Baba
Bad Wt
Note: This letter is only for those who have reverence for Sadguru Baba Shrii Shrii Anandamurti ji and try to follow His Ananda Marga ideology.
Namaskar,
Even though it runs contrary to Sadguru’s wishes, one Dada is always restless to give Baba’s photo to newspaper editors so it could be published in their paper. When many margiis raise the concern that it is against the sanctity of Ista to print His photo in the newspaper, then that Dada generated lame excuses to justify his adharmic desire. Please read the following.
Divyacetanananda (DC) Dada wrote: Margii XYZ raised the issue regarding printing of Baba's photo in papers. Regarding this issue Baba definitely wrote in Caryacarya and our conduct rules to maintain the sanctity of His photos. There is no dispute about it. Already, Baba has given in 1974-5 permission to publish His Gentleman photo in AMPS books like Prout In a Nutshell.
Reply: First and foremost, with all due respect, Dadaji is comparing apples and oranges. Baba’s approval of His photo on an inside page of His Prout in a Nutshell series does not in any way mean that it is appropriate to publish His photo in the newspaper. These are two radically different circumstances.
http://anandamarganewsbulletin.blogspot.com/
Baba says, "You shall protect, in all respects and at all costs, the dignity of your treasures and the sanctity of your flag, of your emblem, and of the pratikrti [photo] of Márga Guru.” (1)
Those who purchase books treasure them; people hold onto their books their entire life and then often hand them down to the next generation. In addition, Prout in a Nutshell is a book that exclusively presents Baba’s own teachings so naturally the reader has a keen interest in Ananda Marga philosophy and Prout. So they are bound to care for the book properly.
Another important quality is that Guru’s photo is discreetly placed on an inside page - not the cover. One must open the book to see it - in that sense it is protected and encased. Thus, the placement of Baba’s photo in the Prout in a Nutshell series is completely in concert with His divine teaching from Caryacarya to safeguard the sanctity of Guru’s pratikrti.
Sadly: street dogs might urinate on it
In contrast, people hardly hold onto a newspaper for an hour or two. And when they are done with it they haphazardly toss it in the trash, or dump it on the floor of the train compartment where other passengers step on it, or leave it by the roadside where street dogs might urinate on it. Or those newspapers are crumpled up and thrown in the garbage bin, or used as a drop cloth when painting, or strewn on the ground where cows chew on them etc. Indeed, the life of a printed newspaper is neither long nor pretty. For a very short while certain articles are valued and then within hours the entire newspaper is treated as trash, junk, or worse. It gets soiled in all sorts of nasty ways.
http://anandamarganewsbulletin.blogspot.com/
Plus people buy newspapers for all kinds of reasons. They may be interested in fashion, or local news, or sports, or international politics. Or they may use that newspaper as a diaper or all kinds of things. The mass of newspaper readers have no interest in Ananda Marga teachings nor any regard for Baba as a Guru. So there is no telling what may happen to His photo once it is published in a newspaper. It may even be used as a diaper for small kids or the elderly.
So if Guru’s image is printed in such newspapers then that will be a gross injustice - nay sin. So we must never allow Baba’s photo to be printed in the newspaper because His photo will not be given due reverence.
Thus, Dada’s justification has now value. Verily Dada’s attempt to correlate that since the Guru approved His photo to be placed inside His Prout books so therefore it can be placed in newspapers does not hold. Who can think that since Baba approved His photo to be placed in the Prout in a Nutshell series therefore He has approved printing His photo in a public newspaper as well - whereby it will be treated as rubbish in a few hours time. No true bhakta or sadhaka can think like this - it defies all logic and rationality.
Dada making a blanket statement & blaming
DC Dada wrote: "These days media has become very powerful."
Reply: Baba always says we should stand tall in the face of injustices and exploitation and we should never give in to such parties. The meat and cigarette industries are also powerful, but no true margii eats meat and smokes. Similarly, just because the news media industry may hold a certain stature in society, it does not mean we should forgo our moral and devotional code to abide by their wishes. Baba does not approve of this. Yet, here it seems that Dadaji is completely giving in to their demands. It is sad to see an avadhuta behave in this way.
DC Dada wrote: "Several margiis, especially from overseas do not appreciate what Baba has asked us in CC."
Reply: This is an unfortunate thing to say and a gross generalisation. Dadaji is making a blanket statement and blaming an entire section of margiis - and in particular non-Indiian margiis - as if they are traitors to Guru. Sadly, instead of taking responsibility for his own actions he is blaming and pointing fingers at others.
DC Dada wrote: "They have uploaded all the photographs available in internet. In this scenario, if we do not give photo of Baba to the media, they can easily download it from net."
