Baba
Sadhana timing & sandhyas
Namaskar,
Before going into the Baba’s room I had many questions, but once inside His room He saturated and ensconced me in His endless bliss. In that exalted state, I did not have any desire or energy to ask anything from Him. After quite some time, with a very soft, sweet voice, Baba asked, "What time do you do sadhana every day?"
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I replied, “Baba, I do not have a fixed time. Usually every day the time differs.”
Baba smiled and told, "That's why I asked you the question. For better sadhana, the time should be fixed. It is just like if your sleeping time is fixed, then at that moment time tiredness comes. And if one’s food time is fixed, then at that moment you will feel hunger. In contrast, if you do not have a fixed time for taking food then you will invite stomach diseases like acidity, if you eat when you are not hungry etc. The human body functions best when one has a routine or habit. Randomly changing the time of taking food and going to sleep will disturb the body and mind. The same is the case with sadhana, asanas etc. For better health in all the realms - physical, psychic and spiritual - one should follow a strict routine. Sadhana also needs a fixed timing. If the time is set and one practices daily at that time, then naturally at that moment you will like to do sadhana. And sadhana will be better."
When Baba guided me about all these points, I did not have any question or any desire to ask anything. And after some time, very lovingly He told that, "Now you should go." After doing sastaunga pranam with a heavy heart, unwillingly I came out.
Conclusion
Strict priority should be given to sadhana and creating and following a proper routine. Because sadhana is the most important aspect of life.
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Ananda Marga Caryacarya says, "Human life is short. It is wise to get all the instructions regarding sadhana as soon as possible." (1)
Namaskar,
In Him,
Ananda Maungal
~ In-depth study ~
Baba has given the following definition of the four sandhya's, i.e. junction of time.
Ananda Marga Caryacarya states,"The four sandhya's:
(1) The period from forty-five minutes before to forty-five minutes after sunrise is called 'dawn', and dawn is the first sandhya'.
(2) The period from 9 A.M. to 12 noon is called the noon sandhya'.
(3) The period from forty-five minutes before to forty-five minutes after sunset is called the evening sandhya'.
(4) The period from forty-five minutes before to forty-five minutes after 12 midnight is called the midnight sandhya' (11:15 P.M. to 12:45 A.M.)." (2)
In daytime, 9a to 12p is very important; and at night 12a - 3a is highly important.
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Sandyas: ancient tantrika system
The entire system of tantrika sadhana was invented by Lord Shiva. And that very time -- 7000 years ago -- human beings were calculating everything in the night by the presence of stars in the sky or their various primitive ways. The modern system for calculating the time had not been formulated. They founded the period we term as midnight. Various junctions of day and night play a very significant role in infusing the good qualities, sentient feeling in the human mind. And these junction periods in tantrika language are called as "sandhya.”
In the past, I was thinking that sandhyas were something dogmatic. The various Hindu dogmatic rituals observe sandhya' in their prayers etc. In the temples, they do their rituals and worship in the morning, in the evening, and at midday etc. That's why I was thinking that the sandhya' theory is dogma.
However, in the true sense, in our day to day life, these four sandhya's - (a) morning, (b) midday, (c) evening, and (d) midnight - are very significant for our various types of sadhana. Not only sadhana, but other dos and dont's are also involved. Baba has written about this in various discourses and books.
For instance, among the four sandhya's, three sandhya's are very good for bathing.
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Ananda Marga Caryacarya says, "Bathing at midnight is prohibited. One must not take a bath in the midnight sandhya'. Everyone must bathe in any one of the other three sandhya's. Taking into consideration one's health and the climatic conditions, one may also bathe in one or both of the remaining two sandhya's." (3)
About Brahma Muhurta
For longevity, one has to get up in brahma muhurta. That is just 45 minutes before sunrise.
Baba says, "Brahma Muhurta. 45 minutes before sunrise; the best time for meditation. At that time the omnipresence of Brahma is felt." (In the Land of Hattama'la)
In this morning sandhya', paincajanya is also done.
