Baba
This email contains four distinct sections:
1. Posting: Thief, But Not Thief
2. PS #2655: You Are The Divine Effulgence Of The Dark & Sorrowful Heart
3. Request: Pracara Materials
4. Link
This email contains four distinct sections:
1. Posting: Thief, But Not Thief
2. PS #2655: You Are The Divine Effulgence Of The Dark & Sorrowful Heart
3. Request: Pracara Materials
4. Link
THIEF, BUT NOT THIEF
Namaskar,
Those who sincerely read Ananda Marga books and try to learn all aspect of Baba’s teachings often come across convoluted passages. The text is not clear and sometimes even contradictory. People read and reread those passages and finally conclude that, "Baba has given a very deep idea here that I cannot grasp. The topic itself is beyond my understanding." Thinking thus, they skip that paragraph and move ahead in the discourse. This has happened with countless sincere margii readers.
What they fail to realise is that Baba’s original spoken discourses are extremely lucid and clear. They are exact like diamonds – they contain no ambiguity. Tragically, the books have been so poorly published that the printed discourses are rendered unintelligible.
Indeed, if we give such books to non-margii readers they will form a very poor opinion.
Since margiis have utmost reverence for Baba, they read Baba’s each and every word with the pre-conceived notion that all the teachings are perfect. So if they cannot understand a particular passage then they think it is due to their own deficiency. When the real problem is those publishers who made such a sloppy book.
EXAMPLE FROM HUMAN SOCIETY PUBLICATION
Below is one such example from the chapter on Justice in the book Human Society:
“Those who ignore their conscience and repeatedly commit crimes due to poverty, eventually turn into habitual criminals. If somebody steals or robs out of hunger, or is goaded by their propensities into some mean act, it will be the duty of society to find out what the person’s needs are and then remove them in some lawful way. But if society fails to do its duty (I have already said that human beings have not yet been able to create a society in the true sense of the term) and punishes such criminals instead, focusing only on the magnitude of their crimes, all feelings of remorse will vanish from their minds and in their place a sense of desperation will arise. They will feel that since they have already been stigmatized and have nothing further to lose, there is no point in suffering by earning a living in an honest way. They will think, “As I am sinking, let me sink to the depths of hell.” Those who have committed crimes due to poverty (whether due to lack of food or clothing, or physical or mental factors), will blame society for their offences. They will claim that their poverty is the result of a defective social structure, and in most cases this allegation will be true.” (Human Society – 1, Justice)
The above citation is from the most recent English edition of the Human Society book series. Unfortunately this translation strays from the real meaning of the text as it fails to represent Baba’s original guideline.
HOW IT IS CONTRADICTORY
Using a rational approach, anyone can understand how the above paragraph from Human Society book is self-contradictory.
In the first line of the quote, the wrongdoer is repentant for their crime:
“Those who ignore their conscience and repeatedly commit crimes due to poverty…”
As we know, there are grades of criminals and those of a higher moral standing will feel repentant if they break the law and steal – regardless of the conditions and circumstances. In that case, they will not blame society.
Yet at the end of the same paragraph, this same quote guides us that the repentant criminal is blaming the society for forcing him to steal:
“Those who have committed crimes due to poverty (whether due to lack of food or clothing, or physical or mental factors), will blame society for their offences. They will claim that their poverty is the result of a defective social structure,”
But this is contrary to human psychology and against the word and spirit of Baba’s teachings. Those persons raised with a high moral standard will feel badly if they have to resort to crime. They will not blame the society.
LEADERS WILL UNDERSTAND THAT SOCIETY IS TO
BLAME
Rather it is incumbent on the social leaders to realise that society is to blame for forcing a moral, honest person to go against his own conscience and commit a theft due to extreme pressure of circumstances. That is what Baba has expressed in another book as well.
Baba has given this very teaching in numerous discourses. Because as we know Baba often presents His philosophical teachings in multiple discourses to best teach society. So if in one book the discourse has not been published in a clear manner, then we may study that same philosophical tenet in another discourse to get the essence of Baba’s teaching. By conferring with similar discourses we can understand how and where the publishers have erred.
SIMILAR IDEA EXPRESSED IN AV-12 DISCOURSE
See the below quote from Ananda Vacanamrtam – 12. Baba is clearly stating the it is incumbent upon the social leaders to understand when a good person has committed a crime due to pressure of circumstances – in that case the person should not be blamed as society is at fault.
“We deduce conclusions just from whatever we observe in this external phenomenal world. We should try to see the subtle cause behind the crude phenomenal world, but we do not see it. For instance, a particular person stole something, and when we say, “Thief! Thief!” people will start beating him. If we try to inquire about the reasons for the theft, we may come to know that he had been hungry for the last three days. And how are we treating him? We are beating him rather than giving him food. So we should think and try to find the noumenal cause behind the phenomenal world. If he was hungry and so stole, then we are more responsible for that theft than he, because we failed to build up society, so that he had to remain hungry. So we must see, and try to find the noumenal cause behind the prima facie observable world. If we are intelligent beings, possessing intellect, we must discover the noumenal cause. It is not proper to arrive at conclusions from mere observation of outward expressions.” (AV-12, Towards the Noumenal Entity)
GENUINE PERSONS WILL NOT BLAME THE STARVING
INDIVIDUAL
SOCIETY IS AT FAULT
SOCIETY IS AT FAULT
The key point here is that by seeing the action of this starving person who was wallowing in misery and neglect, genuine people will realise that this person would not have stolen anything if society had taken better care of him. So the person’s action speaks for itself. Genuine people easily realise that society is the cause.
