Why the uproar if Mamta Kulkarni becomes Mahamandleshwar? There are many examples like Ganika, Ajamil, Amrapali in Sanatan

Mahamandaleshwar Mamata – File Photo

Sanatan talks about including everyone in everyone. It is beyond sects, beliefs, and faiths. The biggest concept in Sanatan is to give opportunity. The definition of this ‘opportunity’ is very big. If we understand it in simple words, Sanatan says that if a person who has committed a sin understands that what he did was a sin and he really repents for it, then he must be given a new ‘opportunity’.

Actress Mamta Kulkarni was in the news a lot in the past days. Actually, in Prayagraj Maha Kumbh, Mamta Kulkarni took initiation in Kinnar Akhara in full ritual and then the Akhara made her Mahamandaleshwar immediately. She performed Pinddaan, took a bath in Sangam, then her Pattabhishek took place and she was made Mahamandaleshwar. As soon as Mamta Kulkarni became Mahamandaleshwar, many questions started arising.
The question is whether Mamta Kulkarni can take initiation from Kinnar Akhara? The question is also whether Mamta Kulkarni’s initiation holds any importance in real sense? Along with this, her old songs and videos also started trending. The question was that shouldn’t there be any kind of qualification test to become or make someone Mahamandleshwar? Since Mamta Kulkarni is not just an actress, she has had connections with gangsters and she has also stayed out of the country in this connection, so these questions were serious.

Sanatan talks about including everyone
Actually Sanatan talks about including everyone in everyone. It is beyond sect, opinion, beliefs. The biggest concept in Sanatan is to give opportunity. The explanation of this ‘opportunity’ is very big. If we understand it in simple words, Sanatan says that if a person who has committed a sin understands that what he did was a sin and he really repents for it, then he must be given a new ‘opportunity’.

The biggest beauty of Sanatan is the matter of giving ‘opportunity’
Sanatan is very flexible in terms of opportunities, it gives many opportunities one after the other. If we look at it in stories, then it can be understood from the example of demon Hiranyakashyap. He made many attempts to kill Prahlad. He could not succeed in any of them, but after every attempt, he was given an opportunity to understand the truth. In the end also he did not understand and its limit increased a lot, then he was killed in the Narasimha avatar.

Shishupala also got 100 chances to improve

Similarly, it can be understood from the example of Shishupal. Shri Krishna kept forgiving his 100 mistakes, but when he reached 101, then Krishna killed him. This ‘opportunity’ is the beauty of Sanatan. One secret of this beauty of opportunity is that, these opportunities do not last only for one birth, but their series continues for birth after birth. The simple meaning is that Sanatan is not related to the body, but to the soul. It is a medium to purify the soul.

What does Chandogya Upanishad say?

It is written in Chandogya Upanishad that ‘vikaravarti cha tatha hi sthitimaah’. This quote means ‘the soul which is free from the disorders of birth and death, which finally becomes Brahma itself and remains situated in Brahma.’ This quote of Upanishad talks about purity and purification of the soul in every way. This purity and purification does not come in one birth, sometimes it takes many births and Sanatan gives these opportunities for many births.

After all, why should Mamta Kulkarni not get a chance?

Now if we look at Sanatan itself, it asks us that on this basis, should Mamta Kulkarni not have got the opportunity? It is possible that she is really on the path of sannyas and initiation. Without walking on that path, how could this question be raised that her initiation is just a ‘pretense’. If there is no truth in their initiation then it will come out in the open, but Sanatan considers any kind of prejudice (forming a preconceived notion) as a sinful act.
See the power of Sanatan in Meera’s bhajan

मन रे परसि हरि के चरण।

सुभग सीतल कंवल कोमल,त्रिविध ज्वाला हरण।

जिण चरण प्रहलाद परसे, इंद्र पदवी धरण।।

जिण चरण ध्रुव अटल कीन्हे, राख अपनी सरण।

जिण चरण ब्रह्मांड भेट्यो, नखसिखां सिर धरण।।

जिण चरण प्रभु परसि लीने, तेरी गोतम घरण।

जिण चरण कालीनाग नाथ्यो, गोप लीला-करण।।

जिण चरण गोबरधन धारयो, गर्व मघवा हरण।

दासि मीरा लाल गिरधर, अगम तारण तरण।।

Talk of ‘opportunity’ in Saint Tulsidas’ Kabitaavali

Similarly, when Saint poet Tulsidas writes Kabitaavali, he calls Shri Ram as his Sahib and while describing the glory of that Sahib, he mentions many such incidents related to him, where he gave just one opportunity to a person who was unrighteous and sinful in every way and he took full advantage of that opportunity. As a result of which he got salvation. In Sanatan tradition, his name is now taken with respect.

