Baba
Personal relation with Him
Namaskar,
To reach the ultimate goal of spirituality, it is absolutely necessary for a bhakta to cultivate an intimate relation with God. In order to have His close proximity, one should cultivate a personal relation (bhava) with Him. A child does not have any relation with the shopkeeper, but it has a relation with its mother. So the child has surrendered everything to their mother. When a mother holds the child’s hand to walk then that small child will not be scared. But if that same child is walking with the shopkeeper it will start crying. Due to intimate relations with its mother, the child has developed surrender.
Surrender depends on the degree of intimacy. If you are very intimate with someone you may hand over your entire wallet to them, whereas if the relation is superficial then you will hide 99% of your mental thoughts. The desire of any sadhaka is to realise Parama Purusa. So the worst approach is to think God has departed to another world, or that God is living in the 7th sky as some religions preach. That is why on the path of bhakti, God comes within the realm of a family member, and He is close by and trusted. As intimacy grows then the relation changes. And, accordingly, the degree of surrender heightens. If one has a very close relation, then there is 100% surrender. In spiritual life, that is the highest most exalted state when one depends 100% on Parama Purusa.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
If the sadhaka thinks that Parama Purusa is very far then they should try to engage with Parama Purusa in their sadhana etc. And as they engage their distance with Him will decrease. One day they will feel that Parama Purusa is very close, and ultimately they will become one with Him. In that stage sadhaka will not like to attend MPD.
Everyone has the potential for heightened bhakti and this is the way sadhakas of the past have moved forward. And in the present and future also this is the path which Baba has shown us. A similar idea has been explained here below.
Easy to open your heart to Him
When one is not feeling close then an aspirant cannot express their intimate feeling with Parama Purusa. There will be distance, and that is very detrimental for one's spiritual progress. It is just like how you cannot express the deep inner feelings of your heart with a person whom you do not feel close with. An intimate relation is needed. Without a close, personal relation with Parama Purusa, one cannot surrender. So an intimate link is needed with the Supreme Entity, and then, by His grace, the aspirant will easily surrender unto Him.
In contrast, mundane relations are not dependable; they are very temporary. If you open your heart, there is a big risk involved. Because one day the next person may become very distant and exploit you. Or they will form a very poor opinion about you. Indeed, telling all that is in your heart to another human being is very scary and unpredictable. So people do not open their heart fully with others.
With Parama Purusa it is entirely different. He knows more about you than you know about yourself. You don’t know where you were 200 years ago, but He knows. Likewise, there are some things which you were too ashamed to tell anyone, but those things He also knows. So when He knows everything about You, and when He understands everything about you - even with knowing all your bad demerits He still loves you - then it is easy to open your heart to Him.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Regularity & sincerity in sadhana
An intimate relation means there is no gap or wall or shyness. There is 100% transparency of feelings. That is indicative of a relation of close proximity. That can only happen with Parama Purusa. To achieve this, all that is needed is regularity and sincerity in sadhana. This is not a theoretical concept; bhaktas realize this. For those who lack such a relation with Parama Purusa, bhakti is but a theoretical concept. Gradually anyone can develop this type of relation with Him. Then, in your own mind, Parama Purusa will not seem like an Entity in the far distant sky or heaven, but rather the Most Loving One of your heart and mind, who is always with you. That is why one's relationship with Parama Purusa is very meaningful.
Cultivating an intimate relationship with Him
To surrender there must be a close and intimate relation between a bhakta and Parama Purusa; otherwise, one cannot go close nor become one with Him. So having a relation is key. Here following are some of the types of relationships one may have with Him. And always bear in mind that the way to heighten your current relation with Him is by doing more sadhana.
