Baba
Who can do pracara
Namaskar,
Some in our unit were involved in teaching others about Ananda Marga guidelines like yama and niyama etc. Then a Wt intervened and stated that we should not do this as we were "not qualified." So that raises the question: Should we start teaching others about Ananda Marga yama and niyama etc only when we get moksa, i.e. perfection?
In dharmacakra, some think that after meditation then only a Wt should read and explain a few paragraphs of svadhyaya from Ananda Vacanamrtam like yama and niyama etc. Yet, it could happen that a Wt may be less familiar with a topic but will speak about it anyway, while there may be a margii present who knows far more on that subject. But the margii is overlooked because some think that only those in Wt dress should speak to others about Sadguru Baba's teachings. A few dadas feel that this is their due honour: Since they have the dress then only they can speak before others. This dogma has been brought into Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha from the various religions.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Religious dogma & AMPS
Who does not know that in the black pages of history before the invention of the printing press, the Bible was not allowed to be copied and given to anyone. The common people did not have access to it at all. Finally, when the printing press came along the pope did not permit the Bible to be printed and distributed. This went on for some time. And still today there are strict regulations about the Koran (Quran) and the superiority of Arabic whereby those who want to know about it must consult a mullah. This is the way they keep their dogma intact. Similarly, in AMPS, some think that our scriptures should only be read and explained by acaryas. This is the dogma they want to impose.
Yet , on this point, Ananda Marga ideology is extremely different from the dogmatic religions. Baba has blessed us with a revolutionary approach where all have the moral duty to teach yama and niyama, dharma etc. Unfortunately, a few Dadas feel that only they should talk about dharma, i.e. yama and niyama etc. They want everyone to listen to them. That is what their ego tells them. So they feel threatened if a margii sincerely engages in talks about Ananda Marga philosophy with others. But again, Baba's guideline is clear and pointed: Every initiated person in AMPS must teach others about our Ananda Marga way of life. Of course, it is the sole duty of tattvikas and acaryas to teach meditation. But that is not the subject here.
No bar: all can guide
It is the duty of each and every Ananda Margii to start teaching others about Ananda Marga philosophy. Even the day a person is initiated they can start doing pracara with others. Here is the support from Baba's teachings:
(A) SIXTEEN POINTS: It is the duty of every Ananda Margii to follow 16 Points and embedded within 16 Points is service or seva. As we all know there are 4 types of seva in Ananda Marga philosophy: shudrocita seva, ksatriyocita seva, vaeshyocita seva, and viprocita seva. And Baba guides us that we, i.e. all margiis, are to perform all four types of seva, including viprocita seva, which includes guiding others about the ideals of Ananda Marga.
Duty: all must do viprocita sevá (intellectual service)
Ananda Marga ideology says, "We can give joy to Parama Puruśa by serving His creations – human beings, animals and plants – and this service will be the best application of neo-humanism. This service can be done in four ways – viprocita sevá (intellectual service), kśatriyocita sevá (service of courage), vaeshyocita sevá (economic service) and shudrocita sevá (manual service). None of these is inferior: we cannot ignore any one of them. People should render service according to their capacity. Those who like intellectual service, can do that; those who like manual service, can do so. But it will be best if all the four types are performed." (1)
In His above teaching, Baba clearly tells that everyone, new and senior margiis alike, is to engage in all kinds of seva including teaching others about Ananda Marga philosophy and lifestyle. Everyone should do this according to their capacity. That means even a newly initiated margii can and should teach the general public about kiirtan, or yama and niyama etc. To the degree one is properly aware about Baba's guidelines and tenets is the degree to which a sadhaka should teach others. Then they will be performing seva and following 16 Points. So this should be our approach.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
What Baba tells to do
(B) THE ANANDA MARGA MISSION: Self-realisation & selfless service - concerns each and every Ananda Margii.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "Átmamokśárthaḿ jagaddhitáya ca – “Whatever one is to do one is to do for átmamokśa – for his own liberation – and for the elevation of the entire world, elevation of the entire human society.” One is to do both these things." (2)
Here again Baba is directing each and every person in the AMPS to perform service - i.e. helping to care for and elevate all beings. Upon entering into Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha, everyone must do this from day 1. Baba does not say that one should do sadhana for ten years, or after getting perfection, i.e. moksa, then one should start doing service. Rather from the very beginning every margii is to do sadhana and perform service by explaining the ideals of dharma to others. So here Baba is guiding us that every Ananda Margii must do Ananda Marga pracara and explain the tenets of Ananda Marga to others.
