Mahaprayan of very senior Wt

Baba

Mahaprayan of very senior Wt

Namaskar,

It is with much sadness that we share the news of the mahaprayan of Ac Gatiirishananda Avt. Dada ji was most recently posted as DS Jammu, but, unfortunately, he had a very advanced case of Parkinson's disease. His mahaprayan occurred today, 31st January, just after paincajanya.

Dada Gatiirishananda was a longtime worker who had a great desire to serve Baba's mission. Dadaji embraced the highest ideals of Ananda Marga and was very considerate and modest in his dealings. Dada ji was well-liked and respected by our universal family, and he will be missed by all for his sacrificing and friendly nature.

May we all take solace in the fact that Ac Gatiirishananda Avt was a bhakta of Sadguru Baba. Certainly he will attain mukti or moksa, accordingly. Baba will lovingly bestow His infinite grace.

in Him,

Caetanya Deva

Note: Alert for those cremating a dead body in India or Indian managed cremation homes around the world. Their custom is to put the burning fire in the mouth of the deceased to initiate the burning of the body. This is prohibited in AM as it is uncivilised. So watch out do not allow this. If you are not careful they will end of doing it. Make them aware ahead of time.

Ananda Marga Caryacarya states, "The practice of putting fire into the mouth of the dead body is repulsive, it should not be encouraged." (Caryacarya - 1, Disposal of the Dead Body)


~ In-depth study ~

We have seen that when somebody dies then in offering their condolences people say now Mr So-and-so is sitting on Baba's lap. On other occasions when telling a Baba story people also say, "Such and such person sat on Baba's lap." But these days the trend is that "sitting on Baba's lap" is used more in connection with death. And that causes some confusion in reader's mind. To unknot the situation please read below.


Dogma: if "on Baba's lap" only used for death

Here are quoted lines from recently posted emails on various forums, wherein the writer uses the phrase - "in Baba's lap" - with the occasion of death:

- "May Parama Purusa Baba accept her in HIS divine lap"

- "We pray to Baba -please give him shelter in his lap... "

- "May his soul rest in the lap of our beloved BABA"

- "Now she is taking rest in Baba's Lap."

- "May Baba accept him in HIS divine lap....."

- "May he rest in HIS loving lap of eternity."

- "We are sure that Baba has taken him in His loving lap."

- "May his soul rest in Baba's lap forever."

- "Let her rest peacefully in Baba's Lap - which she always desired."

- "now he is in beloved Baba's lap"

- "May his soul get peaceful place in His lap"

- "He is now in Bábá's loving lap"

- "May Baba bless him with a seat in His lap."

- "May BABA accept him in HIS divine lap!"

- "May Baba take him in his eternal loving lap."

- "May his soul rest in peace taking shelter in Baba's lap."

- "Please keep him on Your lap forever."

- "We all collectively pray to Baba to take him on Baba's divine lap forever.”

All of the above lines are commonly written in eulogizing the deceased. These days mostly it is used in a eulogy and rarely used to recount one's intimate spiritual experiences - unfortunately. By this way, the phrase "in Baba's lap" is being misused and step by step the real meaning is being forgotten as now people more commonly use the phrase to eulogize those who have died, and much less so to express their inner feelings of bhakti. Unfortunately, the meaning and inner spirit of the phrase is getting lost.

Baba story: "sitting on Baba's lap"

Some time ago after dharmacakra, a senior margii was recounting his experiences of having dharma samiiksa with Baba. He said, "After being lovingly scolded by Baba for my wrongdoings, then He called me close and placed me on His lap - I remained there for some time soaking up His love - and He blessed me."

We all enjoyed hearing about his personal account with Baba during dharma samiiksa. When he finished telling his factual and historical event, there was a call for questions. Various people posed their queries. Towards the end, one new margii raised his hand and asked, "How did Baba bring you back to life?"

Everyone stared at the new margii in amazement. There was a look of astonishment all around - people were really shocked to hear him say this. The new sadhaka sensed that something was wrong He said very matter-of-factly, "I thought that sitting on Baba's Lap means that he (the margii) died - that is why I asked that question."

