Blind friend
Namaskar,
As sadhakas, it is our bounden duty to guide one and all along the path of dharma. Regardless of who they are, no matter whether their need is physical, psychic, or spiritual, every sadhaka has the duty to serve and goad others along the path of righteousness. Thus, when we see anyone acting against our moral principles we should intervene in a psychological and appropriate manner, and steer them towards the path of benevolence. By this way, we are fulfilling our moral duty and helping society grow strong. Naturally, we have been put on this earth to serve one and all, whether we know them personally or not.
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It is one step more that we have the responsibility / duty to guide our closer persons and friends when we see them behaving in an antisocial or degrading manner. And that is the main theme of this letter.
Draw the line in lending your support
People inherently feel respect and gratitude for those who help them in their time of need. They consider that person a great friend, one whom they deeply revere and trust. Out of love and affection, they honour that friendship by lending their support in all aspects of life, even in anti-social deeds. This is natural animal psychology; this is the way most ordinary people conduct themselves. If someone does them a favour, they pledge their loyalty and support in return.
However, we all have to consider how far this approach is really viable, healthy, and beneficial. Throughout history, and today as well, there are cases which stand as clear-cut examples when we should draw the line and no longer support a devilish friend. Even then, due to their strong sentimental attachment, innocent people get led down the wrong road due to their undying allegiance to certain devilish friends. And, in result, they have to face the repercussions. We should all familiarize ourselves with this problem and know the way out, lest we suffer terrible consequences of sin.
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Present day examples of simple [animal] morality
In their naivete and respect, many inside and outside of AMPS fall into the same category and meet a similar sin as Karna, as explained throughout this letter.
(A) Suppose a young man, Tom, was drowning or being beaten up on the street and someone came along and rescued Tom from his plight. Then naturally Tom will hold that person in high regard for having saved him. Tom will revere him as a great friend. Even if that great friend does something wrong like child kidnapping, Tom will not oppose his friend. Rather, Tom will become embroiled in those heinous affairs and even get arrested one day. All because of Tom’s desire to be true to his friend.
(B) A man comes forward to help a poor family in need, and in response that poor family will forever sing the praises of that man regardless of what tasteless and harmful acts he does. That man may cheat on his wife or beat his children, but all the while that poor family will keep mum, only remembering how that man came forward and helped them in their moment of need. What they do not realise though is that by keeping mum, they become party to his sins. Anyone familiar with Baba's teachings on pratyavaya understands well that prakrti will not spare that poor family for their inaction.
So under no circumstances should we support any friend who is acting against the spirit of collective welfare. Certainly in our day to day life - at school, at our jobs, in our neighborhood or community, and in our Marga - we have seen such cases where out of their undying friendship, naive people either get caught up in misdeeds or fail to come forward and do the right thing. So we should all be careful.
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We should properly guide those wrongdoers
Due to their sentimental feeling, people can sometimes get confused and justify that, "This is my friend so I must support them." Such is the misguided manner of simple [animal] morality. Baba guides us that we are to do something different when we see one of our friends going against the collective interest and welfare of society. At that point we have to be strong and say, "Dear friend, I have deep respect for you. You have helped me a lot. But you must not do these things. It is my duty to tell you that what you are doing is not good. Please, I request you to change your ways." A second avenue is to inspire and convince that friend to adopt a righteous approach.
By this way, one will not get caught up in any wrongdoing, and, one is providing a service to their friend by guiding them away from the path of malevolence and wrongdoing, and offering them a positive approach. This is the way we should proceed. Karna failed to do this and that led to his downfall.
Although, those who have helped and guided us may be in positions of greater power and respect, we have to come forward and clearly tell them they are doing wrong. This is our dharmic duty to help them by steering them away from their nefarious acts. To simply leave their company without trying to help them is an injustice. It may be that our friend or benefactor will not pay heed to our words. Even then we should not give up. With our heartfelt feeling we should request them again to mend their ways.
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If still they refuse, then we have to pursue one of two options:
#1: we will have to walk away from their company;
#2: we should directly oppose them.
So those are the only two options. We should never support them just because we deem them to be a friend who helped in the past.
How this is happening in AMPS these days
Tragically we also see such things happening in AMPS these days as well. Since 1990, out of loyalty and friendship, all kinds of negative things are tolerated and supported. There are some margiis who feel great respect and gratitude to degraded acaryas or other debased workers. Those margiis think, "This Wt initiated me", or "This Wt help me marry off my daughter", or "This WT stood up for me in public", or "This Wt gave me sadhana lessons" etc. There are any number of things that might spark a margii to become sentimentally linked with one Wt of poor conduct and consider him their true friend.
Later, even when this Wt does wrong and goes against the interest of society by tainting Baba’s books, or eliminating Bhukti Pradhan rights, selling ashes of 21st October 1990, or promoting various dogmas etc, still that margii keeps quiet. Blindly adhering to their friendship for that degraded Wt, they mistakenly think that, "I must support that Wt regardless. He is my friend and I shall remain faithful."
