Baba
Note: This letter is a reminder about the great import of one of our most fundamental practices. It is not a small point as it represents our entire outlook in life.
Namaskar,
In our Ananda Marga, our entire outlook and life is spiritually based - focused completely on Parama Purusa, revolving only around Him. Our each and every thought, word, and action is aimed towards Him. From morning till night, our existence is centered around the Divine Entity: When we awaken, we meditate on Him; when we serve others or feed a beggar, we feel that we are serving or feeding Him; when we receive anything from anyone, we feel we have gotten a gift from Parama Purusa.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Namaskar: not saluting humans
Our namaskar salutation is to be done to all. It has nothing to do with one's seniority, social stature, post, age, or any other relative factor. When sadhakas do our namaskar mudra we are not bowing down to any individual per se. Rather we are paying salutation to the presence of the Divine within that person.
Ananda Marga Caryacarya says, "Namaska'ra...It can be done to all regardless of their age, because this mode of salutation is used with the ideation that everyone is the manifestation of the Supreme Being." (1)
Thus part and parcel of our namaskar practice is seeing the Divine within all. That is the essence of doing namaskar. For that reason, even the senior-most people in society should do namaskar to little babies, and "top"-level workers should do namaskar to newly initiated persons. And fellow classmates should do namaskar to each other.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
So namaskar is to be done by one and all to one and all. There should not be any shyness or feelings of superiority that inhibit this process. The sweet ideation is that when doing namaskar we are honouring the presence of the Supreme within that individual. Hence, we should always be ready to do namaskar to anyone.
When we talk to our children, we feel that Parama Purusa is expressing Himself in the form of these children, i.e. that He is in front of us in the form of these young boys and girls. In this beautiful way the day passes - ensconced in His thought and ideation.
Our namaskar salutation is part and parcel of this flow: It is one of our daily activities related wholly with Parama Purusa. As we all know, when sadhakas do namaskar we are not saluting any particular individual like Ram, Shyam, Tom, Dick, or Harry, but rather recognizing the presence of the infinite Supreme Consciousness within that person.
Why be first to do namaskar
Side by side, Baba's guidelines is that we should be the first to do namaskar.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Ananda Marga ideology says, "You should always make an effort to do namaskar to others first." (2)
So these are two of Baba's fundamental teachings about Namaskar: (a) That it is to be done to all, and (b) that one should be enthusiastic to do namaskar first. These are two fundamentals aspects of our namaskar practice. Reason being that namaskar is an acknowledgement or salutation to Parama Purusa in the form of that human being. It is not the act of bowing down to a particular individual. So we should readily do namaskar to everyone-- first.
Conclusion
So 'namaskar' means: O' Mr Ramesh or O' Mr Manoranjain, I salute the Divine which is residing within you. That is the true spirit of doing namaskar. But if Ramesh or Manoranjan is ignorant and foolish, they will think that someone is saluting them directly. And if the one doing namaskar is foolish, they will think that they are saluting Ramesh or Manoranjain etc. Those who do namaskar in this misguided way are just treating it as some mundane greeting. That is why we say this is a simple but often misunderstood point in our day to day life. None should get confused and think that by saying 'namaskar' we are saluting another human being or that someone else is saluting us.
Namaskar,
in Him,
Satyadeva
Get the benefits: do namaskar first
Ananda Marga Caryacarya says, "Namaska'ra...It can be done to all regardless of their age, because this mode of salutation is used with the ideation that everyone is the manifestation of the Supreme Being." (3)
According to Baba, there are numerous benefits to always doing namaskar first. And Baba furthermore guides us that He always does namaskar first in order to teach others.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "As ideal human beings you should not wait to do namaskar after another has greeted you: you should rather take the first opportunity to greet others. When someone greets you...you do not become an ideal human being thereby. Rather one who seizes the first opportunity to salute others is the ideal. So you should always make an effort to do namaskar to others first: you should not care whether the person whom you greet will greet you in return or not. (When people come to me during personal contact, I greet them first whether they salute me or not.) By giving honour to others you will not be belittled, you will rather enhance your prestige." (4)
By Baba's above guideline we can understand that those who do namaskar first are better than those who wait to do namaskar in response. Unfortunately, those who are unaware about this do not do namaskar first, they think they should wait for namaskar. But by this way they just cheat themselves and deprive themselves of becoming ideal human beings.
