Baba
Slogan of cowards
Namaskar,
These days in this internet era so many are writing about the status of
our organisation, AMPS. There should be a way to determine which
writings have value and which not. With competing groups and factions in
the upper echelon of our Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha, so many
different types of mails are getting distributed. And we should have a
clear-cut system, based on Baba's teachings, to evaluate the utility and
efficacy of such letters.
That is why a standard approach is needed to verify the value of such
mailings. We should know which ones are supportive to the healthy growth
of our Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha and which run counter to that
ideal.
Three broad categories
In general, we can classify emails about the status of our AMPS into three main categories:
[1] Middle (i.e. Madhya Ma'rga or balanced approach);[2] Rightist (blind support of status quo, or ignore issues to appease all); and,[3] Leftist (criticism only).
Here below is an easy-to-apply formula to understand which is which.
That way we can recognise which mails are constructive, positive, &
productive in nature, thereby enabling us to discover the right
solution, apply the correct answer, and bring our Ananda Marga Pracaraka
Samgha forward.
Baba’s method: Point out & give solution
In each and every facet of life, Baba is our shining example. And in our
social life, Baba's guideline and model represents the balanced
approach: Madhya Marga, or the middle path.
With His benevolent and penetrating vision, Baba carefully points out
the defects and offers a proper solution for each and every problem in
the society. This is what Baba has done with regards to communism,
capitalism, factionalism, party politics, starvation, natural calamities
etc. In every circumstance, Baba has identified the problem or defect,
given the solution, and implemented a practical plan for advancement.
This is His dynamic model - this is madhya marga.
And it is this which we have to follow; otherwise we will never be able
to rid degrading elements from our Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha,
contribute in a meaningful way to effecting change in the greater
society.
So first we have to determine if any problems exist. Then problems
should be identified and brought to the fore so all may be aware.
Side-by-side a rational solution based on Baba's teachings should be
presented. This is our balanced method: Constructive criticism given
with a pious motive along with solutions based on logic and reasoning.
Here below Baba guides us that those adhering to madhya marga must write
inspired by feelings of benevolence for all of humanity.
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "Thought of public welfare alone should
be the motive force behind all artistic and literary creation, and that
thought will express itself only through artistic joy – only then can
subtle intellect awaken in crude minds. So when artists or sáhityikas
have to create such a flow of delight as they move forward, they cannot
afford to cling to any fastidious notions of so-called purity or
impurity, for this will retard their progress. Excessive prudery, like
mysophobia, will obstruct their movement." (1)
Madhya marga: writers represent a high ideal
Next, Baba guides us that those writers following madhya marga must stick to the edicts of Ananda Marga ideology.
Ananda Marga philosophy guides us, "I would say that in matters of
decency or indecency the middle path is the best; that is, we must not
deviate from the ideal. At the time of pursuing the path of benevolence
we shall not bother as to whether the brush, the pen or the chisel has
touched and taken on decorum or vulgarity, decency or indecency, during
its march ahead. If we do, we will stray from our path." (2)
Finally, it has to be recognized that the duty and responsibility of the
writer of madhya marga is to give a voice to the voiceless and
presenting the disrespected in a dignified and honourable manner. That
is Guru's clear guideline.
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "I am not prepared to accept any hard and
fast rule that literature must be created focusing on good citizens
alone, nor am I inclined to agree to the policy that crude and mean
people have to be presented to the readers or viewers as low or vile. In
my opinion, artists must be completely sympathetic to whatever they
create. Those who are inferior and neglected, helpless and destitute –
whom society considers to be infernal maggots – are the very people who
are the most unrepresented in the salons of literature. They are mute,
and so the heavy responsibility of expressing the sentiments that are
hidden in their tormented minds has to be borne by the artist. The
sáhityika or the artist has to take the responsibility of enabling them
to rise up and sit in the same row with the rest of society, after
dusting off the dirt from their bodies." (3)
Need of the day: Clean organisation of dogmas
In Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha, according to Baba's guideline, our
pathway is to follow the practical approach: Use our intellect and mind
to point out the problems and give the solution based on Ananda Marga
teachings. This is what Baba wants to see done and this is what He has
shown by His own example. Whether it was about communism, religious
fundamentalism, economic exploitation, oppression, environmental
devastation, or any other issue, always Baba would give constructive
criticism by clearly identifying the problem and offering comprehensive
and pointed solutions.