Various Wts and margiis are unwilling to oppose certain Wts for their wrongdoing because of their friendly feeling for that degraded Wt. But, in so doing, that margii will one day get directly caught up in those same misdeeds or they will remain a passive bystander. In either case, they are inviting grave consequences, as happened with Karna. Karna paid the ultimate price for blindly following the ways of simple [animal] morality. Here the lesson is that no margii should become party to misdeeds, directly or indirectly, due to their friendship or friendly association with an evil friend etc.
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Note: Animal morality refers to the fact that animals cannot follow a higher moral code; they express whatever happens, good or bad, irrespective of the consequences. That is called animal morality. In contrast, humans are more developed, have viveka, and can utlise their faculty of conscience for the welfare of others. They can say things that really help those in need. That demands a spiritual mind otherwise people are not inclined in this way. Speech for the welfare of others is known as satya, or spiritual morality. According to Baba, animal morality is not the right approach.
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "Strict adherence to spiritual morality may lead to the parting of friends." (1)
Spiritual morality is always victorious
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "Spiritual morality that wins over simple [animal] morality, but common people always commit mistakes on this point. It is never proper to extend support to immoralists." (2)
Even if a degraded Wt has helped us or, initiated us, or opened the local jagrti, no matter how much sentimental feeling we have for that worker, if a Wt gets involved in harming the collective by indulging in gross behaviour like creating Fake Ananda Vaniis, or tainting the BP election process, etc then we should not support that Wt. No matter how much we may consider them to be our friend. Rather as their friend, it is our duty to guide them onto the proper path as far as possible. If really they will not listen, at least we have put forth the proper effort to help them and not supported their wrongful actions.
Unfortunately, due to their sentimental friendship and lack of viveka, a few margiis get bound up in that Wt’s misdeeds. Either they support him directly or they fail to tell him to refrain from such acts. And that is when people get into serious trouble. We should always remember that by directly or indirectly supporting any immoral or heinous act, then we will also will suffer the consequences.
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Ananda Marga ideology says, "However good people may be, they commit some omissional and / or commissional mistakes – some do it knowingly, some unknowingly, but once they commit pa'pa, or sin, they cannot retract those mistakes, they have to suffer, they cannot escape the consequences." (3)
Conclusion
Here it should be understood: (a) do not become like Karna and support wrongdoing just because someone is your dear friend, and (b) do not quietly disassociate yourself from them. The proper way is to cultivate the courage and stamina to verbally guide that person away from their misdeed and bring them onto the right path. If the guilty party cannot mend their ways then at least we tried.
The whole idea is that we should never support those going against collective welfare. Hence we should not support or remain silent with those Wts who taint Baba's teachings, tear down margii rights, ruin Baba's scripture, and other such sins. If we fail to act and support such friends even in a small way, we too will face the consequences. By adhering to dharma, and not gluing ourselves to certain friends, we are bound to be victorious, by His grace.
Namaskar,
In Him,
Sadananda Singh
Historical examples
From a dharmic perspective, in the Mahabharata era, Karna's duty was to vehemently warn Duryodhana of his wrongdoing and not blindly remain in such a friendship. Alternatively, Karna should have guided Duryodhana about what right works that should be done. But Karna did not intercede in either avenue. He did not issue a stern warning to Duryadhana about his sinful dealing, and Karna did not try and teach or convince Duryodhana to adhere to the righteous path. Instead, bound by his sense of flawed morality and blind loyalty, Karna supported and joined Duryodhana in his evil ways and ultimately Karna met his untimely death in the pursuit of a dishonourable cause. Here Baba is guiding us that we should never fall prey to such circumstances. We should not become the 21st century version of Karna. We should not sit idle or actively support friends when they are in the wrong, no matter how much they may have helped us in the past.
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~ In-depth study ~
While, there is a need to address this issue within our Marga family, let's begin by examining one of the most famous cases from the past. Most are aware that during the Mahabharata era, the great warrior Karna was well known for his undying support of the wicked Prince Duryodhana. Here is how it came to pass.
Throughout his life, Karna had been humiliated, mocked, and abused. And in one public competition, he was disqualified and not allowed to participate because of his so-called lowly caste. At that point, Duryodhana stood up in front of all and preached the greatness of Karna. Prince Duryodhana even parceled out a portion of his kingdom to Karna. From that day onwards, Karna gave the evil-minded Duryodhana his everlasting friendship and support.
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "He [Karna] was the most trusted friend of the Kaoravas. He has some striking points of similarity with Bhisma; for example, if someone did some service to him, he [Karna] always remained faithful to him. He followed a code of simple [animal] morality." (4)
Because of Karna's sentimental link and heartfelt feeling for Duryodhana, Karna remained the most ardent and loyal supporter of the evil Duryodhana, irrespective of what ills and misdeeds Duryodhana did. Bhisma, the grandfather was a bit better, as he at least warned the evil Duryodhana of his wrongdoing, though it has to be noted that in the end Bhisma did lend his support. But Karna did not even utter a word of warning to Duryodhana about his sinful and wicked ways; Karna did not try and bring Duryodhana onto the path of dharma.