अपराध अषाध भये जान तें अपने उर आनत नाहिंन जू,

गणिका-गज-गीध-अजामिल के गनि पातक-पुंज सिराहिं न जू.

लिवे वारक नाम सुधाम दियो, जेहि धाम महामुनि जाहिं  न जू,

तुलसी भजु दीनदयालुहि रे, रघुनाथ अनाथहि दाहिन जू.  

The view of Sanatan to include everyone is not hollow, rather it is described in many examples and contexts in the Puranas. Meera has a bhajan in which she says, O mind, meditate on the feet of Hari. Dhruv got the supreme position in childhood by meditating on those feet and God himself appeared from the pillar to make the words of an innocent child like Prahlad true. Those feet tamed Kaliya Nag and Govardhan got a chance to touch those feet and he became greater than the mountain king Himalaya. All sins are destroyed by meditating on those feet just once, so just do it once, but meditate on the holy feet of Hari from the heart.

Tulsidas writes that Lord Shri Ram is so kind to the poor that even if a servant commits a grave crime, he does not get angry with him and does not turn his face away from him. He praised the Ganika, Gaj, Vulture and Ajamil even after counting their sins or forgetting their sins in a moment and sending them to a place where even sages cannot reach. Tulsidas says that O mind, that is why worship the kind Raghunath who is always with every orphan.

Those four names, who got salvation with just one chance
Saint Tulsi has mentioned four names in this Kabitaavali. Ganika, Gaj, Vulture and Ajamil. Out of these, everyone knows the story of Gaj. Who fought with a crocodile and when he started losing, he called Narayan with a lotus flower. Lord Vishnu killed the crocodile and saved the elephant. Similarly, Vulture. Whose name was Jatayu and Shri Ram himself performed his last rites. In this way, he also got salvation.

Who was Ajamil, who got the status of the greatest devotee

Now two names remain, Ajamil and Ganika. Actually, the story of Ajamil and Ganika is the saga of telling the importance of ‘opportunity’ in Sanatan. This story is described in Bhagwat Purana like this, that there was a Brahmin in the ancient Kanyakubj city. His son Ajamil was endowed with all virtues and was a scholar. In his youth, he got spoiled by the bad company of some of his friends and turned away from religion. His father started getting very upset with him.

Ajamil, who is surrounded by the messengers of death in his last moments. (Photo AI)
Ajamil had become adulterous after straying from religion

Ajamil wasted all the wealth earned by his father’s virtue on alcohol and prostitution. He even abandoned his wife and brought a prostitute home. He had 9 children from this prostitute and when she became pregnant for the tenth time, Ajamil’s father was counting his last breaths. He called Ajamil to him and said that although you did not obey me in your whole life, but listen to one thing. When your tenth child is born from this prostitute’s womb, name him Narayan. Saying this, his father breathed his last.

Ajamil’s tenth child’s name was Narayan

As per his father’s wish, Ajamil named his tenth child Narayan. Narayan was the youngest, so Ajamil loved him very much. Love for a child is anyway of pure emotion. Therefore, there was no fault in Ajamil’s love for ‘Narayan’. Slowly time passed, youth went away, and old age came. Now was the time when Ajamil had become old and was counting his last breaths. During this time, he had to call his son Narayan for every work.

How did Ajamil become free from sins?

The day of Ajamil’s death came and he felt as if four dreadful messengers of death had come to take him. He screamed loudly out of fear… ‘Narayan…’ He called Narayan many times at the last moment and the effect of this was that by calling Narayan from the heart, he became free from all his sins.

Story of a courtesan named Pingla

Similarly, there is a story of a courtesan in Bhagwat. The word ‘Calling’ has been used for a prostitute at many places. There was a courtesan named Pingla, who was very beautiful. Her job was to seduce men and take money from them, but how long could this continue. Her age passed and she and her admirers started moving away from her. After a few days, a saint came to her door. Pingla welcomed the saint and after the meal, the saint came to know that Pingla was a prostitute. She asked the saint for a way to get rid of her sins.

The courtesan got salvation just by hearing the name of Ram
The sage told her that there is only one mantra for salvation, the name of Ram, which I cannot give you, but the saint gave a parrot to the courtesan and said that if she teaches it to chant the name of Ram, then she will get rid of all her sins. After the saint left, the courtesan started teaching the parrot to say the name of Ram with all her heart. She tried many times, but the parrot did not say Ram. One day she cried while teaching it. By crying she became pure in every sense and while teaching the parrot she herself learnt to chant Ram’s name. This destroyed the sins of the prostitute. By the time the end came, the prostitute’s voice had gone, during this time the parrot said Ram-Ram Ram, after listening to which the prostitute got salvation and she became free from sins.