Thief caught
Namaskar,
This following story holds great importance in the life of every sadhaka.
In the royal court of King Akbar, the minister, Birbal, was given one special duty: Find out who stole the Queen's jewels. Birbal was very intelligent, yet his task was formidable. There were thousands of men in the kingdom, and Birbal had to devise a way to find out who was the thief - and catch him.
So Birbal announced that a gathering would be held at the palace, and all the men of the kingdom had to attend.
So Birbal announced that a gathering would be held at the palace, and all the men of the kingdom had to attend. Essentially, this was a mandatory meeting, and a tally would be taken to ensure everyone was in attendance.
Birbal himself planned to go in disguise as a magician. So on the day of the historic gathering, the King's minister Birbal was introduced as a grand magician who knew all sorts of “mantras” and “tantras”.
Then Birbal said to everyone: "Alright -- there is a thief among us seated right here in this very gathering, and, with my magic, a piece of straw will suddenly appear in that thief's beard. But, first, everybody must close their eyes while I recite this special mantra." Then Birbal announced: "Now I am chanting the first round of the mantra. When I have finished the third round, then I will check everybody and see who has the straw in their beard."
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Then he chanted something which sounded very mysterious and mystical. Hearing Birbal's special chant, many simple people were just sitting there in awe with their eyes closed, whereas others who were of a more cunning nature were wondering what Birbal was doing and half opened their eyes to watch him. Those at the gathering who were innocent were naturally unconcerned. They thought, "I am safe because I have not stolen anything, and so the straw is not going to appear in my beard. As I am not a thief, there is no problem for me and I have nothing to worry about."
But the thief was worried. He was thinking, "Oh, this will be a terrible problem. Then he reasoned, "Anyway, if the straw appears in my beard, that is not a big problem. I will just shake or brush it away and it will fall to the ground." Thinking in this way, he began to prepare mentally for the straw to appear.
So when Birbal finished the three rounds of his so-called mantra, he saw one person in the hall shaking his beard. Birbal thought he must be doing this in an attempt to get rid of the imaginary straw from his beard. Birbal quickly concluded that this person must be the thief, otherwise why was he shaking his beard while everyone else in the hall was still and calm. Birbal then ordered the guards to bring that person to him. Standing before all, Birbal formally announced that the magic display was over, and the endeavour had been successful.
Birbal ordered the thief to return the Queen’s jewel. Surrounded by the guards, the thief left the hall and soon returned with the Queen’s jewel.
Epilogue: Birbal understood that the guilt-ridden thief would be paranoid that the straw would be in his beard. So, when the thief was shaking his head to prevent anything from getting stuck in his beard, he exposed himself. Across the entire audience, only the guilt-ridden thief made unusual and strange movements; and, in that way, he was caught.
Moral conduct a key for spiritual life
The above story is instructive on many levels. Here are a few key takeaways:
(A) When plagued by the guilt of their own bad and immoral actions, a person’s mind becomes paranoid and disturbed. They lose their mental balance (samatabhava) and rob themselves of their own mental peace.
(B) In the above story, the thief was apprehended by the authorities and put in jail. But even if one is not caught, the fact that they are worried about getting caught is itself a form of bondage. So in either scenario, verily, they are caught.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
(C) In our Ananda Marga, Sadguru Baba has given the special formula:
“Morality is the base, sádhaná is the means, and life divine is the goal.” (1)
So the foundation is leading a moral life, i.e. strictly adhering to the code of yama and niyama.
(D) Thus strict moral conduct is an absolute necessity in the life of a sadhaka. Without that, they will be unable to progress on the path of spirituality. Because the mind will be riddled with all kinds of worries, anxieties, phobias, debased thoughts, and / or paranoia. One will not have a sense of santosa or samatabhava, i.e. mental contentment or mental equipoise, in which case the mind will not be in any shape to proceed on the path of sadhana.
