~ Baba ~
DECEASED PERSON CANNOT BE GURU
Namaskar,
The top-most ideal in the life of any sadhaka is to realise that, "Parama Purusa is always with me." To live with this feeling firmly established in the mind is to be a true spiritualist. That is Baba's
teaching.
As we know, devotion is everything for an aspirant; and devotion means always feeling that "Parama Purusa is with me."
Sadguru says, "When devotion is there, Parama Purus'a is there." (1)
So cultivating devotion and feeling His loving internal presence is the central theme of our life. That is what we are to strive for.
BABA'S MAIN TEACHING ON THIS EARTH
If we take a moment to review Baba's physical presence on this earth, we can easily see that this is also one of the main things He wanted to teach us - that He is always with us.
Behind His reporting sessions, behind His loving scoldings & corrections, behind His pointing out, behind His Dharma Samiiksa, and behind His so many demonstrations was the inherent idea that, "I (Baba) am always with you." That was what Parama Purusa Baba was graciously showing us.
Because in all those circumstances, all-knowing Baba was practically teaching us that even when He was not physically next to us, even then He was aware of our each and every thought, word, and deed.
How many times would a margii arrive from Brazil or Hong Kong, or how often would a WT come from their posting in Bombay etc, and in step-wise fashion omniscient Baba would recount all the details of their long and arduous journey, or some other event in their life - that they felt only they knew.
This was all-knwoing Baba's unique way of saying, "I am not limited to this physical body, always I reside in your heart & mind. I am always with you-- caring for you."
This idea Baba has repeated in hundreds of discourses. And in His practical life, in countless ways Baba has taught this ideal: That He remains with us - wherever we go, in whatever circumstance we are in.
"Pure shete yah sah purus'ah, that is, 'The witness-ship that lies quiescent in every entity is the purus'a'." (2)
SOME REALISE & SOME NOT
Those who, by His grace, realise this ideal feel Baba's presence in sadhana and understand that His physical presence was just an external manifestation, and not the whole of who Baba is.
Naturally then when they sit for sadhana then they feel internally linked with Baba, by His grace.
Unfortunately, today there are some who claim, directly or indirectly, that omnipresent Baba is gone. This is a result of their thinking that Baba was just a physical person on this earth, like so many others. So they mistakenly conclude that since 1990 Baba is gone, just like every other person who left this earth.
But we must not support or encourage this false notion, as that undermines Parama Purusa Baba's magnanimous and eternal presence and is detrimental to one's own spiritual progress.
INHEREENT CONTRADICTION FOR FOLLOWERS OF MPD
For those who follow so-called mahaprayan, i.e. annual death ceremony, there is an inherent contradiction. On the one side they observe the death ceremony and think He is gone; and, on the other side, they think that Baba is Guru. But when an entity is non-existent & He is no more, then how can He guide others on path of liberation. Those who are followers of MPD should think again about what they are doing.
NOT JUST PHYSICAL
While Baba's physical advent on this earth is so historic and meaningful, it was never meant that we should take His physical body as the totality of His personality. That is why from the very beginning, sadhana was a mandatory practice. Even central workers who were with Baba from morning till night had to sit twice daily for silent meditation.
Indeed, all-knowing Baba's ongoing guidance was that we should seek Him and serve Him within.
For that reason He has given kiirtan, dhyana, first lesson, madhuvidya and so many other teachings and practices. To realise His presence inside.
Plus in Prabhat Samgiita Baba has described the sheer futility of trying to find Parama Purusa in the external world.
Vane upavane khu’nijiya’ khu’nijiya’
Kona kha’ne tava dekha’ na’ pa’i...
A'ja bujila'ma manete rayecho...
Ba'hira vishve khunjiya' khunjiya'
Ka’chera du’re pa't'ha'te ca'i (PS #1082)
O' Parama Purusa I am searching for You in the forest and in the gardens
I could not see you anywhere
O' Parama Purusa Baba, by Your exquisite grace, today I understand that You are remaining in my mind
Those searching You in the external world
Want to send You from close to far
So even when in physical form, Baba was describing that the only way to truly get Him was to seek Him within.
Furthermore, He put forth the warning those seeking Him externally would not only not find Him, but would push Him far, far away.
"Du'r'a't sudure: if people think that Parama Purus'a is far from them, then He is very, very far. Du'ra means far and sudu'ra means so far that the human mind cannot even imagine it." (3)
NOTHING HAS CHANGED SINCE 1990
Hence for those involved in sadhana, nothing has changed since 1990. Because the way to get Him has remained the same. He remains eternally in the heart and mind. In Ananda Marga, by His grace, sadhakas understand that it was just His liila that He physically manifested Himself on this earth. But always He is with us - in our the mind and heart of every bhakta.
