Baba
Story: blissfully encircling Baba
Namaskar,
In the late 1950's and very early 60's, Baba did not want unwanted people to know about Him. At the same time, new people were granted initiation, but not given any photo of Baba. Nor were they permitted to speak about the glory of their Guru. Just they were instructed that Shrii Shrii Anandamurti ji is their Guru. They only knew the name. But exactly who was Shrii Shrii Anandamurti ji, that was not revealed.
In fact, in the initial stages of our Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha, everything was done very secretly. Margiis were not even aware about the existence of other Ananda Margiis. They did not know who was who. Thus, those early Ananda Margiis were not communicating with one another.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
However, after doing sadhana for a few months, if they were sincere in their spiritual practices, they were allowed to go to DMC and see their Guru. So their first darshan with Marga Guru would happen at DMC, where sadhakas were blessed with the opportunity to get personal contact (PC). Still, even at that point, it was forbidden to speak about their own realization about Guru, as well as the glory of their Guru. Secrecy was strictly maintained.
Secrecy: those days in Jamalpur
Those days it was the rule that if you saw Baba walking on the road, you could only do pranam to Him mentally. That is all. It was forbidden to raise your hands in namaskar mudra or do pranam etc, let alone do sastaunga pranam or touch His feet in public. One was not to make any gesture, or even stare at Baba. One could not do anything that might make the general populace think that Baba is a great and extraordinary personality. Every sadhaka was instructed to keep distance from Him in public and perform salutations to Him mentally.
Thus one could not display any behaviour which gave the idea or clue that people were coming from far and wide to have the Baba’s darshan. Any such behaviour was taken as being very detrimental. Baba just wanted to be viewed as an ordinary person in front of the general people - as a typical householder. This was His manner so long as he lived in Jamalpur. And the local people did not know anything about what was going on. Thousands were coming to see Him and the general population did not have any idea.
Why was it done this way? The main reason was that Baba, being the Parama Purusa, did not wish to have a large crowd around Him - thereby making it into a big scene. Because then it would be impossible for Him to attend to the vast array of works He came to do. For this reason, strict secrecy was maintained and one was only permitted to speak about Ananda Marga ideology, but not about Baba.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Bhajans of 1960’s: “Don’t sleep, God has come in human form"
One time during that period in the early 1960's, Baba was on His way to hold DMC. While in transit He had to change trains in Mansi railway station in North Bihar. Around ten bhaktas were there as they were also going to DMC. So they arranged some chairs on the railway platform, and when Baba arrived they had specially prepared one seat for Him. They arranged for Baba to sit on that chair on the platform, and they sat around Him on the ground. Due to the strong inner feeling, the margiis forgot all those dos and don'ts on secrecy etc, and then they started playing and singing bhajans in their local tongue:
"O' human beings don’t sleep, God has come in human form. Awake! open your eyes. He is here before you - don’t delay, open your eyes"
The bhajans were so vibrating the bhaktas could not control themselves. Remember, those days the Baba Nam Kevalam kiirtana had not yet been given. They were just singing local, traditional bhajans and dancing in His bliss. Even those who were still sitting began swaying their bodies, raising their hands in the air, clapping, and expressing their unbounded joy etc. Baba was sitting quietly in the center on a chair. Hearing the sound of various musical instruments, many people came and were awed to see the scene: A family man was sitting in a chair with His eyes closed, and those around him were dancing in divine ecstasy. The onlookers could not understand what was going on. It was all a mystery to them.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Margiis startled - terrified
When the train came Baba boarded in an isolated compartment and everything went smoothly - and various sadhakas also entered in the same reserved compartment with Baba. Then when the train was about to leave, in the glory of Baba they raised the slogan also, "Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji kii - Jai!"
As soon as the train started moving, Baba started lovingly scolding them. Certainly, He was just expressing His feigned anger, but all present became startled - terrified. They saw the rudra (feigned anger) on His face and immediately realized their mistake. Quickly they accepted their punishment - grabbed their ears in shame - and vowed to never let this happen again.
There in the compartment, Baba told that, "You know, I have come here on this earth for some special work so I do not want to unnecessarily beat the drum and gather a crowd.”
Conclusion
The take-away from this story is that when Parama Purusa comes as Mahasambhuti, then He does not make a big hue and cry. Certain select bhaktas are blessed with the longing and bhakti to be around Him and participate in His Nara liila. They are called one-by-one. Others are not aware. The same thing happened with Lord Shiva and Lord Krsna as well.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
So on this earth, three Mahasambhutis have come: Lord Shiva, Lord Krsna, and Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji. Each time, very few people supported Him, and most remained completely unaware of His advent. While some directly opposed Him. In His divine liila, Mahasambhuti created enemies and negative elements on the worldly level who seemed to be very powerful - politically and economically. That way He orchestrates His liila.
So He walks on this earth and the common mass is unaware about His presence. Those blessed to know about Him are ready to do and die for Him, while those not aware remain very skeptical. This type of extreme polarization occurs where the common ignorant masses support those enemies. In their confused state, those people are oblivious of the divine arrival of Taraka Brahma. That is the grand liila of Parama Purusa.
Namaskar,
at His lotus feet,
Prabhu Anura’gii
In the above letter, the writer uses the pronoun “I” and that “I” refers a to sadhaka named HP Akhauri.
How people were initiated those early days
At the outset when Baba used to give all the initiations, then sadhakas used to convince new people to learn meditation. And when they were ready, their name was confidentially passed on to Baba for His approval. If Baba approved their candidacy, then He would give a date and time for that new person to come for their initiation. Accordingly they were sent to Baba, and Baba used to initiate them. But later on, Sadguru Baba created the acarya system - only family acaryas at the beginning, and those family acaryas began giving all the initiations and Baba stopped giving them on His own.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
He comes to defeat the demons & elevate the masses
Yadá yadáhi dharmasya glánirbhavati bhárata,
Cábhyutthánaḿ adharmasya tadátmánaḿ srjámyaham.
