Baba
Story: ruination of AM books
Namaskar,
From the very beginning of WT life in 1970, Dádá Maniiśánanda had deep interest in Bábá's discourses. Since the time when Dádá Maniiśánanda first acquired an audio recorder and discourse audio files from Shrii Kirit Dave, in his day to day life—while traveling, doing asanas, engaged in nitya karma, and whenever possible—Dádá ji would listen to Guru’s discourses over and over again. Whenever he had the opportunity to attend Guru’s darshana, Dádá would record Bábá's discourses in order to listen to them again later.
After recording a few bits and pieces of discourses during General Darshans and listening to them exhaustively, Dádá began to share his recordings with various Márgiis and Wts, and, in turn, other disciples shared their audio recordings with him.
http://anandamarganewsbulletin.blogspot.com
Only Bengali books match original Bábá audio
Ultimately, Maniiśánanda Dádá ji felt the need to organize his collection by discourse name, place, and date etc. To that end, he started reviewing the printed books of Ánanda Márga philosophy to (a) find out what discourse was printed in which book, and (b) take note of the discourse name and further identifying information. In this process, one day in December 1990 while listening to a Bengali discourse and following along with the printed version in the Bengali book, Dádá was pleasantly surprised and pleased to find that a high percentage of the recorded Bengali discourse neatly matched the printed version of that Bengali discourse in the Bengali book, but sadly also saw that the sentences Baba spoke in English and Hindi in those same discourses were missing.
English & Hindi Books do not match original Bábá audio
Later on that same day, while listening to a Hindi discourse and simultaneously following the printed version in the Hindi book, to his dismay Dádá discovered that the recorded discourse and printed version did not match. Although it was the same discourse, the printed version had been rewritten entirely and did not reflect Baba’s original words. That was the moment he realised that the printed Hindi books of Ánanda Márga philosophy were not a transcription of the original audio recording. The next day while listening to an English discourse and following along with the printed version in the English book, Dádá found that the recorded English discourse and English printed text did not match either. The printed English edition had been completely rewritten.
Dádá was deeply concerned that the Hindi and English printed versions of a given discourse were not accurate renderings of what Bábá spoke. Mahásambhúti Bábá was orally delivering His discourses, and Wts in the Tiljala Publications Department were printing them in an entirely different manner. The subject was basically the same, and the discourse date and place were the same, but the actual sentences were drastically different, both in terms of word choice and sequence. And sometimes that made for a different meaning as well. And then there were times when the ideas Baba spoke were not reflected in the discourse at all - just they were missing entirely.
http://anandamarganewsbulletin.blogspot.com
Centre’s bogus justification: Bangalisation
On this basis, Dádáji began discussing with Márgiis and other WTs, and all were in basic agreement that this was a concerning issue. Ultimately, Dádá Maniiśánanda raised the matter with higher posted avadhútas and purodhas with the authority and responsibility for printing Bábá’s books. Sadly, mostly those Tiljala Publications in-charges and authority figures downplayed the matter and responded with their own logic and reasoning. Far and away however, the key justification Dádá Maniiśánanda heard again and again from those in-charges was that the Hindi and English audio discourses could not be transcribed and printed “pure” because they first had to be translated into Bengali.
Essentially what those in-charges were claiming was that:
(a) The audio recordings of Bábá’s original Hindi discourses first had to be translated into Bengali; and then that translated Bengali version would be treated as the master file; then that Bengali version would be retranslated back into Hindi in order to print the Hindi edition of the book.
(b) The audio recordings of Bábá’s original English discourses first had to be translated into Bengali; and then that translated Bengali version would be treated as the master file; then that Bengali version would be retranslated back into English in order to print the English edition of the book.
The above processes have come to be known as Bengalization / Bangalisation.
Dádá Maniiśánanda never found their approach or explanations satisfactory. It defied all logic and reasoning to treat audio files of Bábá’s original English and Hindi discourses as being inferior, inadequate, or useless, whereby they had to be first translated into Bengali whereby that subsequent Bengali version was treated as the master.
http://anandamarganewsbulletin.blogspot.com
How & why they expelled Dádá M
This fundamental difference in approach became the basis of a long-standing disagreement between Dada Maniiśánanda and certain Tiljala Publications in-charges. Over the years, many conversations ensued. But all along, Dádá Sarvátmánanda held firm to his point and insisted that the audio files of Bábá’s original English and Hindi discourses were inferior in language and expression. To eradicate this issue permanently, the then General Secretary Sarvátmánanda, with the support of all Bengali and Hindi group leaders, expelled Maniiśánanda. The first attempt to expel him in January of 1994 was eventually overturned, but Sarvátmánanda gathered the necessary support to permanently expel him on 30th November 1995, just before the arms drop in Ánanda Nagar in late 1995.
Conclusion
There was a concerted effort to permanently derail and halt the movement for "pure" discourses. To that nefarious end, Sarvátmánandanda victimized and ultimately expelled Dádá Maniiśánanda by the collective vote of Sarvátmánanda, with the support of all Bengali and Hindi group leaders. They also went to the extent of justifying in their audio remembrances, by their saḿsmarańa recordings, that Bábá "wanted" all the discourses kept as "original Bengali". This was and remains just their bogus propaganda. Sadguru Bábá has never said anywhere that such a narrow-minded plan like Bangalisation should be implemented. How could Bábá have ordered to discard and push aside all His English and Hindi GD and DMC discourse recordings.
http://anandamarganewsbulletin.blogspot.com
In Him,
Shephali Ghosh
* * *
The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
* * *
== Section 2: Important Teaching ==
Dharmic way to raise daughters
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “Those who want to keep their daughters away from the “infection of modernity”, and so are reluctant to send them to schools and colleges, perhaps do not realize that modernism had already entered into the privacy of their households quite a long time ago without their knowledge. So their efforts to save their daughters as well as themselves by hanging window curtains or by covering their daughters with veils are entirely farcical. The trend of the age is irrepressible, for in this too there is dynamism. It is the duty of the wise to channelize it to the path of benevolence by applying their own wisdom to the task. To thwart the spirit of the age is beyond the power of any individual or any collective force. That dynamic spirit of the age – that Zeitgeist – speeds ahead unabated with all force, throwing down anyone who tries to stand and thwart it, and that floored, sprawling creature with imbecilic and glum eyes keeps staring vacantly at progress.” (1)
Reference
1. Human Society - 1, Social Justice
== Section 3: Links ==
Recent postings
Other topics of interest