
3. Subhasita Samgraha - 24, p.97
4. Ananda Marga Ideology & Way of Life - 11, Taking the Opposite Stance in Battle
== Section 3: Links ==
Recent postings
Other topics of interest
