Converted into Stone

Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2008 22:07:26 -0400
To: AM-GLOBAL
From: Patrick Russell 
Subject: Converted into Stone

Baba


"A'mi toma'y bhule kiser chale ka'l ka't'a'lum dhara'r buke..." (PS 2140) 

Purport:


Baba, remaining forgetful about You, with some or other lame excuse I wasted my time in the bosom of the earth. I became completely captivated by one magical display. And because of that, I did not hear the call of my supreme well-wisher: Parama Purusa. O' Baba, when those dark days descended in my life, then nobody was there to give me hope; I was shelterless. Baba, then I started asking You to please come and save me. In that very terrible situation, I started calling to You, 'Baba, please come, and save me! O' Prabhu, save me from this ghastly danger'. Earlier, when the proper opportune moment was there, then I was intoxicated in the magical display of maya. In those days I was in a deep slumber; I was not able to understand. So I did not call You until the situation became disastrous. Baba, even then, now I know in my heart that, 'O Parama Purusa, You belong to everyone'. Baba, please attract me & make me Your own. Please remain with me always, in my pleasure and my pain-- all the time. Baba, I wasted the long span of my life by indulging in negative deeds and remaining oblivious of You. Remaining distant, I wasted my life. But now in the end, You have lovingly lifted me from the dust and gently placed me on Your divine lap. Baba, You are so gracious. You are love Personified...

== CONVERTED INTO STONE ==

Namaskar,
Sometimes when looking at the present day world, the crude thought may come into the mind to have what those materialists have- and to do what they do. This type of desire can befall anyone, if they are not careful. As Ananda Margiis though we should be vigilant not to fall into such a trap. Because these materialists have not a clue what type of serious harm & destruction they are inviting for themselves by running senselessly after material allurements. They do not understand how the ways of karma will strike them down. But such is their fate. So no Ananda Margii should become spell-bound by the ways of materialism-- not even temporarily so.

LAW OF KARMA IN A NUTSHELL

Because we all know that there is a great law of cause & effect which governs this vast cosmological order, i.e. the law of karma: Where for every action (karma) there is a reaction (karmaphala). In this principle, good actions beget positive reactions and bad actions bring negative reactions. This is Baba's stated teaching and everyone in AM is well aware about this.

 Baba says, "Human beings themselves are answerable for their fate as it is their actions alone which create it. They alone will have to bear the consequences of all their actions. No one else can substitute for them. Their good deeds beget good results, while bad ones beget bad results, and they will have to experience both without any exception. This is the law of Prakrti and no one can change this law." (AMEP)

BLIND WAYS OF MATERIALISM

But materialists are utterly clueless about this. They do not know or understand about the workings of karma; nor are they aware that good actions are those deeds which decrease the distance between oneself and Parama Purusa. This entire outlook totally escapes them. Rather they think that material things are the be-all and end-all of life. Their life revolves around material attachment, sexual lust, and crude desires. This is what motivates them. Hence all day long they are running after one or another mundane allurement. And internally they think that this is fine and acceptable. Even they will openly state that making money itself justifies a particular action, no matter what hell it creates in the lives of others. This is their selfish and harmful attitude. And such materialists think that it is all fine and well. However, little do they know what their terrible fate will be.

BABA'S STERN WARNING

Because in countless discourses, Baba warns us that those who blindly chase after crude materials pleasures will become one with the dust. Their future is totally bleak. They will be converted into stone or iron or end up trapped as some kind of negative microvita like prakrtiliina for crores & crores of years. Here following is Baba's very strict warning about what will befall those who rampantly chase after the lustful ways of materialism.

 Baba says, "If a person continually gloats over crude material things, his entire existence will be converted into crude matter. In mythology the story goes that Ahalya' was converted into a stone due to his constant crude ideation. So people who accept matter as their goal, totally denying the existence of Parama Purus'a, tread the path of degeneration and become prakrtiliina devayonis after death." (APH-6, 'Ekendriya-1')

THERE IS NO ESCAPE

So those materialists have a very grim and dark future. They will not be able to escape the karmic reaction of their selfish and crude desires and their fate is sealed. They are sure to become seriously degenerated in the near future. This is Baba's warning, because no one can escape the cycle of karma. Baba says, "Reactions of actions (karmaphala) have to be experienced. No one is spared from experiencing them; the reactions of all one's actions will have to be borne by oneself alone." (AMEP)

Therefore, in the case of materialists who greedily chase after crude allurements and harm others in that process, they will surely have to undergo piles and piles of negative reactions. Because their only so-called ethic is material gain, and they do not care one iota about the welfare of others. Thus each and every day they create mounds & mounds of negative samskaras by indulging in selfish misdeeds and those negative samskaras will certainly take shape in the form of unenviable & harsh reactions. Thus from top to bottom and inside and out the fate of such materialists is sealed.

