Baba
Story: greedy Wts
Namaskar,
That day at Ananda Nagar DMS I was going towards the river for my duties. I saw my friend Liila who is a very innocent and simple margii. She was waiting in one extremely long queue next to Madhu Karnika'. There were several hundred margiis joined in that line.
I asked Liila, "What are you doing there? What's this line for?”
She replied, "I am going to "see" Baba there in the Baba's quarter. Today, Baba's room is open so I feel I must get one glance and get a special blessing directly from Him."
Hearing this I then recalled the announcement given by one Dada. They told everyone in the pandal about the opportunity to go and visit Baba's room and have Baba's "darshan". So I thought that it was this announcement which brought these margiis here in this line. That is why they are making a queue. Anyhow I tried to convince Liila to leave the line and search Parama Purusa Baba within - and not look for Him through any sort of external paraphernalia. But she did not want to listen.
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I left her and went down to go to the river. Later on, after sadhana, I was thinking that our Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha is gradually turning into one religion. We have seen over the course of history how many Indian yogis or gurus, according to their capacity, taught their disciples about meditation, japa, and searching God within. But no sooner had those yogis / gurus left their physical body that immediately their teachings were dismantled by their own disciples. And the disciples introduced the dogma of worshipping material objects related with their guru.
Talking to one Dada
When I was thinking in this way I saw one respected Dada who was posted some years back at the Master Unit in my area. I asked him his opinion about this long queue for entering Baba's quarter.
Dadaji told that, “After 1990, on many fronts Baba's teachings have been distorted. Those in power are incapable of guiding margiis in a proper way. So instead of giving guidance they started misguiding.”
“For example, a few years back when the Khumba Mela was organised in Allahabad, there was an AMPS stall there. And some Dadas were talking aloud that in the future they will create something in Ananda Nagar where margiis from all over the globe come for getting a blessing from Parama Purusa Baba. Those Dadas were thinking that just as a huge crowd of religious believers, more than 30 million in all, reached to Allahabad samgam to take a dip in the river during the Khumba mela, similar things will occur with Ananda Nagar and Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha (AMPS). That way margiis can instantly wash all the sins they committed in this life.”
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Dada continued, “So this is the general flow of many, common, simple, religious believers. They think that by going to a certain tiirtha and doing the related rituals, then all their sins will be washed away. They think this is one veritable shortcut, and there is then no need to bother about following yama & niyama, do's and don'ts, or morality etc. You know some general margiis are coming from that environment. So surely those who are not well adapted or well-versed in proper sadhana and Baba's teachings are easily prone to falling back into certain dogmas and bringing them into AMPS.”
Who is behind shortcut tiirtha dogma
I said, “Dadaji, so please tell me about visiting Baba's room and this long queue?”
Then he replied: “First of all, this type of thing was initially created by Sarvatmananda. And the intention was to give utmost importance to a piece of land, Tiljala Kolkata. Sarvatmananda wanted people to think that Tiljala was very significant & charged with extraordinary quality. And then later on, it was picked up and carried on by his stooges like Parameshvarananda and Pranavatmakananda. And the reason behind this was to attract margiis from all around the globe to visit Tiljala at least once in their life. It was told that those margiis will a get unique blessing directly from Parama Purusa Baba - and be freed from all bondages and thereby open the door of liberation. The only labour needed was just to visit once in Baba's room / memorial etc. There was no need of Sixteen Points or any of the lessons or practices of sadhana etc. So the process is very easy, very cheap. And for Sarvatmananda it was a cash cow, as people will come and spend and donate etc.”
“Seeing this, Rudrananda and his stooges started the same type of program with Jamalpur and Ananda Nagar etc. And they too want to encash on this sentiment of celebrating this and making it into a popular tiirtha site etc.”
Dada ji added, “Indeed if this dogma could become as successful as it is in other religions, then it would be just like Muslims and Christians who go to Mecca and Rome respectively to get special blessings.'
“Same fashion Sarvatmananda was also thinking that Margiis will come to Tiljala. Then there will not be any dearth of money and power for Sarvatmananda’s B group. And all sorts of comforts will be there for those who occupy this land.”
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“And as I say, Rudrananda and Dadas of Hindi group are not lagging far behind in using any tricks initially introduced by Sarvatmananda. So in result a big temptation has been given here in Ananda Nagar, and margiis were mobilised to visit Baba's room and have a special blessing directly from Baba. This is all the grand efforts of H group. That is why you might have seen the long queue next to Baba's quarter.”
After listening to all these things I nodded my head and I thought that deep politics is in play along with newer and newer dogmas. And all sorts of efforts are being made to attract margiis to one or other worldly places. New sites are getting established to draw more people in. The whole situation is just like how melons (fruits) change their colour when in the presence of other melons - they all become ripe together. Similarly, human beings suffer from an ape psychology. When apes see other apes doing something, then immediately they copy that and start doing that same very act. That is why there is the proverb: Monkey see, monkey do.
