Baba
Story: Baba like Ganges
Namaskar,
Baba has come to Muzaffarpur to give darshan. The year is 1956 and I am a very new margii. I am seeing Him for the very first time and am so enchanted by His presence - my mind is fully ensconced in His look and charm. I am not even comprehending what He is saying as my analytical brain is not functioning at all. All I know is that the sound of His voice is very beautiful.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
As He delivers His discourse, I am gazing at Him, and He is looking at me. Our eyes are fixed on each other. I am completely magnetized by His divine presence.
Now the discourse has ended, I have come to know that Baba is going to Jamalpur the very next day. I have decided that I too must go to Jamalpur. I cannot bear the thought of not being with Baba. Even during the night I am thinking and dreaming of Him. When morning arrives I quickly make all the needed arrangements for going to Jamalpur. By Baba's grace, the journey passes smoothly.
Baba orders me to start a newspaper
I am in Jamalpur, and just now I got word that I have been given permission to go on field walk with Baba.
While on field walk, Baba asks me to start a newspaper.
I reply, "Yes, Baba."
We continue walking. By His grace, I feel compelled to take on the assigned task. The rest of the day passes in a flash, drenched in His love and care. My short stay in Jamalpur is coming to a close, and I am preparing to return to my home in Muzaffarpur. I feel like the return journey cannot happen quickly enough. By Baba's grace, I arrive safely.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
My first article
So here I am. I have returned to Muzaffarpur, and I am already thinking about what I will write for the newspaper. Having just been with Baba, I can only think of His magnificent beauty and charm. So I have decided to write about Baba Himself. In my article, I compare Baba's purity to that of the Ganges River.
I am so enthralled by Baba's loving manner and divine personality that I could not resist writing about Him in this way. I have decided to publish the article on the front page of our paper which will be distributed to both margiis and the general public.
By Baba's grace, the project has come to fruition and the paper has been published and circulated all around the local area.
The margiis became furious
Within one or two days, the local margiis are up in arms and furious with me. They keep telling me, "You are just a new margii - you do not understand - we do not believe in this dogma that the Ganges is pure and holy. In Ananda Marga, we do not subscribe to the belief that bathing in the Ganges purifies one of their sins. What you have written is completely wrong and misleading."
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
They decided that the leftover newspapers should not be circulated and that in the next issue an apology should be offered. This is what they concluded.
In turn, I am trying to convince them of my feelings and intentions, but no one is listening to me. They are not understanding my perspective.
Baba supported me
Some have decided to bring this matter to Baba. They sent one margii to ask Baba about all that occurred. We are awaiting His review. In the meantime, I continue to be pressured and criticised by the local margiis. A few days pass in this way.
Finally, the margii has come with the news. The margii reports to us that Baba has said that, "What Sashi Ranjan has written is a comparison. When the writer has a positive mind-set then such a comparison is OK."
Alas, Baba knows my inner feeling, and He has approved of my words and told this to everyone. Hearing this, all the margiis apologise to me and accept the article.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Writing style & use of similes
The above account shared with us by Shrii Shashi Ranjan is quite meaningful on multiple levels.
Firstly, it is a very intimate tale of one bhakta's real-life experience with Baba. And secondly, we all get the teaching that using comparisons when writing about Parama Purusa is ok - so long as one's heart and mindset are positive. With good intention, one may use these types of analogies and poetic comparisons to highlight and glorify Baba. If one uses the same type of analogy with malintent to undermine the stature of Guru then that is sinful. But when the intention of the writer is positive, then that simile is ok. Plus similar comparisons are used in numerous discourses as well.
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "By kiirtana you become as pure as if you have taken a “holy dip in the Ganges.” What does a holy dip in the Ganges mean for a sádhaka? It means doing kiirtana constantly." (1)
In the above discourse, the comparison of the river Ganges is used to relay the effect of doing kiirtan. In so many ways we are getting the idea how we are to describe Him, i.e. through poetic comparisons or similes. It is a way for sadhakas to share their feelings about that otherwise indescribable Personality.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Conclusion
Before coming to Ananda Marga, Shashi Ranjan thought of the Ganges as being very pure. This is the common understanding in India. So with his heartfelt feeling he compared Baba in this manner, and Baba gave His divine approval. Without such comparisons, there is no way for bhaktas to express themselves when talking about the greatness and charm of Sadguru.
Namaskar,
In Him,
Mahadeva
~ In-depth study ~
The above account is the story from one well-known, great bhakta: Shrii Shashi Ranjan Sahu was a key member of parliament with a high post; thereafter, he was influential with the founding of the PBI (Proutist Block of India).
