Baba
Who is sadvipra
Note: Throughout this letter reference is made to the terms: vipra, vaeshya, ksatriya, and shudra. In Ananda Marga teachings, these terms do not refer to one's so-called caste or social status; rather, these terms refer to one's mental colour and psychic inclination.
Namaskar,
Everyone knows that in our Ananda Marga way of life, one of our ideals is to become a sadvipra.
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "Sadvipra leadership is the ideal form of leadership. Such leaders will be physically fit, mentally developed and spiritually elevated." (1)
However, in our Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha, there is much confusion about who is a sadvipra. For a while, everyone was thinking that no one was a sadvipra and that a sadvipra was just one great god in the sky. Then others developed the notion that all Wts are sadvipras - and still today many workers feel that because they are Wts then by definition they are sadvipras also.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
We should better understand what and who a sadvipra is. Baba's teachings are grounded in practical thought and expression. Identifying sadvipras then is a very straightforward process.
By clearly defining Baba's given notion of sadvipra, then everyone can evaluate for themselves how they are doing in this pursuit and develop in the proper way, by Baba's grace.
Four qualities a must for sadvipras
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "In short, all the characteristics of the four classes have to be mastered by each individual in our Marga. It is not only mastery of these characteristics which is necessary, but their regular practice is an essential duty of every member of Ananda Marga. Every individual thus becomes universally fit, and any person makes as good a brahmin as a shu'dra." (2)
Hence it is clear, to become an ideal Ananda Margii - to be a real sadvipra - one must possess and practice these four qualities. One must perform all kinds of physical work, and be courageous, economically just, and intellectually advanced. Then one is a sadvipra, otherwise not. One must not be loathe to any particular type of service or work.
Pseudo-sadvipras do not carry their own luggage on train
Let's examine some trends we see around the globe:
- At an Indian railway station, passengers rarely carry their own bags; mostly coolees carry the bags for travelers. The vast majority of travelers think it inconceivable to hold their own luggage. Not only that, in their own homes so many have domestic assistants who bring them water to drink when they are thirsty. Many are unwilling to even get their own water; they feel it is beneath them. Thus amongst the general populace in India we see a distinct deficit in the shudra mentality.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
- In the west, we often find that people are day-long involved in all kinds of mundane activities and duties. Verily they pass their days in such chores: yard-work, cooking, repairing their house or apartment, and so many affairs. Thus the shudra mentality is present, but often we find that the general populace is not intellectually inclined. They have been indoctrinated into a materialistic approach and are not apt to think outside of this arena. That is why we say that many in the west are not vipra oriented.
- In both the east and west we see a distinct lack of the ksatriyan mentality as the tendency to fight against injustice and dogma is lacking. Most citizens "play it safe" and are not apt to strike out against injustice. That is why capitalists and religious leaders manage to hold onto the power and even gain greater control.
- And without comparing east and west, we can say that those who are physically lazy lack the quality of the shudra; those who are mentally dull and do not like to think in new or challenging ways lack the standard of a vipra. And all those who can't manage their money lack the skill of a vaeshya.
- Indeed the prevailing mentalities around the globe are deficient in one quality or another. Those not aware of the teachings of Ananda Marga will certainly be lacking in the needed characteristics.
- Now, we should examine what is transpiring within the auspices of our Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha.
Ideal Ananda Margiis are four in one
Certainly there are many good sadhakas in our Ananda Marga Pracaraka Samgha; but, at the same time, it must be remarked that many who think of themselves as sadvipras fall short of the mark. That is the unfortunate situation. For instance, those Dadas leading WT training centers and visiting those TC's often think that, "As I am training these people then I am most certainly a sadvipra."
Yet these same trainers, and avadhutas who visit TC, use those trainees as their slaves to perform their menials tasks. Such so-called top Dadas do not like to cook their own food, or wash their own plate, or clean their own laungotas, or scrub their own room. To do such things would be beneath them, so they designate trainees to do all of this for them.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
But in so doing, such so-called top Dadas expose themselves as being deficient in having the quality of a shudra. Thus, by definition, they are not sadvipras.
Ananda Marga philosophy says, "In short, all the characteristics of the four classes have to be mastered by each individual in our Marga. It is not only mastery of these characteristics which is necessary, but their regular practice is an essential duty of every member of Ananda Marga. Every individual thus becomes universally fit, and any person makes as good a [vipra] as a shu'dra." (3)
Conclusion: Cowards can't be sadvipras
Clearly then, to be a sadvipra one must possess all the four characteristics: shudra, ksatriya, vaeshya, and vipra. Here again though we see so many family acaryas and Wt's falling short of this characteristic. Because one of the needed qualities is to have the courage to fight against dogmas.