Dogma: forget 16 Points, just visit that place
So Parama Purusa is very cheap now. There is no need to follow Bhagavad dharma: vistara, rasa and seva. Just stand in a queue etc. That is the trend. Just a pay few hundred dollars and reach Parama Purusa. There is no need to do 2 times sadhana, or 2 times upavasa, or sentient food, or strictness on 16 points. Whether you do those things or not, it is immaterial. Just come and join the line and reach Parama Purusa. So huge publicity is going on to attract simple margiis.
Because there is no shortage of innocent and simple people. In the various religions there are millions of members. That is why we see that in the Khumba Mela, 30 million attend. Similarly in Mecca, a few million reach there annually, minimum. And in Rome the same thing is going on. And now in Tiljala a few thousand are involved - and those hosts are planning for more. And the same is the case with Rudrananda’s team in Ananda Nagar.
Overall the common mass has a weakness in the spiritual sphere. Everyone wants to find an easy way to get Parama Purusa - i.e. without any serious efforts, or sadhana etc. That is why opportunist priests created various sanctified lands. In so doing, they tried to limit Parama Purusa to that very place. In a similar way in our Marga, this negative practice has been going on. One after another holy land has been created.
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In this effort Parama Purusa's all-pervasiveness and magnanimity has been reduced to a certain limited area. So this agenda is very negative. That is why Ananda Marga ideology strongly condemns all such efforts to limit Parama Purusa to a certain place, land, or tomb, or any mundane things.
In Him,
Kamala
~ In-depth study ~
On this point, the dharmic teachings of Ananda Marga uses the example of Vyasa Deo who wrote so many puranas, or mythological stories, about the Lord. Vyasa Deo emphasized the importance of different places by telling that such-and -such location is more important because the Lord did certain special things there. Later on, after reflecting on this, Vyasa Deo expresses his repentance in the following shloka.
Ananda Marga ideology guides us:
Rúpaḿ rupavivarjjitasya bhavato yaddhyanena kalpitam
Stutyánirvacaniiyatákhilaguro duriikrta yanmaya
Vyapitvyam ca nirakrtam bhagavato yattirtha yatradina
Kśantavyaḿ jagadisho tadvikalatadostarayam matkrtam. (1)
Ananda Marga ideology states, "The Supreme Being is omnipresent, all-pervading and witness to everything, everywhere. It is not proper to confine Him to a particular place and say that He has eaten butter at this place or taken a dip in the Ganges at that particular place, thus limiting Him to a particular region or a particular country or the glorification of a particular sacred place, and thereby limit His all-pervasiveness" (2)
Sadguru’s related teaching: searching within
To remove the dogma now it is our duty to reflect on Baba's following teachings and guidelines. We have to see whether we should seek Parama Purusa internally in our hearts and or look for Him externally.
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Ananda Marga philosophy states, "One who is devoted to God, who contemplates Parama Purus'a with madhura bha'va, need not go on a pilgrimage (Holy Land) for he remains constantly with Parama Purus'a. Such a person will say: Nitya a'chi vrnda'vane a'mi to nai hari cha'ra' d'a'kle hari a'shbe ka'che d'a'kle pare day se sa'r'a'. I am always in Vrindavana, I am never without Hari. If I call Him, He comes near. If I call, He will respond." (3)
Sadguru’s related teaching: atma-sukha tattva
Next our Ananda Marga teachings uncovers the mindset of those who impose that type of sanctified land dogma.
Ananda Marga philosophy guides us, "Human beings yield to this dogma with the sole intention of attaining selfish pleasures; They know that they are surrendering their intellect to dogma, and that the outcome will be undesirable; they know and understand everything why, even then, do they knowingly submit to it? They are all deliberate sinners and intentionally accept dogmas as truth. They observe that these dogmas are based on A'tma-Sukha Tattva; but they think, "I don't care whether it does good or harm to others, because at last I have enjoyed some pleasure!" Being motivated by this idea, they enslave themselves to dogmas. " (4)
Sadguru’s related teaching: pencil politics
Finally, by the below teaching, we can understand why more and more tiirtha sites have cropped up over the years.
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Ananda Marga philosophy says, "The characteristic of dogma is to expand more and more. Do you know what expands when it is cut? The answer is a pencil, a pond and dogma. If someone tries to root out a dogma from people’s mind they tend to use even more dogma to justify their present dogma." (5)
Here the lead in the pencil gets bigger and bigger when cut. And likewise is the case with a pond and dogma. And there are some other excellent examples of this such as trying to cut off the corner of one handkerchief. By cutting then the number of corners increases. And the same is the case with the sanctified land dogma in AMPS.