Ananda Marga Caryacarya says, "Namaska'ra...It can be done to all regardless of their age, because this mode of salutation is used with the ideation that everyone is the manifestation of the Supreme Being." (5)
Namaskar: meaning of the term
Here following then is Baba's special explanation about the meaning of namaskar. In various discourses, Baba has explained that:
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
'Namaskar': Not a salutation to other human beings
We should not forget that a human being should never salute any other human being. sadhakas do not adhere to the code of the military. Rather, one should always salute Parama Purusa. Because why should we bow down to any human being? That is the spirit and this is the uniqueness of our Ananda Marga philosophy. Ananda Marga is not a religion. In the various religions this supreme idea is wholly absent. They salute human beings, but sadhakas don't.
Namaskar means paying homage to the Supreme
By doing 'namaskar' (literally meaning 'I salute'), we are paying our salutations to the Divine in an indirect way. Because we are recognisng 'Ramesh' or 'Manoranjan' or 'Tom', 'Dick', or 'Harry', as being manifestations of the Supreme. The word 'namaskar' acknowledges the Divine within them; it is an indirect reference to Parama Purusa.
So 'namaskar' means: O' Mr Ramesh or O' Mr Manoranjain, I salute the Divine which is residing within you. That is the true spirit of doing namaskar. But if Ramesh or Manoranjan is ignorant and foolish, they will think that someone is saluting them directly. And if the one doing namaskar is foolish, they will think that they are saluting Ramesh or Manoranjain etc. Those who do namaskar in this misguided way are just treating it as some mundane greeting. That is why we say this is a simple but often misunderstood point in our day to day life. A sadhakas should not get confused and think that by saying 'namaskar' they are saluting another human being or that someone else is saluting us.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Ananda Marga Caryacarya says, "Namaska'ra...It can be done to all regardless of their age, because this mode of salutation is used with the ideation that everyone is the manifestation of the Supreme Being." (6)
References
1. Caryacarya - 1, Methods of Salutation
2. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life - 11, Taking the Opposite Stance in Battle
3. Caryacarya - 1, Methods of Salutation
4. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life - 11, Taking the Opposite Stance in Battle
5. Caryacarya - 1, Methods of Salutation
6. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life - 11, Taking the Opposite Stance in Battle
The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
* * *
== Section 2: Important Teaching ==
Terrible parenting
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “Antisocial behaviour is not always caused by lack of money. Where the parents or guardians are evil by nature, they try to infect the other members of their family with their disease. A few days ago I read in the newspaper that an upper-middle-class lady used to encourage her son to steal clothes, etc., from her neighbours by offering him money for cinema tickets if he did – in other words, by applying indirect pressure. When the incident became public, it was discovered that her family was not in financial difficulty. By putting pressure on her son, the lady was infecting him with her own mental disease.”
“There are many parents who, due to miserliness or whatever reason, deprive their children of delicious food and drink. (If there is some reason for this deprivation, they do not explain it to their children.) They serve such food and drink to others in the presence of their children without explaining to them why they are being deprived. As a result, the children, under the pressure of circumstance, steal to try to satisfy their natural desires.” (1)
Reference
1. Human Society - 1, Justice
Namaskar meaning & practice
Note: This letter is a reminder about the great import of one of our most fundamental practices. It is not a small point as it represents our entire outlook in life.
Namaskar,
In our Ananda Marga, our entire outlook and life is spiritually based - focused completely on Parama Purusa, revolving only around Him. Our each and every thought, word, and action is aimed towards Him. From morning till night, our existence is centered around the Divine Entity: When we awaken, we meditate on Him; when we serve others or feed a beggar, we feel that we are serving or feeding Him; when we receive anything from anyone, we feel we have gotten a gift from Parama Purusa.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Namaskar: not saluting humans
Our namaskar salutation is to be done to all. It has nothing to do with one's seniority, social stature, post, age, or any other relative factor. When sadhakas do our namaskar mudra we are not bowing down to any individual per se. Rather we are paying salutation to the presence of the Divine within that person.
Ananda Marga Caryacarya says, "Namaska'ra...It can be done to all regardless of their age, because this mode of salutation is used with the ideation that everyone is the manifestation of the Supreme Being." (1)
Thus part and parcel of our namaskar practice is seeing the Divine within all. That is the essence of doing namaskar. For that reason, even the senior-most people in society should do namaskar to little babies, and "top"-level workers should do namaskar to newly initiated persons. And fellow classmates should do namaskar to each other.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
So namaskar is to be done by one and all to one and all. There should not be any shyness or feelings of superiority that inhibit this process. The sweet ideation is that when doing namaskar we are honouring the presence of the Supreme within that individual. Hence, we should always be ready to do namaskar to anyone.
