Baba
How to kill one’s bhakti
Namaskar,
At various organisational meetings, some Wts speak openly about service in the following ways:
#1: We should engage in some work or activity so that we feel good about ourselves.
#2: If we do not do something, then how will our seniors and supervisors be pleased.
Such Wts clearly state these should be the motivating factors to serve. Now it is our duty to contemplate and consider how far this approach is good or bad.
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For performing true service
Since Baba is our Polestar, we should always reference His directives for moving ahead. First and foremost, Baba guides us to perform actions and serve others in a selfless manner - where we do not incur any samskaras. Baba outlines three ways to achieve this.
Ananda Marga ideology states, "There are three processes for attaining freedom from the bondage of action: (a) relinquishing any desire for the fruits of action, or Phalákámkśá Tyága, (b) abandoning the vanity of performing an act, or Kartrtvábhimána Tyága, and (c) surrendering all actions unto Brahma. All of these have to be followed in the individual life, [so] it must be kept in mind that they all have to be strictly observed." [1]
In Baba's above guideline, having vanity for an action is best exemplified when a person starts touting how, "I did this, or I did that" etc. In their self-centered manner, they are very quick to brag to others about their performance, and take credit for particular works. The notion of surrendering to Brahma is described in this next teaching.
Ananda Marga ideology states, "Ideate that every action is performed by Brahma. Such actions will not be called our own. The actions have been performed by Brahma alone and their consequences, whether good or bad, will be born by Brahma alone. In that case we have no separate identity." [2]
By adhering to Baba's above tenets, we can best serve others, and not drown in bhavasagar, a.k.a. ocean of samskaras. This is the clear-cut formula.
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Misguided #1: doing to feel good about ourselves
When we compare Baba's stated guideline with what some Wts prescribe, it becomes clear that their motivations directly contravene Baba's teachings. For instance, some Wts state, "We should engage in some work or activity so that we feel good about ourselves." Yet this recommendation goes against all three of Baba's codes.
Remember, Baba says, "(a) relinquishing any desire for the fruits of action." Yet if we follow the advice of such Wts and do actions with the expectation of getting something in return like feeling good, then that goes against Baba's aforementioned teaching. Baba warns us not to desire the fruits (results) of your actions and those Wts explicitly tell to do in order reap the rewards. But that will create a bundle of samskaras.
Baba also guides us to (b) give up feelings of vanity, i.e. the ego-dominated the desire to think that "I did this and I did that"; (c) surrender unto Parama Purusa.
Ananda Marga ideology states, "To ideate that every action is performed by Brahma. Such actions will not be called our own. The actions have been performed by Brahma alone and their consequences, whether good or bad, will be borne by Brahma alone. In that case we have no separate identity." [3]
But here again, what those Wts tell us to do - i.e. serve for ego satisfaction etc - then that goes against both of Baba's aforementioned guidelines. All three of Baba's guidelines are cast aside by such Wts. And that will create a bundle of samskaras.
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Misguided #2: doing to please top dadas etc
Now let's compare the second motivation give by some Wts. Those Wts appeal, "If we do not do something, then how will our seniors and supervisors be pleased."
Yet this suggestion by our Wts also goes against all three of Baba's guidelines. Because by doing to please top Wts it means that we are doing with a particular selfish desire in mind; it means that we are doing guided by feelings of vanity - “I did this, and I did that”; and, it means we are doing to satisfy certain unit beings instead of selflessly surrendering those actions to Parama Purusa. Here again, all three of Baba's guidelines are disregarded.
All this begs the question how some Wts are making recommendations and living in such a way where they go against Guru. What has influenced them and pulled them off of the path. After all, they are avadhutas and have supposedly given up everything for the great cause of Ananda Marga ideology, yet here we see that their own recommendations go directly against Guru's expressed teaching.
As we look around it seems such Wts may have been affected by the general society - or what else could be the reason.
How the world is functioning these days
Let's examine the common trend nowadays. Due to the mass propagation of the self-centered philosophy of materialism, there is an increase in an ego-oriented outlook. This is evident in so many avenues of present day society. General citizens often act out of extreme self-satisfaction - for the sake of their own ego and entertainment.
Afterwards they may brag about their own "greatness". They announce to others about how they did top-level social service. In turn, they feel good and gain prestige. This is the on-going trend. Doing for self-satisfaction means that the mind is wrapped around its own ego and is getting smaller and smaller as one thinks only about their own petty self. Thus it is very constricting and goes directly against the entire ethic of tantra which stands for psychic expansion.