Common in Ananda Marga books
And indeed we see that in our many spiritual treasures, Ananda Marga philosophy uses comparisons to describe the greatness, charm, love and beauty of Parama Purusa, as well as to talk about spiritual life.
In countless Prabhat Samgiita compositions, Parama Purusa is compared with the sun, moon, and stars - and in so many other ways. For example, in the song, "Nayane ma'mata' bhara'" (PS #12), in the first stanza His smile is compared with radiant pearls, "Hasite mukuta jhara'". And in PS #913, it says: "Candana sama tava a'shisa a'ma'ke" meaning, Your grace is a soothing balm like sandalwood paste.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Verily there are so many songs where His love or His arrival are compared with the sweetness of a flower or the cool summer breeze. Comparisons are part and parcel of the whole entire expression in Prabhat Samgiita. They allow bhaktas to know and describe the Divine Entity Who would otherwise remain beyond description. So this is an important element of these songs.
Reference
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 22, Kiirtana: The Panacea for all Afflictions
Plagiary?
It is the accepted international standard and Baba's system not to copy another's work and publish it in your own way. Baba has given a very strict rule on plagiarism. Why is Baba against plagiarism or stealing someone's work? There are many reasons:
1) It is against the code of asteya (non-stealing).
2) Countless stories of bhaktas need to be published. But some do not want to do the hard work of compiling and writing these stories, so they just steal them from others. But new stories need to be told, otherwise so many unpublished stories of sadhakas will be lost and forgotten forever. So watch out for story thieves, and kindly help them not to steal by posting on social media in their own way. If you want to forward this story then attach the following yellow section with the story:
“Courtesy of unknown bhakta via Ananda Marga Universal (https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/)”
This will be treated as the standard protocol.
* * *
The below section is an entirely different topic, unrelated to the above material.
It stands on its own merit as a point of interest and ideological awareness.
* * *
== Section 2: Prabhat Samgiita ==
Note: If you are at the dinner table talking to your close companion you need not address them by saying “O”. Because your companion is seated next to you and looking directly at you. Already you have their full attention. In that case there is no need to say “O”, rather it would be irritating.
Similarly, prefacing an appellation for God with “O’”, such as in O’ Lord, in songs of close proximity is not appropriate in our Ananda Marga. Saying “O’ Lord” signifies that that Divine Entity is far away - i.e. in the 7th sky or heaven - and that one must cry out to reach them. Verily, this goes against the spirit of bhakti, but it is appropriate in those melancholic songs that are rooted in that deep sense of longing.
In our Ananda Marga, we know that Parama Purusa is looking at us always. He is never far - always He resides in the heart, witnessing all we think, do, and say. Hence there is no need to call out to Him using the phrases, “O’ God”, “O’ Lord etc.” One may simply address Him in a natural manner without the “O” preface, and He certainly listens to you. Yet this is an acceptable element in melancholic songs as it reflects that dire yearning of that bhakta.
“Tumi, sudhá taraunge khelicho raunge, sabár saunge niyata…” (Prabhat Samgiita #0700)
Purport:
My Parama Purusa, You are playing with colours-- with all. You are like waves of nectar and engaged with everyone through Your ota and prota yoga. You care for them. Baba, You never get tired and never stop; You go on helping all, day and night, always. Your prema is endless.
By the strength of Your own centrifugal force, in a dancing manner You rush forward in saincara, from the nucleus to far, far away. Afterward, with Your centripetal force and the liila of pratisaincara, You pull Your entire creation unto Yourself, even those entities that are very far. This dual process of saincara and pratisaincara goes on by Your sweet will. You never deviate due to any obstruction or impediment.
Baba, even when there was no creation - no planets, no stars, and no galaxies swaying in the vast sky, even when there was absolutely nothing, in that great historyless past, You were present. That period was beyond the time factor. Mayatiita, even prior to the beginning of creation, You were completely busy remaining in the nucleus.