This was quite eye-opening for those of us in the room: Through our language and expression we had unknowingly taught someone to think that being on Baba's lap is the equivalent of death. Because it seems that nowadays people only use the phrase "Baba's lap" when a person has died, such as "Let him rest peacefully in Baba's lap", as if in order to sit on Baba’s lap one has to die. But that is false. Sincere sadhakas regularly sit on Baba’s lap in their meditation. It is His grace. It is just like a child need not die in order to sit on his father’s lap.

The idea is that this phrase - Baba's lap - has been linked with death due to extreme overuse. So for some time if sadhakas use this phrase exclusively for spiritual purposes, that will be best. The phrase, "sitting on Baba's lap", should not meet a similar fate. It should not lose its pure spiritual quality and just refer to one's death. That will be very negative.

Baba would bless bhaktas and place them on His lap

There are tens of thousands of recorded stories by sadhakas where they use the phrase, "on Baba's lap", when describing their experiences of being with Baba: He used to bless them and bring them on His lap. People should understand the deeply mystical value of this expression, and not just think that Baba's lap means death, i.e. that you can only sit on His lap at the time of death. Still today there are thousands of margiis walking this earth who sat in Baba's lap. And not only that, there are countless more sadhakas who were blessed by Baba in dreams and sadhana wherein they sat in His lap. And still today this deeply intimate experience is attainable by sadhakas, by His grace.

There are so many ways an aspirant can reach unto Baba's lap including in sadhana. That is the main idea that should be preserved. Sadhana is a spiritual practice and one can sit on Baba's lap in sadhana. We should make it cent-per-cent clear to one and all that the phrase, "sitting on Baba's lap", does not mean death.

"Mahaprayan" means death of mortals - confirm for yourself
from the Samsad Bengali-English Dictionary

Mahaprayan (Death): Many are aware that mahaprayan (death) is the common term used in India and especially in our Bengal to describe the death of any human being, even ordinary people. In that way, the obituary columns of the newspapers of Bengal regularly cite the mahaprayan (death) of various persons of society who died or passed away.

Some may get confused and wrongly think that the word 'mahaprayan' (death) is one extraordinarily term of bhakti to be used in association with Parama Purusa. But that is not at all the case. Rather to do so is only to undermine the eternal presence of Parama Purusa. That is why no bhaktas ever use the word 'mahaprayan' in reference to Lord Shiva or Lord Krsna. Because Lord Shiva and Lord Krsna exist eternally. Then there is no question of Their mahaprayan (death).

Baba is Parama Purusa so He is eternal and there is no question of His mahaprayan.

Here it should be known that the convention of an annual death day ceremony (i.e. shraddhainjali or mahaprayan) is a foundation of the Islamic tradition. Muslims are well known for this, and their approach of an annual death day ceremony was adopted by the leader of a particular group in AMPS. So no one should think that mahaprayan is some type of sacred event. It is done on the death day anniversary of Muslims.

And for those who need still more technical proof then all this can be clarified quite readily by referencing the dictionary. Specifically in the Samsad Bengali-English dictionary 3rd edition on page 848. Checking there it will be confirmed that the word 'mahaprayan' means death. Which is why it is used to refer to the passing away of even common citizens. And that is the case in this letter also. The term mahaprayan means death and this is the ideal term for this purpose.

Mahaprayan is only for humans not for Sadguru

Here it should be qualified that there is both real mahaprayan and fake mahaprayan. Real mahaprayan marks the death of any ordinary human being, just like the aforesaid news. This is the proper use of the term: To note a person's departure from this earth. That is the meaning of the mahaprayan term and that is the standard way the term is used in Indian languages.

Then there is the fake, or so-called, or dogmatic mahaprayan. That is when certain vested interests try to apply the mahaprayan term to Parama Purusa. This is grossly inappropriate because when Parama Purusa Sadguru Baba is that Divine Entity who is beginningless and endless and resides always in our heart, then it is entirely wrong to proclaim that He is gone.