Here below Baba clearly demonstrates the mindset of those who perform actions solely for name and fame, not to selflessly serve others
Ananda Marga ideology states, "Suppose a certain man donates one thousand rupees to a particular institution. The next day he looks anxiously for his name in the newspaper. If his name does not appear in the paper, then with an air of conceit he brags amongst his kith and kin. “I have donated a thousand rupees, but I do not desire recognition and therefore I have not published my name in the paper.” The desire for fame exists in a concealed form in that man’s mind. Clearly, he did not make the donation with the spirit of service." [4]
Baba guides us that this approach is devoid of the real spirit of service. Unfortunately, that is the overall approach nowadays. People are dominated by ego satisfaction, tragically. And it looks like some Wts have adopted this very tactic. Why else would some Wts give the recommendation to, "engage in some work or activity so that we feel good about ourselves" etc.
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Conclusion
In our Ananda Marga way of life, the entire spirit of service is based on selflessness, humility, and cosmic ideation. That is our outlook and motivation towards all our service projects. It is unhealthy and degrading to succumb to the lowly desire of doing for one's own self-satisfaction etc. That is wholly against Guru's mandate.
Namaskar,
In Him,
Kalyan Sundar
~ In-depth study ~
Service should be God-centered
Here then it is important to once again review Baba's special guideline.
Ananda Marga ideology states, "It is incorrect to say that merely doing good deeds is enough: People must hold an object of ideation in their minds. And that supreme object of ideation is Parama Purus'a. Only then if some good action is performed will it be successful. Now if one wants to do some good deed excluding Parama'tma' that will not be a good deed. This will be sheer selfishness on your part, and nothing good can come from it." [5]
How to serve ideating on Parama Purusa
To do work with the sole purpose and motive of pleasing Parama Purusa is the greatest thing; that is the only good work. And by His grace true devotees do like this. There is no other way.
Ananda Marga ideology states, "When you perform acts with the ideation that the person served is Na'ra'yan'a, there is no possibility of arrogance or the desire for fame growing in your mind. Then you will realize that through the grace of Na'ra'yan'a you have been given the opportunity of serving Na'ra'yan'a. Our hands and feet are not ours, they are His, and by serving Himself with those hands and feet, He sports with Himself. Such an action is an action without attachment. Only in this way can one attain salvation from the bondage of Karmaphala." [6]
Ananda Vanii states, "Knowing oneself is the real knowledge; serving all with the ideation of Na'ra'yan'a, the real action, and the vow to please Parama Purus'a the real devotion." [7]
Ananda Marga ideology states, "Spiritual aspirants must be ever-vigilant to ensure that new reactive momenta do not enter their vásanábháńda [pot of desires]. Through proper Cosmic ideation (Brahmacarya), sádhakas can keep their vásanábhánd́a filled with the ideation of Consciousness. They may have to undergo their past saḿskáras, but because they constantly ideate on the Supreme, no new bundle of saḿskáras will be created. Moreover their old saḿskáras will be exhausted more quickly." [8]
Every action begets a reaction
Ananda Marga ideology states, "Whenever the mind supports an action, it then remains subject to distortion by those actions. The normal state of one’s psychic flow is disturbed, be it righteous or unrighteous."
"According to the laws of nature, another type of karmabhoga [experience of requitals] must be undergone in order to restore the mind to its normal state. If the original action is righteous, then one must undergo the good consequences of such righteous action, and if the original action is unrighteous, one has to reap the adverse consequences of such an action."
Ná bhuktam' kśiiyate karma kalpakot́i shataerapi"There is no escape even if one performs a good action. One has to return again and again to this earth in order to reap the auspicious consequences of such actions." [9]
Avasyameva bhoktavyaḿ krtaḿ karma shubháshubham.
Jávannakśiiyate karma shubhaiṋcá shubhamevaca
Tábanna jáyate mokśo nrńám kalpashataerapi.
Yatha louhamayae páshae páshae svarńamayaerapi
Tathábaddho bhavejjivo karmáviscá shubhae shubhae.
Baba's warning: good actions just as binding
Ananda Marga ideology states, "Until the actions, whether good or bad are annihilated, human beings cannot attain salvation or Mokśa. Can the gold chain be looser and less torturing than the iron chain to someone in bondage? Similarly, the bondage of bad actions is exactly as tight as the bondage of good actions."