Baba, Your liila cannot be expressed in words and language. Since eternity You have been present and You will remain forever. You are the Supreme Nucleus of this whole cosmic cycle…
== Section 3: Important Teaching ==
Ananda Marga ideology states, "Jiivátmá is neither a male nor a female, nor a hermaphrodite. For the proper expression of one's latent samskáras [reactive momenta] one gets reborn into the body of a woman or a man or sometimes a hermaphrodite. There is no question of high or low, superior or inferior, noble or ignoble because whatever might be the sex of the body, the jiivátmá is just the witnessing faculty of the mind it is attached to. It is unassailed by the sexual differences of the quinquelemental bodies. The unexpressed psychic reactions (samskáras) of the disembodied soul are guided by the Cosmic Mind and adjusted with a proper structure, at a proper time and a proper place, providing a congenial environment for the expression of the unrequited samskáras. Depending upon the nature of the samskáras there is either the predominance of the tendency to attract (samyojanii shakti) or the predominance of the tendency to be attracted (vibhájanii shakti). The nature of the force of attraction is to draw the object of enjoyment towards itself, and the nature of the force which is attracted is to move towards the object of enjoyment. When there is dominance of samyojanii shakti in one's latent saḿskáras, the disembodied soul attains a female body for its outward expression, and conversely where there is a dominance of vibhájanii shakti, it attains a male body. Where there is an approximate balance between the two, the disembodied soul attains the body of a hermaphrodite. Of course, even in the hermaphrodite the balance between saḿyojanii and vibhájanii shaktis is not perfect; there is a slight tilt in favour of one or the other. That's why some hermaphrodites are more inclined towards masculinity, and some, femininity." (1)
Reference
1. Ananda Marga Ideology & Way of Life - 7, Form and Formless
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “In Europe Latin scholars tried their best to suppress other languages. The Arabic scholars of the Middle East wanted to suppress Persian. And in recent years the people of Wales and Quebec in Canada have protested against the imposition of the English language. They preferred to use their own languages as the medium of expression. In modern India, too, due to selfish political influences, important languages such as Bhojpurii, Maethilii, Mágadhii, Chattrisgaŕhii, Avadhii, Bunddkháńd́ii and Marwarii are being suppressed. Their speakers will certainly not accept this silently, but will surely protect against this unjust domination. Recently there was an open revolt against the imposition of Hindi as the national language of India. That’s why, it is better to bring people speaking different languages closer to one another than to suppress their languages. As a result, people will feel inspired to speak other languages. The arbitrary imposition of any language invites trouble.” (1)
Religions: cause of mayhem
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “There are a variety of religions in the world formulated by different propounders. But instead of enhancing the spirit of unity in the human society, these religions have actually increased disunity and mutual conflict. How many wars have been fought in the name of religion? So, far from being a unifying force, religion should be seen as a cause of disharmony.”
“One thing should be remembered: Dharma and religion – or “Imán” and “majhab” in Arabic – are not synonymous. Throughout the ages, Dharma or Imán has been propagating teachings to unite humanity. Religions are many, but Dharma is one, and that Dharma is Manava [[Human]] Dharma – a system for the attainment of the Supreme. Based on practical wisdom and logical faith, Dharma is a rational approach for the realization of Absolute Truth. External paraphernalia are not required for the practice of Dharma: the only prerequisite is a unit mind. Within Dharma there is no room for exploiting people entrapped in the snare of blind faith, and no scope for self-aggrandisement or the pursuit of group interests. Love, freedom and equality are its foundation stones. As Dharma is beyond time, space and person, there is no scope for Svajátiiya [[differences within a species]], Vijátiiya [[differences between species]] or Svagata [[differences within the same unit being]]. Dharma is inchangeable.”