(a) In this world no one is an atheist. Everyone wants to know the Supreme Entity. They are not satisfied by the various religious and dogmatic definitions of God. So they harbour questions, remain skeptical, and pose as atheists. But in times of tragedy, those so-called atheists also mentally ask for help from the Supreme Entity, but outwardly they will never admit this. This demonstrates they have some type of relation with Parama Purusa, however distant that relation may be. Those who categorically identify themselves as atheists are hypocrites.
(b) In the next stage, due to dogma people think that Parama Purusa (God) is somewhere in the heaven; they feel that, “He is mighty, and if I do wrong He will punish me.” This is also one type of relation with God.
(c) Then due to dogma others think that Parama Purusa is great, but He resides in the temples, churches, and mosques etc so, “I cannot communicate directly; rather I have to go via a priest, mullah, rabbi, purohit, or pujarii. I can’t have a direct relation / or personal link with Him as He is a distant Entity.”
(d) Next comes the Guru-disciple relation. Between Guru and disciple there is a code of discipline. It has its own boundary line - beyond which you cannot cross or go close.
(e) If the mind of the sadhaka is more developed they feel that, “The Supreme Entity is my Father. Regardless of how powerful or almighty He may be, first and foremost He is my Father. So I have a direct relation with Him. Whatever problems or happiness comes my way I can always communicate with Him.”
(f) When the mind is a little more developed, and the degree of closeness has increased, then one feels that the Supreme Entity is my friend or even more intimate etc.
Conclusion
One’s relation with Him may partially depend upon one's own inherent samskaras. But one thing is certain: A sadhaka can only have one relation with Parama Purusa at one particular moment. Over the course of one’s life, that relation may progress with sincere sadhana. But at one time, an aspirant can only have one type of relation with Him. So a sadhaka should select the relation that is most suited to their feelings. Ultimately, the unit consciousness has to merge into the Supreme Consciousness. Without extreme intimacy one cannot merge. According to the dharmic scriptures, another name for merging is surrender.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Namaskar,
In Him,
Ananda
To know more about the above topic one should read discourses #25 - #27 of the book, Namami Krsnasundaram.
== Section 2: Prabhat Samgiita ==
Lowly complaints to Parama Purusa
PS intro: This song is the expression of a 3rd class bhatka who has a lot of complaints against Parama Purusa. So Prabhat Samgiita has everything. All types of people come onto the path of sadhana and open their heart to Parama Purusa and accept Him as their own. This is the example how whatever feeling one has for Parama Purusa then that should be expressed. And one should select the song accordingly. This is the unique aspect of Prabhat Samgiita: it is for all.
“Tumi, here giyeo máno ná hár…” (Prabhat Samgiita #1021)
Purport:
Parama Purusa, whenever there is a debate about Your mercy, You always get defeated; but, even then, You never accept Your defeat. It seems You have created living beings for the sole purpose of giving them pain, sorrow, and misery. They come and go in suffering. This world is full of problems and troubles. But when anyone complains to You about this, then You say that this is all blissful.
In this creation of Yours, with the flower there is the thorn. Similarly, where there is a high tide there is also a low tide. Good does not remain forever. Happiness and sorrow exist side by side. In the honeycomb there is honey, but it also has bees that are always ready to bite. If anyone tries to get any nectar they bite them. On the one hand there is the sweetness of honey, and on the other there is the stinging bites of the honey bee. Even nectar is accompanied by impurities. Nothing is wholly pure; all are sundry. The good and the bad, happiness and sorrow, life and death, light and shade, everything is mixed. Over here there is darkness, and elsewhere there is refulgence. It is very strange that You do not make this universe completely and positively full of rejuvenation and joy.
Do You place sorrow side by side to give happiness. Is this not Your working style. You keep despair close to happiness to give joy more taste. People are suffering from blame, ignominy, and bad reputations, and then You give them glory and fame. The way of Your liila is beyond my understanding. It would have been better if You created this universe differently....
