== OUTSOURCING PUBLICATIONS WORK ==
Namaskar,
It is commonly known that at present, in one camp, some high-ranking Dadas
are employing non-margii translators from the general society in order to
publish our Ananda Marga books. That is how they are getting the latest
round of Baba's books ready to print. And this seems to be their plan for
the foreseeable future as well.
Such an approach raises two knotty questions:
(1) Why is it that outside people are needed to do this work-- i.e. why
is it that up till now our Publications Department has not been able to
create and sustain a dedicated team of margiis and LFT's etc to involve in
this dharmic endeavour?
(2) How far can paid non-margii translators be trusted to do the work
properly when they are not doing sadhana and are not committed to Guru and
His divine teachings?
Those are the main issues which this letter aims to address. As always,
everyone should write in with thoughts, comments, suggestions, and
recommendations.
IMPORTANCE OF BABA'S BOOKS
As we all know, Baba's books are our AM scripture. And this is the first
time in human history that we have the opportunity to properly preserve the
scripture of Mahasambhuti. In the past, both Lord Shiva's teachings and
Lord Krsna's teachnigs were decimated by the ruling priests etc. This time
things can be different. Everything can be kept in tact-- "as is". We have
the unique chance to keep all of Baba's books in pristine condition. And
this will be a tremendous boon for the present day and future humanity. So
preserving all of Baba's discourses through the proper publication of
Baba's books is of utmost importance. Since it is only by His teachings
that humanity will be able to progress. This every single person in AM
knows; there is no need to convince anyone of this.
QUESTION #1: WHY IS THERE NO MARGII TEAM?
The question naturally arises then that why is it that from 1990 up till
now the Publications Department has not been able to form a dedicated &
reliable team of Ananda Margii volunteers to engage in this most noble
endeavour of translating and publishing Baba's books.
After all, margiis have a deep desire to have Baba's books; margiis are
also dedicated for the establishment of Baba's mission; margiis have a long
history of noting down Baba's original discourses; plus, there are so many
other positive elements. Everything seems to be pointing in a most
favourable direction for creating a solid team of margii translators etc.
Then where did things go astray? Why is there no committed cadre of Ananda
Margiis associated with our Publications Department?
FAMILY FEELING NEEDED
We all know that when there is a family feeling and people are working
cooperatively towards a common goal-- like the publication of Baba's
books-- then that generates a collective vibration that propels the work
forward by attracting more and more people to the project. This is the way
it works when there is mutual respect and concern for others' well-being.
That is how a team gets formed. And prior to 1990, it was all working in
this manner.
WHY A TEAM COULD NOT GET CREATED
Unfortunately, since 1990, this spirit of coordinated cooperation has been
severely lacking in the working style of certain top Dadas. For that
reason, over the last 17 years they could not assemble a cohesive team of
Ananda Margiis for this most important project of publishing Baba's books.
Because when, with their devotion to Baba, margiis did come forward to help
in this endeavour, then top Dadas just treated those margiis & LFTs as 2nd
class citizens or as their lackeys. In their 'higher-than-thou' manner
Dadas would eat sumptuous meals in their private kitchens and oversee the
work from a distance-- stopping in here and there to give orders for a
moment, and then returning to their cozy existence while margiis and lfts
were just left to manage amidst difficult working conditions etc. This was
the way it was happening.
In such a repressive atmosphere totally devoid of mutual respect, it was
utterly impossible to develop that neat, cohesive team that is so essential
for the successful continuation of this important work. Because those
top-dog Dadas did not have an ounce of family feeling towards those margiis
who were coming forward to help. And in that starved & imbalanced
environment, the whole thing lost its momentum.
This type of tailspin was going on not just in Publications but in
countless AM departments. And the residual effect is that the AM
Publications Department could never get its feet on the ground and move
ahead. Rather it just lagged farther and farther behind until now there
seemingly was no other recourse than to hire non-margiis to do the job.
That is the pathetic scene which has transpired.
QUESTION #2: CAN NON-MARGIIS BE TRUSTED?
This then begs the question, can non-margiis be trusted to do this holy
work of translating and publishing Sadguru's divine discourses? This is
something we all must seriously consider & evaluate, at least for a moment.
Then surely the answer will instantly flash into the mind.
NEEDED INGREDIENTS FOR DOING GREAT WORK
To do any great work-- like translate and publish Baba's discourses--
commitment and dedication are needed. And that commitment and dedication
must come from within. That means one should be involved with their heart
and mind. And from 1955 - 1990, that is the way the translation and
publication work was proceeding in AM, by His grace. Devoted margiis and
acaryas attended to all aspects of publishing Baba's discourses and they
considered such work as being part of their very existence. It was all done
out of their love and dedication to Ista.
And to some or more degree this continued for sometime after 1990-- until
everything & everyone just got too suffocated by the crude dealing of those
Dadas.
OUTSOURCING THE TRANSLATION WORK
Such that now the work is being "outsourced", or "passed on", or "parceled
out" to external agents who get paid by the hour etc. In that drastic
situation, how is their work going to be up to the needed standard. Because
they are just paid staff or "hired help" who have no inner link with Baba.
They are in it for the money and money alone. And this has never been our
way in AM. Sadhakas do out of love for Guru, not for a paycheck. That is
how thousands of service projects & works have been done up till now. So
now, suddenly, when they are paying non-margiis to do the translation work,
then it is totally out of character for our Marga.
IT IS JUST LIKE...