References
1. A Few Problems Solved - 3, Verse, Mythology, History and Itihása
2. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 11, The Psychology behind the Creation of Mythological Gods and Goddesses
3. Namami Krsnasundaram, Discourse 13
4. Liberation of Intellect - Neo-Humanism
5. Ananda Marga philosophy - 6, Ekendriya – 3
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The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
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== Section 2: Prabhat Samgiita ==
“Sei ajáná pathik áj elo, mor sab kichu dilo bhúliye…” (Prabhat Samgiita #4213)
Purport:
That most loving Ajana Pathik has come today. He has showered so much affection and kindness on me that I have forgotten all my worries and anxieties - all the worldly problems in my life. He has come, captivated my mind, poured bhakti on my heart that was dry like a stone, so that now with His blessing a lotus is blooming. I have forgotten all my worldly desires and needs. Only His name remains in my mind. He has inundated my entire being with prema and I remain ensconced in His Supreme compassion.
To that heart, which was in slumber day and night, by giving the touch and smearing of sweetness of bhakti He brought the refulgence in that dark abode and made it full of divine love. The Ajanda Pathik has come today.
O’ the most adoring and loving Entity of the entire universe, please listen to my inner longing. I request You to fill everyone’s core with Your incomparable spiritual radiance. Fill everyone’s mind with longing for the Supreme. Let humanity move forward after receiving this new and newer blessing of Your crimson karuna….
Note for Prabhat Samgiita #4213
[1] Ajana Pathik: The term Aja'na' Pathik means 'The Divine Entity Parama Purusa Who moves around this entire universe, and resides everywhere and knows everything; irrespective of where one goes, He remains along with you'. That is one of His many unique attributions and that is the speciality of the name 'Ajana Pathik'. The name 'Ajana Pathik' denotes this special quality.
Literally, Aja'na' means 'unknown' and Pathik means 'traveler' or ‘tourist.’ But this is just the word by word, literal translation; and proper nouns are not meant to be translated. So we cannot call Him the ‘Unknown Traveler’ or ‘Unknown Tourist', or Unknown Vacationer', or 'Unknown Backpacker', or 'Unknown Visitor', or 'Unknown Globetrotter', or 'Unknown Daytripper', or 'Unknown Hitchhiker.’ The spirit and meaning is then lost.
The inner sense of the name Ajana Pathik is that Parama Purusa is always moving throughout this vast cosmos and He is constantly present with everyone, all the time. He is in the Cosmic Nucleus yet at the same time through His ota and prota yoga He is everywhere - carefully watching & lovingly guiding everyone. This unique aspect of His grand Personality is treated as Aja'na' Pathik. Because He is constantly traveling yet present everywhere. He is in the nucleus as well as throughout this entire universe.
As the Ajana Pathik, Parama Purusa Baba moves and moves and moves. In their spiritual approach bhaktas feel that wherever they go the Aja'na' Pathik will always be there to shower His blessing. By His grace, bhaktas can always get His intimate company and companionship. With this mystical link, sadhakas understand that Parama Purusa is present everywhere, yet side by side He travels on and on throughout this entire cosmos. Thus He is Aja'na' Pathik.
Overall the name Aja'na' Pathik has one special and unique meaning that goes far beyond its literal translation. And in our hearts we A'nanda Ma'rgiis know and feel that Baba is that Aja'na' Pathik. Indeed in His discourses, in Dharma Samiiksa, and in reporting, in DMC, and in numerous ways Baba has shown this very fact that He is ever-present and always along with us. He is always moving and wherever we go then He will also be there. Parama Purusa has infinite attributions and one of them is this special quality where He always remains along with us wherever we are in this vast universe. In this way He is known as - Aja'na' Pathik. In true sense, as the omnipresent Entity, He does not go anywhere because He is everywhere; but in a more literal manner He goes from place to place.
Those who use ‘Unknown Traveler’ or ‘Unknown Tourist’ in place of Aja'na' Pathik are naive and ignorant.
== Section: News of May 2018 ==
Wts are busy in doing physical cleanliness and it will be very good if they follow “A Guide to Human Conduct” also and try to clean their mind of the gunk of groupism and come out clean as a neo-humanist. Unfortunately this is not happening. That is why Baba says that physical shaoca is not enough. We should adhere to Baba's below teaching.
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “External shaoca is an external activity and mental shaoca is an internal activity. If the impurity of selfishness, which, by entering into every cavity of the mental body, makes it weak – makes life a heavy burden – it has to be removed, it has to be burnt and melted in the fire of sádhaná. Such sádhaná is just the opposite of mean and selfish sádhaná; it is such that no impurity, no black spot, remains in the mind. The feeling of selflessness, the feeling of universalism is the only remedy to remove mental impurities.” (1)
These Wts are cleaning Pundag railway station at Ananda Nagar but Sadguru Baba says this is not enough. They should clean the gunk of groupism from their mind.
Reference
1. Guide to Human Conduct, Shaoca
== Section 4: Links ==
Other topics of interest
