Baba
Different era, different values
Namaskar,
These days money supersedes all values and do’s and don’ts of life. For money one can do anything. One’s social status is determined by money, i.e. bank account. Morality, kindheartedness, service, and magnanimity of mind are all expendable in the face of money. No matter how much sadhana, service, and sacrifice one does, and no matter the degree of one’s good conduct, that is all meaningless, if a person does not have money. In contrast, if one has money, no matter how notorious that person is, they will be honoured as great and respected. On the whole, people think this value system is normal and that it will be this way forever, and that it was like this in the past also.
The idea expressed in the above paragraph is the feeling of those who have never read or studied human history. Actually, each era has their own distinct set of values. Today money is everything and tomorrow it will be nothing. Rather those with huge money will be treated as lowly exploiters. To see how this happens, please continue reading.
“Might is right” to the power of intellect
For instance, in the ksatriyan era, the warrior class was in power. Those warriors and trained fighters held all the prestige in society. In that era, army commanders, generals, and those skilled in martial techniques were the most powerful. The slogan of the day was, “Might is right.” And everyone wanted to be viewed as a great fighter because that skill was accepted and respected as the loftiest attainment. The common people were eager to adopt the family names of famous warriors as a shortcut method towards gaining respect and social status. In hopes of being revered as a someone great, the ignorant masses wholly embraced the imposed propaganda about the glory of the ruling king.
Then, in the vipran age, the cunning intellectuals like mullahs and priests etc garnered the most prestige. They were the ruling class and deemed as the cream of society. The slogan of the day was, “Where there is intellect, there is victory.” In the vipran era, the cunning intellectuals held all the power and everyone bowed down to them. To garner respect people would put fake names, initials, and scholarly degrees by their name in order to be viewed as someone great. And, in hopes of being revered, the ignorant masses embraced the imposed propaganda about the glory of the mullahs and priests etc. But ultimately that vipran age changed, giving way to a whole new era.
Money trumps everything
Now in this vaeshyan era, the wealthy are revered and the acquisition of material wealth is viewed as the top most quality of a human being. If a person has wealth, then they are great. That is the defining element of the vaeshyan era. So at present, in this vaeshyan era, everyone follows the ways and preachings of the capitalists. And the common people yearn and dream of becoming a top capitalists. In result, people want to show themselves as having more money than they have. Everything is done to display one’s wealth and present oneself as being wealthy. Because money is deemed as everything and the way to get respect. And, in hopes of being revered as a someone great, the ignorant masses embrace the imposed propaganda about the glory of the top capitalists, i.e. the billionaire class etc.
The overall point is that in this age of extreme capitalism, the great qualities of intellect, service, dedication, spirituality, kind-heartedness, and neo-humanistic feeling have zero value. Instead certain dogmas injected by capitalist exploiters have become the gold-standard. Money trumps everything. But take note, this too will change. A bright new era is looming on the eastern horizon.
Conclusion
According to the age, people run in a given direction in order to get respect and prestige. It is a type of sheep psychology and a mental ailment. Those who are ignorant drown themselves in the lure of a particular era. If it is the vaeshayan era, they do everything for money; in the vipran era, they aim for intellect; and in the ksatriyan era they want to gain physical might etc. So across the span of history, people become completely tainted with the disease of the ruling era for the chief purpose of gaining respect and honour. And when the era changes they will too will change. So if today people think money is everything, and tomorrow people think those with money are cheats, then the common people will change their tune. They are literally tools or beggars in any given era. They just get caught up in the transient aims of that era and the overall pettiness of life, and wholly forget the greater reason why they have been born on this earth.
So human values change from age to age. And when Mahasambhuti takes advent then a monumental shift occurs. This is known as the transitional period where all aspects of human life undergo a dramatic and revolutionary shift, including the social values. By His grace, the followers of Mahasambhuti help usher in this bright, new era of neo-humanism, and thereby establish sadvipra samaj.