As the benevolent Supreme Entity, His motive was always to point out and
help those wrongdoers to advance while ensuring a practical solution
was implemented so all members of society could grow. This was the
wholly benevolent and righteous model Baba demonstrated. And that is how
He is guiding us to proceed today. That is how we are to build up a
healthy society: By fixing the problems with the motive of welfare to
all using the tenets of Ananda Marga ideology as the solution. That is
what it means to follow madhya marga.
It is just like how doctors diagnose the disease in order to help the
patient regain their health. Doctors are not mudslinging the diseased
person. Rather those medical professionals are identifying the sickness
and prescribing the proper medicine to gain a full recovery. This same
manner is the way to purge and rectify misdealings and wrongdoing in our
AMPS nowadays.
Verily numerous margiis are adhering to this pathway. With the intention
of cleaning the organisation and seeing every Ananda Margii advance,
those dharmikas are proclaiming: No more fake Ananda Vaniis, no more
using expulsion as a weapon, no more Fake BP Manual, no more tiirthas,
no more so-called mahaprayan, no more groupist dogmas. At the same time,
those margiis are offering and outlining Baba's stated guidelines using
logic and reasoning. The aim is to make the conduct of those in the
organisation consistent with Baba's ideological teachings.
Those margiis and field workers see that groupism is a problem and
recognise that the elimination of groupist dogmas and implementation of
Baba's teachings will bring forth a clean and pure AMPS. So this work is
going on by Baba's grace and the good efforts of margiis from all
around. And this is the middle path.
The rightist model: inactivity
On one end of the spectrum is what the rightists do - i.e. failure to
act. Such rightists, whether in the form of political 'yes men' or
stooges of the party leaders, give blind support to the ruling faction.
And they try to convince the masses that 'everything is fine; that
everything is running smoothly'. This is what happens both inside and
outside of Ananda Marga.
"Yes-men" will tell that the organisational leadership is proper even
though that very leadership has infused so many dogmas like scriptural
distortions, curtailment of bhukti pradhan rights, politically motivated
expulsion, fake Ananda Vaniis, etc. Or when someone points out a
veritable problem in AMPS, then those rightists repeat, "Write to higher
authorities, write to the higher authorities", when in fact the higher
authorities themselves are the perpetrators of that injustice. Yet to
quell the situation rightists adopt this approach. Their cowardly slogan
is, “Write to the higher authorities….write to the corrupt higher
authorities…”
In all cases, the rightists are the tools of the ruling elite. These
rightists refuse to recognise the existence of any problem; they never
think that such-and-such situation needs to be fixed. And if anyone
follows their advice they will meet their demise.
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "The defect of the rightists is their inaction." (4)
Worthless mail discussion
Many of the existing email forums follow this rightist pattern of wholly
ignoring the existing problems. They refrain from pointing out the
dogmas in hopes of appeasing all and maximizing their own membership
etc. Such types of forums never do anything to wipe out the real
problems and dogmas plaguing our Ananda Marga. Their only concern is to
grab the top chair and continue those same dogmas. This we have
witnessed repeatedly since 1990. These types are rightists. That is why
in our Ananda Marga since 1990, none of the ruling groups - in their
mailings - have ever come forward and stated that the dogmas of groupism
should be removed.
Rightists cover-up problems
We see that some do not like that anyone should ever point out any
problem, even if Baba's solutions are given side by side. Such persons
are rightists. In hasty fashion they say again and again that this type
of criticism is impractical. This is their rightist agenda. They do not
like to follow Baba's approach; they want to cover up all the problems
and let them ferment.
Those goody-goody types who do like this know who they are; and they
should confront their inner fear and adopt an open, neo-humanistic
vision by which to view the world. Then they will see that pointing out
the problems and giving the Ananda Marga ideological solution is the way
of welfare and benevolence. And that will bring peace, justice, and
success to our Ananda Marga society.
Here below Baba addresses the central defects of those suffering from a rightest mentality.
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "Mysophobic, conservative writers will
compose poems about the sea, mountains and moonlight, will paint
literary pictures of the drawing-rooms of the aristocratic Ballygunge
elite, but it will offend their pens to write about the endless
humiliations, the low standard of living and the vulgar dirtiness of the
neglected, uneducated society in the villages, because these matters
are unpleasant. The abominable life of corrupt women, the obnoxious
environment of the slums, the carnal cravings of antisocial human beasts
– all these they seek to avoid, because they are unacceptable by the
standards of “decency” and “decorum”." (5)
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "The human mind has many ideas and
propensities that are normal and natural. But mysophobic artists or
sáhityikas, with their touch-me-not-or-I-might-lose-my-purity mentality,
want to avoid all these. They think that these propensities, if given a
place in literature, will jeopardize society. I cannot support this
orthodox, rightist mentality." (6)
The leftist model: criticising for selfish gain
Side by side, now that it has come in vogue to write about groupism,
there many who vehemently criticise their opponents. Yet, they fail to
address the issue in a healthy, constructive manner by offering
practical, ideological solutions. Their chief aim is to mud-sling
others. And this has no real benefit.