Ananda Marga Caryacarya says, "At five o'clock every morning, sa'dhakas [spiritual aspirants] will assemble at a ja'grti, and where there is no ja'grti, at a fixed convenient place, and participate in singing five minutes of Prabha'ta Sam'giita, in performing fifteen minutes of kiirtana, and lastly in performing ten minutes of collective meditation. This should be the practice on all days of the week except Sundays. On Sundays, there should be singing of ten minutes of Prabha'ta Sam'giita, performance of fifteen minutes of kiirtana, and performance of at least ten minutes of collective meditation. This programme is known as Pa'incajanya." (4)
Timing of kapalika & madhura sadhana
There is a three-hour period allotted for kapalika sadhana, from midnight for three hours up to 3am. While madhura sadhana can only be done during the 1.5 hour period of midnight sandhya', i.e. from 11:15pm to 12:45am.
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Ananda Marga philosophy states, "As a general rule the grace of Parama Purus'a is expressed through positive microvita in different plexi. Noticeably or conceivably a sweet aroma comes from the concerned plexus. When a spiritual aspirant attains mental concentration or composure, as in madhura sa'dhana' [a particular type of meditation], he or she experiences a sweet aroma and the mind feels peaceful or composed. Parama Purus'a gives the bliss of tactuality through different plexi." (5)
Life is for sadhana
Baba gives the following lines which convey a deep sense of how life is only for sadhana.
Ananda Marga ideology says, "The worship of Brahma should be done scrupulously, or else you will later regret and bemoan the futility of your life with the last drop of your tears at your last hour. You should make your life worthwhile through your Sa'dhana'. How much can your worldly friends and relations do for you? After your death your relatives may perhaps ask, "How much money has he left behind?" Your friends may go to the crematorium and indulge in flattering reminiscences about you. Your husband or wife may cry for you for about ten or twelve days and then regain their normal composure. Your lot will be only a profound sigh -- a record of the futility and frustration of your life. So do not waste your time lest you later have to repent."
"Vrtha' janma goina'yaluin hena Prabhu na' bhojaluin
Khoya'yalu soha gun'anidhi,
Hama'r karama manda na milala eka bunda
Premasindhu rasaka abadhi.
Fruitless, O Lord, has been my life
That sang not of glories Thine;
Lost in the worldly strife
And lost Thee, most precious treasure of mine.
Fate's long and ominous hand
With compassion, cold and daft,
Strayed me out of Thy Love's strand
Deprived, alas of a single Draught." (6)
On this occasion, Baba gave me the opportunity to go inside His room and massage His feet. That was unforgettable: such a soft touch of His fragrant His body. I was aware that Baba never uses any scent. The sweet aroma which was coming from His body had no comparison. It was so divinely intoxicating that my voice was choked - full of bliss.
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References
1. Caryacarya - 2, Sádhaná (Intuitional Practice), point #8
2. Carya'carya Part 3, Bathing Procedure and Pitr Yajiṋa
3. Carya'carya Part 3, Bathing Procedure and Pitr Yajiṋa
4. Caryacarya - 1, Páiṋcajanya
5. Yoga Psychology, Bio-Psychology
6. Subhasita Samgraha - 3, Vibration, Form and Colour
Plagiary?
The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
* * *
Unable to tie You
Note: Only those who sincerely practice the higher lessons of sahaja yoga meditation can understand this song in the depths of their heart.
“Sudurer sakhá káche eso, káchetheke bhálobáso…” (Prabhat Samgiita #1198)
Purport:
My Parama Purusa, my "distant” Sakha, kindly come very near me. My most intimate and closest One, mercifully shower Your love and affection on me. Sit beside me with Your pink feet, sweet face, and soft smile. Bring Yourself to me in various ways. My Sakha’, my heart can’t bear any separation from You any longer. Without You, my life is dry and meaningless.
My eternal Friend, this entire universe is indeed Your idol. I cannot paint anything with my brush that resembles You. Nobody is similar to You. No matter how hard I try to find anything or anyone identical to You, You remain beyond all comparisons and reside above all.
