Baba
Mahaprayan of elderly, senior family acarya
Namaskar,
It is with much sadness that we share the news of the mahaprayan of Ac Dharmendra Rao ji. All who knew Shrii Dharmendra ji remember him as a longtime, senior margii who was deeply committed to the Ananda Marga mission and highly dedicated to Sadguru Shrii Shrii Anandamurti ji. Acaryaji was instrumental in working in Baba's garden in Ananda Nagar for many years starting in the mid-1980's. Sadguru Baba presented him with a prize as well.
Acarya Dharmendra Rao held the governmental post of director of horticulture in Patna before retiring in 1981. And he was always very keen and eager to apply his talents and energy to Ananda Marga agricultural projects. Over the many years in the Marga, Acaryaji was very well known to margiis all over due to his friendly and kind disposition. The mahaprayan of Shrii Dharmendra Rao ji is a great loss to us all.
Unfortunately, Acaryaji was not well of late and had been hospitalised for the past week in Ranchi and his mahaprayan occurred on 05 May 2017. Shrii Dharmendra Rao had reached an advanced age of more than 93 years of age, and was originally from Kashiya Deoria in Uttar Pradhesh.
May we all take solace in the fact that our dear elder brother Acarya Dharmendra Rao ji was a bhakta of Sadguru Baba. Certainly he will attain mukti or moksa, accordingly. Baba will lovingly bestow His infinite grace.
at the lotus feet of Baba,
Haridarshan
~ In-depth study ~
We have seen that when somebody dies then in offering their condolences people say now Mr So-and-so is sitting on Baba's lap. On other occasion when telling a Baba story people also say, "Such and such person sat on Baba's lap." But these days we see the trend that "sitting on Baba's lap" is used more in connection with death. And that causes some confusion in reader's mind. To unknot the situation please read below.
Dogma: if "on Baba's lap" only used for death
Here are quoted lines from recently posted emails on various forums, wherein the writer uses the phrase - "in Baba's lap" - with the occasion of death:
- "May Parama Purusa Baba accept her in HIS divine lap"
- "May his soul rest in the lap of our beloved BABA"
- "Now she is taking rest in Baba's Lap."
- "May Baba accept him in HIS divine lap....."
- "May he rest in HIS loving lap of eternity."
- "We are sure that Baba has taken him in His loving lap."
- "May his soul rest in Baba's lap forever."
- "Let her rest peacefully in Baba's Lap - which she always desired."
- "now he is in beloved Baba's lap"
- "May his soul get peaceful place in His lap"
- "He is now in Bábá's loving lap"
- "May Baba bless him with a seat in His lap."
- "May BABA accept him in HIS divine lap!"
- "May Baba take him in his eternal loving lap."
- "May his soul rest in peace taking shelter in Baba's lap."
- "Please keep him on Your lap forever."
- "We all collectively pray to Baba to take him on Baba's divine lap forever.”
All of the above lines are commonly written in eulogizing the deceased. These days mostly it is used in a eulogy and rarely used to recount one's intimate spiritual experiences - unfortunately. By this way, the phrase "in Baba's lap" is being misused and step by step the real meaning is being forgotten as now people more commonly use the phrase to eulogize those who have died, and much less so to express their inner feelings of bhakti. Unfortunately, the meaning and inner spirit of the phrase is getting lost.
Baba story: "sitting on Baba's lap"
Some time ago after dharmacakra, a senior margii was recounting his experiences of having dharma samiiksa with Baba.
He said, "After being lovingly scolded by Baba for my wrongdoings, then He called me close and placed me on His lap - I remained there for some time soaking up His love - and He blessed me."
We all enjoyed hearing about his personal account with Baba during dharma samiiksa. When he finished telling his factual and historical event, there was a call for questions. Various people posed their queries.
Towards the end, one new margii raised his hand and asked, "How did Baba bring you back to life?"
Everyone stared at the new margii in amazement. There was a look of astonishment all around - people were really shocked to hear him say this. The new sadhaka sensed that something was wrong He said very matter-of-factly, "I thought that sitting on Baba's Lap means that he (the margii) died - that is why I asked that question."