Nábhuktam' kśiiyate karma kalpakot́ishataerapiAnanda Marga ideology states, "Therefore, for salvation or emancipation, it is necessary to be liberated from the bondage of Saḿskáras." [10]
Avashyameva bhoktavyaḿ krtaḿ karma shubháshubham
Ananda Marga ideology states, "An original action begets a certain reaction, and simultaneously brings one within the bondage of actions. Unless those bondages are broken, the microcosms will have to keep moving in a cycle of action and reaction – they will have to be reborn again and again on this earth." [11]
Only escape: surrender to Parama Purusa
Ananda Marga ideology states, "Now, those who advocate the supremacy of the doctrine of action should remember that only the performance of good deeds is not enough: one will have to be ready to undergo the reactions of good actions. After undergoing the reactions one will again have to come down on earth. And one will not always do only good deeds: bad deeds may also be performed. So one has to keep grinding along the cycle of actions and reactions, which seems to have no end. Yudhiśt́hir once said, “When I perform some deed, I do not expect any result: I surrender everything to Parama Puruśa.” That is, “I perform the deeds but I do not expect the results thereof – I immediately surrender the results of my actions. I am prepared to undergo the bad reactions of my bad deeds, but I do not wish to enjoy the good fruits of my good deeds: I offer those to Parama Puruśa.”" [12]
References
1. Subhasita Samgraha - 1, Actions and Their Results
2. Subhasita Samgraha - 1, Actions and Their Results
3. Subhasita Samgraha - 1, Actions and Their Results
4. Subhasita Samgraha - 1, Yajiṋa and Karmaphala
5. 26 Feb '71, Jammu
6. Subhasita Samgraha - 1, Yajiṋa and Karmaphala
7. Ananda Vanii #25
8. Ananda Marga Ideology & Way of Life - 9, The Science of Action
9. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 10, The Witness-ship of Parama Puruśa Is of Supreme Importance
10. Subhasita Samgraha - 1, Actions and Their Results
11. Subhasita Samgraha - 12, How an Ideal Person Should Live
12. Subhasita Samgraha - 12, How an Ideal Person Should Live
* * *
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 ==
Bhakta of A-grade
Prabhata Samgiita Intro: This song reflects A-grade bhakti. The sadhaka was intensely involved in contemplation, and Parama Purusa was present in a close and intimate manner. But then Parama Purusa left the bhakta’s mental plate. In that desperate and painful condition, with deep melancholic longing, the sadhaka is yearning for Parama Purusa to come back. From the depths of the bhakta’s heart, this song has emerged.
Note: Only those who sincerely practice the higher lessons of sahaja yoga meditation can understand this song in the depths of their heart.
"Varaśár ráte niirave nibhrite, bandhuá giyáche more phele, more phele o go more phele..." (Prabhat Samgiita #0360)
Purport:
On a torrential rainy night, silently my Bandhuá deserted me, O' how He has deserted me, O' how He has deserted me. That very time, in the midst of rain-filled clouds and menacing lightning, before leaving my Bandhuá was coaxing and cajoling me with various excuses. He was trying to convince me that He would come back soon.
He is my Bandhuá. He, my pearl-necklace, has deserted me. He has left me, wringing my heart to its core. What a tragedy has befallen me. Today, amidst lightning strikes, what a calamity has unfolded before my very eyes. It is a great disappointment and tragedy. My Dearmost has disappeared in the midnight hour of this terrible stormy night torched by lightning bolts and left me all alone
He has gone, devastating my heart. Day and night, every moment, I think of Him – always I meditate on Him. O’ tell me, whether He will return again?
Note for Prabhat Samgiita #0360:
[1] Torrential rainy night or stormy night: This refers to a time of worldly tragedy or a period of bad sadhana.
[2] Bandhuá: বঁধু, বঁধুয়া - ban̐dhu, ban̐dhuẏa - [ban̐dhu, ban̐dhuẏā] n (poet.)
In the above song, the bhakta is expressing how his Divine Entity has left him. Yet. all the while, the very entity the bhakta is communicating with is Parama Purusa. But the bhakta is unaware because Parama Purusa has come to Him in a disguised manner. The bhakta is referring to Parama Purusa as Bandhua - a very intimate relation.
== Section 3: Important Teaching ==
Our irredeemable debts
Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, “Four kinds of debt are irredeemable – debt to father, debt to mother, debt to ácárya, and debt to guru (divine debt)."
"(a) The only way to do service to one's father after his death is to help every male member of the universe to progress on the path of highest development."
"(b) The only way to do service to one's mother after her death is to help every female member of the universe to progress on the path of highest development."
"(c) The best service to the ácárya is to work for the comfort and benefit of one's ácárya and his/her family."
"(d) The best service to Márga Guru is to work according to His wishes. But however much service one renders, one will not redeem the four debts until Mokśa (salvation) is attained.” (1)
Reference
1. Caryacarya, Part 2, Society, Point #20
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Will we watch sitting quietly with folded arms
Prout philosophy states, “Now, suppose a man seems to have good relations with his neighbours, but it becomes apparent that he is about to murder his wife, what should be the duty of the neighbours? Will they remain tight-lipped, sit quietly with their arms folded, and dismiss the situation as purely a domestic affair, thereby making the murder of the woman easier, and thus assist in establishing static peace? No, that is not the dictum of human dharma. On the contrary they should rush to the house, break down the door, save the woman, take suitable action against the male tyrant, and in this way come forward to establish sentient peace.” (1)
Note: The above Proutistic teaching applies to both individual live and collective life. Wherever there is an injustice, then there must be an intervention, either by the neighbouring family, or the neighbouring country. Sitting quietly and biding the time while a wrongdoing is unfolding is not our way. According to Prout, it is the bounden duty of every right-thinking individual and government to jump into action.
Reference
1. Problems of the Day, Point #15
== Section 4: Links ==
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