Namaskar,
Here is one special Baba story that depicts how Guru helps us always - in all kinds of ways, through various shapes and forms. Yet, side by side, it is also true that as His disciples we do not always recognise this.
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Wt hurled the rock
One evening a dada, posted in Deoghar (Bihar), left the local jagrti to go to a margii's house. Dada was walking briskly down the street when a big gust of wind blew an important piece of paper from his hand. Dada was carrying a few important documents, and now suddenly one was gone.
Dada looked around but did not see the paper. It was evening time and darkness was fast descending. He was looking up and down along the roadside, but he did not see a hint of that paper anywhere.
Suddenly, he heard a dog barking from one particular spot. Dada looked toward the dog and shined his torch (flashlight). To his amazement, the paper had blown into a bush and was stuck there right by where the dog was barking. As Dadaji walked over to that spot - that dog started walking away in the opposite direction. Dada grabbed the paper and then picked up one stone and hurled it at the dog, which was still walking away from the scene. The rock hit the dog, and immediately the startled dog started crying and yelping in pain from the thrown rock.
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Dada then continued on his way to the margii's house that evening with all the important documents in hand. Out of shame, he never told this to anybody. Time passed.
If someone helps you then?
Fifteen days later, dada went for reporting in front of Baba. There were approximately 20 Wts present. Baba was addressing various matters and giving instructions.
Then all-knowing Parama Purusa Baba looked towards all of the workers and posed one query, "If someone helped you, what would you do?"
One Wt told: "I would give my appreciation and say thanks."
Baba cast His vision toward someone else and inquired, "And what would you do?"
That worker responded: "I would say thank you and remain ever-grateful."
Baba inquired to yet another person, "And what would you do?"
That worker said, "I would offer my gratitude and give him something sweet to eat as well."
The wts gave an array of replies. Each time Baba nodded in approval.
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Then Baba said, "You know, there is one worker, and if somebody helps him then he throws a stone at them."
Parama Purusa Baba motioned towards the dada in the room; the dada stood up.
Baba said, "Is that not true? Isn't it that if someone helps you then you throw a stone at them."
Silence. Dada did not understand; he did not know what he had done wrong.
Baba said, "Do you remember that 15 days ago you lost your paper?"
"Yes, Baba, I remember."
Internally the dada was shocked that Baba knew about this.
All-knowing Parama Purusa Baba said, "You lost an important paper?"
"Yes, Baba."
"You were searching all around and not finding it?"
"Yes, Baba."
"One dog started barking?"
"Yes, Baba."
Dog helped him
"Then you saw the paper in the bush next to the dog, and the dog walked away. Even then you threw a stone and hit the dog, and the dog started crying and running away?"
"Yes, Baba."
"Why did you throw the stone at the dog - unnecessarily. It was the dog that helped you find your important paper. You could not find it. So the dog barked; it was helping you. The dog was just doing its duty to help you find the paper. It was not going to bite you; it had already started walking in the other direction. Yet, after you got your paper, you threw a stone at the dog and hurt the dog as it was walking away."
At this point the dada understood that he had done wrong by hurting the dog as it was walking away. And more than that, dada understood that Baba watches everything and always helps. He looked down toward the ground, with repentance in his heart. Dada was sorry he had thrown the rock at the dog as it was walking away, and Dada was astonished that he could not recognise that Baba had sent that dog as a messenger to help him. He vowed that from that day forward he would always remember that Baba is watching and helping 100% of the time.
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No one is alone or helpless
By the above story, Baba is reminding and teaching us that He watches everything always. There is nothing that He does not see. In all situations and in all conditions, He is there to help us.
Wherever you are, Parama Purusa sees what is happening and is always giving His support. His help might come in any number of ways or forms. In the above story, the form of a dog was sent as a messenger to help dada. Verily, Baba can help in countless ways - in whatever manner He wishes.
The day you were lost in the forest only to find your way home, Parama Purusa Baba was there watching and helping. The day you forgot your passport yet worked it out with the authorities, Baba was there watching and helping. The day your transportation broke down and someone offered you a ride, Baba was there watching and helping. In all kinds of ways - in all circumstances - Parama Purusa was there watching and helping.
In this creation, a person is never alone or helpless. Always Parama Purusa Baba is present with His loving hand. This is true for both sadhakas and non-sadhakas. Everyone is His child - everyone is under His care and shelter.
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The irony is that despite "knowing" this, people forget and can't see how Baba is helping. That happened to dada in the above story; and, it happens to most people most of the time.
Conclusion
As sadhakas we should always aim to keep it in the forefront of the mind that regardless of where we are or the time of day, Baba is there helping. If we think back, we can recognise many such cases, and indeed it is always true - from today up to eternity. It is not that before 1990 Baba was there helping and now He is not. Baba is not bound in this way. He is there watching and helping us across time and space - up to eternity.