Sadguru Baba says, “Without yama and niyama sadhana is an impossibility, hence the Lord’s command is also to follow yama and niyama.” (2)
How materialism ruins sadhana
If anyone is greedy for money, lustful towards the opposite sex, hungry for prestige, or indulgent in any worldly manner, then they are essentially ruining their mental equilibrium. And they will not have any mental peace. For them, sadhana will be a far off dream.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “Santośa: Tośa means the state of mental ease. Santośa, therefore, means a state of proper ease. Contentment is not at all possible if the individual is running after carnal pleasures like a beast. As a result of extroversial analysis, the objects of enjoyments go on increasing both in number and abstraction and that is why oneʼs mental flow never gets any rest. Under such circumstances how can one attain perfect peace of mind? Achieving the desired objects may give one pleasure for an hour or so, but that will not last long. The mind will again run in pursuit of new objects, leaving behind the objects already tasted – the long-cherished objects will lose their importance. This is the rule; this is the law of nature.” (3)
Conclusion
As Ananda Margiis, the aim is life divine, i.e. the immersion of the unit mind with Cosmic Mind, Parama Purusa. To achieve this, a firm moral foundation is an absolute necessity. Only when the mind is free from complexes and external desires can it then be directed and goaded on the path of sadhana and, ultimately, supreme fulfillment. Those who are unable to maintain a basic standard according to the dictates of yama and niyama will never experience mental peace and the bliss of spiritual attainment.
In Him,
Ram Ashrya
~ In-depth study ~
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, “A sádhaka [spiritual aspirant] should maintain his or her samatabháva – what in English is called a “balanced mind”. Equanimity of mind should be maintained. Mental balance is natural, while a complex is unnatural.” (4)
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “The ideological component of the unit mind which provides the initial inspiration for the individual to attain that Cosmic state, is called “morality”. Every aspect of morality sings the song of the Infinite, even in the midst of the finite. In other words, or put more simply, I wish to say that those magnanimous propensities which help to establish one in the Cosmic state are the virtuous principles of morality.” (5)
Ananda Marga philosophy says, “The derivative meaning of the word niiti [“morality”] is “that which contains the principle of leading”. It is the starting point on the path of spiritual practices. But this is not the only significance of morality. If morality fails to provide human beings with adequate guidance about how to move towards perfection, it does not deserve to be called morality. As morality is distinguished by its capacity to lead and inspire human beings, it cannot afford to lose its dynamic nature by limiting itself to a specific time, place and person. Morality is a living force, the practice of which makes the mind increasingly contemplative, thereby establishing it in supreme subtlety, in supreme cognition. There is a state from which human beings cannot be led to some other state – the question does not arise. Morality is only worthy of the name if it can inspire human beings to reach that state.” (6)
References
1. Neohumanism in a Nutshell Part 1, The Neohumanism of Sadvipras
2. The Supreme Command
3. A Guide to Human Conduct, Santośa
4. Discourses on Krśńa and the Giitá, Mucyate Bhavabandhanát
5. Human Society Part 1, Moralism
6. Human Society Part 1, Moralism
== Section 2: Prabhat Samgiita ==
“Tomáre bháviá cali ráti din, keno dúre raye gele…” (Prabhat Samgiita #3077)
Purport:
O’ Lord, I go on ideating on You day and night so why have You remained far away from me? Why are You living in some distant land? I cannot rely upon You at all. With disdain, You have totally neglected my hopes and love.
You are the moon of the darkened heart, and You are the nectar of mádhavii flower in the arid desert. By Your mere presence You can completely transform any situation. Yet with me You remain completely detached and separate. You never engage with me in any manner. You only make me weep in longing for You. Look at what Your divine liila of hide and seek has done to me.
Baba, it is hard to understand Your liila fully. Both flowers and thorns are Your blessings. Blissful days and sorrowful times, happiness and misery, both are Your gift. One cannot exist without the other. O’ Parama Purusa, with Your liila rasa what You have created.
Baba, I long for the day when You will graciously draw me near…
== Section 3: Links ==
Other topics of interest
