Baba
How to overcome maya
Namaskar,One’s march on the path of dharma entails overcoming all obstacles. However, Baba teaches us that there are some obstacles that unit beings just cannot overcome, no matter how hard one tries. Some people may use all their intellect and others may use every bit of their might - all the force they have - yet human beings just will not attain victory - so long as we stand alone.
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Such is the predicament, limitation, and the frailty of human life. What is the obstacle that will defeat us time and time again, and how are we to ultimately prevail? All this Baba has revealed in a few special discourses.
What is Daevii Maya
Daevii maya is due to saḿskára múlaka karma. This we cannot overcome alone. Call it what you will: maya, reactive momenta, fate, or samskara, but the callings of this force utterly lead to our demise. There is nothing we can do about it.
We have a business engagement in London. We have to fly there - there is no choice. We are eager to make the deal. Our plane tragically goes down in the English Channel. We had no chance of survival. Our life ends in this way. That is daevii maya. We could not see her coming, and we had no answer for her ways.
Earthquakes, incurable illnesses, bomb blasts, accidents, social upheaval - all these things are beyond our control. We may take special care and preparedness in life, but any or all of the above - as well many other types of events - can bind us and change the course of our life at any moment. We have no chance to predict these happenings, nor avoid them. We are just their victims, as slaves to daevii maya.
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Such is the gargantuan strength and challenge of daevii maya. Humans have not a chance in the world of gaining victory by themselves. We will lose—always. Indeed if you talk to any aged person, they will recount so many examples in life where despite their most intense efforts they could not prevail. Youths always think they are invincible and capable of doing anything. Yet as one lives on this earth and undergoes the toils of life, we invariably discover how overcoming daevii maya is beyond our limited means. With daevii maya, we have met our match.
The only way out
There is only one single way out. Here Baba graciously supplies us with the one and only recipe for gaining victory over daevii maya. Giita says:
Daevii hyes'a' gun'amayii mama Ma'ya' duratyaya';
Ma'meva ye prapadyante Ma'ya'meta'm' taranti te.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "This Maya of Mine is of the nature of three principles, and is almost insurmountable. Only those who take refuge in Me can overcome this Maya...Maya, the force that creates confusion and distinctions, is very powerful, it is insurmountable by jiivas [living beings]. But those who surrender unto Me transcend these forces of Mine with My help."
"If Maya is more powerful than jiivas, will the children of God remain forever slaves of this force? Is there no hope? No, such a situation is becoming neither of God nor of His children." (1)
So the only way to overcome daevii maya is to surrender. Then, by His magnificent grace, we will be cent-per-cent safe in all circumstances, as He will protect us in all ways at all times. Since He is the controller of daevii maya, then it is impossible for her to bind or ruin us - so long as we take shelter in Him.
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Conclusion
By Baba's grace, we will gain victory over daevii maya. In surrendering to Him, we are bound to get victory and cross the ocean of samskaras and sit upon His lap.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "So one must remember that one may or may not attain salvation by dint of one’s own spiritual practices: one will have to depend on His Grace. And because He is one with each and every expressed entity through His ota and prota yoga, He is your nearest and dearest one. You may depend on Him completely, and your dependence on Him is called sharanagati. This sharanagati is the only reply to all spiritual questions." (2)
In Him,
Trikaljayii
~ In-depth study ~
Surrender is not so easy
One might casually say, "Oh, just surrender to Parama Purusa and everything will be alright." This is a true statement, but not so easily done.
After all, this is the culminating point of yoga. By His grace, we have a tantric Guru who has given us all the tools to learn the art of surrender, as well as warned us about how the human mind forgets this spiritual art as well. The main sticking point is our ego, or I-feeling. It always wants to poke its nose and take credit for all we do.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "I did this, I did that – I built this road when I was a minister, I constructed this bridge when I was in the Public Works Department” – this is how people become mad for their little “I”." (3)
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "’My ego says that my mind belongs to me.’ In the practical field this is the case. ‘I come from Switzerland. I have to get a passport, I have to get a visa. I have to extend the date’ – so many thoughts. But all these thoughts are connected with the individual ego, the individual mind. And you never think that this mind also belongs to Him. You think, ‘It is my mind.’ Everybody thinks like this. This is all talk of the ego." (4)
So this I-feeling and ego are always in the way of surrender. And surrender is not something that can be done halfway. It is either all or nothing. One cannot surrender just a little bit. The unit ego and the feeling of surrender cannot coexist. It is not possible, just like it is not possible for a man to both drink and smoke at the same time. One can do one or the other, but not both simultaneously.
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So the moment the unit ego gets involved, surrender becomes non-existent. In that case, we are all alone and we may fall prey to daevii maya at any moment. On our own we cannot fight this type of maya. The help, guidance, and grace of Parama Purusa is needed - yet is unavailable to us at the very time when we hold the umbrella of vanity - i.e. the arrogant feeling that, "I did it and it all happened because of me etc."