So again in the above teaching, it is clear that the thief does not blame society for putting him in position to commit a crime. Rather, by seeing his condition, circumstances and action, the social leaders are to realise that this man should not be beaten or punished for his crime because society itself is responsible. The social conditions are the cause. So the thief himself is not pleading his own case nor blaming society.
But this wrongly portrayed in the most recent English edition of the Human Society book. In that translations the publishers put forth the wrong notion that the criminal is directly blaming society. But this is not correct. Because a person who feels repentant for his own wrongdoing cannot simultaneously blame others.
CONCLUSION
So the most recent English edition of the Human Society book needs to be corrected.
Finally, I close with this following thought.
At first glance, it can look like the person stealing is a veritably thief, but if we examine his actions and conditions according to the scale of neo-humanism, it become clear that he is not a thief. Rather genuine persons will conclude that society is at fault.
in Him,
Nityesh
== Section 2
==
~ You Are The Divine Effulgence Of The Dark & Sorrowful Heart ~
"A'ndhar hiya'y tumi a'lo, na'sho ka'lo..." (PS 2655)
Purport:
O’ Parama Purusa, You are Love Personified; You are ever-gracious. You are the divine effulgence of the dark and sad heart. You are the sweetness in my heart; You are bliss. With Your infinite compassion You remove all darkness [1]. O’ my Lord, You make everyone’s heart enlightened with devotion. You graciously transform that heart which is like the dry, barren desert, into a luscious and green landscape by pouring the nectar and fragrance of devotion. You are ever-gracious. You can do anything and everything. By Your causeless grace, You have made the dry heart overflowing with devotion and love for You.
O’ Supreme Entity, all take shelter under Your divine umbrella. To the creeper vine that is dried up, You provide them Your sweet, loving touch. And to the young flower buds that withered and fell to the ground, You shower them with Your soothing balm. And to all those plants and vegetation who lost their beauty due to the burning heat, You grace them with a cool, refreshing breeze. With Your infinite love, You relieve everyone of their troubles and agonies with Your blissful presence. And to those who have lost all their hope in life and have no language to express their pain, You are their closest Companion and the nearest and dearest One of their heart. To those who have no stamina to move ahead and are just depressed and downtrodden, by Your grace, You fill their entire existence with Your divine nectar. O’ Lord, You are the well-wisher and Companion of all; You help everyone in their hour of need by showering them with Your divine compassion.
O’ Parama Purusa Baba, You are the most Merciful One. Even the degenerated and degraded sinners, pa’takiis and maha’pa’takiis [2] seek Your grace. Because they know that You will save them. That is why not just devotees but sinners also run towards You. Everyone takes shelter in You. Baba, You do not hate anyone – You love all, even the maha’pa’takiis - sinners. Knowingly or unknowingly all run towards You. In the core of their heart, all are seeking You – Your infinite bliss. The way in which the honey bee comes to the flower with the hope of getting honey, in the same manner all sadhakas come to You. O’ Divine One, You are the Sweetest of the sweet and the abode of all happiness and eternal bliss. O’ my dearmost, You are the Greatest of the great.
O’ Baba, ever adorable One, I do sastuanga pranam to You infinite times. Please shower a wee-bit of Your grace on me...
END NOTES FOR PRABHAT SAMGIITA #2655:
[1] Na'sho ka'lo: Na'sho literally means vanish or destroy and ka'lo means darkness. Thus Parama Purusa Baba destroys or wipes away all the darkness. This is very similar to what is expressed in the second stanza of our Guru Puja mantra where Guru removes all the black stains (ainjana) from the sadhaka's mind by applying the ointment of spiritual realisation.
Ajina'natimira'ndhasya jina'nainjana shala'kaya'
Baba says, "You know that an eye ointment is applied with a stick (shala'ka' means 'stick'). Now, all the microcosms are parts of that Noumenal Entity, all are actually parts and particles of that Supreme Entity, but due to ignorance, due to the darkness of ignorance, they cannot see what is what and which is which. That is why they require the ointment of spiritual knowledge. Guru (with a stick) applies the ointment of spiritual knowledge to their eyes." (Ananda Vacanamrtam-3)
[2] Maha'pa'takis: Here below Baba describes the various types of sinners including the maha'pa'takis - the worst type of sinners.
Baba says, "What is pa'pa? That which should not be done, if done, is called "pa'pa". That which should be done, if not done, is called "pratyava'ya." The collective name of pa'pa and pratyava'ya is "pa'taka." The sins committed by a pa'takii are not of very serious nature. The redemption of a pa´takii is possible if one, forgetting whatever has been done, takes to the path of spirituality. The second form of a pa'takii is atipa'takii. This is one who has done permanent physical or mental damage to a particular person. Then the third type is maha'pa'takii. The sins committed by a maha'pa'takii are of recurring nature. The best course for an atipa'takii is to sacrifice his individual pleasure and involve himself in the welfare of humanity. But of course the mahapa'takii has to sacrifice his life for the welfare of mankind. In addition to that, he will have to do something which will be of permanent benefit for human beings." (Ananda Vacanmrtam - 1)
== Section 3
==
REQUEST FOR PRACARA MATERIALS
Namaskar,
For the easy teaching of new-comers, we are planning to collect diagrammatic way of teaching of Ananda Marga ideology..
We request you to kindly share any source or direct material (diagrammatic) about:
1) vegetarian vs non vegetarian
2) aspects of dharma
3) bio-psychology
4) bio-psychological aspects of 16 points
etc....
Anandam