(C) IN ORDER TO GET MUKTI: In our Supreme Command too Baba tells each and every Ananda Margii to teach others about dharma and inspire them onto the path of spirituality.
The Supreme Command says, "...It is the bounden duty of every Ananda Margii to endeavor to bring all to the path of bliss. Verily is this a part and parcel of sadhana, to lead others along the path of righteousness." (3)
By Baba's teaching in the Supreme Command, it is clear that all margiis, young or old, male or female etc, must embark on teaching others about Ananda Marga ideals.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Conclusion
So it is important to educate oneself about Ananda Marga ideals and consult Baba's discourses by reading Ananda Marga books. And side by side one should practice and teach others.
Every Ananda Margii should be eager and ready to teach Baba's gospel to any and all who are interested. And those who are not interested, we should try and inspire them. Here the culminating idea is that all should teach. At the same time one should know their own personal limits and continue to prepare oneself and expand the boundaries of what you can teach. Baba certainly wants for everyone to teach yet it should be done thoughtfully keeping the above parameters in mind.
Namaskar,
at His lotus feet,
Dayananda Deva
~ In-depth study ~
In the dogmatic religions they mandate how lay / family people cannot teach the tenets. In Christianity only the priest can do; in Islam, only the mullah can do; and in an array of dogmatic religions only the pundits can do. They are the only ones to speak the gospel of their religion, not the common people. So Ananda Marga ideology is unique. Baba says that all can and should do. Unfortunately a few Wts want to introduce religious dogmas into our Ananda Marga society by stating that only the priest class can guide others. They just want to "copy & paste" such dogmas into our Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
If you or anyone in your unit is sincerely teaching others about Ananda Marga philosophy and a Dada tells you that you are "too new", or "not senior enough", or "not smart enough" etc, then just inform that Wt that Baba's guideline is that, "As an Ananda Margii, it is my duty to perform all four sevas each and every day and that includes teaching others about Ananda Marga ideology, according to the level of my own knowledge base."
Wts / avadhutas cannot give any lame excuse and prohibit any margii, new or old, from guiding others on spiritual life and Ananda Marga ideals.
Dos & don'ts for guiding others
Now that it is clear that it is the duty of every Ananda Margii, family margiis and wholetimers, to perform service and teach others about the philosophy and ideals of Ananda Marga, there are a few easy points to keep in mind.
1) One should not teach others about the lessons of sadhana if one is not qualified. This applies both to margiis and Wts.
2) One should not teach aspects of Ananda Marga philosophy that they themselves are not adequately familiar with. If one does this then two negative results will arise. Firstly, one will spread faulty explanations and confuse others; and secondly, the person you are trying to teach will lose faith in you. This applies to all, i.e. Wts & margiis: If you are not qualified or informed on a particular topic then do not teach that subject. Rather, if you do, you will get exposed as the person you were trying to teach will tell everyone that you are bogus. To overcome this problem one must prepare oneself and in that process teach what you know, not more than that.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Remember in this day and age whatever topic you are teaching can easily be confirmed via the internet. And if they find out you were wrong on a point then your whole position is in question. For instance, one political leader running for prime minister of India spoke something that was historically wrong, so he had to apologise because everyone could easily verify this point. Earlier this was not the case, but now with technology it is so. In result, this candidate was shamed; indeed now every politician is very careful. Similarly for Ananda Margiis, first be properly versed on the topic and then teach it - not otherwise. This applies to all, i.e. Wts and margiis. If a Wt is telling something false to margiis, they will quickly be exposed. Those old days are done whereby there was no means for the people to investigate and get the facts.