It is no different from mundane politics where politicians send out
negative or offensive propaganda with the sole intention of achieving
their own selfish agenda. Just they criticize and criticize without
offering any practical solution. Many or all of the group mailings fall
in this category where only accusations and criticism are levied and no
proper solution based on Baba's teachings is put forth.
For instance, suppose some organisational land is sold, or some various
crimes are committed, or some black money is uncovered etc, then only
complaining about that misdeed and providing graphic details is not
enough. Yet that is what we see happening. Commonly groups put out
emails only to tear down other competing factions for their own gain -
gain in popularity and stature. But that is neither a healthy nor a
constructive approach.
True dharmikas point out the problem not to defame or embarrass but to
rectify. The guilty party should be helped back onto the right path.
That should be the aim. In this endeavour, it is integral to cite the
solution per the viewpoint of Ananda Marga ideology. That is the proper
approach. The motive must be pure and the solution practical.
Mudslinging alone will not do
Yet this is wholly absent in the various group-oriented email campaigns.
They merely mudsling others to prop up their own party and never hold
themselves to Baba's given standard. They fail to give the ideological
solution to the matter. Only they are quick to pounce on the opportunity
to push others down. That is why Baba has nothing good to say about
such leftists.
Ananda Marga philosophy teaches us, "Those who are leftists in the
world...are even more dangerous. The defect of the leftists is their
hyper-activity, based on selfishness. It seems as though they are
deliberately seeking out the dark and dirty aspects of life and, like
flies, growing fat on the secretions of society's festering sores. It
must be remembered that flies do not heal sores - rather they exacerbate
them, because the very pus of these sores provides them with their
vital juice. So the filthy aspects of society are the only wealth on
which these artists and litterateurs subsist." (7)
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "If art or literature is created around
the base propensities of the human mind, people will naturally gravitate
towards it in large numbers, and the creators of such literature will
earn a great deal of money from it; indeed, this is the only aim of
their artistic creation. Engaged in the quest of evil, obscenity and
vulgarity, they also [like the rightists] lose sight of the primary goal
of art." (8)
In today's factional conflict, we cannot trust those who write mails
only to defame others and get higher posts for themselves. This type of
leftist tactic has no value. But such types of mailings are prevalent
nowadays.
We should all be aware lest we waste our valuable time: A balanced
approach is needed where solutions are given based on Baba's teachings.
That way we can all discuss the path of forward movement and not just
mud-sling one's political and factional adversaries.
Conclusion
All true Ananda Margiis will identify and solve all the problems. The
day is not far when the whole humanity will be united under the saffron
flag of Ananda Marga.
Ananda Marga ideology states, "Human society will be established in this
supreme idea in the very near future...The humanity of the universe
will unite; and we await anxiously for that happy moment." (9)
Namaskar,
In Him,
Hitendra
~ In-depth study ~
When you complain to corrupt leaders
In His teachings, Baba has given the classic example of what happens to
those innocent people when they openly complain to harmful, corrupt
leaders. Here below the simple villagers are complaining to Sahib about
their woeful working conditions and how they are getting exploited. In
turn, the brutal Sahib shoots and kills them. That is what happens when
you lodge a complaint to corrupt leaders - they will not spare you. So
those in AMPS who in this present era loudly proclaim, “Write to the
higher authorities”, are stupid, foolish cowards and following their
advice means inviting your destruction. Now please read Baba’s below
story.