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Ananda Marga philosophy states, "He is watching everything. He witnesses everything through His mental eyes. His inner eyes. He can do so because all dwell in His mind. He does not have any need for laokik eyes." (1)
Namaskar,
In Him,
Divyacaksu
References
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam, Part 6, The Thousand-Headed Puruśa
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 2: Main Topic ==
Insurmountable brilliance
"Álor rathe ásbe tumi, áj jáni nishcaya nishcoy..." (Prabhat Samgiita #0978)
Purport:
My Parama Purusa, by Your mercy, I know that You will certainly come today riding the chariot of refulgence. And You will remove the darkness of ignorance and avidya maya from my mind and make me fearless.
Baba, day and night, I waited for You with a garland in hand. So much time passed in this way - just I was watching for Your august presence. At long last, on this night, all my doubts have vanished; the auspicious hour has arrived. I see that You have come - You are here, my nearest One.
Parama Purusa, in the resonance of Your tune and on the stage of the insurmountable brilliance of the hiranmaya loka, I have been ensconced in Your dhyana for ages, counting the prahara and tithis for Your exquisite arrival.
Baba, today You have come; I received Your causeless grace. My Lord, I surrender everything at Your lotus feet...
Notes for Prabhat Samgiita #0978:
[1] Resonance of Your Tune: This is a metaphor. When the sadhaka's mind reaches the hiranyamaya kosa and hears the omnkara sound, that is the "resonance of His tune." That is what the sadhaka is experiencing in this song.
[2] Insurmountable Effulgence [Dyuti-te Durjay]: Because of its brilliant effulgence it is very difficult to go beyond the hiranmaya kosa. In deep meditation, when the mind reaches up to the hiranmaya kosa, then one sees only a golden effulgence. In that state, the sadhaka becomes one with Cosmic Mind, i.e. mukti. Beyond that is satya loka where Nirguna Brahma resides. When one reaches satya loka, that is salvation, moksa. Because of its unimaginable and exquisite effulgence, the hiranmaya kosa is insurmountable. In that state one can get mukti, but not moksa. That is what has been described in this Prabhata Samgiita.
The hiranmaya kos'a is the subtlest layer of mind, and Nirguna Brahma resides beyond the hiranmaya kos'a. So when the mind is below satyaloka, the sadhaka does not realise Nirguna Brahma. They do not attain salvation. To realise Him, the mind must go beyond the hiranmaya kos'a. Thus, only when the mind reaches beyond the hiranmaya kos'a can one merge into Parama Purusa. Hence, the hiranymaya kos'a is the final gateway for reaching up to Him. And the colour of the hiranmaya kos'a is golden and there one hears the omnkara sound. Beyond that state, in satya loka, there is no sound and there is no colour. The sadhaka merges in the bliss of expressionless Nirguna Brahma. That is salvation, or moksa.
To cross that golden effulgence of the hiranmaya kosa, His grace is needed. Without His grace, it is not possible to get moksa. In the above song, the sadhaka has been basking in the effulgence of the hiranmaya kosa, waiting for Parama Purusa to shower His grace and lead him across - i.e. grant Him salvation.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "The subtlest expression of mind is in the hirańmaya kośa, which is the first expression of mahattattva. Establishment in this kośa in a universal manner is Savikalpa samádhi. When after emerging from the Samśkara, the hirańyamaya merges in attributeless Brahma, then this is called nirvikalpa samádhi." (1)
Ananda Marga ideology says, "Hiranmaya Kos'a: In this kos'a the body even the knowledge of 'I' is not much in evidence the consciousness of individuality is present, ill defined and unclear. This is the subtlest layer of mind around the a'tman. In fact feeling of 'I' is reflective in this kos'a only because of its close proximity to the vijinanamaya kos'a. Here sattva is dominant, rajah is less and tamah is least."
Hiranmaye pare kose, Virajam Brahma niskalam (Vedas)
"This kos'a is derived from the Tapah or Hiranmaya loka; its name means 'made of gold' and hence it is as pure and beautiful as gold. The Satya Loka which is the finest loka in the cosmic mind and where Brahma resides does not exist in the form of a kos'a because kos'as are limited while satya is unlimited and imperishable. Satya loka cannot therefore be part of any limited and perishable body formed of five kos'as. In Satya loka the a'tman alone exists; only due to the influence of Prakrti five kos'as or realms come into existence." (2)
[3] Prahara: A measurement of time equal to 3 hours.
[4] Tithis: One day in the moon calendar. In the moon calendar, each month is comprised of 28 days.
References
1. Subhasita Samgraha - 1, Call of the Supreme
2. Tattvika Praveshika, Some Questions and Answers on Ananda Marga Philosophy
Fake heaven & fake hell
Ananda Marga philosophy states, “Svarloka – this is the pure mental sphere on which sukha and dhuka are experienced; it is also called Manomaya Jagat, Manomaya Kośa in individuals. It is in this sphere that the saḿskáras exist. According to mythology, after the death of the physical body or Annamaya Kośa, people go to svarga or naraká, heaven or hell. The fact is that the saḿskáras which determine the individuality of unit being situated in this svarloka. The Christian and Muslim ideas of heaven and hell and also svarga in Hindu Karmakandi Jaemini Partná, were derived from the fact that the saḿskáras which determine the requitals of actions exists exits in this loka. In reality no kośa will remain after death. The saḿskáras remains as the object of the átman. Thus the ideas of heaven and hell of the Hindu, Christian and Muslim mythologies are completely false, because after death there remains no mind at all to experience heaven or hell.” (1)
Note: After death the mind is dormant so one can’t experience anything. It is well known that so-called heaven or hell is here on earth.