Baba, as You are free from all bondages, I am unable to tie You by my stava stuti or ritualistic prayers etc. You are all-pervading and never held within the confines of so-called holy places. You are not bound to any dogmatic religious places like Varanasi, Mecca, Jerusalem, Ananda Nagar, Tiljala, and Jamalpur etc. You are everywhere…
Note for Prabhat Samgiita #1198:
Sakhá: Ananda Marga ideology states, "'Samapranah sakha smrtah'. Where love and devotion are so overwhelming that it appears as if there is only one entity in two bodies, such a pair is known as 'sakha'. The bhakta, the devotee, is the sakha of Parama Purusa, because the bhakta can never think of him or herself as a separate entity from Him. Here he altogether forgets that he is separated from God. That is why Parama Purusa is also a sakha to His bhaktas and the bhakta is the sakha of Parama Purusa...You should also know-- you should remember this truth - that the only well-wisher that you have in this universe...the only sakha is Parama Purusa." (1)
Reference
1. Ananda Vacanartam - 6, Parama Puruśa – the Only Bandhu
Baba supports all places, not just AN
Namaskar,
It is common knowledge that wherever Baba went and toured for DMC etc He openly ordered all margiis / Wts in general darshan to (a) construct a jagrti and a Baba Quarter, (b) start a press, (c) create a master unit, and (d) open new schools etc. To further accentuate this, Baba would refuse to take His breakfast until the local Ananda Marga newspaper was given to Him to read. This was the case with all places He visited for DMC etc, including Ananda Nagar. But, other than in Ananda Nagar, those talks were not recorded. And that is the reason why people forgot about how Baba was ordering all important centers and places to build up such projects.
About this, whatever Baba spoke in AN was meticulously recorded and printed in the book, whereas this was not done in other places. And, slowly over time, some got confused on this point and thought that Baba only wanted to build Ananda Nagar. This type of half-truth propaganda campaign was going on such that now this dogma, this myth - that only Ananda Nagar should be built up - is in full swing.
With this mistaken perspective, they thought that Baba only had Ananda Nagar on His radar, and other places were off the track.
This fact that Baba gave orders to build up all important centers and places can be verified by asking those margis and Wts who were present those days. But after a few hundred years, it will not be possible to verify the facts in this manner. Rather, people will only be relying upon written records and audio recordings that indicate that only Ananda Nagar should be built up and developed. By this misnomer, the whole AM society of this entire globe will be exploited forever.
In Him,
Parakastha
Note: In those units where Baba was unable to visit, in reporting He allotted the duty to Wts and margiis to go to those places and build those aforementioned projects.
Elderly people should be alert before going to AN
Ananda Nagar is cold in January so those arriving from warmer coastal areas often have difficulty and suffer. For this reason those attending from tropical regions and coastal areas should bring proper winter clothes etc, especially elderly people as they often die due to exposure to cold weather across the whole of India. This has been documented. Just ask the director or in-charge of any cemetery and they will tell you that many, many die, especially elderly people, during the extremely hot and extremely cold seasons. The number of deaths increases 175% to 200% during mid-June and New Year’s, i.e. for 1.5 months in the summer and 1.5 months in the winter. Another problem is that there is no modern emergency medical care at DMS. So if someone has a heart attack there will not be proper medical treatment. So watch out. Those who are physically weak and / or aged should be extremely cautious.
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.
* * *
The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stand on their own as points of interest.
* * *
== Section 2: Prabhat Samgiita ==
Note: Only those who sincerely practice the higher lessons of sahaja yoga meditation can understand this song in the depths of their heart.
“Sudurer sakhá káche eso, káchetheke bhálobáso…” (Prabhat Samgiita #1198)
Purport:
My Parama Purusa, my "distant” Sakha, kindly come very near me. My most intimate and closest One, mercifully shower Your love and affection on me. Sit beside me with Your pink feet, sweet face, and soft smile. Bring Yourself to me in various ways. My Sakha’, my heart can’t bear any separation from You any longer. Without You, my life is dry and meaningless.
My eternal Friend, this entire universe is indeed Your idol. I cannot paint anything with my brush that resembles You. Nobody is similar to You. No matter how hard I try to find anything or anyone identical to You, You remain beyond all comparisons and reside above all.