PS intro: This song is the expression of a 3rd class bhatka who has a lot of complaints against Parama Purusa. So Prabhat Samgiita has everything. All types of people come onto the path of sadhana and open their heart to Parama Purusa and accept Him as their own. This is the example how whatever feeling one has for Parama Purusa then that should be expressed. And one should select the song accordingly. This is the unique aspect of Prabhat Samgiita: it is for all.
“Tumi, here giyeo máno ná hár…” (Prabhat Samgiita #1021)
Purport:
Parama Purusa, whenever there is a debate about Your mercy, You always get defeated; but, even then, You never accept Your defeat. It seems You have created living beings for the sole purpose of giving them pain, sorrow, and misery. They come and go in suffering. This world is full of problems and troubles. But when anyone complains to You about this, then You say that this is all blissful.
In this creation of Yours, with the flower there is the thorn. Similarly, where there is a high tide there is also a low tide. Good does not remain forever. Happiness and sorrow exist side by side. In the honeycomb there is honey, but it also has bees that are always ready to bite. If anyone tries to get any nectar they bite them. On the one hand there is the sweetness of honey, and on the other there is the stinging bites of the honey bee. Even nectar is accompanied by impurities. Nothing is wholly pure; all are sundry. The good and the bad, happiness and sorrow, life and death, light and shade, everything is mixed. Over here there is darkness, and elsewhere there is refulgence. It is very strange that You do not make this universe completely and positively full of rejuvenation and joy.
Do You place sorrow side by side to give happiness. Is this not Your working style. You keep despair close to happiness to give joy more taste. People are suffering from blame, ignominy, and bad reputations, and then You give them glory and fame. The way of Your liila is beyond my understanding. It would have been better if You created this universe differently....
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Special human ability
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “Although the Cosmic Mind is the supreme controller of this world of emanation the unit mind also has a certain amount of control over the nerve fibres and nerve cells – the unit body. We cannot call the power of control an absolute power; we may call it “dominion status”. By virtue of this power, the unit mind directly controls the nerve fibres and nerve cells of the unit body. As the unit mind is controlled by the Cosmic Mind, Parama Puruśa controls the nerve fibres and nerve cells of the human body indirectly. If He so desires Parama Puruśa can also control them directly, too. In that case the entire physical structure of a human being will be vibrated by the cosmic vibrations of Parama Puruśa, causing the function of the unit mind to remain suspended for that period. This state can be called the samádhi of non-inferential bliss. During this samádhi spiritual aspirants sádhakas enjoy divine bliss directly from the Cosmic Mind without the help of inferences or tanmátras. Under normal circumstances human beings enjoy blissful feelings in the nerve cells and fibres and later in the mind; but during the samádhi of non-inferential bliss, the blissful vibrations are created directly in the mind because the Macrocosmic mind does not require any fixed medium – He can use anything as His medium.” (1)
Note: Human beings have been blessed with free will - i.e. the power to choose and decide upon their course of action. With that freedom comes the responsibility to face the consequences of one’s misdeeds. In that way, every person is held accountable for their own actions and there is no scope to blame others for one’s bad deeds.
In contrast, animals are fully bound; they are governed by nature. They are not free and cannot act independently. They merely carry out what the Cosmic Entity has designed them to do according to their own vrttis. So animals are completely pre-programmed and cannot decide anything on their own. And there is no scope to blame them for their actions - they do not incur any bad samskaras during their life as an animal.
