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Avadhuta's Birthday

Date: Sat, 16 Apr 2005 22:50:30 From: Dharmaviira Subject: Avadhuta's Birthday To: am-global@earthlink.net Baba "Nijer katha' balate gele yug ye cale ya'y..." -P.S. 2610 Purport: Baba, my whole life is getting wasted in propagating my own greatness. Since ages I have been involved in this foolish endeavour. Baba please fill my mind with Your divine tales & by listening them my whole heart and my whole being will be satiated. In order to listen to Your divine gospel, I have remained awake since many lives-- since ages. Baba please grace me with that very smile because by getting a flash of that my life will become successful. Baba today You have graced me and changed my heart; I will no longer waste my time in self-glorification and bragging about my unit 'I', little ego. Because now my mind is running constantly towards You. Baba, I wasted my life in self-propaganda. Now by Your grace only I want to listen to Your glory, Your sweet gospel...
== AVADHUTA'S BIRTHDAY ==
Namaskar, Just a few short days ago one of our esteemed Avadhuta's celebrated his own birthday in grand fashion at one of the regional retreats in our NY sector. So let us all take a peek at the import of such events to see how far Baba is approving this or not.
STORY: BABA'S REPORTING SESSION AND DADA N
Long back in Delhi sector Dada Nirmohananandji also had a favourite passion of indulging in his own birthday parties. So here and there and whenever opportunity knocked he would set-up birthday party celebrations in his own honour. This was his way of doing. Then one day in reporting sesion Baba Himself raised the matter and exposed Nirmohananandji in front of all. And it became well known how Baba lovingly pointed out and made jokes about Nirmohananandji's behaviour. In that way Baba Himself has put forth the dharmic injunction that workers are not to involve in such things as it goes against the entire spirit of being Avadhuta. Since then nobody asked permission from Baba to arrange the birthday celebration of any avadhuta. Nor did any acarya dare to do. Similarly that is also why the birthdays of acaryas and avadhutas are never published in different media, ie e-mail or Central Magazines etc.
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AVADHUTA
As we know the spirit of being Avadhuta is to dedicate everything to Marga Gurudev. So by getting Avadhuta diiksa and by getting their new avadhuta name, then they they no longer have anything of their own. In that blessed state, everything belongs to Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji. And Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji is their mother father, & everything. That is why in conduct rules of Avadhuta, there is no such thing as the observance of one's own birthday or any form of celebration or glorification of one's own unit existence. Rather the avadhuta's goal of life and the be-all end-all of their existence is to glorify Baba's image. They are to be fully established in and dedicated to AM ideology and Marga's Guru's glory. Baba says, "Avadhuta shall always keep himself engaged in the service of Gurudeva with sincerity and devotion, in thought, words and deed, in subtle and in crude spheres, in inner and outer expressions of life." (Rule no. 28 of '32 Rules for Avadhutas') Adhering to this principle no true Avadhuta celebrates their own personal mundane birthday.
BIRTHDAY IS WORSE THAN SELF-PRAISE
As we all know Baba warns us to steer away from things like self-publicity & self-praise. Thus when the chief result of indulging in one's own birthday party is drawing attention to oneself, then no avadhuta should indulge in such acts. Baba says, "Why on earth should he indulge in self-publicity? To whom will he publicize himself? Such acts are the antics of common, avaricious people with beggar-like mentality." (SS-2, p. 49) And to go one step further, in the case of one's own birthday party, that is not only praising oneself but even worse-- celebrating and overtly highlighting one's unit cause. Overall it is just like how stealing itself is bad yet the annual celebration of a notorious stealing program is far worse.
PP's and GS's BIRHTDAY NOT CELEBRATED
Who can say they have heard about PP Dada's birthday or GS Dada's birthday. The answer is on one. Because it is not done. Yet If this birthday celebration would have been accepted & approved then certainly first PP Dada's birthday would have been celebrated every year. And then step by step GS Dada's birthday followed by , Purodha Board members and Central Dadas etc. Like this all high posted worker would be doing. But if you examine the history of AM never has such things been done. Because it is understood that this is not approved by Baba.
