Baba
Story: Baba asked
When I took diiksa I was thinking that Baba is Guru. But accepting Baba as Guru is the easy part. Because in India, there are all kinds of gurus - from extraordinary to ordinary. Gurus are commonplace. But to hold someone as the goal of life - i.e. Ista - that is very difficult. Because Ista means the Supreme Entity Himself. For the general public, guru is a relatively ordinary occurrence, while Ista is extremely extraordinary. Although, according to Ananda Marga philosophy, Guru and Brahma are the same, here I am describing my mental condition at that time.
Various margiis tell their stories of how Baba is Parama Purusa, but I was skeptical. From time to time, I used to think that I should somehow get my own confirmation directly from Baba about what and who He is. And I got the answer which I am recounting below. By the culmination, I felt that Baba is Parama Purusa.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
It was the late 1970's, Baba was in jail, and up until that time in my life I had never seen or met Him. Now, suddenly, I was getting the opportunity to visit Baba in jail. Those days, the main thing I was hearing from sadhakas again and again was that:
1. Baba cannot see because of being poisoned while in jail; and,
2. Baba knows everything.
My plan for determining if Baba knows everything
Since this was the very first time in my life that I was getting the opportunity to see Baba, I was thinking that if Baba really is all-knowing then He will surely know everything about me. Without my telling anything, He will know who I am, where I am from, and my entire life story. So if He asks anything about me, I will avoid answering those questions and remain quiet. This was my plan. And, by this way, I will know for certain that what people are telling about Baba is true: He is all-knowing. This was the logic and reasoning going on in my mind those days.
How many came from Bettiah
We all arrived at the jail. In my batch there were 15 sadhakas from different areas: Bengal, Delhi, South India, and Khublal ji and I from Bettiah. After passing through the various bureaucratic hurdles, we finally reached Baba's room in jail and did sastaunga pranam.
One by one, margiis from my group were called in front of Baba. And each time Baba would say, "Tell your name and from where have you come."
Finally my turn came and to my great surprise, Baba did not ask me my name nor did He inquire where I was from.
Rather, Baba first asked me, "How many have come from Bettiah?"
Hearing this, I understood that Baba knows me. Otherwise, why would He ask me about Bettiah.
Then Baba asked, "Is the school in Bettiah running or not?", as well as several other questions about Bettiah.
Then Baba asked, "How many came from Bettiah along with you?"
After that, Baba looked at me, smiled, and said, "From where have you come?"
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Only I knew the real reason
Hearing this, all the other margiis present started laughing. Because Baba was asking so many questions about Bettiah, it was quite obvious He knew I was from Bettiah. Then at the very end He inquired, "From where have you come?", as if He did not know I was from Bettiah. That was why they were laughing.
Only I knew the real reason why this exchange took place. It happened because I had taken the resolve that I was not going to tell Him where I was from. I was thinking that if Baba is that all-knowing Parama Purusa then certainly He would already be aware about that.
At that moment I became fully convinced that Baba knows everything. Then He called me close and blessed me. By His grace, I realised spiritual bliss. Since that time, I have done pracara in my village, and by His grace many persons have become margiis.
Knows past, present, & future about everyone
It is very evident that Baba is the all-knowing Divine Entity. Whatever you think, He knows; whatever You do, He knows. He is the all-encompassing, Witnessing Entity that knows the past, present and future about everyone and everything.
https://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Ananda Marga ideology states, "To know everything is His nature. That is why He is omniscient. Who is this Puruśa evedam sarvaḿ? He knows everything...Parama Puruśa, who is in every object and is, in fact, the Causal Matrix, knows all things. By the application of ota and prota yoga He is with everything." (1)
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "Now, everything that is known to the Macro-psychic Entity is within Its infinite structure, within Its infinite framework. Everything is within, nothing without. Everything is His internal mental projection, intra-psychic projection. That is why He knows everything and will always know everything." (2)
Ananda Marga ideology tells us, "He is the Witness of all. The witness-ship of your existence, of all your actions, lies in Him. And when He witnesses you, He is witnessing an internal object...[He] is the Witness of Its own self and all other objects." (3)
Namaskar,
in Him,
Ramashraya
Note: The above is a first-hand account from a senior margii, Ramashraya Prasad Srivastava of Narkatiya Ganj, West Champaron Dist (Bihar).
References
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 5, The Omniscience of the Causal Matrix
2. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 2, Omniscience of the Macro-Psychic Entity
3. Ananda Marga Ideology & Way of Life - 8, The Macrocosm and the Microcosm -1
* * *
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 ==
Note: Baba’s guideline appended below gives two very significant teachings:
(a) When you arrived on this earth you came empty-handed. Everything belongs to Parama Purusa because He has created this universe. To think, “Something is mine” is a misguided notion. Your house, your family, and whatever else you think to be yours, after 150 years you will not have those things / relations. What to say of 150 years, even after one minute you may not have them. So one is just a pseudo-owner; the real owner is Parama Purusa. But this mistaken sense of personal ownership is the effect of avidya maya. Because avidya maya does not allow human beings to gain this simple awareness that everything belongs to Parama Purusa. Only when the veil of avidya maya is removed a little do people then start talking about this idea. Otherwise, there would not be any need to even raise this matter. The day when avidya maya is fully eradicated one will become Parama Purusa.
(b) The second teaching is that as humans we have special power, i.e. one’s I-feeling. Because of this a person can do sadhana and become one with Parama Purusa. Other jiivas do not have such a clear I-feeling, and they cannot do A-grade sadhana. That is why we should use our potentiality by (#1) not having the vanity of taking another’s property as our own, and (#2) utilizing the psychic potentiality for spiritual practice.
For more understanding read Baba’s below teaching:
Ananda Marga ideology states, “On a deeper analysis, it is found that human beings have nothing to call their own. They may boast about their intellect, intelligence, power and influence but the real owner of these is Parama Puruśa. By His grace, alone can one utilize or enjoy objects. If Parama Puruśa so desires. He can snatch away all these possessions from humans, And the humans will be unable to do anything about it. After realizing the Supreme truth intelligent people should endeavour to realize Parama Puruśa with the power He has given them. This realization of the Supreme also depends on His grace. In order to merit Parama Puruśa’s grace, unit beings will also have to do something. Their duty is to contemplate or ideate on Him.” (1)
Reference
1. Ananda Philosophy in a Nutshell - 4, Bhakti and Krpá
== Section 3: Links ==
Upcoming Festival: Ananda Purnima - 05 May 2023
- #2: Include all
- #1: How to celebrate
Other topics of interest
