Baba
Defective story
Namaskar,
Stories create a deep impression in the mind; people remember stories and form their opinions based on them. This is the common human psychology. As disciples of Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji, it is extremely important that we present stories about Sadguru Baba in a most dignified and accurate manner - lest some be led astray by a fallacious or poorly told account. Stories are very good when they are properly written, and they are terribly dangerous and deadly when they are poorly portrayed. Here following is an example of a very poorly written story.
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Dada’s story based on false account
Now let’s look at a story from a book published by one Dada. This is an important case study because this story is false, and gives wrong teachings that will misguide society. In particular, please take note of the highlighted coloured section - "Then Baba went to the privates' tent to join them in their well-deserved feast" - which portrays Guru as being greedy and underhanded etc.
As we know Sadguru Baba Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji is the personification of dharma and universal love. But, unfortunately, this false and bogus story is completely made up and leads in an entirely different direction. As you read it, you will see how the overall feeling mounts that Baba befooled His boss - i.e. the sergeant - in order to eat stolen snacks with His fellow soldiers.
What to watch for in the false story
The false story paints the picture that first Baba conspired with his fellow soldiers to take all the food of their commanding officer in the middle of the night. To achieve this, the false story shows how Baba created a theory how jackals attack people. When in truth jackals are cowardly animals that always run away. But in the fake story, the commanding officer was from Britain and was not aware about the nature of jackals. Just he could hear those jackals howling through the night. So he believed that jackals were ferocious animals. By this way the sergeant in that false story was fooled, and Baba and those soldiers could put their plan into action.
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The fake story furthermore depicts how Baba offered to sleep in the sergeant’s tent to “guard” him from those terrifying jackals. But that was just one befooling strategy so that He could ensure his fellow soldiers could safely steal all the sergeant’s food, and that He (Baba) will get His share. Finally, Baba slipped away from the sergeant’s tent and joined everyone in the feast. This is the unfortunate way in which the false story is presented.
So the false story portrays how from beginning to end Baba duped and deceived the sergeant. It is presented to such a degree that one actually feels sympathetic towards the naive sergeant, not towards those who stole and ate his food.
Readers of all walks of life who view the false story will surely be miffed by Baba’s manner. They will be shocked by this story - and I think as sadhakas who are vigilant about the way Guru is presented to the public, you will also be shocked by the way this fake story depicts Baba. Because really it is quite regrettable how this false story is presented in the name of Baba.
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The false Baba story starts
(Note: This below story appears in one Dada's book and scans of the story from that book has been appended below for your review.)
Since Baba was a corporal, the privates in His platoon frequently complained to Him about their selfish sergeant. The food the privates got was very poor, while the sergeant ate well and never shared a crumb with them.One day, Baba said to the sergeant, "Sir, I know this jungle area well. I passed part of my youth nearby. I want to advise you about a most important point.""Yes, go ahead," the sergeant said. "I'm all ears.""There are dangerous jackals roaming here. They are capable of killing a man and taking him for supper."Opening his eyes wide, the sergeant said, "Then what shall we do? Are there any precautions we can take?""Generally these jackals attack in the middle of the night. Before attacking, however, they make a slight coughing sound. If we hear that sound, we must not alert the animal to our presence by moving. Do you understand?""Corporal Sarkar, I depend on you to get us through this region alive.""Don't worry, Sir. For maximum security, it will be best that I sleep in your tent.""By all means, please do so."That night Baba slept next to the sergeant. About 3:00 in the morning, Baba woke him up, and whispered, "Listen.""What is it?" exclaimed the anxious sergeant."Shhhh, quiet," He said.A soft cough could be heard."Is it...?""Yes, it's surely a jackal," He whispered."Oh God! In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit ...""Quiet," hissed Baba.Another sound was heard."I say! What's that?" said the sergeant. "It seems he's entered my supply tent!""Shhh, quiet, Sir, please."Then a clicking sound."By God, I think he's getting right into my tiffin box!""Sir, you'll give us away," whispered Baba."What ho! I can hear the rustle of my bag of channa chura (spicy snack)!""Do keep quiet, Sir.""I say! It sounds like he's taking my satchel of dried fruits and nuts!""Sir, please.""Oh Lord, I'm sure that's the sandesh (milk sweets)!""You'll get us killed, Sir.""Oh heaven save me, the cakes!"Baba grabbed his shoulders, whispering, "Get a hold of yourself, Sir! You've absolutely got to hush up. Don't even move."The sergeant lay there, unmoving. But his eyes were filled with horror hearing the sounds from the supply tent. At last, there was silence. Ten seconds, twenty seconds...The sergeant jumped up, saying, "He must be gone! I'll just see ..." He ran out."Oh, Mother Mary!" he yelled from the supply tent. "That jackal's taken every last drop of my eatables! God damn him!"Baba walked in, saying, "Sir, really. How can you care for such a small matter, when here we stand alive?""Oh damn, damn, damn. You're right, but ..." and mumbling beneath his breath he went back to his tent.Baba looked in, saying, "Sir, better I survey around, to ensure the creature's really gone.""Very well," sighed the sergeant.“Then Baba went to the privates' tent to join them in their well-deserved feast.”