But what to say about fighting against dogmas and immorality, some of our acaryas have become habituated to compromising with injustice. Surely I have deep respect for our Wt cadre and certainly there are many unsung and unknown workers who are walking that path of being sadvipra.
Yet, on the other side, we see so many workers who - due to a lack of courage - are unwilling to point out the injustices of various group leaders. Without this ksatriyan quality, they cannot be sadvipras. We see other wts who have fallen prone to following various dogmas like Fake Ananda Vaniis, mahaprayan, tiirthas, and scriptural distortions. Either they do not have the necessary mental insight to recognise such things as dogmas - hence they lack the quality of a vipra; or they do not have the courage to oppose those dogmas and lack the quality of a ksatriya.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
In all such cases, they fall far short of being sadvipra, regardless of what they say or claim. Then there are other workers who misappropriate funds and finances. In that case how can we consider those Wts to be good vaeshyas. No doubt, there are many high-quality Wts. Not all workers are inept and deficient - many are good. But to determine who are good we have to see how far they are talented and practiced in these four qualities. Being deficient in one means that one cannot be considered to be a sadvipra.
Is the current PP a sadvipra? Now you know the answer that PP is a stooge so he is not a sadvipra.
Namaskar,
In Him,
Mu’rtaprabha’
~ In-depth study ~
So here we are as Sadguru Baba’s disciples, and this point should be clearly marked. One veritable way of measuring who is a sadvipra is the degree to which one is skilled and practiced as a shudra, ksatriya, vaeshya, and vipra.
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "The four classes who have ruled the world at one time or another are not of recent origin, but have been known ever since the beginning of humanity as [vipras], ks'atriyas, vaeshyas and shu'dras...Ananda Marga’s approach is not to call these classes bad but to make all the members of Ananda Marga practice and develop the good qualities of them all." (4)
To properly understand and emulate these four qualities in life is to become an ideal Ananda Margii, or sadvipra. That is Baba's distinct mandate.
http://anandamargauniversal.blogspot.com/
Ananda Marga philosophy guides us, "Every person who joins Ananda Marga...has to strive to develop and strengthen the mind. Everyone has to work for a strong and healthy body. Everyone has to work for a living...Not only earning money and having a balanced and dependable economic life is important. Even the lowest of the social classes, which people normally scorn, have been given equal importance. Every member of the Marga has to physically serve others. This is normally seen as the work of the so-called shu'dras, but followers of the Marga cannot develop completely unless they also do this efficiently." (5)
In His above teaching, Baba is guiding us that one cannot become a sadvipra unless they develop their personalities in all the ways. If one avoids mundane duties, then they cannot be a sadvipra. All the qualities are needed, no exceptions.
"Let trouble come..."
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, “According to our philosophy, when consciousness arises in individual life then a person begins to move in accordance with certain instructions, certain guidance. In collective life as well, when this stage comes, those who are well advanced, who understand better, who are more courageous, more firmly established in morality, who are truly righteous, they have to take the lead, to assume the mantle of leadership. In such times those who worry about what others will say or think, or worry about being criticized, and due to this fear hide behind closed doors thinking that if they take action their good name will be tarnished, such people are not true human beings. They are beggars, begging for reputation. They have no manliness; they have lost the courage to move ahead. At that time those who come forward and say – “Let’s go. I’m with you. If trouble comes, let it come. I’ll take it on my shoulders” – such people I have given the name sadvipra.” (6)
“Give up rubbish heap of the past"
Ananda Marga ideology says, “This is the way it has been and the way it will always be. However, in collective life at the critical juncture between one great age and another, in this transitional stage of great change, when it becomes impossible for the common man or even ordinary sadvipras to take up the leadership, then Parama Puruśa through his special grace arranges that leadership. At this time on the earth humanity is witnessing such a yuga sandhi. On one side there is the rubbish heap of the past and people are clinging to that rubbish heap because they have not yet been shown the way out. And on the other side, there is the call of the new. Under such conditions what will that Mahásambhúti do who gave guidance to the human race in the past? With courage he will call to human beings and declare: “Give up the rubbish of the past. It can only harm you and lead you to your death. Move ahead. Answer the call of the new. I am with you. There is no reason to be afraid.” (7)
How to know who is in which class
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “There are predominantly four types of collective psychology. These psychologies are the shúdra, kśatriya, vipra and vaeshya. They have nothing to do with casteism and are completely psychological phenomena. Shúdras are those who are influenced by materialistic waves; they cannot overpower materialistic waves by their individual psychic waves. Manual power is their only means of social security. Kśatriyas bring the materialistic waves under their control through their physico-psychic waves. Vipras do the same thing through their penetrating psychic waves. For the kśatriyas, physical strength or valour is the principal means of attaining social security, while the vipras rely on their intellects. A perusal of history illustrates that the vipras, by dint of their intellectual acumen, created a sense of reverence and subordination in the minds of the kśatriyas, and were thus able to control their physical strength and prowess. The vaeshya psychology is somewhat different. The vaeshyas do not want to enjoy material objects; rather they get enjoyment at the thought of accumulating them.” (8)