When we talk to our children, we feel that Parama Purusa is expressing Himself in the form of these children, i.e. that He is in front of us in the form of these young boys and girls. In this beautiful way the day passes - ensconced in His thought and ideation.
Our namaskar salutation is part and parcel of this flow: It is one of our daily activities related wholly with Parama Purusa. As we all know, when sadhakas do namaskar we are not saluting any particular individual like Ram, Shyam, Tom, Dick, or Harry, but rather recognizing the presence of the infinite Supreme Consciousness within that person.
Why be first to do namaskar
Side by side, Baba's guidelines is that we should be the first to do namaskar.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Ananda Marga ideology says, "You should always make an effort to do namaskar to others first." (2)
So these are two of Baba's fundamental teachings about Namaskar: (a) That it is to be done to all, and (b) that one should be enthusiastic to do namaskar first. These are two fundamentals aspects of our namaskar practice. Reason being that namaskar is an acknowledgement or salutation to Parama Purusa in the form of that human being. It is not the act of bowing down to a particular individual. So we should readily do namaskar to everyone-- first.
Conclusion
So 'namaskar' means: O' Mr Ramesh or O' Mr Manoranjain, I salute the Divine which is residing within you. That is the true spirit of doing namaskar. But if Ramesh or Manoranjan is ignorant and foolish, they will think that someone is saluting them directly. And if the one doing namaskar is foolish, they will think that they are saluting Ramesh or Manoranjain etc. Those who do namaskar in this misguided way are just treating it as some mundane greeting. That is why we say this is a simple but often misunderstood point in our day to day life. None should get confused and think that by saying 'namaskar' we are saluting another human being or that someone else is saluting us.
Namaskar,
in Him,
Satyadeva
Get the benefits: do namaskar first
Ananda Marga Caryacarya says, "Namaska'ra...It can be done to all regardless of their age, because this mode of salutation is used with the ideation that everyone is the manifestation of the Supreme Being." (3)
According to Baba, there are numerous benefits to always doing namaskar first. And Baba furthermore guides us that He always does namaskar first in order to teach others.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "As ideal human beings you should not wait to do namaskar after another has greeted you: you should rather take the first opportunity to greet others. When someone greets you...you do not become an ideal human being thereby. Rather one who seizes the first opportunity to salute others is the ideal. So you should always make an effort to do namaskar to others first: you should not care whether the person whom you greet will greet you in return or not. (When people come to me during personal contact, I greet them first whether they salute me or not.) By giving honour to others you will not be belittled, you will rather enhance your prestige." (4)
By Baba's above guideline we can understand that those who do namaskar first are better than those who wait to do namaskar in response. Unfortunately, those who are unaware about this do not do namaskar first, they think they should wait for namaskar. But by this way they just cheat themselves and deprive themselves of becoming ideal human beings.
Ananda Marga Caryacarya says, "Namaska'ra...It can be done to all regardless of their age, because this mode of salutation is used with the ideation that everyone is the manifestation of the Supreme Being." (5)
Namaskar: meaning of the term
Here following then is Baba's special explanation about the meaning of namaskar. In various discourses, Baba has explained that:
- (a) The prefix 'namah' means 'I salute';
- (b) The root 'kr' means 'do'; and,
- (c) 'Ghain' is simply a standard Sanskrit suffix.
- (d) So: Namah - kr + ghain = Namaska'r
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
'Namaskar': Not a salutation to other human beings
We should not forget that a human being should never salute any other human being. sadhakas do not adhere to the code of the military. Rather, one should always salute Parama Purusa. Because why should we bow down to any human being? That is the spirit and this is the uniqueness of our Ananda Marga philosophy. Ananda Marga is not a religion. In the various religions this supreme idea is wholly absent. They salute human beings, but sadhakas don't.
Namaskar means paying homage to the Supreme
By doing 'namaskar' (literally meaning 'I salute'), we are paying our salutations to the Divine in an indirect way. Because we are recognisng 'Ramesh' or 'Manoranjan' or 'Tom', 'Dick', or 'Harry', as being manifestations of the Supreme. The word 'namaskar' acknowledges the Divine within them; it is an indirect reference to Parama Purusa.