3) Naturally, each and every Ananda Margii knows something about Ananda Mara ideals. It may be even the most basic of principles or something complex; regardless, what you know you should teach those ideas to others. That is how society grows.
How this dogma started
In those days of old, what to speak of not allowing the common people to teach the philosophy, they would not even allow the common people to learn it. If general citizens came in contact with those teachings they would be tortured and shunned - i.e. scarred for life. That was the way those dogmatic religions operated - and still today that is their modus operandi.
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "These [common] people were deprived of the right to study the Vedas. The Antyaja Shúdras, if they even heard the Vedic chants, or the controlling Vedic mantra aum, or the “Savitr Rk” mantra, would be committing a great sin and molten lead would be poured into their ears so that their hearing would be destroyed forever. Nor were women, however educated, allowed to hear such sacred chants." (4)
They feel that mantras or prayers can only be solemnized when they are recited by priests etc. According to bhagavad dharma, there is no 3rd person between the bhakta and God, but in such religions, the priest / mullah etc is the so-called intermediary. Here, the point is that, in the dogmatic religions, only the priest is able to pass on religious knowledge, not anyone else.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
In the various religions, only select leaders are authorised to explain their religious texts etc. One must be a mullah, or priest, or reverend, or rabbi, or minister, or cleric, or pundit, or some other religious official. There is no scope for the common people to openly guide others about their holy books. One must be a recognised or ordained delegate of that religion.
Summary: call to action
Should we wait until we have been on the path 10 years before teaching Ananda Marga philosophy to others; or should we wait until we become a wholetimer before guiding others about the Ananda Vacanamrtam series of books? When can a general margii start teaching others about Ananda Marga philosophy? When should a margii begin teaching the guidelines of Ananda Marga ideology?
Through His guidelines of Sixteen Points, by His mission statement (Átmamokśárthaḿ jagaddhitáya ca), and by the Supreme Command, it is quite clear that every Ananda Margii should teach others about Ananda Marga ideals from the very beginning. To delay this is to go against Guru's teachings. No one should have any complex about this nor should this point be shrouded in confusion. All are to teach others about the principles of Ananda Marga.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Even a new margii can teach our kiirtan mantra to anyone. We can teach them to sing internally or externally.
References
1. 17 May 1982, Calcutta
2. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 30, The Four Kinds of Service
3. Supreme Command
4. Namah Shivaya Shantaya, Disc: 5
== Section 2: Prabhat Samgiita ==
Within the recesses of the mind
“Gáne gáne ámi, khunjechi tomáre…” (Prabhat Samgiita #2853)
Purport:
O’ Parama Purusa Baba, I have been searching for You in the religious songs, in the holy places, in the depths of the oceans, and in deep, dark forests - everywhere. I have also been looking for You by the river banks, along the mountain ranges, and in the vibration of lightning and meteorites. I have been seeking You in all places imaginable. There is nowhere that I did not look.
Baba, I search for You within all that I see and hear. I look for You in everything that I perceive around me, wherever I go. The only places that I do not search for You are in those places that I cannot conceive of and those places that I cannot find. Beyond that, I have been searching everywhere for You.
Baba, in the past I did not know that You were so close, sitting secretly within the recesses of the mind. Otherwise, I would not have wasted my time looking for You externally in all those near, distant, and far away places. I would have just sought and embraced You in my meditation.