OUR APPROACH:


 THE GOLDEN BALANCE

In AM, we follow the path of balance. Baba guides us that neither are we to headlong rush after material objects nor are we to reject the world as mere illusion by adopting the ways of Shankaracarya. Neither of these approaches will bring welfare to oneself nor to the world around them. Rather it will just invite trouble. That is why Baba has given us that pathway of perfect prama.

In AM we recognise the existence of this material world yet goad all our mental longings toward Parama Purusa. So ours is the path of perfect balance. Because in AM we realise that we need the material sphere in order to maintain our physical existence and then we goad our psychic yearning toward the spiritual realm. By this way we can utilise this human life to reach up to God.

 Such is the perfectness of our path of 'Subjective Approach & Objective Ajustment'. In thus dual formula, we keep our mental eye & vision focused toward Parama Purusa and utilise the physical world as a platform for meeting our existential needs or basic living requirements. By this way we can create a healthy human society and ensure the spiritual emancipation of all, by Baba's grace.

BABA'S FINAL WARNING ON MATERIALISM

So none should get allured or attracted by the clutches of materialism. There is no redeeming factor in this crude pathway. Just it will lead one into the depths of despair and degenertion. Here below is Baba's very severe warning about the ills of materialism.

Baba says, "This type of crude material knowledge concerned with the crude materialism has done much harm to human society during the last one century. It has misguided the entire human society, it has converted human beings into animals." (AV-2)

 So those who base their lives solely on material objects will be reborn as pashus (animals) or even spend countless time trapped as negative microvita. In either case it is a hellish fate.

BABA'S BLESSING

By Baba's grace we should all remember our internal link with Baba and goad all our thoughts and actions unto Him. Then by living in this material world, our lives will be fruitful. Those who get allured by the ways of materialism will only experience pain and misery-- nothing more.

By Baba's grace He was bestowed upon us all the ingredients for a happy and blissful life and a bright future.

 Baba says, "You should always remember that you do not belong to an ordinary family, to an ordinary lineage. Those who are the sons and daughters of Parama Purus´a certainly cannot belong to an ordinary lineage. You have a personal relationship with Parama Purus´a, and because of that intimate relation you can say to Him, "Oh Parama Purus´a, you know me very well; so if You think it proper, You may bestow Your grace upon me. But it depends on You." Parama Purus´a certainly has great love and affection for His children; He will certainly want His sons and daughters to reach their ultimate goal. And whatever bliss human beings may attain by reaching that Supreme Stance, I know that in Parama Purus´a's mind the happiness will be even more. Victory to you all." (SS-18. 'Propensities and Prama')

Namaskar,
Parama'tma

Note 1: HORRIBLE FATE OF MATERIALISTS

Each and every day in the world around us or by looking in the newspaper we can practically see the karmic reactions that happen to some many people due to their constant involvement in materailistic ways of living. So many things happen: Either their misdeeds get exposed in front of all, or they lose their psychic balance and have to become hospitalized, or who knows what. Day in and day out everyday people and pop stars undergo such things. It happens to the neighhbor next door as well as to pop-cultures icons like Britney Spears and Anna Nicole Smith. In any event, persons lead a miserable life and experience a terrible fate. All because they got sucked into the dark hole of materialism. This should not befall any Ananda Margii.

Note 2: THE PERFECT PATHWAY OF AM

Here Baba clearly outlines how we are to live in this world-- by maintining perfect balance or adjustment and ultimately reach up to Him. This is His divine formula. Baba says, "Subjective approach through objective adjustment. Movement is towards Parama Purus´a, but at the same time maintaining objective adjustment. You have to move giving proper treatment to the objects of the external world. There must be subjective approach, but at the same time objective adjustment; that is, adjustment with the objective world is essential though one's movement is towards supreme subjectivity." (AV-30)

Note 3: PARADOX

The interesting thing is that in material societies there is a distinct dearth of material things. That is, most do not get what they need to survive due to extreme greed.This is the regular occurance. That is why in places like the US there is a huge number of homeless people as well as tens of millions of people without access to proper health care. So it is not that in materialistic countries people get their physical needs met. It never works out this way and on the top the people are depressed and miserable and suffer from so many psychic afflictions. In contrast in our Proutistic society, everyone will get exactly what they need through the magical formula of subjective approach and objective adjustment. All will have plenty of material goods to live comfortably on this earth and in addition all will get the opportunity to advance in the psycho-spiritual realms of life. So our Proutistic approach is a win-win situation. There is no question of any loss. Whereas in the materialistic model, everyone loses always. There is no winner. By Baba's grace may we create that Proutistic society at the earliest. Parama Pita Baba Ki-Jai!!

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 WT Conduct Rule: Dealings

Baba says, "Supervisory workers will have to take proper care of each of their supervised staff in all respects." (Pt #2 of 'Six Additional Rules')

 Note: This is a very significant rule but these days supervisory bosses are more focused on emptying the pockets of their subordinates. This is the only "care" they do. In future when standard of devotion in supervisory workers is higher, these rules are likely to be followed in which case the situation will be better.

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