Surrendering & overcoming daevii maya
In one of His many discourses, Baba gently asks, so then what is a person to do?" All want to become dagdha biija - free of all limitations and reactive momenta. This is our destiny.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "Every human being must be a dagdha biija [burnt seed], that is, one whose samskaras are totally burnt up." (5)
Yet in the process of facing all those samskaras and reactive momenta, we are bound to get swallowed up by daevii maya. Is there then no hope - are human beings really helpless? All these questions Baba poses and replies in His sacred discourses and He lovingly gives this final reply. Why not surrender today- from this very moment? Why not focus the mind and free oneself right now.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "When people get fatigued, be they jinaniis, karmiis or bhaktas, they say, “There is nothing more I can do.” In such a situation they can only take shelter in Parama Purusa. This is called sharanagati.” Here shelter means one hundred percent dependence on Parama Purusa to the exclusion of all other objects. “A” means “coming” and “gati” means “mobility”. When all mobility terminates in Parama Purusa, it is called sharanagati. When sharanagati occurs, one is said to have accomplished the final attainment. You should remember this supreme truth." (6)
By His grace, this moment comes in the life of every sadhaka and then we can truly receive His grace and blessing - and can surrender at His feet. That is enough to be victorious.
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Ananda Marga ideology says, "Only a wee bit of the omniscient grace, will be enough. Just a small bit of the Cosmic grace will suffice. A huge quantity is not at all required." (7)
The way to get rid of all problems and difficulties - from every trap of mahamaya - is to do sadhana and surrender unto Him.
References
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 30, Surrender
2. Subhasita Samgraha - 11, Who Is the Liberating Entity of Human Society
3. Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life in a Nutshell - 11, Taking the Opposite Stance in Battle
4. Ánanda Vacanámrtam - 3, Prańáma Mantra
5. Ánanda Vacanámrtam - 23, Dharma Samiikśa
6. Ánanda Vacanámrtam - 8, Do Virtuous Deeds Day and Night – 2
7. Ánanda Vacanámrtam - 6, The Physical, Psychic and Spiritual Strata
* * *
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 ==
Animals & earthquakes
Ananda Marga ideology says, "A crow has a natural premonitive instinct regarding storms. An owl and to some extent a dog can sense beforehand the possible occurrence of an earthquake or some other unforeseen natural calamity of great magnitude. Such power of apprehending phenomenal vibrations exists not in ten or twenty but in innumerable species of birds. Such a power is indeed of paramount necessity in their rigorous struggle for survival. Such a power did exist, too, to some extent, among the prehistoric people. But today, in this age of so-called civilization, human beings, having become extremely ease-loving, have lost that power through misuse and lack of necessity; just as their tails, their ability to move their ears and their capacity to hold things with their feet have disappeared. Now the hairiness of their bodies and the strength of their teeth and nails are also becoming extinct. The greater the pre-occupation of creatures with the struggle for existence, the necessarily greater must be their power of premonition or prescience of impending danger, or else their existence will be effaced from the surface of the earth -- this is the law of nature." (1)
Note: People often think that animals are lowly and neglected beings but that is not true. As Baba points out above, animals are far more aware about naturally occurring phenomena than human beings. On this point animals are highly instinctual and are always surveying the scene. They can forecast and predict a wide array of storms and natural calamities - and save themselves from impending disasters.
In the above quote Baba indicates how humans also used to have such abilities, but now with the onset of modernity and a comfort-oriented lifestyle, humans have lost this skill. So now people are entirely dependent upon science to forecast the weather etc. But as developed as science is, scientists (meteorologists and seismologists) are still in the dark about earthquakes. They are unable to predict when and where an earthquake might occur; whereas various animals like dogs and owls have this unique innate gift.
That's why when earthquakes occur in various regions, it is reported how street dogs and other animals were behaving abnormally beforehand. They were restless, walking around whimpering, and running out of the buildings or caves. The dogs knew about the impending disaster that was about to strike. Often zoos also report how so many of the animals cry out several minutes before the first tremors of an earthquake are felt. So they run out of their shelters, buildings, or caves.
In contrast, modern scientists generally do not have any idea that an earthquake is about to occur. But dogs know. And those people who understood why the dogs and other animals were upset were able to help themselves and others also. At the same time, those dogs living with human dogs are losing that ability.
So in future, we should rely upon animals to guide us about when and where natural disasters will strike. While dogs can often detect impending earthquakes, crows can sense cyclones. Similarly there are numerous animals that are acutely aware about impending storms and natural disasters. And by that way they are able to save themselves.
Reference
1. Subhasita Samgraha - 3, Vibration, Form and Colour
== Section 3: Links ==
Postings to ReadStory: day after PC
Blessings at dharma samiikśa
Sadhaka life vs material pursuit
Puja: closed eyes or open
Meaning of: "work while dying"
Mentalidad despreciable de los multimillonarios