True sadhaka must serve others physically
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “The revolutionary character of the Marga is seen from the very approach it takes to tackle one of the oldest vices of human beings: the vice of dividing themselves into classes for their own benefit. These artificial classes get logical backing from the fact that they have sprung up from the grouping together of persons of similar aptitude for the better utilization of their capacities. For instance, the learned and the statesmen combined together and formed the class of vipras. Similarly, the strong and the brave formed what is called the kśatriyas. The vaeshyas and the shúdras were formed in a similar way. Ananda Marga breaks all these classes, not by calling them bad, but by making all the members of Ananda Marga practise and develop the qualities of all these classes.”
“For instance, the developed mind required by vipras is necessary for every member of Ananda Marga. Even if one is a shúdra or a vaeshya, or a member of any other class, every person, after joining the Marga, has to work to have a developed and strong mind. Every person has to work to build a strong and healthy body. Every person has to work for a living. This has been given so much importance in the Marga that it is laid down that the work of a sweeper – the lowest form of work – is far more respectable than depending upon others for one’s daily needs. Not only has earning money and having a balanced and dependable economic life been given importance, but even the lowest of all these classes, in whom people usually do not see any good, has been given equal importance. Every member of the Marga has to serve others physically. This is the work of the shúdras, or the workers. Followers of the Marga cannot develop themselves completely unless they can also perform this work efficiently. In short, all the requirements of the four classes have to be mastered by each individual in Ananda Marga.” (9)
Each sadhaka must have 4 qualities: shúdra, kśatriya, vipra and vaeshya
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “It is not only the mastery of these trades which is necessary, the regular practice of these trades is an essential duty of every member of Ananda Marga. Every individual thus becomes universally fit. One makes as good a vipra as a shúdra. Thus, no scope is left for an individual to leave others behind and form a special group.”
“A classless society is not aimed at in the Marga, but is evolved by practice. This approach, to break a society full of classes and sects, was never thought of before. The very classes which appeared as a logical development and evolution can be broken up by an even more logical method to form only one classless society.”
“Ananda Marga is, therefore, not an organization of idealists or moralists who preach a classless society, but a method – a system or a dharma – which leads to a classless society. It has not been formed as a result of cyclic changes in the economic sphere of the world like the evolution of communism, rather it is a radical departure from all existing economic practices or theories conceived so far. It is a revolution in the economic sphere of the world’s life.” (10)
References
1. Prout in a Nutshell - 21, Nuclear Revolution
2. Prout in a Nutshell - 11, Ananda Marga – A Revolution
3. Prout in a Nutshell - 11, Ananda Marga – A Revolution
4. Prout in a Nutshell - 11, Ananda Marga – A Revolution
5. Prout in a Nutshell - 11, Ananda Marga – A Revolution
6. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 9 The Significance of The Word “Yuga”
7. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 9 The Significance of The Word “Yuga”
8. Prout in a Nutshell - 21, Nuclear Revolution
9. Ananda Marga Philosophy in a Nutshell - 3, Ananda Marga – A Revolution
10. Ananda Marga Philosophy in a Nutshell - 3, Ananda Marga – A Revolution
* * *
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 ==
How to handle fear
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "Regarding the pashas [external fetters], the wise people of ancient times expressed their strong conviction that the páshas [imposed bondages of the mind – fear shame, doubt etc.] must be opposed. To fight fear, for example, one must move quickly towards the very source of that fear, equipped with necessary physical and psychological weapons. If you remain confined in your cloister, fearfully barring the door, the fear will make its way into your mind and there take root. Then the bondage of fear can never be thrown off. So always remember that ripus [inborn enemies – lust, angers, greed attachment, vanity and jealousy] must be controlled and páshas [bondages] must be opposed. The endeavour to be liberated from the páshas is a step forward in human expansiveness – an ascent towards human glory and excellence. Páshobaddho bhavejjibo páshamukto bhavecchivah [Bound by pásha is the jiiva, liberated from bondage is Shiva]." (1)
Reference
1. Shabda Cayanika - 4, Ku to Kuiṋjara (Discourse 27)
== Section: Important Teaching ==
When someone using your old body
Ananda Marga ideology states, “When a person dies, the mind becomes dissociated from the body. Death is of many kinds. When the nerve cells stop working, the nerve fibres stop working, the heart stop working and the lungs stop working, death may be considered complete. But sometimes, though the nerve fibres stop working, the heart stops working, and the lungs stop working, the nerve cells continue to work. In such a case doctors might pronounce the person dead, but after two or three hours or even two or three days, the person may come back to life. Everyone’s nerve cells continue to function for at least some time after so-called death. In some such instances, as you have seen, I have saved persons from death.”