Reference
1. Ananda Marga Philosophy in a Nutshell - 4, The Samádhi of Inferential and Non-Inferential Bliss
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Ananda Marga ideology states, “Now you know, in the mind of each and every living being there is this feeling of “I exist”. There is one “I exist” in you. “I exist.” “I am.” “I exist.” Mm? This “I” is the subtlest mind. But don’t you know that there is the feeling of “I exist” in you? You know it, you know this fact, that there is the feeling of “I exist” in you. Don’t you know it? You know that there is a feeling of “I exist” in you. Then, “I know the fact that I exist. I know the fact that there is a feeling of ‘I exist’ in me.” Now here the “I” of “I exist”, the subject of the sentence “I exist”, is the subtlest mind. And the “I” of “I know” – “I know the fact that I exist” – the subject of the sentence “I know”, that “I” is the átman, is the spirit, is the soul. It is not mind. There is a feeling of “I exist” in me – “I exist”. That “I” is the subtlest mind. The feeling that “I exist” is in me, is known to me. That knowing “I” – “I know that I exist” – that knowing “I” (the “I” of “I know”) is the átman, the spirit, the soul.” (1)
Note: Everybody has a mind. And the feeling associated with the mind is, “I am”, “I exist”. That quality is indicative of mind. And everyone also knows that they exist and that they have a mind. The entity that knows that they have a mind is the soul. The conclusion is that “I am, I exist” is the feeling of the mind, and the feeling, “I know I exist” is the feeling of the atma or soul.
Reference
1. Subhasita Samgraha - 24, Longing for the Great
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Secret for solving all problems
Ananda Marga ideology states, “[Wild dogs] move in packs and because of this they are very courageous. If a tiger encroaches on their territory they will chase after it as a group and irritate it with their barking. Unable to put up with the disturbance the tiger will lose itself in the deep forest.” (1)
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, “Do all your works unitedly. No work is hard for you, no work is difficult. Move forward easily and smilingly, solving all the problems of the world. Your victory is assured. It is within your grasp. When anyone does some virtuous work, Parama Puruśa is with that person. Under such circumstances, one need not even pray, “O Lord, give me more strength,” because since Parama Puruśa is with you, He will surely give you more strength. In fact He is always giving you more strength. So my advice is: “Move ahead”” (2)
Note: In His above teachings, Sadguru Baba emphasizes the importance of unity. In the first guideline, Baba presents the example of wild dogs who by their collective endeavour are able to chase away a dangerous predator. And in the second guideline, Baba guides us that humans should follow a similar approach because by our collective force every problem can be solved. Then all sorts of great deeds can be done and one will feel His presence and grace in each and every work.
References
1. Shabda Cayanika - 2, Aekya to Aekśava (Discourse 13)
2. Discourses on Krsna & the Giita, “Struggle Must Go On”
== Section: Ananda Vanii ==
Crushing the pebbles of hindrances
Original Ananda Vanii states: “Marching ahead is life, crushing the pebbles of hindrances and obstacles with a stroke of your feet, disdaining the frowns of tornadoes, meteors and roaring thunder, and rendering all superstitions to ashes without any second thought. March on and on, Parama Puruśa is with you. Victory is yours.” (Ananda Vanii #29)
Note: Sadguru Baba has assigned a number to all His original and true Ananda Vaniis. In contrast, Fake Ananda Vaniis do not have any number. By this simple formula, one can easily recognise which is a true Ananda Vanii and which is fake. For the recent occasion of January 1st 2017, all Ananda Marga units should have used one of Baba’s original and true Ananda Vaniis, not a fake one. By this way, one will surely get His blessing.
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Multifarious uses of bananas
Ananda Marga Ideal Farming states, "Banana trees are known more for their fruits than for their fibre. Both the fruit and the flower can be eaten, and when the tree is young the inner trunk can be taken as a vegetable as well. The leaves are used for plates or for wrapping food. Sodium carbonate may be obtained from the banana tree by burning the trunk into ash, and sodium bicarbonate may be obtained by boiling the ash until the water evaporates. There are numerous products which can be made from the banana tree. The fibre is obtained from the trunk of the tree. The greater the size of a tree, the greater the quantity of fibre, but the same rule does not necessarily apply for the quantity of fruit produced by the banana tree. Not more than two offshoot saplings should be allowed to grow from one banana tree. The extra shoots should be cut. There are many varieties of banana." (1)
Reference
1. Ideal Farming - 2, Some Important Crops
== Section 3: Links ==