Some people exchanging heated words. Some of the local, common-class farmers were having words with a sahib. The farmers were speaking Angika and the sahib was also replying in broken Angika.The farmers were saying: “Sir, you are a high-ranking officer. You may not even be aware of what the people at the lower levels are doing. They are forcing us to sell the indigo to them for practically nothing, and if we don't agree then they persecute us and beat us. They want to buy the indigo without paying what it's worth. They want us to work but they don't want to pay us for it. If people show any sign of speaking out about it they set fire to their house and abduct their daughters from their home. We've come to you because we have no alternative. Please save us. Rescue us from the violence and oppression of your oppressive workers. We will be forever grateful to you.”The man replied: “I don't give advice to my workers, I give orders. Whatever they do, they do for me. Do you think you can teach me how to treat dogs and swine like yourselves? I know very well.”“But sir, we implore you. Save us. Our families' survival depends on the indigo we sell. Don't thrust us into the jaws of starvation.”“Work hard and you'll eat. What's the big deal? If you say anything against my workers I'll run you off with bullets.”“Sir,” said the village farmers, “we fear you like we do the god of death himself. We've come to you out of fear for our lives and of being tortured. Please try to understand our situation a little.”“I understand, I understand,” replied the man. “What's happening in Nadia and Jessore has spread to Monghyr now. You want to light the fires of rebellion here as well. I'll teach you a lesson or two.” Saying this, the sahib took aim at them and started firing recklessly and mercilessly. Several villagers fell to the ground twisting and screaming in agony.“This is how we teach dogs a lesson,” the sahib said. “The late Dinabandhu Mitra has inflated your audacity by writing his book, Niiladarpana. I know how to make that audacity grovel in the dirt. Let this be a lesson to you.” (10)
References
1. A Few Problems Solved -1, The Practice of Art and Literature
2. A Few Problems Solved -1, The Practice of Art and Literature
3. A Few Problems Solved -1, The Practice of Art and Literature
4. A Few Problems Solved -1, The Practice of Art and Literature
5. A Few Problems Solved -1, The Practice of Art and Literature
6. A Few Problems Solved -1, The Practice of Art and Literature
7. A Few Problems Solved -1, The Practice of Art and Literature
8. A Few Problems Solved -1, The Practice of Art and Literature
9. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 31, The Four Types of Progress
10. Shabda Cayanika - 2, Ui to Uluka (Discourse 9)
*
* *
The
below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to
the above material.
They
stands on their own as points of interest.
*
* *
== Section 2: Important Teaching
==
Understanding & ignorance
Here following is an English summary of Baba’s teaching from Shabda Cayanika - 10, originally given in Bengali.
When one suddenly finds any jewel - any rare and costly jewel - then immediately they pick it up and keep it close to their breast - leaving everything else behind, forgetting all other things, not even caring about their prestige. As far as possible one then keeps it hidden from others. Among all the jewels, the most precious is Parama Purusa.
Note: The common trait amongst all humans is that they love themselves
the most. If they are inside of a burning building then first they will
run out to save themselves, and then think about saving others. Even a
loving mother who dotes on her small infant will think first about
saving her own life. Because people are most protective of their own
existence. For them that is most precious. What people fail to realise
is that their own unit “I-feeling” is embedded in something greater than
themselves. That’s to say, Parama Purusa is their greater self as He
has taken His seat deep within their inner “I”. But due to the darkness
of avidya maya, people fail to realise this truth. So they run after a
plethora of worldly temptations, but never get satisfied. Whereas, the
moment they get a small taste of Parama Purusa, then they do not want
anything else. When by His grace, the sadhaka becomes fully ensconced in
sadhana then they feel fully satiated and do not want anything else.
And verily that is why they have been blessed with human life: To do
sadhana and attain Him. In that case, no mundane attraction can ever
bring satiation. Only the infinite Entity Parama Purusa can satisfy
one’s yearning. And verily, Parama Purusa is not far; rather, He is your
most precious and nearest One, embedded within. The aspirant should
think that, “Parama Purusa is mine and mine alone.” And one should
cultivate that feeling in their sadhana and hold Him in a deep embrace.
Then one’s life will be successful.
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Can financially poor people do economic service
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "Every human being gets more or less opportunity for rendering services. If a poor man thinks that he cannot render Vaeshyocita type of service because he is devoid of money he is wrong. The charity of a few paise of the poor has the same value as a thousand rupees from a millionaire. Indeed the charity of these few paise is greater. Lord Krśńa attached greater importance to a handfuls of grains from Vidura than to the sumptuous royal dishes of Duryodhana. Even so, everyone should render service to the world in accordance with their capacity and work for the welfare of the living beings to the best of their ability. Perform viprocita type of service by projecting your convictions to others as best as you can. Let every person perform the four kinds of service as much as possible. Adhyátma yajiṋa is an internal yajiṋa and ultimately it terminates in Paramátman, the original self.” (1)
Reference
1. Subhasita Samgraha -1, Yajiṋa and Karmaphala
== Section 3: Links ==
Ananda Purnima - Sat 18 May 2019
- #2: Coming festival
Recent postings
Other topics of interest
More important letters
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This email contains three sections:
1. Posting: Slogan of cowards
2. IT: Understanding & ignorance
3. Links