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Ananda Marga philosophy says, "As Bhisma, the grandfather, had accepted the food and drink of the Kaoravas, he continued to support them. Of course he tried in his own way to change the attitude of Duryodhana, but he didn’t exert pressure on him. Karna did not even try to change Duryodhana’s attitude, much less exert pressure on him." (5)
How simple [animal] morality led to Karna’s demise - 2
Due to his simple [animal] morality and blind loyalty, Karna remained the obedient supporter of Duryodhana up to the very last. For Karna, it did not matter that Duryodhana was blatantly going against the collective well-being of the people. Karna felt indebted to Duryodhana and he pledged his allegiance to Duryodhana regardless of the circumstances. Such was the extent of Karna's simple [animal] morality.
From the day when Duryodhana stood up for Karna in public, Karna gave his everything to Duryodhana even though Duryodhana was going against the spirit of welfare and the greater interest of society. Indeed, even the most devious acts by Duryodhana went without even a hint of opposition from Karna. He supported Duryodhana throughout - all because Duryodhana was his friend. This is what happens when one is guided by simple [animal] morality, not spiritual morality.
However, Sadguru Baba is keen to warn us never to base your allegiance to someone on friendship alone. Rather one should hold oneself up to the code of spiritual morality, not simple [animal] morality.
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Here below is an English summary from Baba’s Hindi discourse, Maha'bha'rata ke Kuch Caritra MBH-09 GD 11 February, 1968, Ranchi:
Karna was an idealistic man. He did not deviate from his ideal under any circumstances. And, therefore, he became a most trusted member of the Kauravas. And, Duryodhana also respected him a lot and considered him to be very loyal. Here is the most glaring weakness in the character of Karna, which is very similar to Bhishma. It is that, "Those who gave us support, those who gave us food, we will never go against them." In this setting, there is a clash between simple morality and spiritual morality. Top-grade sadhakas know that when faced with a decision between spiritual morality and simple morality, one should choose spiritual morality. But those who are not top-grade sadhakas fail in this regard; they end up choosing simple morality and act according to that tenet. That is the mistake that Bhishma made. His mistake was: "Since the Kauravas and Duryodhana have fed me and given me shelter, I will not go against them." This is simple morality. Now it is true that according to the dictates of simple morality, one may think, "Why should I go against those who have fed me? I will not." That is the mandate of simple morality. That is the common man's philosophy; that is the common man's policy. But if the person who has fed you is a thief, then from the perspective of human welfare is it appropriate to support that person. Indeed, it is not appropriate. Rather, the one who ate the food of the robber should explain to the robber that, "Leave this path of thievery. Now I will not be able to support you. I have eaten your food, and for this reason I am advising you to change your ways - adopt the proper path." And, if he doesn't change his course, then going against him is the right thing to do.
References
1. Discourses on the Mahabharata, Some Characters of the Mahábhárata
2. Discourses on the Mahabharata, Some Characters of the Mahábhárata
3. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 23, Dharma Samiikśa
4. Discourses on the Mahabharata, Some Characters of the Mahábhárata
5. Discourses on the Mahabharata, Some Characters of the Mahábhárata
== Section: Important Teaching ==
What happens during sleep
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "Sleep: Due to excessive physical and mental labour, the nerve-cells and nerve-fibres become fatigued and demand relaxation, forcing the conscious mind to cease functioning and producing the state of sleep. Often the subconscious ceases also, leaving only the unconscious to continue the work of the brain.” (1)
About dreams
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, ‘However, sometimes the nerve-cells begin functioning during the latter part of the night, due to sudden heat in the back portion of the cranium or to an upward movement of gastric wind. The subconscious mind accordingly starts thinking or remembering, producing dreams. In the absence of the functioning of the conscious mind, these products of the subconscious are accepted as true and practical. Sometimes the dreamer actually believes that he is flying, for the non-functioning of the conscious mind prevents him from perceiving this idea to be pure imagination. Some people become extremely frightened by their dreams and produce inarticulate mutterings of fear; at times dreamers even die of heart failure. To assist a person out of a disturbing dream it helps to bring the person's hands or feet into contact with the ground, for this aids the conscious mind in beginning to function again." (1)
References
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 33, Samádhi, Senselessness and Sleep
== Section: Ananda Vanii ==
Life & ideology
Original Ananda Vanii states: “Life represents Ideology. Life should be sacrificed for Ideology.” (Ananda Vanii #15)
Note: Sadguru Baba has assigned a number to all His original and true Ananda Vaniis. In contrast, Fake Ananda Vaniis do not have any number. By this simple formula, one can easily recognise which is a true Ananda Vanii and which is fake. For the upcoming occasion of January 1st 2017, all Ananda Marga units should use one of Baba’s original and true Ananda Vaniis, not a fake one. By this way, one will surely get His blessing.