That is why rational margiis are protesting; because the Oct 21st program is so-called mahaprayan. So-called means that something is fake. Parama Purusa is eternal, thus for some vested interests to declare "mahaprayan of Parama Purusa" is nothing but so-called mahaprayan.

Mahaprayan only really happens in the case of human beings, not Parama Purusa. Those doing mahaprayan for Sadguru are hypocrites. On the one side in meditation they ask His grace thinking that He is ever-present, and on the other side they think that Baba has passed way. That is their hypocrisy.

== Section 2: Links ==

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Injustice: translating PS + 2 more

Baba

Injustice: translating PS

Namaskar,

One of Baba's greatest gifts upon humanity is His treasure of Prabhat Samgiita. These divine compositions help the sadhaka develop a more personal link with Parama Purusa. In the sphere of bhakti, these songs are unparalleled. In the literary realm also, Prabhat Samgiita towers above. These compositions are filled with sublime metaphors, similes, and hidden meanings. Merely knowing the language is not sufficient for understanding the song. That is why Baba has graciously put forth the system of creating purports for Prabhat Samgiita. By this way, all can experience the world of Prabhat Samgiita - otherwise, it is not easy to comprehend the great significance of Baba's divine compositions.
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Baba accepted short & long purports

Many are aware how during DMC, Prabhat Samgiita purports were given in front of Baba in three languages: English, Hindi, and Bengali. Three designated persons would each stand in front of the audience and read their purport, and Baba would make corrections / additions accordingly. And it was also seen that each of the three purports were along a similar theme.

Here the point is that each purport writer chose to write shorter or longer as the three explanations were not identical in length. Often we saw how the Bangla purport writer used to make a purport many times the length of the English purport. This demonstrates how some purport writers like to express the unspoken meaning and explicitly present that which is hidden in Prabhat Samgiita.

Yet Baba usually accepted all three purports, despite the fact that they varied greatly in length. The Hindi and English purports were often very simple and short – so Baba would interject and elaborate upon the explanation. He did this more with Hindi and English Prabhat Samgiita purports than with the other languages. All along though, each of the purports offered a unique perspective on the song.

So if 5 people write a purport of the same song, those purports will naturally vary in length. They will not be identical to one another. But the main theme will be the same. The main objective is how to best explain the poem properly. That is the goal. Writing a literal “purport” will not serve the purpose – readers will not understand the hidden idea of the poem / song.
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Baba’s joke: not just Bangla “a’che” to Hindi “hai”

One very important element is that translations are different from purports. In a translation, one is merely switching the word of one language with the word of another language. That approach does not shed any greater insight on the meaning of the song.

That is why at DMC 01 Jan '83 when Ac Cidghanananda ji was reading his Hindi purport of Prabhat Samgiita in front of all, then Baba interrupted and scolded him for only making a translation, not a purport. Baba explained that merely changing "a'che" to "hai" - i.e. translating the verb "is" in Bangla to the verb "is" in Hindi - cannot be considered as a purport. The audience laughed hearing Baba's joke. The point being that a purport should be a meaningful explanation of the song's essence. But Dadaji was just making his own literal translation.

Baba's guideline is that a purport must shed light on the inner spirit and hidden meaning of the composition. Because Prabhat Samgiita songs themselves are very concentrated and need explanation - it is not merely a language issue. The proof is that many of the Prabhat Samgiita compositions were given in Bengali yet still Baba insisted that purports be given in the Bengali language as well. And often, those purports were the longest and most poetic, explaining all aspects of the song in a lucid and intimate manner. So, literal translations alone are not enough. Baba wants Prabhat Samgiita purports made that reflect the inner meaning of the song.
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Key points: purport for Prabhat Samgiita

1. Prabhat Samgiita is a poem where the writer Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurti ji has allowed His expression to be limited by using certain words according to music, rhyme, and melody etc. The lyrics / poem itself is very brief and limited by its very context.
   