So 'namaskar' means: O' Mr Ramesh or O' Mr Manoranjain, I salute the Divine which is residing within you. That is the true spirit of doing namaskar. But if Ramesh or Manoranjan is ignorant and foolish, they will think that someone is saluting them directly. And if the one doing namaskar is foolish, they will think that they are saluting Ramesh or Manoranjain etc. Those who do namaskar in this misguided way are just treating it as some mundane greeting. That is why we say this is a simple but often misunderstood point in our day to day life. A sadhakas should not get confused and think that by saying 'namaskar' they are saluting another human being or that someone else is saluting us.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Ananda Marga Caryacarya says, "Namaska'ra...It can be done to all regardless of their age, because this mode of salutation is used with the ideation that everyone is the manifestation of the Supreme Being." (6)
References
1. Caryacarya - 1, Methods of Salutation
2. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life - 11, Taking the Opposite Stance in Battle
3. Caryacarya - 1, Methods of Salutation
4. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life - 11, Taking the Opposite Stance in Battle
5. Caryacarya - 1, Methods of Salutation
6. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life - 11, Taking the Opposite Stance in Battle
* * *
The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
* * *
== Section 2: Important Teaching ==
Terrible parenting
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “Antisocial behaviour is not always caused by lack of money. Where the parents or guardians are evil by nature, they try to infect the other members of their family with their disease. A few days ago I read in the newspaper that an upper-middle-class lady used to encourage her son to steal clothes, etc., from her neighbours by offering him money for cinema tickets if he did – in other words, by applying indirect pressure. When the incident became public, it was discovered that her family was not in financial difficulty. By putting pressure on her son, the lady was infecting him with her own mental disease.”
“There are many parents who, due to miserliness or whatever reason, deprive their children of delicious food and drink. (If there is some reason for this deprivation, they do not explain it to their children.) They serve such food and drink to others in the presence of their children without explaining to them why they are being deprived. As a result, the children, under the pressure of circumstance, steal to try to satisfy their natural desires.” (1)
Reference
1. Human Society - 1, Justice
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Wrong intention for knowledge & action
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "So why do people bother to cultivate knowledge or action? They do so to make their devotion more intense, not for any other reason. People do not eat pickles to fill the stomach, but only to whet their appetite so that they can enjoy their food more. Similarly, devotees cultivate knowledge and action not for their physical growth, but to acquire more strength to move along the path of devotion with greater acceleration." (1)
Note: Some people have gone astray from this above teaching. They acquire knowledge and do action for reasons of self-satisfaction and self-aggrandizement - so that they can brag to others. They want to misguide people, put simple folks in trouble, and create more dogmas. Yet all this inflates the ego and causes one's degeneration. It is rare that people cultivate knowledge and perform actions solely to serve humanity and increase their level of bhakti.
Reference
1. Namami Krsnasundaram, Vraja Krśńa and Dvaetaváda (Discourse 17)
== Section: Important Teaching ==
What is stopping formation of world government
Prout philosophy states, “The more time is passing by, the more the glare of casteism, provincialism, communalism and nationalism is fading away. The human beings of today must understand that in the near future they will definitely have to accept universalism. So those who seek to promote social welfare will have to mobilize all their vitality and intellect in the endeavour to establish a world organization, abandoning all plans to form communal or national organizations. They will have to engage themselves in constructive activities in a straight-forward manner, instead of resorting to duplicity and deceitfulness.”
“Many people say that divergent national interests are the only impediments to the formation of a world organization, or a world government. But I say this is not the only obstacle, rather it is just a minor impediment. The main obstacle is the apprehension of local leaders that they will lose their leadership. With the establishment of a world government, the total domination which they exercise today in their respective countries, societies and nations will cease to exist.” (1)
Reference
1. Problems of the Day, Point #19
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Key thing: dancer remains above the ground
Ananda Marga philosophy, "Tandava: As long as a dancer remains above the ground, he derives much benefit; when he touches the ground, then those benefits are assimilated by the body. That is why in the tandava dance there is much jumping, because jumping requires the practitioner to remain off the ground for a fairly long period of time." (1)
Reference
1. Namah Shivaya Shantaya, Shiva – the Focal Point of Everything (Discourse 3)
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Special pracara strategy
Namaskar,
When discussing Ananda Marga teachings with negative elements or bad people in a particular area, then it is better not to go alone. Having more than one, two, or three margiis present - or as many as you can take - will give greater psycho-spiritual strength to overpower those bad minds. By this way those negative elements can be convinced and brought into the fold.