“So even after death the nerve cells of a person function. If the nerve cells stop functioning, it means the person has started the search for a new body. The person may or may not get the new body right away. The dissociated mind, along with its reactive momenta, leaves the old body in search of a new one. In accordance with its samskaras, its reactive momenta, the mind searches for and finds an appropriate medium for expression.”
Here is the essence of Baba’s teaching.
When a human being looks to be dead, the nerve cells can still function for a few hours, or, in some cases, even days. In that condition the body could come back to life. During some demonstrations, Baba brought people back to life. Ultimately though, when the nerve cells stop functioning entirely, the person undergoes physical death, and the mind leaves the body immediately in search of a new body. The bodyless mind, along with its samskaras, leaves the old body and starts wandering in search of a new body. According to the nature of their samskaras, they get a new body with the help of the cosmic operative principle. It may happen almost instantaneously, while for others it could take years.
Comment #1: According to this discourse, when the nerve cells die then immediately the (bodyless) mind leaves the body with its samskaras in search of a new body. So it could happen that the old body is still not decayed and it is in the tomb, and the person got a new suitable body and reached in the mother’s womb immediately with the help of rajaguna of cosmic operative principle.
Comment #2: If you donated the body at the time of death and you immediately got a new body, then it could happen that your old limbs are used by someone while, at the same time, you are moving around as a child with a new body.
References
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 3, Superstitions about Death
== Section: Book Review ==
Misunderstanding of Prof. Sohail Inayatallah
Namaskar,
The book by Sohail Inayatallah, captures many of Baba’s ideas. Yet, this is a book more for intellectuals. The book has great merit, yet for all its erudition, it fails to capture the essence of Baba’s message. This came to my understanding when I read this sentence, which attempts to express Baba’s ideology: Spiritual devotion to the universe is ultimately the greatest treasure humans have. This statement is not Baba’s ideology.
In Baba’s discourse, Purely a Personal Entity, Baba clearly lets us know that our greatest treasure is not simply spiritual devotion to the universe. Rather, the greatest treasure for any human is a personal relationship with God. Thus, “God is mine and mine alone. You can have everything and anything of mine but you cannot have my relationship with God. He is mine and mine alone.” This, then, is one’s greatest treasure, not “the universe”, which is an impersonal term. This is the attitude one must have.
Baba's grace,
Bhaskar
The title of Prof Inayatallah's book is "Understanding Sarkar", so it is disgraceful that the respectful prefix Shrii was not used in association with Sarkar, and better is Shrii P.R. Sarkar.
== Section: Bangla Teaching ==
ক্লেশ ভোগ করতে না হয়
“সৰাই সুখি হও, সৰাই রোগ মুক্ত হও, সৰাই সৰ জিনিসের ভাল দিকটা দেখুক. অবস্থার চাপে পড়ে কাউকে যেন ক্লেশ ভোগ করতে না হয় |” (1)
Reference
1. অপ্রকাশিত, 1 January 1986 কোলকাতা
“সৰাই সুখি হও, সৰাই রোগ মুক্ত হও, সৰাই সৰ জিনিসের ভাল দিকটা দেখুক. অবস্থার চাপে পড়ে কাউকে যেন ক্লেশ ভোগ করতে না হয় |” (1)
Reference
1. অপ্রকাশিত, 1 January 1986 কোলকাতা
== Section 3: Links ==
Dogma of Father's Day - 16 June 2024
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