2. Thus when making a purport, one must not be too literal otherwise that will ruin the idea that the writer wants to convey.
   
3. The writer Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurti ji is conveying an idea in a very concentrated form via one poem. You can think of it like one big tree that takes shape from a tiny seed. The seed has everything but in an extremely concentrated form. The same is the case with Prabhat Samgiita: It is a seed-like poem of Ananda Marga spiritual cum ideological teachings.
   
4. So the duty of the purport writer is to explain those concentrated ideas and seed thoughts that are hidden in that stanza - a purport writer has more freedom than someone doing a translation. The length of the purport could be double or triple the size of the song. Yet, it must strike the right balance: not too contrite nor too verbose.

5. One key aspect is that any expansion of an idea given in the purport must be wholly consistent with the inner flow of the song as well as with the philosophical fundamentals of Ananda Marga ideology. The purport writer is not simply one person’s limited thoughts. Thus, the purport writer must have in-depth knowledge of the Ananda Marga cult of bhakti and ideology.
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Conclusion

When creating purports for Prabhat Samgiita, the aim is to paint a colourful picture of the overall meaning and spirit of a particular song. If the purport achieves that for reader, then that purport is proper.

In Him,
Kanan

Note: Of the grand scope of Baba’s philosophical and ideological teachings, there are three arenas which Baba identified as needing purports: Prabhat Samgiita, Ananda Sutram, and Ananda Vanii.


Baba’s way of writing a purport

When Baba delivered Ananda Sutram then He gave a purport for each sutra as well. In the case of Prabhat Samgiita, Baba has primarily allotted the task of making purports to His disciples. However, to set an example, at the outset Baba selected certain people to make Prabhat Samgiita purports, and then Baba was constantly correcting them when they erred. By this way, Baba was teaching us how to make purports for His Prabhat Samgiita compositions.

The central idea is that Prabhat Samgiita is a concentrated and poetic form of the entirety of Ananda Marga philosophy. And Ananda Sutram is an even more concentrated teaching of Ananda Marga philosophy as it is in sutra form. In both instances, purports are needed to explain the hidden meaning of the song or the sutra. Here is an example how an extended purport is needed to explain a 4-word sutra. Prabhat Samgiita purports should be done in a similar manner. The ideal purport will reveal and unknot the hidden meaning that the Poet wishes to convey. See here below how Baba wrote the purport for Ananda Sutram sutra 1-2.

1-2. Shaktih Sá Shivasya Shaktih.

[Shakti (the Operative Principle) is the shakti (force) of Shiva.]

Purport: Every object has a material cause and an efficient cause. Over and above these there is also a conjunctive agency linking the upádána kárańa [material cause] with the nimitta kárańa [efficient or instrumental cause]. The determination of the firmness or laxity of the relation of the material cause with the efficient cause depends on the degree of conjunctive functions. In the process of creation, Puruśa is the material factor, and Prakrti is the linking force consummating the relation between the material and the efficient causes. As the efficient cause, Puruśa is the primary factor, and Prakrti is the secondary one. Puruśa is the all-pervading entity, and so no one else except Him can be the material cause. Prakrti, not being all-pervading, is sheltered in Puruśa. In the body of Puruśa, Prakrti can only work as much as She is given opportunity to by Puruśa. And so, in the science of creation, Puruśa alone as the doer entity is the chief efficient or instrumental cause; and since Prakrti has been posing as the doer with the authority given to Her by Puruśa, She is the subordinate efficient cause. The distortions or expressions which are taking place in the material cause through the efficient cause and which we call worldly manifestations, are effected by the three guńas [attributes or binding principles: sattva, rajah and tamah] of Prakrti. This accounts for Prakrti being the linking force between the efficient cause and the material cause. So the firmness or feebleness of the object-body fully depends upon the degree of the influence of Prakrti. The role of Puruśa is foremost in all the spheres. Prakrti only acts to whatever extent Puruśa has authorized or authorizes Her to act. In the process of evolution, Puruśa gives Prakrti the authority to work, and She goes on working. The subtle Puruśa goes on attaining crudity gradually due to the bondage of the three guńas of Prakrti. In the ultimate state of His crudity, Puruśa slowly and gradually keeps shrivelling up the opportunity and liberty of Prakrti previously given to Her, and thus the crudified Puruśa, gradually regaining His subtlety, returns to His own ultimate characteristic state. The flow of manifestations of the Puruśadeha [Cognitive Body] under the binding influence of Prakrti is what we call saiṋcara [extroversion from the subtle to the crude], while the gradual process of liberation that results in the Puruśadeha due to progressive looseness of the bondage is what we call pratisaiṋcara [introversion from the crude to the subtle]. It is now abundantly clear that even though Prakrti is free to make honest use of Her acquired power, the attainment or non-attainment of this power depends on Puruśa, or Citishakti [Cognitive Principle], and so we have to say, Prakrti is but the characteristic of Puruśa Himself – Shaktih Sá Shivasya Shaktih.