This strategy is especially applicable when anyone feels uncomfortable going alone to meet with such anti-social elements, or so-called very famous people. In that case, bring other Ananda Margiis along with you to help convince that party about the ideals of Ananda Marga, and turn them into ardent sadhakas.
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "Every human being has certain merits and demerits. Suppose a person has forty percent merit and sixty percent demerit: the resultant demerit is twenty percent. If a weak person whose resultant demerit is forty percent comes in contact with a person whose resultant demerit is more than forty percent, he will certainly degenerate. Obviously, a thief will not be a durjana (wicked person) for a perfectly honest person because the latter will easily counteract the thief's negative qualities. But for an ordinary person without any notable attributes, the thief will certainly be a durjana. Those with less psychic or spiritual power can easily be influenced by a wicked person. Those who are psychically and spiritually developed, however, are not so easily influenced and for them even a very wicked person may not be a durjana."
Ananda Marga ideology states, "It is the duty of every human being to avoid wicked people. You may ask, 'Can wicked people ever become virtuous?' Of course they can, but remember that only those people having greater psychic power than them should try to transform them. So what should you do? Instead of going alone, you should take five or ten friends with you so that your collective psychic strength will be greater than theirs." (1)
The same approach applies when addressing those Wts who are not following Ananda Marga WT conduct rules. If you think a particular Wt will not listen to you when you raise the matter, then go en masse with other margiis and address that worker. Then surely you will get success. That is the gist of the aforesaid Baba’ quoted guideline.
in Him,
Harideva
Reference
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 8, What Should Human Beings Do?
== Section: Prabhat Samgiita ==
बाबा! कृपाकर अपने मधुर आकर्षक रूप में आओगे ?
प्रभात संगीत 3199 झड़ेर राते अंधारेते, केन्दे छिलुम वनो माझे... …
भावार्थ
हे परम पुरुष ! उस अँधेरी रात में जब बहुत तेज तूफान आया था मैं अकेला घने जंगल में रो रहा था। वहां बातचीत करके मुझे धीरज बधाने वाला या मेरी कष्टों भरी कहानी सुनने वाला कोई नहीं था। आसपास कोई नहीं था और मैं तुम्हारी उपस्थिति को भी अनुभव नहीं कर सका । इसलिए मुझे लगने लगा कि उस तूफ़ान में मैं अकेला हूँ।
बाबा! उस डरावने तूफान के तेज प्रवाह से अनेक पेड़ों की बड़ी बड़ी शाखायें टूट कर धरती को छू रहीं थीं, और उनकी कोमल कोंपलें तथा सुन्दर फूल भी पेड़ों की छोटी छोटी डालियों से पूरी तरह टूट कर नीचे गिरे थे। वह अँधेरी डरावनी रात बहुत ही विनाश करने वाली थी। सभी डालियां और फूल बुरी तरह जोर जोर से रो रहे थे, प्रत्येक पेड़ भी कराह रहा था ।
हे परमपुरुष बाबा ! तूफ़ान समाप्त हो गया है। इस मौत भरी रात के जाने के बाद हवा में कोमल मधुर वायु के धीमे धीमे झोंके आने लगे हैं। अब क्या तुम मेरे मन के मधुवन में, मेरे मानसिक बाग में , कृपाकर अपने मधुर आकर्षक रूप में आओगे ?सभी बुरे दिन समाप्त हो गए हैं इसलिए कृपा पूर्वक आकर मुझे आशीष दे दोगे क्या।
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Importance of asana & pranyama
Ananda Marga philosophy guides us, "Our social code provides clear guidelines on how members will adapt to this modern, rapidly changing world. There have been more changes in the past 200 years than in the 800 years prior to that. In education, culture, dress and food habits major changes have taken place. Old, outdated wooden shoes, turbans, etc. have been replaced by modern shoes, hats and clothes made from scientific fabrics with contemporary designs. Primitive bullock carts, horse-drawn carriages, hackney coaches, etc., have been replaced with fast-moving cars, trains, and aeroplanes. In the past, people used to travel by elephant, but now they can travel to other planets by rocket. There should be a proper adjustment between the body and the mind to keep pace with the fast speed of the development in the world. For this reason, Ananda Marga spiritual practices place much importance on ásanas, práńáyáma, etc.” (1)
Reference
1. Ananda Marga Philosophy in a Nutshell - 4, Our Social Treatise