Baba, as You are free from all bondages, I am unable to tie You by my stava stuti or ritualistic prayers etc. You are all-pervading and never held within the confines of so-called holy places. You are not bound to any dogmatic religious places like Varanasi, Mecca, Jerusalem, Ananda Nagar, Tiljala, and Jamalpur etc. You are everywhere…
Note for Prabhat Samgiita #1198:
Sakhá: Ananda Marga ideology states, "'Samapranah sakha smrtah'. Where love and devotion are so overwhelming that it appears as if there is only one entity in two bodies, such a pair is known as 'sakha'. The bhakta, the devotee, is the sakha of Parama Purusa, because the bhakta can never think of him or herself as a separate entity from Him. Here he altogether forgets that he is separated from God. That is why Parama Purusa is also a sakha to His bhaktas and the bhakta is the sakha of Parama Purusa...You should also know-- you should remember this truth - that the only well-wisher that you have in this universe...the only sakha is Parama Purusa." (1)
Reference
1. Ananda Vacanartam - 6, Parama Puruśa – the Only Bandhu
== Section 3: Important Teaching ==
Baba supports all places, not just AN
Namaskar,
It is common knowledge that wherever Baba went and toured for DMC etc He openly ordered all margiis / Wts in general darshan to (a) construct a jagrti and a Baba Quarter, (b) start a press, (c) create a master unit, and (d) open new schools etc. To further accentuate this, Baba would refuse to take His breakfast until the local Ananda Marga newspaper was given to Him to read. This was the case with all places He visited for DMC etc, including Ananda Nagar. But, other than in Ananda Nagar, those talks were not recorded. And that is the reason why people forgot about how Baba was ordering all important centers and places to build up such projects.
About this, whatever Baba spoke in AN was meticulously recorded and printed in the book, whereas this was not done in other places. And, slowly over time, some got confused on this point and thought that Baba only wanted to build Ananda Nagar. This type of half-truth propaganda campaign was going on such that now this dogma, this myth - that only Ananda Nagar should be built up - is in full swing.
With this mistaken perspective, they thought that Baba only had Ananda Nagar on His radar, and other places were off the track.
This fact that Baba gave orders to build up all important centers and places can be verified by asking those margis and Wts who were present those days. But after a few hundred years, it will not be possible to verify the facts in this manner. Rather, people will only be relying upon written records and audio recordings that indicate that only Ananda Nagar should be built up and developed. By this misnomer, the whole AM society of this entire globe will be exploited forever.
In Him,
Parakastha
Note: In those units where Baba was unable to visit, in reporting He allotted the duty to Wts and margiis to go to those places and build those aforementioned projects.
Elderly people should be alert before going to AN
Ananda Nagar is cold in January so those arriving from warmer coastal areas often have difficulty and suffer. For this reason those attending from tropical regions and coastal areas should bring proper winter clothes etc, especially elderly people as they often die due to exposure to cold weather across the whole of India. This has been documented. Just ask the director or in-charge of any cemetery and they will tell you that many, many die, especially elderly people, during the extremely hot and extremely cold seasons. The number of deaths increases 175% to 200% during mid-June and New Year’s, i.e. for 1.5 months in the summer and 1.5 months in the winter. Another problem is that there is no modern emergency medical care at DMS. So if someone has a heart attack there will not be proper medical treatment. So watch out. Those who are physically weak and / or aged should be extremely cautious.
== Section: Important Teaching ==
Ananda Marga philosophy states, "It is the sense of duty that causes one person to renounce everything; and it is the sense of duty that inspires another person to readily accept the burden of caring for his or her family. It is the sense of duty that makes a person great. Of all bonds, the bond of duty is the strongest, and the bond of moha [blind attachment or infatuation] is the worst. Humanity will have to break the bonds of moha and increase the bonds of duty willingly and consciously. This is the law." (1)
Reference
1. Namámi Krśńasundaram, Disc: 13
== Section 4: Links ==
Postings to Read
Story: "How long will you keep your head down?"
Medical care: different pathys
Undoing cultural imposition
Story: after death experience
Be wary of bad jobs