Baba, by Your unfathomable grace, today I understand that You are seated eternally in the depths of my heart. Baba, You are so gracious…
== Section: Hindi Quote ==
क्यों जी ? न, तुम तो परमपुरुष से उत्पन्न हुए हो
Ananda Marga ideology says, "जो साधक हैं, जो पक्के साधक हैं, उनके लिए जीवन में ऐसी परिस्थिति नहीं आ सकती है जिसमें उन्हें घबड़ाना पड़े | [मार्गी लोग---"बाबा, बाबा, बाबा !"] और, सिर्फ़ इतना ही नहीं, एक साधक के लिए समूचा विश्वब्रह्माण्ड में ऐसी जगह नहीं है जहाँ उन्हें डरना पड़े | क्यों जी ? न, तुम तो परमपुरुष से उत्पन्न हुए हो | परमपुरुष में स्थित हो, और आख़िर तक परमपुरुष तुम्हारी परागति हैं | परमपुरुष जब साथ हैं, तो तुम इस छोटी-सी दुनिया से डरोगे क्यों ? डरने की कोई बात नहीं है | तुम उनके प्यारे बेटे हो, तुम उनकी प्यारी बेटी हो | तुम किससे डरोगी, तुम किससे डरोगे ? डर नाम की कोई वस्तु तुम्हारे अभिधान में, तुम्हारे dictionary में नहीं रहना चाहिए |" (1) (कः पन्थाः,Kah Pantháh-2, S14-5(H),DMC 20 November 1979 Hisar)
Reference
1. कः पन्थाः,Kah Pantháh-2, S14-5(H),DMC 20 November 1979 Hisar
== Section: Prabhat Samgiita ==
हे परमपुरुष ! तुमने सभी को ज़रूरत से ज़्यादा दिया
प्रभात सङ्गीत 2389 विश्व के जतो छन्दायित सुषमार राशि दियेछो...
भावार्थ
हे परमपुरुष ! तुमने इस पूरे विश्व में सुर- ताल की सुन्दरता लबालब भर दी है। अब मैंने अपने मन में उस सुन्दरता को वीणा के सुरों के साथ मिला लिया है। तुम्हारा स्वागत करने के लिए प्यार से मैंने मानसिक घुंघरुओं की ध्वनि और वीणा के झन्कार के साथ रत्नों से जड़ा दीपक जलाया है
हे परमपुरुष बाबा ! मुझे और कुछ नहीं चाहिए । जो कुछ तुमने मुझे दिया है उसी में सभी प्रकार के सन्तोष का अनुभव करने लगा हूँ। उतने में ही मैं अपनी सभी प्रकार की उन्नति करना चाहता हूँ। अपनी सामान्य बुद्धि की भीतरी कमजोरियों के कारण मेरे मन में अहङ्कार और भवजडता आ जाती है। हे प्रभो ! मुझे ऐसा आशीष दें कि तुम्हारे द्वारा कृपा पूर्वक जो मुझे प्रेम और भक्ति का आध्यात्मिक धन दिया गया है उसे मैं अपनी मानसिक कमजोरियों से खो न बैठूँ ।
मनुष्यों ने परमपुरुष से बहुत पाया है, फिर भी वे उनसे इस भौतिक जगत की वस्तुओं की माँग करते थकते ही नहीं हैं। उनकी यह भूख कभी मिटती ही नहीं है। परमपुरुष ने जो कुछ भी दिया है वे उन दिव्य उपहारों का सदुपयोग नहीं करते वरन् दुरुपयोग करके उसे धूल में मिलाते जाते हैं। मनुष्य केवल अपनी भूख मिटाने के लिए बार बार भौतिक वस्तुओं की माॅंग करते रहते हैं। यह उनकी नादानी है।
References
1. Sadguru Baba says (in GD, Delhi, 26 Feb 1984) that when writing a Prabhat Samgiita purport then very simple words should be used so that the common mass may understand. The above Hindu purport has been written according to that guideline.
== Section 3: Links ==
Upcoming Festival: Ananda Purnima - 05 May 2023
- #2: Include all
- #1: How to celebrate
Other topics of interest