This was quite eye-opening for those of us in the room: Through our language and expression we had unknowingly taught someone to think that being on Baba's lap is the equivalent of death. Because it seems that nowadays people only use the phrase "Baba's lap" when a person has died, such as "Let him rest peacefully in Baba's lap", as if in order to sit on Baba’s lap one has to die. But that is false. Sincere sadhakas regularly sit on Baba’s lap in their meditation. It is His grace. It is just like a child need not die in order to sit on his father’s lap.
The idea is that this phrase - Baba's lap - has been linked with death due to extreme overuse. So for some time if sadhakas use this phrase exclusively for spiritual purposes, that will be best.
The phrase, "sitting on Baba's lap", should not meet a similar fate. It should not lose its pure spiritual quality and just refer to one's death. That will be very negative.
Baba would bless bhaktas and place them on His lap
There are tens of thousands of recorded stories by sadhakas where they use the phrase, "on Baba's lap", when describing their experiences of being with Baba: He used to bless them and bring them on His lap. People should understand the deeply mystical value of this expression, and not just think that Baba's lap means death, i.e. that you can only sit on His lap at the time of death. Still today there are thousands of margiis walking this earth who sat in Baba's lap. And not only that, there are countless more sadhakas who were blessed by Baba in dreams and sadhana wherein they sat in His lap. And still today this deeply intimate experience is attainable by sadhakas, by His grace.
There are so many ways an aspirant can reach unto Baba's lap including in sadhana. That is the main idea that should be preserved. Sadhana is a spiritual practice and one can sit on Baba's lap in sadhana. We should make it cent-per-cent clear to one and all that the phrase, "sitting on Baba's lap", does not mean death.
"Mahaprayan" means death of mortals - confirm for yourself
from the Samsad Bengali-English Dictionary
Mahaprayan (Death): Many are aware that mahaprayan (death) is the common term used in India and especially in our Bengal to describe the death of any human being, even ordinary people. In that way, the obituary columns of the newspapers of Bengal regularly cite the mahaprayan (death) of various persons of society who died or passed away.
Some may get confused and wrongly think that the word 'mahaprayan' (death) is one extraordinarily term of bhakti to be used in association with Parama Purusa. But that is not at all the case. Rather to do so is only to undermine the eternal presence of Parama Purusa. That is why no bhaktas ever use the word 'mahaprayan' in reference to Lord Shiva or Lord Krsna. Because Lord Shiva and Lord Krsna exist eternally. Then there is no question of Their mahaprayan (death).
Baba is Parama Purusa so He is eternal and there is no question of His mahaprayan.
Here it should be known that the convention of an annual death day ceremony (i.e. shraddhainjali or mahaprayan) is a foundation of the Islamic tradition. Muslims are well known for this, and their approach of an annual death day ceremony was adopted by the leader of a particular group in AMPS. So no one should think that mahaprayan is some type of sacred event. It is done on the death day anniversary of Muslims.
And for those who need still more technical proof then all this can be clarified quite readily by referencing the dictionary. Specifically in the Samsad Bengali-English dictionary 3rd edition on page 848. Checking there it will be confirmed that the word 'mahaprayan' means death. Which is why it is used to refer to the passing away of even common citizens. And that is the case in this letter also. The term mahaprayan means death and this is the ideal term for this purpose.
Mahaprayan is only for humans not for Sadguru
Here it should be qualified that there is both real mahaprayan and fake mahaprayan. Real mahaprayan marks the death of any ordinary human being, just like the aforesaid news. This is the proper use of the term: To note a person's departure from this earth. That is the meaning of the mahaprayan term and that is the standard way the term is used in Indian languages.
Then there is the fake, or so-called, or dogmatic mahaprayan. That is when certain vested interests try to apply the mahaprayan term to Parama Purusa. This is grossly inappropriate because when Parama Purusa Sadguru Baba is that Divine Entity who is beginningless and endless and resides always in our heart, then it is entirely wrong to proclaim that He is gone.
That is why rational margiis are protesting; because the Oct 21st program is so-called mahaprayan. So-called means that something is fake. Parama Purusa is eternal, thus for some vested interests to declare "mahaprayan of Parama Purusa" is nothing but so-called mahaprayan.
Mahaprayan only really happens in the case of human beings, not Parama Purusa. Those doing mahaprayan for Sadguru are hypocrites. On the one side in meditation they ask His grace thinking that He is ever-present, and on the other side they think that Baba has passed way. That is their hypocrisy.
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