“Eka eva suhrd dharma nidhane’pyanuyáti yah.”
[Dharma is the only real friend; it follows one even after death]
“Religion is the exact opposite. It is based on the following three factors:
1. Psycho-sentiment
2. Physico-ritualistic observance
3. Tradition” (2)
References
1. A Few Problems Solved - 2, Human Society Is One and Indivisible – 2
2. A Few Problems Solved - 2, Human Society Is One and Indivisible – 2
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Important role of philosophy
Ananda Marga philosophy, "I said a little while ago, and I say again, that the psychic structures of human beings should be created by an all-encompassing philosophy which combines the magnanimity of the sky with the vibrational vastness of the ocean, ruffled by endless waves. A philosophy which fails to do so plunges people into the dark caverns of dogma and stifles their mundane, supra-mundane and spiritual progress under its crushing weight. People forget that the unlimited expansion of intellect is the predominant quality of human beings. When they lose this quality and become like beasts drawn to sensual pleasures, then regardless of what they might have achieved, they hardly deserve to be called human beings. Thus it is the duty of human beings to embrace with open heart and outstretched arms that all-inclusive philosophy which will never encourage them to harm humanity, either directly or indirectly." (1)
Reference
1. Namah Shiváya Shántáya, Disc: 14
== Section: Hindi Quote ==
स्वर्ग क्या“स्वः युक्त “ग”, स्वर्ग | सुख-दुःख की अनुभूति यहीं होती है | तो, मनुष्य अच्छा कर्म करने के बाद मन में जो तृप्ति होती है, वह मन के स्वर्लोक में अर्थात् मनोमय कोष में होती है | तो, ये स्वर्लोक हमेशा तुम्हारे साथ हैं | तुम सत्कर्म करते हो, तुम मानव से अतिमानव बनते हो तो, स्वर्लोक ख़ुशी से भर जाता है | और, तुम मनुष्य के तन में, मनुष्य की शकल में अधम कर्म करते हो, तो स्वर्लोक दुःख में भर जाता है, मन में ग्लानि होती है, आत्मग्लानि होती है | तो, स्वर्ग-नरक अलग नहीं, इसी दुनिया में | और, तुम्हारे मन के अन्दर ही स्वर्ग छिपा हुआ है | तो, जो पण्डित हो चाहे अपण्डित हो, स्वर्ग-नरक की कहानी, किस्सा-कहानी सुनाते हैं, वे सही काम नहीं करते हैं | वे मनुष्य को misguide करते हैं, विपद में परिचालित करते हैं । उनसे दूर रहना, वे dogma के प्रचारक हैं |”
[यह प्रवचन-अंश, बाबा के कैसेट से सीधे लिखा गया है । बाबा का यह असली प्रवचन, अमृतोपदेश है। आनन्दमार्ग हिन्दी पुस्तकों में छपे प्रवचन तो नक़ली प्रवचन हैं, असली नहीं हैं -- बंगालीकरण (बँगलाइजेसन) के तहत उनकी बर्बादी की गई] (1)
Reference
1. MD,may 19 varanasi,v19-02-(H)
== Section: Prabhat Samgiita ==
तुमने अहैतुकी कृपा करके सूखे हृदय को भक्ति और प्रेम से भर दिया है।
प्रभात संगीत 2655 अन्धार हियाय तुमि आलो, नाशो कालो...
भावार्थ
हे परमपुरुष! तुम प्रेम स्वरूप हो। तुम सदैव कृपालु हो। अंधेरे और दुखी हृदय में तुम परम प्रकाश हो। तुम मेरे हृदय की मिठास हो। तुम हृदय के आनन्द हो। तुम अपनी अनन्त कृपा से अंधेरे को हटा देते हो। हे मेरे प्रभु! तुम सबके हृदय को भक्ति भाव से प्रकाशित कर देते हो। अनुपजाऊ सूखे मरुस्थल जैसे हृदय में तुम भक्ति अमृत की वर्षा कर उसे सुमधुर सुगंधित हरियाली में बदल देते हो। बाबा तुम सब कुछ कर सकते हो। तुम सदैव कृपालु हो, तुमने अपनी अहैतुकी कृपा से सूखे हृदय को भक्ति और प्रेम से छलका दिया है।
हे परम सत्ता! तुम्हारे अलौकिक छत्ते के नीचे सभी आश्रय पाते हैं सूखी लता, और बिखरी फूलों की कलियों को, तुम अपने प्रेमस्पर्श से मधुर बना देते हो । और पौधे तथा हरियाली जिन्होंने ग्रीष्म के कारण अपनी सुंदरता खो दी है उन्हें अपनी कृपा से ठंडी ताजी वयारि प्रदान करते हो। तुम अपने प्रेम और आनन्दायी उपस्थिति से सब के दुखों और कष्टों को दूर कर देते हो। और जो जीवन से निराश हो चुके हैं, जिनके पास निवेदन करने के लिये शब्द और भाषा नहीं है, उनके लिये निकटतम प्रियतम बन कर हृदय में बस जाते हो। जिनके पास आगे बढ़ने का सामर्थ्य नहीं , दबे कुचले और हताश हैं, तुम अपनी कृपा से उनके हृदय, अमृत से भर देते हो। बाबा! तुम सब के साथी और शुभचिंतक हो, और आवश्यकता के समय अपनी दिव्य करुणा से सब की मदद करते हो।
हे परमपुरुष बाबा! तुम ही सर्वाधिक कृपालु हो। पातकी और महापातकी, पतित और भ्रष्ट सभी तुम्हारी कृपा चाहते हैं, क्योंकि वे जानते हैं कि तुम उन्हें बचा लोगे। यही कारण है कि केवल भक्त ही नहीं पापी भी तुम्हारी ओर दौड़ते है, सभी तुम्ही में आश्रय पाते हैं। बाबा! तुम किसी से भी घृणा नहीं करते, चाहे वे भयंकर महापापी ही क्यों न हों। बाबा, जाने अन्जाने सभी अपने मन में तुम्हारे आशीष की चाह छिपाये दौड़ रहे हैं। जिस प्रकार मधुमक्खियाॅं , मधु प्राप्त हो सकने वाले रास्ते की खोज कर उस ओर भागती हैं, उसी प्रकार भक्त भी तुम्हारी ओर भागते हैं । हे दिव्य, हे बाबा! तुम मधुर से भी मधुरतम हो, और सभी सुखों और आनन्द के धाम हो | ए मेरे प्यारे ! तुम महान से भी महानतम हो।
== Section 4: Links ==