If you do not understand, then please go back up to the top and re-read from the beginning and you will certainly see the problems in this false story. Remember, non-margiis are reading and will read this book so they will form their opinions based on the literal meaning and will thus blame Baba.
Conclusion
Best will be to write to this Dadaji and express to him how this fake and fabricated story should be removed from his book entirely. And that all unsold copies of the current edition should be thrown away. If these steps are not taken, historians and literary critics will come across it. And the outcome will not be good.
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Till that time, until updates are made to his book and he destroys the current leftover copies, then you the reader should consider ripping out those two pages from your own personal edition. By this way, at least your own children will not get the wrong lesson from this false story.
Unfortunately, the above is not an isolated incident. There are many such fake stories that are floating around. So watch out. It is the duty of sincere margiis to raise their voice against such bogus stories. Because these fake stories defeat the very purpose for why they have been written and they end up harming the psyche of every Ananda Margii.
Namaskar,
at His lotus feet,
Chandramohan
~ In-depth study ~
The writer’s - i.e. Dada Dharmavedananda’s - aim was to write a book that glorifies Sadguru Baba; yet by publishing this bogus story he has undermined Sadguru Baba. Please find more about Dadaji further down in this email, including scans of his book.
What is needed to write a proper Baba story
- #1: It is important for us to consider what is needed to write a proper Baba story. First and foremost, one must ensure that the Baba story is itself true. After carefully making this assessment, these following criteria are needed: (a) deep bhakti for Baba, (b) pointed understanding of Ananda Marga philosophy, and (c) literary skill.
- #2: Bhakti allows a person to write with proper flow and prana. Ideology brings right direction and philosophical consistency. Literary skill brings artistic value and beauty.
- #3: Of these three characteristics, if one has only bhakti and lacks philosophical understanding and lacks writing skills, then sometimes their story will not have philosophical support. And in some cases the story may even be dogmatic. And, certainly without literary skill, the story will be rough and jagged and will lack proper expression. If one has only philosophical understanding and lacks bhakti and is shy on writing skills, then their Baba story will be dry and poorly expressed.
- #4: So if there is a proper degree of bhakti along with ideological understanding, then one's literary skill will help make that story shine. While if one uses all their literary talent on a story that lacks the inner feeling of bhakti and philosophical understanding, then that story will be a mess - i.e. useless and poisonous.
- #5: Unfortunately, nowadays there are some who fall in this last category. They may or may not have the writing skills, yet utterly lack proper spiritual, heartfelt feeling and ideological understanding. In that case, the intimate component of the story is ruined or left out entirely, or one will write something contrary to the ideological fundamentals of Ananda Marga teachings. If one has bhakti then that literary skill give a proper spiritual flow to the story, but if one does not have bhakti then that literary skill is meaningless. So when those lacking both bhakti and philosophical understanding write a story, then the outcome will be like applying cosmetic make-up to a dead person - there will not be any charm. It will be useless and dogmatic.
- #6: Best is to cultivate or have all the qualities: (a) requisite bhakti, (b) understanding of Ananda Marga philosophy, and (c) literary skill. Then one can write a beautiful and loving account that will inspire so many readers across the ages. And again, the first and foremost point is to ensure that the original material - i.e. the Baba story itself - is true and accurate.
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Mislead the common people
Unfortunately, from time to time, we come across such false and fabricated stories that mislead the common people. That is why when sincere margiis read Baba stories they use their vivek. While reading they automatically discard false stories.
Such bogus stories become deadly when readers think that every Baba story book has just sprung from the divine world. In that case, those innocent readers blindly follow those false tales, no matter how preposterous the tale might be. It is just like how some adhere to the outrageous claim, “Baba merged into the mission.” Such bogus and false stories become veritable dogmas that are not easy to remove.
Who wrote this story
The person who wrote this story is Dada Dharmavedananda ji. He is the one who published this story in His book. You may find this story on pages 219-20 of His book, “Travels with the Mystic Master.” For those who only have the first edition of the book - i.e. “Who’s Afraid of the Tantric Guru” - please find the story on pages 229-30.
Here are scans of the story from the second edition, “Travels with the Mystic Master.”
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Dogma: I am fine all by myself
Ananda Marga philosophy teaches us "You will hear many a vain and assuming person say, “I don’t need anyone’s help, I’m doing very well by myself. I don’t want to concern myself with anyone else’s affairs and I don’t expect anyone else to bother about mine.” Nothing could be more foolish than this statement. Medicine and nursing are necessary to cure diseases; the neighbours’ help is needed to cremate a dead body; and for the regular supply of food and cloth the cooperation of farmers and spinners is essential. Remember, no created being in this universe is independent. No one can exist alone, everyone has a supra-cosmic relationship with the whole, at times prominent, at times indistinguishable. In this scheme of mutual relationships, even the slightest mistake or discord will raise a furious furor in the universe. In this mighty creation, the brilliantly luminous sun and the tiny ant have the same existential value, having combined together to make the universal family. Similarly, in human society, the importance of a powerful and eminent person is no less than that of a disabled and dying patient. None can be ignored. The least injustice done to anyone will cause the break down of the entire social framework." (1)
Reference
1. A Few Problems Solved Part 6, The Spirit of Society
== Section 2: Links ==
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