Reference
1. Ananda Marga Philosophy - 3, Some Questions and Answers on Ananda Marga Philosophy – Excerpt A
मुझे बहुत कष्ट देकर, आज लंबे समय के बाद
प्रभात संगीत 3609 अनेक वेदना दिये अनेक ऑखी झरिये, निठुर देवता मोर....
परिचय- यह गीत प्रथम श्रेणी के भक्त द्वारा अपने हृदय के भाव व्यक्त करते हुए, अपने इष्ट के प्रति प्यार भरी शिकायत का भाव प्रदर्शित करता है। यह भावना तब आती है जब इष्ट के प्रति असीमित प्रेम और एक निष्ठा से शुद्ध भक्ति होती है। जब भक्त उन्हें निकट पाने के लिये पुकारता है, और वे नहीं आते हैं, तो वह सोचता है कि उसका यह अधिकार बनता है कि उन्हीं के पैरों में अपना निवेदन सौंप दें।
भावार्थ
हे मेरे परमप्रिय परमपुरुष! मुझे बहुत कष्ट देकर, आज लंबे समय के बाद तुम आये हो । हे प्रभु! तुम कितने अकरुण हो, तुमने मुझे अपार कष्ट और वेदनायें दी हैं। मैं तुम्हारी याद में रो रहा था, आॅंखों से आॅंसू बह रहे थे। मेरे लगातार रोने और गहरी व्याकुलता के कारण अंत में कृपा कर तुम आ गये। हे प्रभु! तुम्हारी शिक्षायें मेरी समझ से परे हैं, मैं तो केवल यह जान पाया हॅूं कि तुम मुझे प्रेम करते हो।
हे प्रभु! मैं नहीं जानता कि तुम इतनी दूर हो कि, मेरे रोने की आवाज तुम तक नहीं पहॅुच पाती है। यह हो सकता है कि तुम न सुनने का बहाना करने की अपनी लीला कर रहे हो, या यह भी हो सकता है कि तुम अन्य किसी को अपनी इच्छा नहीं बताना चाहते हो। मैं नहीं जानता कि तुम दूर हो या पास, परंतु लगता है मेरी आवाज तुम्हारे कानों तक नहीं पहुंच पा रही है।
हे परमपुरुष! बाबा! तुम एक के बाद दूसरी लीला कर रहे हो। यह भी हो सकता है कि, तुम अनजाने में ही अपनी सोच से ये नई-नई रचनायें करते जा रहे हो। बाबा! तुम भाव के संसार में, और भाव के परे भी, ऊपर रहते हो। तुम्हारा कोई आदि मध्य और अंत नहीं है । तुम अनन्त हो। तुम हमेशा सविशेष और निर्विशेष में मुस्कुराते हो, और पहुंच की सीमा में भी हो, और सीमा से परे भी हो।
टिप्पणी- जब किसी घटना का कारण नहीं मालूम हो तो उसे लीला, और जिसका कारण ज्ञात हो उसे क्रीड़ा कहते हैं। लीला शब्द परमपुरुष के लिये ही प्रयुक्त होता है। वास्तव में पुरुष ही मूल कारण हैं, जिनके आधार पर प्रकृति अपना निर्माण कार्य कर, अनेक आकार प्रकार और रूपरंग निर्मित करती जाती है। इस कार्य को लीला कहते हैं क्योंकि परम पुरुष इसे क्यों कर रहे हैं, इसका कारण किसी को ज्ञात नहीं है।
Uniqueness of kiirtana
Ananda Marga ideology states, “The benefit of kiirtana is that one whose mind is dirty becomes purified and one whose mind is already pure becomes even purer. One whose mind is holy becomes even holier. One whose mind was soiled but is no longer so is vimala, and one where it is not known if there was dirt in his or her mind or not, but at present there is not, is called nirmala.” (1)
Note: In the mirror of a pure mind Parama Purusa can be visualised. In this above teaching Baba is giving the way how to clean that mind by kiirtan. That is why after one after kiirtan, sadhana is better.
Reference
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 9, The Source of Internal Stamina
Prostitution: cause & solution
Prout philosophy states, "Those who shudder at the sight of various social vices and lament, “Everything is lost; righteousness is gone; morality has vanished…” should realize that among all the causes behind this so-called all-round degeneration, social injustice is the principal one."
"Because of injustices against women with respect to their social rights and because women are economically crippled, a section of women is compelled to take to prostitution. Although there are many causes of this profession, these are the main two."
"Ananda Marga recognizes that women are as dignified human beings as men. Ananda Marga, in addition, wants to encourage women to be economically independent of men. The system in which characterless men swagger about in society while fallen women are denied proper opportunities despite their sincere desire to lead an honest life, can never be supported by justice. Women who desire to lead an honest life must be given a respectable place in society." (1)
Reference
1. Problems of the Day, Point #13
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