In Him,
Pankaj
Ananda Vanii states, “Human history today has reached such a transitional phase that universal humanity, forgetting all spatial, temporal and personal differences, shall have to move, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder towards the new dawn with rapid steps. Humanity must respond to this call. With the reddish glow of the dawn, the collective body, mind and soul will be radiant with joy. And that alone will be the real progress of universal humanity, the firm establishment of unified humanism.” (Ananda Vanii #61)
Ananda Vanii states, “The night of cimmerian darkness is bound to disappear seeing the advent of the dawn. That which is ever-true, which is eternal, is destined to be illuminated with the rise of the crimson dawn. Be ready for the grand ovation to that new crimson dawn in every house. Be prepared physically and mentally, armed with the force of righteousness, for the auspicious moment of the enthronement of the ever-new. Be ready to respond to the supra-cosmic trumpet.” (Ananda Vanii #69)
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The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
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The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
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== Section 2: Prabhat Samgiita ==
"Tomáre cáhite giá bhúl kare,tava varadán ceyechinu..." (Prabhat Samgiita #0733)
Note: Only those who sincerely practice the higher lessons of sahaja yoga meditation can understand this song in the depths of their heart.
Purport:
O’ Parama Purusa, when I reached to Your doorstep to have Your darshan then, but due to my foolishness, I just asked You for some boons. So I could not get You. This was my mistake. I asked something from You, and did not ask for You Yourself. It is akin to if I wanted to have the vast ocean but by my own blunder I just got one small drop of saline water.
Baba, that time I did not understand the difference between matter and Parama Purusa. I could not distinguish between what is shreya and what is preya. Due to my ignorance, I was thinking that the intelligent approach was to get fruit from the tree, and not try to get the tree itself. But now I understand it would have been far better to have gotten the tree, because it is the tree that produces all the fruit.
* Note for 2nd stanza: The basic idea is that the sadhaka feels repentance for not giving importance to spirituality. Rather he thought that he could gain eternal peace by accumulating a lot of wealth. He thought that by offering large donations to the religious priests he could get the blessings of the great sages, accumulate virtue, and reserve a place in heaven. With that confusion, the sadhaka figured, “There is no need for me to concern myself with the Sixteen points, penance, sadhana, and following the various conduct rules and regulations. By visiting tiirthas like Ananda Nagar & Tiljala, and getting the blessing of monks, I can achieve everything. So there is no need of doing any penance.” That is the faulty frame of mind of some sadhakas. So here the poet is using the analogy of the fruit tree to represent all those righteous practices. But in today’s social milieu, the common folks wrongly think that with money you can get everything. That is what is depicted in the second stanza.
Baba, whatever worldly blessings You bestowed upon me with Your left hand, due to Your liila, in the course of time with Your right hand You took back all those boons. So in the end, I was just a beggar and unsatisfied. On the one side You gave me worldly attributions and on the other side I lost my peace and tranquility. The root cause is that these worldly things are not permanent. Today they are, and tomorrow they are not. So whatever worldly things You gave, in due course those things decayed and went away. After all these losses and gains, the final outcome is nil - zero. O’ Parama Purusa, by Your grace today I hear Your flute playing this eternal message: “O’ bhakta, remember, I am always with you, caring for you, watching over you, providing whatever is necessary, and ensuring your welfare. So you need not ask for anything.”
Baba, by Your grace, today I realise I should never ask anything mundane thing from Parama Purusa. Whatever I need You bestow upon me. Rather I utilize time in singing Your name...
== Section 3: Important Teaching ==
How to characterize fake bhaktas
False devotees think about themselves whereas true devotees think about God and want to serve Him. By this approach life becomes meaningful and they reach to the Goal; otherwise, they are just fake devotees who take birth and die again and again, suffering in this transitory world.
Ananda Marga ideology states, "True devotees can think only of Parama Puruśa – their every action is to please Parama Puruśa. For them, there is only sádhaná and selfless service to the universe – and because selfless service is to please the Lord, that also helps sádhaná. Tapah [selfless service] is part of sádhaná. True devotees are unable to think of right and wrong, but because they wish only to please Parama Puruśa, they can only do good, all their actions will be benevolent. So you are not just to worry about right and wrong, about dos and don'ts – you are to develop that true devotion for Parama Puruśa...But of course, until you develop such devotion, you must distinguish what to do from what not." (1)
Reference
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam-30, The True Devotee
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Section 4: Links ==
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