Baba
Ask something vs nothing
Namaskar,
In our Ananda Marga scriptures it is said: Bhakti is service to Parama Purusa. But if you want to serve someone you cannot do that from a distance. For instance, if you are sitting on the North Pole and you want to serve someone on the South Pole, then you must go to the South Pole. When in their physical proximity, then you can serve them. The same applies to spiritual life as well. One must go close to Him in order to serve Him. That is the essence of bhakti.
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Communicating brings intimacy
And then when you are close to Him then the next step is to communicate with Him as well. Because how is it possible to truly serve someone if you are not communicating with them and understanding what they want. For instance, if you are physically close to someone then by speaking with them you can understand better what they need: Such as if they need food, or water, or something else. In that case you can best serve them. And same is the case in the devotional sphere as well. By communicating with Parama Purusa one can better understand is His desire, by His grace. Communicating with Him brings greater feelings of closeness and intimacy.
So we have to acquire bhakti and bhakti is service to God; and, in order to serve Him, we have to go close to Him. And then comes the point of communicating with Him. And the way to do this is through sadhana. By repeating your mantra with deep yearnings or sharing your heart-felt feeling Him, one is verily communicating with Him. Thus there are various lessons in Ananda Marga sadhana by which to directly communicate with Him.
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Parama Purusa listens & responds
At the outset, some new sadhakas may feel that this manner is mechanical or merely a one-way communication. Because, initially one may not feel that any response is coming and that one's requests are not being heard. This is the common way people think. But with continued, regular, and sincere practice in sadhana etc, one will experience how this style of communication is real and that Parama Purusa hears all that you are sharing and He gives a response too.
And that gives rise to warmer, more tender, and more loving feelings towards Him. These are some of the various stages. And when that closeness reaches a certain threshold, then bhaktas may ask something of Parama Purusa also. When the mind is not developed then people ask for mundane objects etc. And when one is a properly developed in the devotional plane, then they do not want anything from Him, but rather they want He Himself.
Top grade bhaktas ask for what
They request, "O' Parama Purusa, I do not want anything from You, only I want to hold You very close. I want You to be mine." This is the type of request that A-grade bhaktas make.
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "An intelligent spiritual aspirant will say: “I do not want anything from you, I want you.”...“I do not want anything from You. Everything cometh from You, so You be mine.”" (1)
This type of request is not of a worldly nature because the bhakta is not asking for anything mundane or material. It is purely devotional longing that is being expressed. They want Him and that is the highest devotion.
We all know that in Ananda Sutram (3-11) Baba guides us not to ask for anything mundane from Parama Purusa. That means we should not ask for money, worldly things etc.
While in spiritual life we are to request Him for devotion. Every aspirant yearns for Him and must ask Parama Purusa for devotion. A true sadhaka has an internal longing to express their heart feeling with Him. And in that communication one requests the Lord for devotion: To have His proximity in a more intimate and loving way.
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To create personal connection
As every sadhaka knows, bhakti itself is based on the idea of creating a link with Parama Purusa. To create this personal connection, communication is needed. Because in the process of growing more close, one naturally desires to express their feeling by asking for His grace. That is the genuine expression that arises.
A similar thing happens in worldly life. One will certainly ask their friend to come over and talk when going through a difficult time in life. Or upon hearing great news, one will call their best friend and request them to stop what they are doing and come over so they can tell them all about it. Or in the case of a spouse, one will certainly talk about any problems and ask for their support and advice. This is quite natural. Likewise, a baby will always reach out to mama and place their requests - whether it be for food, love, or attention.
So in all social relationships where there is a strong bond of love, one will always make a request and ask for help and support. That is the inherent quality of love. By that way, the relationship deepens and grows. In contrast, if there is a neighbor down the street with whom you feel distant, you will never ask for a deeper loving connection from that neighbor. Thus, this desire to ask to be more close is a special characteristic of feeling intimate with someone.