Reply: Instead of living up to the high ideal of ensuring that Baba's photos are not misused by the media, he employs the bogus logic that since they can download it then we need not uphold our ideal. That is just like saying that because someone can download pornography then it is not a big deal to give pornography to that person. Just because a mistake or wrongdoing was done that does not mean we should then embrace that as the new norm. Rather one should always live up to their ideal. But here Dadaji is doing the exact opposite and justifying his position by stating that, "if we do not give photo of Baba to the media, they can easily download it from net." Here again Dadaji is casting blame onto an entire section of margiis - labeling them as traitors to Guru - failing to take responsibility for his own actions.
http://anandamarganewsbulletin.blogspot.com/
Wrong done: printed without permission
DC Dada wrote: "During Baba's time Baba's photo was printed in newspapers on special occasions with His permission."
Reply: That is patently false. Baba did not approve His photo being printed in the newspaper. He would not even grant interviews to the press, and He was always very careful of how His photo was used. So it is wrong to say that with His permission His photo was printed. So many things occurred those days that Baba never approved of - including some bad people who did smuggling etc. So just because something happened does not mean that Baba supported it.
DC Dada wrote: "So considering all these dimensions and keeping good relations with media, which is very important for us to propagate His ideology, we have given them a photo which they print along with the article."
Reply: Here above Dadaji is clearly admitting that he himself willingly gave the media / newspaper editors the photo to print along with the article. By his own admission, Dadaji has been involved in this way. So it is not that the media got it from some outside or third party source etc as Dadaji hints at above. Rather Dadaji directly submitted the photo to them. Thus Dadaji has contravened Baba’s mandate.
Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, "You shall protect, in all respects and at all costs, the dignity of your treasures and the sanctity of your flag, of your emblem, and of the pratikrti [photo] of Márga Guru.” (2)
As a Wt, if Dadaji is not going to follow Guru's above mandate - then who on this earth will follow His teachings. It is the bounden duty of all Wts to be very keen and strict in abiding by all of Guru's regulations, including honouring the sanctity of His photo by not printing it in the newspaper etc.
http://anandamarganewsbulletin.blogspot.com/
Here is how Dadaji could have handled the issue - and this is how others can approach similar circumstances in the future.
Use photo from AM service projects or banners etc
If we stipulate to the media that it goes against our sentiment and ethic to have Guru's photo printed in the paper, then they will comply. First and foremost, those in the media are of a business mentality. They want their readers, customers, and associates to be happy; they do not want to alienate a section of the population. It is just like how they will not print cartoons of the prophet Mohammed for fear of offending Muslims. Nor will they print gory photos of victims of terrorist attacks or airline accidents out of respect to the surviving family members.
Similarly, now the media is showing pictures of gay people kissing one another because the gay community likes that. So in this case those business-minded news agencies are including photos to please their readership and gain customers. As businessmen they will bend according to the wishes of their readership etc. We should be firm and stand on our principles, and they will acquiesce to our perspective. It is sad that Dada has completely lost his morals on this point and just resorts to deception and justifications.
So again in review, every newspaper and publication must abide by certain ethics. Hence, when they wish to print Ananda Marga news, or when we submit one of Baba’s discourses for publication and the editors ask for Baba’s photo, we should point out that it goes against our spiritual cult of bhakti to have our Guru’s photo printed in the newspaper. We can then suggest that if they need an image they can use a photo from one of our service projects or Ananda Marga banners etc.
http://anandamarganewsbulletin.blogspot.com/
This should satisfy those newspaper editors as they will still be able to supply their readers with the material they desire. So we should be able to come to a workable agreement with newspaper staff members. Because as stated, they are a business and they do not want to do anything that would rile their customer base.
DC Dada wrote: "It is not that Baba's photo is always printed in all newspaper articles, for example in NavBharat Times Mumbai June 23 published Baba's article without Baba's photo."
Reply: Exactly, this proves that those newspapers are willing to print Baba’s discourses without His photo. If they have done it once they can do it on a regular basis. Just they need to be informed of our stand and then for the sake of their own business interest they will abide by and respect our wish.
DC Dada wrote: "The fact is we cannot control everything and secondly people want to know the identity of the author of the articles."
Reply: DC dada can become a writer and give his photo and write on AM ideals just like people who write about and cite the vedas. There are many facets of today’s society that we do not control but that does not mean we forgo our Ananda Marga standards. Furthermore, the identity of the Author can be given in a short paragraph format. This is often done in newspapers in magazines. A short blurb is given about the writer and the photos that accompany the article reflect the topic of the piece.
In Him,
Prabha Sen
Poor people use newspapers in all kinds of ways, even as diapers.
References
1. Caryacarya, Part 1, Treasures of Ananda Marga
2. Caryacarya, Part 1, Treasures of Ananda Marga
* * *
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 ==
Honour those society rejects
Ananda Marga ideology states, "Human beings neglect many things in this world without any plausible reason. They forget that Parama Puruśa resides in every object, even the most neglected one. They fail to look at the world with proper social benevolence. Suppose a pig is writhing in pain. The onlookers casually say, “Well, it's only a pig – let it die,” and thus neglect Parama Puruśa in the form of a pig. Such an error will result in their overall progress being retarded. One should not detest anything as everything is a manifestation of Parama Puruśa. Parama Puruśa cannot hate anyone or anything in this world – how can He, all are His manifestations – so on what grounds can humans hate anyone or anything. If one hates His manifestation it means that one hates Parama Puruśa Himself. Let no human being be so arrogant.”
