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

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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.

The story of the courtesan is also found in Shivpuran

A story of the courtesan is also found in Shivpuran. It is said that a courtesan was very strict about rules. Her rule was that she would stay with only one master at a time, no matter how much money anyone offered, she would not go to anyone else. Once a merchant came to her. He was a devotee of Shiva. The merchant bought the courtesan for six months, then he said, I do not want to stay with you. I am going to a faraway country for business, but during this time I will not be able to worship my Lord Shiva in the proper way.

Saying this, he placed a beautiful Shivling made of ruby ​​in front of the courtesan. I want that I am your master for six months and during this time you worship Lord Shiva in the proper way and protect me. If any damage is caused to the Shivling, then I will also die by lying on the pyre. Saying this, the merchant went away.

During this time many big lovers tried to buy the prostitute, but the prostitute remained firm on her rule and she took care of the Shivling as per the merchant’s instructions and kept worshipping it as per the rituals. A few days before the merchant was about to return, a fire broke out in the prostitute’s house. The Shivling also burned in the fire. When the merchant returned, he asked the prostitute for the Shivling, but she could not find where to bring it from. The poor lady was left regretting.

The prostitute jumped into the pyre with the merchant

The next day, as per his vow, the merchant prepared the pyre and lay down in it. The prostitute saw that the sun had not set yet and till today he is my master. So she also jumped into the pyre with the merchant to be burnt. In a short while it was seen that there was no fire, but those flames had turned into yellow-coloured flowers and in place of the merchant, Mahadev himself was standing. The Tridev appeared there, showering flowers.

Lord Vishnu gave the Ganika the honour of becoming a holy river
Mahadev praised the Ganika’s vow and made her eligible for salvation. Lord Vishnu also gave a boon that she will flow as the Gandaki river and the stones found in her will be called my form Shaligram. This was the story of Ganika and a beautiful example of the beauty of assimilation of Sanatan, where there is no question mark on anyone’s belief, no question, it teaches that first the person who accepts should be allowed to adopt it, then he should be given a chance to walk on this path. This is the most important method of change in the world.

When the royal dancer Amrapali embraced Buddhism

If we look beyond the mythological tales, we find a similar example of Amrapali in Buddhist religion and literature. Amrapali, who was the courtesan of Vaishali, was a famous dancer and was the royal dancer of the Lichchhavi republic. There was a time when the beauty of the royal dancer could shake the foundation of the Lichchhavi republic. It was only Amrapali who kept all the federal regions of this republic together. Amrapali called it a cursed constitution. She spent at least 30 years with this system and then, fed up with it, she thought of taking refuge in Buddha.

Buddhist monks opposed it, but Buddha included her in the Sangha

Although when she moved towards the Sangha, the Buddhist monks opposed it, but Buddha, who had not even included his wife Yashodhara in the Sangha, included Amrapali in the Buddhist Sangha after this incident and called her Ambapali. Amrapali cut off her hair, because of which the kings of seven districts were attracted to her. She gave up makeup and jewellery. She threw away her silk clothes and wore the attire of an ascetic. Now she did not have any make-up, whatever she had was natural.

Amrapali became a Buddhist nun and spread Buddhism.

These stories, these incidents and these sagas tell us that Sanatan is a fact and method which cannot be spoilt by anyone. This is the eternal truth and the closer one comes to this truth, the more true he emerges under its influence. It will be interesting to see how well Mamta Kulkarni is able to prove herself as Mahamandleshwar. But opposing her is against Sanatan Dharma.