THE SCENE AT THE BOSTON REGIONAL RETREAT
However, at last week's Boston Regional retreat, Ac. Rainjitananda Avt celebrated his own birthday with full gusto and glory. In grand fashion, everyone present at the retreat sang a hearty round of the traditional American "Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to you" song in Dadaji's honor. And during the singing one sumptuous cake was brought out and served to Dadaji. And like that the whole affair took on the flavor of one mundane Americana birthday party whereby non-margiis make a wish for crude objects as they blow out the candles on the birthday cake and receive presents from one and all etc. So like that Rainjitanandji's celebratory occasion and birthday party was carried out whereby Dada accepted the card and cake and all arrangements in his own honour. Because at that moment Dadaji's birthday was the showcase event going on at the retreat.
THEY WERE ALSO "AVADHUTA"
So how far it is appropriate & befitting for Avadhutas to do like this everyone can surely arrive at the answer. Yet who can forget that at one time Vishokananda and Madhavananda also carried the title of Avadhuta. Thus for those who do not follow the codes and standards of being avadhuta-- their title of avadhuta is meaningless, or thereabouts. Because Baba's guideline is that being Avadhuta in name only is not enough-- one must follow the spirit.
NOT ONLY AVADHUTA BUT PURODHA
And here in the case of Rainjitanandji he is not only avadhuta but also Purodha, i.e. one of the specially chosen, hand-selected avadhutas. So see the standard of some of our Purodhas these days-- they are fake, or what can be. About any such cases Baba has given the following teaching:
"Mana na' ra'inga'ile ra'inga'ile yogi ka'par'a. Saffron and red do not a yogiis make With mind undyed he remains a fake." "Dye your mind with His colour.
Those who have not done so cannot attain Him, for this very coloration is Prema or Divine Love...No external sign of Sa'dhuta' or virtue is necessary. Become sa'dhu within. Behind the external show of virtuousness of many so-called sa'dhus exists apharisaic state of mind. Preserve the true dignity of the word, Sa'dhu."
"Mu'd'ha mu'ra'ye jata' v'ar'aye.... With shaven head or matted locks And ashen body a Sadhu walks With the swaggering gait of a well-fed buffalo. And crude mind filled with thoughts mean and low."
"That is why I say that you must bring about a revolutionary change in the flow of your judgment and thought, and see how, after overcoming your fascination with external colour, your mind becomes tinged with the Hisglorious colour." (SS-3)
BABA'S BLESSING
At all times may we always remember these following divine words of Baba. Baba says, "We are proceeding from darkness towards effulgence, from imperfection along the golden steps to perfection. No obstacle on the way will be able to stop our advancement...the inherent desire to bring well-being to all living beings is our way...Moving ahead is the very wont of life." (AVS, p. 48-9) Namaskar, Dharmaviira
Note 1: INITIATION MEANS REBIRTH
Here it is meaningful to carefully read Baba's teaching that after initiation one gets re-birth. So in this situation we should all consider & rethink this idea of celebrating one's physical birth. Baba says, "With an initiated person the first birth was the physical birth and the second birth was the spiritual birth, during initiation. Such a person is divya, born twice: First, you are simply born as an animal being. But this second time, as a human being. So unless and until one is initiated one is not, one cannot be, treated as a human being." (AVM) So in Baba's above teaching's teaching is that physical birth does not have so much meaning in the life of a spiritual aspirant. Because when they get initiated that is counted as a re-birth. On that very ground the physical birthday of a human being / sadhaka does not have much value. The main value is when the person gets initiated and takes shelter at Rev. Baba's feet.
Note 2: WHY CELEBRATE
Why should anyone should practice or propagate their own birthday? We are raising the slogan Parama Pita Baba Ki Jai! His victory, His glory, that is why the real devotee has only one birthday to celebrate. That is Ananda Purnima-- Baba's birthday. But those who do not have that type of devotion, with faltering steps they usually go away from ideological path. And sometimes they remain on track.
*************************************** Cooking Tips
Baba says, "If the vegetables get a little burnt and [you think] that 'Oh, people can't eat this.' [Then] Quick- pour a lot of water onto them, and add fifteen or twenty betel leaves. That will reduce the burnt effect." (NKS, '97 Edn, p. 105)
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