Ananda Marga ideology, "When the number of demons in the world increases, when dharma is distorted or loses its pristine glory (here “gláni” or “distortion” means the removal of an object from its original place) and adharma rears its ugly head (when something raises its head far above its original height, it is called abhyutthána), Parama Puruśa has to incarnate Himself in a special way to annihilate the powerful demons." (1)
Guide society for ages to come
There in the train compartment, Baba told that, “You know, I have so many duties to do. And if dogmatic people start flocking around, then how will I be able to do the work which I have come especially to do? I have to teach sadhana, give Ananda Marga ideology which will guide the society for ages to come, instruct people how to recognise and eradicate dogma, show the way for leading an ideal human life, and illumine the path of emancipation. There are so many things I must do.” This is what Baba told those margiis in that train compartment.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Reference
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 4, Don't Be Afraid
At the outset when Baba used to give all the initiations, then sadhakas used to convince new people to learn meditation. And when they were ready, their name was confidentially passed on to Baba for His approval. If Baba approved their candidacy, then He would give a date and time for that new person to come for their initiation. Accordingly they were sent to Baba, and Baba used to initiate them. But later on, Sadguru Baba created the acarya system - only family acaryas at the beginning, and those family acaryas began giving all the initiations and Baba stopped giving them on His own.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
He comes to defeat the demons & elevate the masses
Yadá yadáhi dharmasya glánirbhavati bhárata,
Cábhyutthánaḿ adharmasya tadátmánaḿ srjámyaham.
Ananda Marga ideology, "When the number of demons in the world increases, when dharma is distorted or loses its pristine glory (here “gláni” or “distortion” means the removal of an object from its original place) and adharma rears its ugly head (when something raises its head far above its original height, it is called abhyutthána), Parama Puruśa has to incarnate Himself in a special way to annihilate the powerful demons." (1)
Guide society for ages to come
There in the train compartment, Baba told that, “You know, I have so many duties to do. And if dogmatic people start flocking around, then how will I be able to do the work which I have come especially to do? I have to teach sadhana, give Ananda Marga ideology which will guide the society for ages to come, instruct people how to recognise and eradicate dogma, show the way for leading an ideal human life, and illumine the path of emancipation. There are so many things I must do.” This is what Baba told those margiis in that train compartment.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Reference
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 4, Don't Be Afraid
Plagiary?
Ananda Marga ideology states, “If there is a dearth of intellectual pabulum and the intellectual standard of the people is not high, they can take “dos” to be “donts” and vice versa. Take for example, a communal riot where a little innocent boy is killed, and when the person who encourages the riot becomes the people’s leader. Where the intellectual standard of the people is low, people commit blunders – prompted by such leaders they become beasts. Those backward countries which have less socio-politico-economic consciousness in the people tend to have more immorality. In such countries the leaders misguide the people in order to collect votes. I call such leaders “political satans” or “political pigs” Such pigs become leaders only when the intellectual standard of the common people is low. In a country with shortages of physical and intellectual pabula, people ultimately become beasts and commit sins and crimes. To murder a person during a riot is both a crime and a sin. In political clashes innocent people are killed. This is also a crime as well as a sin. So, to summarize, when physical and intellectual pabula are lacking, people become beasts and commit sins and crimes. Among the three reasons for sin, this is the first and primary one. It is prevalent everywhere in the world although it is less evident in a few of the more affluent countries.” (1)
Reference
1. A Few Problems Solved - 6, The Three Causes of Sin
It is the accepted international standard and Baba's system not to copy another's work and publish it in your own way. Baba has given a very strict rule on plagiarism. Why is Baba against plagiarism or stealing someone's work? There are many reasons:
1) It is against the code of asteya (non-stealing).
2) Countless stories of bhaktas need to be published. But some do not want to do the hard work of compiling and writing these stories, so they just steal them from others. But new stories need to be told, otherwise so many unpublished stories of sadhakas will be lost and forgotten forever. So watch out for story thieves, and kindly help them not to steal by posting on social media in their own way. If you want to forward this story then attach the following yellow section with the story:
“Courtesy of unknown bhakta via Ananda Marga Universal (https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/)”
This will be treated as the standard protocol.
== Section: Important Teaching ==
What conditions commonly turn people into beasts
Ananda Marga ideology states, “If there is a dearth of intellectual pabulum and the intellectual standard of the people is not high, they can take “dos” to be “donts” and vice versa. Take for example, a communal riot where a little innocent boy is killed, and when the person who encourages the riot becomes the people’s leader. Where the intellectual standard of the people is low, people commit blunders – prompted by such leaders they become beasts. Those backward countries which have less socio-politico-economic consciousness in the people tend to have more immorality. In such countries the leaders misguide the people in order to collect votes. I call such leaders “political satans” or “political pigs” Such pigs become leaders only when the intellectual standard of the common people is low. In a country with shortages of physical and intellectual pabula, people ultimately become beasts and commit sins and crimes. To murder a person during a riot is both a crime and a sin. In political clashes innocent people are killed. This is also a crime as well as a sin. So, to summarize, when physical and intellectual pabula are lacking, people become beasts and commit sins and crimes. Among the three reasons for sin, this is the first and primary one. It is prevalent everywhere in the world although it is less evident in a few of the more affluent countries.” (1)
Reference
1. A Few Problems Solved - 6, The Three Causes of Sin
== Section 3: Links ==