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Loving relationship: bhakta & Parama Purusa
Devotional life is no different. There is love - there is yearning - and there is an inherent desire to be more close. And the way to satisfy that desire of closeness is to request the Lord to grant me more and more devotion.
Indeed, the entire platform of Prabhat Samgiita is based on this loving relationship between bhakta and Parama Purusa, wherein the bhakta asks Parama Purusa to come more close. The bhakta wants to express to Parama Purusa his inner heart feeling. This is the natural internal urge that arises in love with Parama Purusa.
Rather, we are to open our heart to Parama Purusa and request His grace and love. This can occur either in dhyana or at any time during the day or night. The only prerequisite is that the request be sincere.
If one is not feeling love for Parama Purusa - if one is not feeling close - then that person will have no desire to request bhakti from Baba. In their ignorance, they will feel content with their petty material gains etc.
But bhaktas are intelligent. Every bhakta understands that they are to ask Parama Purusa to bless them with devotion. They say, "O' Lord please grace me, please fill me heart with bhakti so my sadhana will be better."
Engaged with Parama Purusa in good times & bad
The following is an English summary of Baba’s below Hindi teaching:
Think about Him-- that Parama Purusa is mine-- I belong to Parama Purusa. Parama Purusa is with me. At any cost I am not alone. In my happiness He is with me and He is also with me in my sorrow. If I call Him in my pain and do not call Him in my pleasure and joy, that will not do. Just as I call Him in times of sorrow similarly I will call Him in times of happiness. In my state of sorrow I tell Him, O Lord, I am in misery. Please come and remove my sorrow and pain. Likewise in times of happiness I will request Him, O Parama Purusa I am ensconced in a wonderful feeling of happiness, please come and enjoy that sweetness with me. You should call Him always-- both in moments of sorrow as well as in times of joy and happiness. (English summary)Please find a word for word transcription from Baba's original discourse below:
Ananda Marga ideology states, “तो, “तत्वभावात् |” उनके सम्बन्ध में सोचो कि—
“परमपुरुष हमारे हैं | हम परमपुरुष के हैं | परमपुरुष हमारे साथ हैं | हम किसी भी हालत में अकेले नहीं हैं | परमपुरुष हमारे सुख में भी हैं, दुःख में भी हैं | हम दुःख में उनका नाम लिए और सुख में नहीं लिए, सो नहीं कर सकते हैं | दुःख में भी नाम लेंगे, अवश्य लेंगे; सुख में भी लेंगे | दुःख में भी उनसे मदद माँगेंगे, सुख में भी माँगेंगे | हाँ | दुःख में भी बोलेंगे—”परमात्मा ! मैं दुःख में हूँ, तुम आ जाओ, दुःख को दूर कर दो |” सुख में भी बोलेंगे—”परमात्मा ! मैं सुख में हूँ, तुम आ जाओ, मेरे साथ बैठकर मिठाई खा लो |”
[मार्गी लोग—"बाबा, बाबा, बाबा !"]
“क्या जी ? ऐसा करते हो, नहीं करते हो ? दुःख में बुलाते हो और सुख में बुलाते नहीं हो | न्योता नहीं देते हो |”
[हँसी]
“सुख में दावत देते हो परमात्मा को ? नहीं देते हो | दुःख में दावत देते हो | हाँ | सुख में, दुःख में, दोनों अवस्था में बुलाओ |”
“तो, यही है “तत्वभावात् |” तत् माने है—”that, वह |” अर्थात् उनकी भावना | हमेशा उनकी भावना लो | हाथ-पैर से काम करो और मन में उनकी भावना लो | जो हम लोगों का गुरुमन्त्र, जिसे हम लोग कहते हैं |” (2)
Conclusion
All should aim for this type of bhakti and that is the key theme of this letter. Because by this way Every sadhaka understands that the most important and cherished ideal is their personal relationship with Parama Purusa. This is the top phase of devotional life.
While there are many important aspects to creating a more intimate relation with Parama Purusa, this letter focuses on only one: the idea of asking Parama Purusa for devotion.
