Baba
This email contains four sections:
1. Overview
2. Letter: Dr T.R. Sukulji's Response
3. Links
Those coming here from the email to read Sis Shivanii Mehta's letter please scroll all the way down to the bottom...
Namaskar,
This email addresses how in Brisbane unit in Australia they circulated a brochure about their retreat, when in actuality they wanted to observe mahaprayan. But since mahaprayan is not popular - even controversial - they just called it a retreat.
To sidestep the situation, in their brochure they used the term "samkalpa divas" instead in one place and then in another put the term mahaprayan in parentheses. Plus they were promoting this as a kiirtan event.
Their overall tactic was to get people to attend and then do mahaprayan ceremony at the end.
So one margii wrote a public letter about this entitled - "Kiirtan Used As Bait." A link to this email is appended below.
In response, Sis Shivanii Mehta wrote a reply (publicly circulated - link appended below) where she told that they were just doing kiirtan on October 26, and it was not mahaprayan per se.
But in reality, it was an MPD / annual death day gathering that finished on the 26 - as per Tiljala's manner etc.
Seeing Sis Shivanii Mehta's letter, Dr. T.R. Sukulji wrote this following reply (see below section 2.) This is followed by a related Baba story in section 3.
Kindly read and review all.
in Him,
Sadashiva Mehta
This email contains four sections:
1. Overview
2. Letter: Dr T.R. Sukulji's Response
3. Links
Those coming here from the email to read Sis Shivanii Mehta's letter please scroll all the way down to the bottom...
== Section 1 - Overview ==
Namaskar,
This email addresses how in Brisbane unit in Australia they circulated a brochure about their retreat, when in actuality they wanted to observe mahaprayan. But since mahaprayan is not popular - even controversial - they just called it a retreat.
To sidestep the situation, in their brochure they used the term "samkalpa divas" instead in one place and then in another put the term mahaprayan in parentheses. Plus they were promoting this as a kiirtan event.
Their overall tactic was to get people to attend and then do mahaprayan ceremony at the end.
So one margii wrote a public letter about this entitled - "Kiirtan Used As Bait." A link to this email is appended below.
In response, Sis Shivanii Mehta wrote a reply (publicly circulated - link appended below) where she told that they were just doing kiirtan on October 26, and it was not mahaprayan per se.
But in reality, it was an MPD / annual death day gathering that finished on the 26 - as per Tiljala's manner etc.
Seeing Sis Shivanii Mehta's letter, Dr. T.R. Sukulji wrote this following reply (see below section 2.) This is followed by a related Baba story in section 3.
Kindly read and review all.
in Him,
Sadashiva Mehta
== Section 2 ==
Dr T.R. Sukulji's Response
Dr T.R. Sukulji's Response
Namaskar.
The letter of respected Shivaniiji mainly contains following three points:-
(a) The decoration and the overall surroundings of mpd programme hall.
(b) Kiirtan and MPD talk.
(c) Suggestions.
As
regards point (a) above , only those, who have attended the function
can better debate but I can not as I have never attended such
programme/s.
Regarding point (b) I would only
say that the bliss experienced in kiirtan "Baba Nam kevalam" is
universal and any one can have it anywhere, if he does it regularly.
Rev. Baba has said, "Even if you get a single minute free; you should
utilize it in kiirtan, whenever two margi brothers meet they should do
kiirtan etc". So it is the influence of that universal siddha mantra
Baba Nam Kevalm not of the MPD function or gathering on account of it.
MPD is a dogma created by those who want to hold leadership under their
control for selfish motive like dogmatic Hindu pundits who lost their
wisdom and truth creating different rituals.
If
we rely on the book written by respected Nagiinaji (which is also
published as titled "Ananad katha" in different magazines of AM
during Rev. Baba's time) we will find that Rev. Baba had finished his
mortal samskaras in the early age . Since there were no samskaras for
which the physical body is needed to undergo the reactions , He tried
twice to leave it but due to excessive requests of Nagiinaji and others
He continued in the same physical body with His samkalp for the welfare
of suffering humanity and graciously He gave AM philosophy, living in
that astral body for more than thirty years. So, to talk about His
departure in any form is unfair. Those who have had an opportunity to
touch Him they felt nothing except bliss. That is why His mystery is
still unknown even to those who claim to have remained physically very
near to Him. He Himself gave Him the name of "Ajana Pathik" .
This
is just to say that remembering His Death day as MPD or with any other
name is jeopardizing His status of Muktpurush, Sagunbragma, Mahasambuti
which He graciously displayed before us practically, otherwise these
terms were beautifying the books of philosophy only. In this
connection it is also important to mention here that Rev. Baba has
graciously met physically to many bhaktas after 1990 and Ac
Parasattananda Avt is one of them. Ac Parasattananda's story I have
mentioned in my earlier letter a few months back.
[See story appended below in section 3 titled: Baba Story: Saved From the Jaws of Death - Eds]
Those who are interested they may contact him at Ranchi (India) at present. He was lying unconsciously since more than a month and being shifted from one place to other and one hospital to the other and finally declared to be dead by doctors at Delhi. How he has found second birth due to Rev. Baba's grace he will tell you in detail.
[See story appended below in section 3 titled: Baba Story: Saved From the Jaws of Death - Eds]
Those who are interested they may contact him at Ranchi (India) at present. He was lying unconsciously since more than a month and being shifted from one place to other and one hospital to the other and finally declared to be dead by doctors at Delhi. How he has found second birth due to Rev. Baba's grace he will tell you in detail.
So,
it is evident that death day / mahaprayan / shraddhainjali etc are the
dogmatic functions of the common people in the different sections of the
society and they have no significance as per AM philosophy.
In
connection to the point (c), she has rightly said that we should care
for our children and future generation and not act following dogmatic
ways which have no place in Ananda Marga or the "path of bliss".
Respectfully
Dr T R Sukul.
== Section 3 ==
Links
To read the letter - Kiirtan Used As Bait - click below:
http://anandamarganewsbulletin.blogspot.com/2014/10/kiirtan-used-as-bait-open-letter-to.html
To read Sis Shivanii's Letter see below:
Links
To read the letter - Kiirtan Used As Bait - click below:
http://anandamarganewsbulletin.blogspot.com/2014/10/kiirtan-used-as-bait-open-letter-to.html
To read Sis Shivanii's Letter see below:
Namaskar
I feel that writing about a retreat you have not been to or have not interviewed people who attended and then to make such claim so public is not wise. Baba advises to Think twice before speaking.
By the way, there was no big Pandal and tomb to adorn. There was No Big Baba photo. In fact, there was only an A5 size photo and beautifully simple pratik which sat so blissfully on a little table ... which viewed so miniscule compared to the large hall with Baba Himself gracing so grandly and peacefully. Absolute joy. Please join us next time.
About MPD talk? There was none. There was brief mention on the last day of retreat that Guru departure fell close to the day we had retreat and there were new people attending so it was polite to briefly mentioned that it meant the physical departure of our dear Baba. It took less than a minute and that was that. No celebrations nor wakes nor dogma. Lots of bliss. Sorry to dissappoint you, Dada.
I feel that instead of intellectuallising and politicising a devotional gathering, you should attend more often and more sincerely with deep devotion for supreme himself.
May Baba grace you more than ever to be open that all groups love Baba and just show it in their own sentimental way. This kind of talk I expect from my children not seniors. You and others have to stop this weightless chatter. Please. For the sake of our children and generations to come.
Namaskar
His Shivanii