By Baba’s above example it is clear that Baba did not merely translate the Sanskrit sutra. Rather, in His purport, He explains all the hidden meanings of that particular sutra, and presents that within the greater context and landscape of Ananda Marga ideology. By this way, the reader can gain an understanding of the meaning of that sutra.
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*        *        *

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 ==

Secret to samadhi

Ananda Marga philosophy states, “As a result of sádhaná all three organs, i.e., motor, sensory and práńa, gradually attain composure. When all the organs attain steadiness and composure and are absorbed in the bearing of the Supreme Being, we call it the state of samádhi or trance or absorption. Without this attainment of steadiness samádhi is impossible, for without steadiness meditation (dhyána) is not possible and without meditation samádhi is not possible. The practice of meditation is nothing but the proper control over the mind-like rein with the help of a super-knowing charioteer. In the human body there are approximately fifty vrttis or propensities of minds. The degree of intensity of these fifty vrttis depends upon the different glandular secretions of the body. Thus proper functioning of the mind depends upon the different glandular secretions of the body, upon the afferent power of the nerve-fibres and upon the capacity of the nerve cells to vibrate thought. In other words, with the acceptance or rejection of any of the sentiments, both the human body and mind are influenced.” (1)

Reference
1. Ananda Marga Philosophy in a Nutshell - 5, The Chariot and the Charioteer

== Section: Important Teaching ==

Highly unique opportunity


Namaskar

Ananda Marga ideology states, "Even after getting human life, only a few get the opportunity to listen to dharmika discourses. Among those, only a few develop the desire to practise dharma sádhaná. And even among these, only a few actually grasp the spirit of Sádhaná. Those rare ones who understand, perform sádhaná, and reach the goal are truly blessed." (1)

In the above teaching Baba is expressing how each and every Ananda Margii is extraordinary as they have already crossed so many hoops and became an Ananda Margii. And there are a few more hoops to go. So one should always be alert not to get stuck in the present stage. Please read carefully to understand which stage you have crossed and where you are going.

Namaskar,
in Him,
Ranjiit

Reference
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 3, The Requirements for Sádhaná

== Section: Important Teaching ==

Can a poor person make an economic gift

Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "Every human being gets more or less opportunity for rendering services. If a poor man thinks that he cannot render Vaeshyocita type of service because he is devoid of money he is wrong. The charity of a few paise of the poor has the same value as a thousand rupees from a millionaire. Indeed the charity of these few paise is greater. Lord Krśńa attached greater importance to a handfuls of grains from Vidura than to the sumptuous royal dishes of Duryodhana. Even so, everyone should render service to the world in accordance with their capacity and work for the welfare of the living beings to the best of their ability. Perform viprocita type of service by projecting your convictions to others as best as you can. Let every person perform the four kinds of service as much as possible. Adhyátma yajiṋa is an internal yajiṋa and ultimately it terminates in Paramátman, the original self.” (1)

Reference
1. Subhasita Samgraha -1, Yajiṋa and Karmaphala

== Section 3: Links ==

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