“It has been said, “Amáninam mánadeyam” – “respect the disrespected.” Those who are disrespected and rejected by society should also be recognized by us as manifestations of Parama Puruśa. We must respect them with due honour as Parama Puruśa has chosen to manifest them in that particular way. We should always be very courteous to them. Hence the third duty of a devotee is to respect those people whom no one respects. We must approach those who are unloved, ridiculed, and in need of affection, and tell them we care for them. By honouring them and restoring their dignity we will make them happy; their minds will become filled with joy." (1)
Reference
1. Anadna Vacanamrtam - 7, How Should a Devotee Behave?
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Lack of sadhana: “polished satans”
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, “In the most developed minds, an infinite thirst becomes awakened. By attaining the supreme rank of Brahma – bliss personified – that infinite thirst can be quenched. The sustained effort to attain that blissful state is called dharma sádhaná. But if human beings do not find the proper way to satisfy their thirst, they go astray. That is, those who do not follow the spiritual path may perform harmful actions at any time. Even those whom society respects as intelligent or learned may, in reality, be no better than “polished satans”, or what the scriptures call “demons”. Our modern society is full of such people. They talk about universalism like parrots. They have no defined ideology in their individual and collective lives, and merely dedicate themselves to the deception of the human race as they strive to serve their petty self-interests by any means, fair or foul. We cannot expect any beneficial contribution from them.” (1)
Reference
1. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life in a Nutshell Part 8, Sadhana
== Section ==
Ananda Vanii #25:
What is knowledge, action, and devotion
What is knowledge, action, and devotion
"Knowing oneself is the real knowledge; serving all with the ideation of Náráyańa, the real action, and the vow to please Parama Puruśa the real devotion." (1)
Note: As every Ananda Margii knows, Baba's original and true Ananda Vaniis are unique guidelines that stand as complete discourses in and of themselves. They are not an excerpt of any previously given discourse. Furthermore, Baba would graciously deliver His Ananda Vaniis on select times during the year, most often on New Year's Day and Ananda Purnima.
Reference
1. Ananda Vanii #25
== Section ==
हे परमपुरुष! साॅंसारिक वस्तुएं मैं हमेशा याद रखता हूँ, परन्तु मैं तुम्हारा नाम लेना हमेशा भूल जाता हॅू।
प्रभात संगीत 838
आमि आरो केनो किछु भूली ना, शुधु भूले थाकी तवो नाम...
भावार्थः-
हे परमपुरुष! यह कितना दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण और कष्टदायी है कि मैं तुम्हारा दिव्य नाम हमेशा भूल जाता हॅू। साॅंसारिक वस्तुओं के मन में आ जाने के कारण मैं उसे स्थायी रूप से याद नहीं रख पाता हूँ । वे साॅंसारिक वस्तुएं मैं हमेशा याद रखता हूँ केवल तुम्हारा नाम ही भूल जाता हॅूं। हे मेरे परम प्यारे! कृपया मेरे ऊपर दया करो। मैं तुम्हारा नाम प्रत्येक समय श्वाश प्रश्वाश के साथ लेते रहना चाहता हूँ पर दुख है कि मैं फिर भी भूल जाता हूँ । हे दिव्य सत्ता! भले ही मैं तुम्हें याद न रख पाता होऊं या नाम स्मरण नहीं कर पाता हॅूं परंतु अनुभव करता हॅूं कि तुम मुझे प्रेम करते हो । तुम्हारी कृपा से मैं हमेशा तुम्हारा प्रेम अनुभव करता हॅूं विशेषतः तब जब कि मैं तुम्हारी ओर देखता हॅूं। तुम कितने आकर्षक और कृपालु हो!
हेे परमपुरुष तुम भव्य हो। तुम्हारी कृपा से जब तारों द्वारा स्वर्गिक उत्सर्जित प्रकाश पार्थिव कणों को चमकाता हैं तो मेरा मन दैवी आनन्द का अनुभव करता है।
बाबा! हे परमपुरुष! तुम सर्वाधिक कृपालु हो। तुम्हारे द्वारा मेरे हृदय में जो दिव्य स्नेह उड़ेला गया है, जिस स्नेहाकर्षण से मन को संतृप्त कर दिया है, वह मुझे कंपायमान कर दिव्य संसार में ले आता है। तुम्हारी कृपा से आज मैं तुम्हारे द्वारा मेरे मन और हृदय को अनुनादित करने वाली रागनी और लय के साथ बारम्बार साष्टाॅंग प्रणाम करता हॅूं।
हे मेरे प्रभु बाबा! कृपया मेरे ऊपर अहेतुकी कृपावृष्टि करें ताकि मैं तुम्हारा दिव्य नाम हमेशा गाता रहूं।
Note: If you would like the audio file of the above Prabhat Samgiita kindly write us.
== Section 3: Links ==
Upcoming Festival - 12 Feb - #1: Niilkantha Divas
- #2: On this occasion
Other topics of interest