Namaskar,
In Him,
Ananda
References
1. Ananda Vacanamrtam - 2, Krśńa, the Nucleus of the Universe
2. Subhasita Samgraha part 16 Hindi Edn (sixth chapter), DMC 29 Jan 1984 Gorakhpur
* * *
The below sections are entirely different topics, unrelated to the above material.
They stands on their own as points of interest.
* * *
== Section 2: Main Topic ==
You are are here before me today
"Tumi je esecho álo sáthe enecho, sabár maner kálo dúr karecho..." (Prabhat Samgiita #2201)
Purport:
O' Parama Purusa, You have come to me with grand, divine refulgence. By Your august presence, all are in spiritual bliss and their blackness has been removed from the mind. You have wiped away the staticity and cimmerian darkness from all existence. Now people have become neo-humanists, leaving behind their narrow and group sentiments. O’ Supreme Entity, You never give credence to desha’ca’r or loka’ca’r and never pay heed to worldly protocol and or the traditions of reception. Overlooking those things, You have come to me and showered Your grace. Baba, You love all - good and bad, sinners and sadhus - equally.
O' Parama Purusa, in the vast, infinite spiritual sky You are that single, shining star that attracts every person. O’ the Cosmic Nucleus of this entire creation You are that singular and unparalleled Entity. The entire creation dances around You in Your sublime rhythm. The ekta'ra' (one-string instrument) of each person's mind is being played to fully satisfy and satiate You. Baba, You have filled each-one’s mind and heart with hope.
O' Parama Purusa, please come closer and closer in new and newer form, colour, and adornments. O' Nutan, the ever-new, You have given a voice to those who are helpless and dumb - unable to speak and incapable of protesting or fighting against exploitation - and have given everybody the right to sing and chant the glories of the Supreme Entity, which they did not have in the past. You have blessed one and all.
Baba, O' Parama Purusa, Your greatness and magnanimity are beyond all imagination. Please remain eternally in my heart...
Note for Prabhat Samgiita #2201
[1] Desha'ca'r & Loka'ca'r: The particular traditions of an area, country, or land are known as: desha'ca'r; and the popular and commonly followed customs of the people are known as: loka'ca'r. As we have all seen, in various countries and places there are so many social norms and rules which govern the social life. Some of those codes are just and some are exploitative. For example in some areas, the so-called low caste, the females, and the people of colour do not have the right or privilege to go to the temple, or learn meditation, etc. They are forced to live as second-class citizens and denied the opportunity to participate in spiritual practices. All these various customs and traditions fall within the dual categories of desha'ca'r and loka'ca'r. But Parama Purusa never pays heed to such things. He never cares about those dogmatic codes and rules. By the loving heart of the bhaktas, He gets pulled towards them. In that way He comes in the abode of the bhakta.
== Section 3: Important Teaching ==
Remedy from unconscious mind
Ananda Marga ideology states, “The remedies for illnesses or answers to questions that a person receives at the shrine of different gods and goddesses is not due to the greatness of those gods and goddesses. As a result of sincere longing a state of one-pointedness arises in the mind and if, at that time, that person falls into deep sleep because of physical tiredness then the answers to his or her questions may descend from the unconscious mind into the subconscious mind. There the person receives the answers to his or her questions about illness or other questions according to his or her mental conceptions and beliefs. The person thinks that he or she has perhaps received these answers due to the grace of such-and-such god or goddess. Actually, thanks to the grace of the Supreme Consciousness, his or her unconscious mind is the hidden repository of infinite knowledge. Due to one-pointedness, the person has been able to temporarily submerge part of his mind within the boundaries of that profound knowledge.” (1)
Reference
1. Shabda Cayanika - 2, Indukamala to Iyatta (Discourse 7))
== Section 4: Links ==
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This email contains four sections:
1. PS #2201: You are are here before me today
2. Posting: Ask something vs nothing3. IT: Remedy from unconscious mind
4. Links