That is why in Ananda Marga there is not a new Guru. On most paths a successor is named to be the new guru. But in Ananda Marga Parama Purusa Himself is the Guru; and when He is always with us, then there is no question of there being any second or third guru.
Thus the same inner link that was present before 1990 is the same as today and will be tomorrow. And it is this link - the devotional reality that He is always with us - that we should cultivate each and every breath, each and every moment we are alive. That is how we are to find Him.
Across so many discourses, reporting sessions, songs, and PC's, there is one main thing that Baba wants to teach us: That He is always with us and the path of devotion means to realise Him and live with the awareness that He resides eternally in our mind and heart.
HE IS ALWAYS WITH YOU - WATCHING YOU - HELPING YOU
"He is the witness of all the worlds, all the deeds done in this universe. Nothing is secret for Him. You cannot do anything nor think anything without being witnessed by Him. If anyone says, 'I am not being witnessed by anybody,' He will be witnessing this utterance. So as the witnessing Entity He is always with you. This is the greatest assurance, because when you know that He is with you, your mental strength will increase a thousand-fold, because He is always with you to help you...you are never alone, you are never weak, you are never helpless. So the duty of a perfect human being, the duty of a spiritual aspirant is always to remember this supreme truth - that one is never alone, one is always with Supreme Father. He will always help you." (4)
"When your mind will develop the knowledge that Paramátmá is watching us all the time, you will be in dhruvá smrti. Here psycho-spiritual knowledge will be converted into spiritual knowledge." (5)
HE SEES YOU IN YOUR MEDITATION
"Parama Puruśa looks deep into the inner thoughts and feelings of human beings. He is omniscient, forever watching throughout the creation those who are meditating upon Him with undivided attention, and those who have been patiently waiting with an unwavering mind to realize Him." (6)
IDEATE ON HIM AND BECOME VAST
"The unit beings that have been in possession of the Cosmic Mind in part and that have been progressing within It, are also conscious of their smallness and this very sense of smallness is their individuality – unit-hood. Sádhaná or intuitional practice means an effort to break through the barrier of this smallness. " (7)
BABA'S BLESSING
"Parama Purus'a, the Supreme Father, is always with you and you are never alone." (8)
Do you really think that Baba is no more...
Namaskar,
at His lotus feet,
Chandramohan Deva
OUR SANSKRIT NAMES & USE OF THE DEVA SUFFIX
"At the time of initiation or shortly afterwards, those who do not have a Sanskrit name should be given one by the ácárya/á. The word deva should be suffixed to the name...the more the usage of deva as a title, the better it is. The Sanskrit name should be used in all worldly dealings." (9)
"Casteism is a burden on the Hindu society. All the year round they preach casteism but on the polling days they decry it. This is wholly undesirable. It is better to avoid all titles. Titles signify the caste. If casteism is to be wiped out, it is incumbent to discard the titles. It is commendable if everyone adopts uniformity on title – Deva. Persons using a particular word more often will influence their minds with the meaning of that word. People are reluctant to use the word dása because this word signifies slavery. Whenever the so-called low caste people catch an opportunity, they declare themselves as belonging to the so-called elevated caste, etc. It is an ideal to become deva and for this reason Deva title should be adopted."
"Titles of the present society have undergone considerable changes during the past fifty years, the cause being that everyone aspires to pertain to an elevated caste. The so-called Shúdras also use the sacred thread. This is only an effort towards the concealment of one’s identity. By this means, they conceal only their disregarded status. This is to be regretted. It is consequent on social debility that they harbour the desire for changes in their situations. It is out and out purposeless to convene All-India Conferences or particular castes. All of them desire to assert and establish their rights. This is simply misuses of energy and money."
"The consent of those embraced must be sought for before renaming them in Saḿskrta. Language has got nothing to do with religion and as such, there is no reason for anybody depreciating the use of Saḿskrta. In this connection it may be added that the great emperor Aurangzeb used the term sudhárasa (juice of nectar) for mango (original Saḿskrta term for mango is ámra) and saddharma for Islam." (10)
REFERENCES
1. (SS-20) 'Astitva and Shivatva'
2. Ananda Sutram, 1-1
3. SS-11, p. 65
4. Istanbul, 1979
5. SS-18, Knowledge and Human Progress
6. APH-5, Integral and Non-Integral Outlook
7. Subhasita Samgraha - 2, The Intuitional Science of the Vedas – 4
8. AV-12
9. Caryacarya-1
10. Tattvika Diipika, 5th part, Ánanda Púrńimá 1957