It is just like if in one unit, a wealthy margii decided to hire a whole
bunch of non-margiis and pay them to work as wholetimers in his particular
unit. Such non-margiis would be purchased to do initiations, preach the
ideology, serve others etc. Does it not sound ridiculous. Could such
persons be trusted to carry out the work of being a wt on the crude notion
that they were getting a paycheck. Certainly not. Despite the paycheck,
those paid "wts" would fall flat on their face. Because they have not the
slightest idea about Ananda Marga nor any connection with Guru.
Or, let's look at it from the opposite direction: It is just like if
Christian priests hired a whole bunch of Ananda Margiis to translate their
scripture. Of course we could not do a proper job because we do not have
the slightest interest in their dogmatic preachings. In that case, how
could we work tirelessly toward that aim when our heart and mind are not
connected with the work.
NON-MARGII TRANSLATORS CANNOT DO
Similarly those paid non-margii translators are not in any position to do
the delicate work of translating Sadguru's discourses. It is a very fine
work that demands a deep, heart-felt link with Baba and His teachings. So
when such non-margiis do not understand even the most fundamental ideas of
Ananda Marga, nor our AM vocabulary, nor are they interested in our AM way
of life, then how can they be entrusted with such important and subjective
work. Given their inherent deficit, they will surely misinterpret the
spirit and ideas of Baba's discourses and / or confuse our dharmic AM terms
with the dogmatic Hindu definitions etc.
So from A - Z there are any number of reasons why such paid non-margii
translators are totally unfit for the work of translating and publishing
Baba's divine discourses. Because simply knowing the language is not
enough. That is one of the lesser ingredients needed. First and foremost,
one must be deeply connected with Baba with their heart and mind. That is
the only way to carry out His great work. Failing that it will all go
astray. And indeed, in the history of AM, Baba always used wts and margiis
for the propagation of AM ideology-- not any paid non-margii types. Never.
So now, all of a sudden to pay non-margii translators to do AM publication
work is a trustless plan-- even laughable. Their work will be a mess and
there will be countless mistakes made that will take years and years to
fix. This is not at all the answer.
Unfortunately that is the murky dealing that is now going on in our
Publications department: This most sacred work of translating Baba's
discourse is being carried out through the foolish approach of hiring
non-margii translators. And, on the top, those Dadas paying those
non-margiis are bragging around as if they have discovered the golden key.
Reason being that when those Dadas themselves have no interest in the work
then for them hiring any Tom, Dick, or Ram and Shyam off the street sounds
like a glorious plan.
SOLUTION:
DEDICATED PEOPLE NEEDED, NOT PAID EMPLOYEES
However Baba says that dharma can never be propagated by money or any other
crude means. Ours is and always has been a "man-making mission" because
only by having proper devotees can the message of Ananda Marga be propagated.
Baba says, "From place to place, from age to age, the elixir of immortality
has been flowing forever. Through the medium of human structures this
message of immortality is transmitted onwards..." (A'nanda Va'nii #66)
So Baba's divine guideline is that dedicated human beings-- not hired
help-- is the way to propagate His divine mission. Hence, outsourcing AM
work by hiring non-margii translators will never yield any proper fruit;
rather it is only asking for trouble and more trouble. Communist
infiltrators may get hired and seize upon the opportunity to sabotage the
work and mundane Joe's will just be doing it for the paycheck. In that
case, the outcome is bound to be horrible.
Because history proves that all along it is only through the dedicated
efforts of Ananda Margiis that the AM mission could move ahead, by His
grace. Because ours is not a mere capitalistic enterprise. We are trying to
create a nuclear revolution where we transform the very seed vessels of
this materialistic human society into a God & dharma oriented flow of human
movement. And that cannot be done by hired help. Rather, only through our
own noble efforts can the work move ahead and by that way more and more AM
sadhakas are bound to come forward and dedicate themselves to this glorious
task. And by His grace surely it is going to happen.
Until those top Dadas recognise this fact and until those top Dadas embark
on this work with respect and family feeling for the margiis, then there is
no hope in creating that needed team for doing the job of translating and
publishing Baba's books. Always the work will lag behind and be riddled
with mistakes. And that is the inevitable outcome of paying non-margiis to
translate Baba's divine discourses.
BABA'S BLESSING
By Baba's grace, those who are connected with Him will establish His
mission on this dusty earth.
Baba says, "So you have to come in contact with your Supreme Father...You
are all sa'dhakas, you are all spiritual aspirants, you will have to do it.
And I know certainly you will be successful in your mission." (AV-33)
Namaskar,
Pradiip
Note: ALL SADHAKAS SHOULD SAY...
All AM sadhakas should give their thoughts on this as well as share their
past experiences of doing Baba's work-- either in the field of pracar,
publications, Prout, education, etc. This will help encourage the needed
collective feeling to build a dependable team of AM translators. We should
not live in the day-dream that non-margiis will do our work and establish
Baba's mission. Rather standing tall we should recognise that His work is
our work and only by that way will AM spread its wings on this earth and
beyond. May we all come together on this very point. It will bring about
the exponential growth of AM, by His grace. Parama Pita Baba Kii-- Jai!!
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Baba's Warning
Baba says, "Human civilization is not one flower, but a beautiful garden
with innumerable flowers of so many scents and so many varieties...We
should take proper care of this garden of civilization -- we must take
proper care of each and every flower. If we do not do this there will be
clashes, there will be imperialism. The owner of a piggery should not be
allowed to use this garden-- the immoral pigs will uproot the trees and
everything will be destroyed." (AV-30, p.95-6)
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