Caught Up in Upadharma

Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2008 23:17:30 -0000 To: am-global@earthlink.net From: "Mishra" Subject: Caught Up in Upadharma Baba "A'ndha'ra sa'gara pa're ke go ele..." (PS 1065) Purport: O' the Supreme Entity, who are You who has come to me from the divine world after crossing the dark ocean. You have come and done the impossible: You have made those flowers blossom, which had never blossomed before. Those whose minds were crude, You have made them spiritual. You have showered Your divine effulgence and filled this world with sweetness and love. O' Divine One, by Your grace You have come, broken the noose of death [1], taught Your sadhana, and shown the path of liberation. You have released me from the endless cycle of birth and death by granting me salvation. You have removed all my fear by keeping me close and helping me in all circumstances. You have satiated my heart with Your radiant love. You have showered Your causeless grace and filled my mind with divine bliss. O' Divine Entity after getting You, what is the need to have anything else. By Your grace, in getting You, I have gotten everything. All my longings have been quenched; I desire nothing else. All that I wanted, I got, by Your grace. O' the Unfathomable Entity, who are You. Baba, in my march from imperfection to perfection, in all the arenas of life, You are always with me. You love me so much, that is why I do not have any fear that You are going to leave me. In all times, day and night, You are always with me-- ever willing to help and guide me. Baba, You have removed the dark curtain of avidya maya. You have opened my eyes. By Your grace, after pulling me off the wrong path, You have brought me onto the right path. That which was unthinkable for me, You have given. I never thought I could get Parama Purusa; I could never even dream of such a thing. But today, by Your grace, You have made this possible and more than fulfilled all my hopes and aspirations. Baba, by Your grace You have given me everything I need. You have given me all of life's requirements: Physical, psychic, and spiritual. O' my Dearmost, in my dhyana, in my sadhana, You always come and smile like the crimson dawn. It is Your grace; it is Your grace. In the past, I was longing for various mundane things. Now, by Your grace, my mind is pointed and I only long for You, the Parama Purusa. You have aroused my desire to attain You. And You have quenched that desire by remaining eternally in my heart. When I am with You, then what else do I need? Nothing. I do not have any other desire. Baba, no matter how much I may know, in the true sense I do not know. O' Divine Entity, who is so loving and gracious, please tell me who You are... NOTES FOR PRABHAT SAMGIITA #1065: [1] Noose of Death: Generally human beings are caught in the ongoing cycle of birth and death. When one comes in contact with Parama Purusa then that is the death of death, as by this way one escapes the endless cycle of birth and death. Baba says, "“Mrtyurmrtyuh nama'myaham.” “Mrtyurmrtyuh” means “death of death”...Whenever a man dies, he comes back again in another form. Again he undergoes death, again he comes back. This cyclic order goes on, and on, and on. Birth after death, death after birth – the cyclic order goes on. But what happens when one ensconces oneself in Him, when one becomes one with Him? One will die, no doubt, but after death one won’t come back. So when one is in deep love with Him, and death comes, that death is the final death. After death there will be no rebirth. Along with that death, death dies. So it is mrtyurmrtyuh – the death of death. So He is mrtyurmrtyuh." (AV-3) Baba says, "Those who take the name of the Lord are really intelligent and clever, because thereby they accelerate the speed of their spiritual progress. Those who do not do so, continue to move in the vicious circle of lives and deaths. This cyclical order of movement from life to death to life again is called the sam'sa'ra cakra. What will be the fate of a person who directs all his psychic propensities towards crude materiality? He will be caught again and again in the serpentine noose of death." (SS-21) Finally, the only way for one to escape the cycle of birth and death is to do regular sadhana. Then one is sure to get salvation and go beyond the noose of death.

== CAUGHT UP IN UPADHARMA ==

Namaskar, As Ananda Margiis, we understand that surrender (prapatti) is one of the most important aspects of spiritual life as it leads one to the height of human glory. Yet there are many obstacles involved. Specifically, one way or another, people get caught up in their secondary dharmas or upadharmas-- job, family life, earning money etc-- and forget the real goal of life, which is to serve and please Him all the 24hrs. In theory, surrender may sound easy, but establishing oneself in this practice demands full commitment and dedication. True surrender is to have one-pointed ideation on Parama Pursua, in all circumstances. By Baba's grace we will all achieve this stance in life. Here are some thoughts on this important topic.

SOCIETY INVOLVED IN MATERIALISTIC FLOW

Now all over the globe, each and every land is drowned in materialistic pursuits. People are running after money, name, fame, property, sex, food, fancy jobs etc. This is the common flow-- everywhere. People's ambitions and aspirations are aimed toward mundane things. So it is very easy to get caught up in that race. Hence, the present-day society is one major blockade in developing a more spiritual outlook in life wherein one is able to cultivate a strong sense of surrender. Once a well-knit, Proutistic social order is created, that will help tremendously. Of course, still we will have our own internal enemies and bondages (reference sa'dripus and as't'apa'shas) to ovecome, but the development of a healthy social order will be a boon for our individual and collective spiritual lives. Even then, we cannot wait for such a time to begin our own practice of surrender. Rather we should develop a pin-pointed awareness of the problem and know the solution.

THE IRONY OF IT ALL

To survive in this world we must attend to our secondary dharmas, our upadharmas. That is, we must arrange our food, clothing, shelter, medical care, education, and livelihood etc. All these things we must do. But, according to Baba, we must never forget the main goal, our main dharma of becoming one with Parama Purusa. Although, in this present era, due to capitalism and materialism, people have basically lost the goal of life and have become submerged in their upadharmas, still there is hope we can turn all this around. No doubt people are chasing after money, wealth, the opposite sex, etc, but they are doing this with one hidden idea in mind: To find happiness. As soon as they realise that a particular upadharma cannot give them lasting happiness, then they chase after another upadharma. A person may first get a corporate job and opt to buy a Mercedes Benz in order to become happy, but that still will not satisfy him. So then he may buy a yacht or a fancy new house in the mountains for his family. But still that will not satiate his longing to find lasting happiness and peace. So the irony is that people's dharma is to find infinite happiness. They want to find and get Parama Purusa. Unknowingly, that is what is driving them in their daily pursuits. The problem is that in trying to find eternal happiness, due to the effects of materialism, they get stuck looking in all the wrong places. Instead of looking within for that Divine Entity, they chase after every allurement in the material world. In that way they have gotten caught up in their upadharmas. Even then, behind it all, knowingly or unknowingly, it is their true dharma that they are seeking. That is the irony of it all.

IDEATING ON UPADHARMA

According to AM ideology, full surrender means doing for pleasing Him. But when one gets caught up in chasing after new automobiles, the latest cell-phone, and sexual relations etc, then those things get projected onto one's mental plate. Then one's ideation is goaded toward the material sphere. That is what it means to get caught up in one's upadharma. And by that way one can never become truly happy, because those limited things can never satisfy the infinite longing of the human mind. Yet this is the problem, nay tragedy, that has befallen most of the humanity. Instead of using mundane things like money, food, as merely tools for serving others and living in this objective world, those crude objects have become the goal of life. In that way, people are ideating on those secondary dharmas-- like name, fame, gold, and prestige-- all day long.

REQUIREMENT OF TRUE SURRENDER

Whereas our true dharma is to surrender to the Supreme One, not any mundane object. That is Baba's teaching, as we all know. To achieve this, both second lesson (thinking of Him throughout the day) and sadhana are key. Firstly we are to be strict in doing all our meditation lessons regularly. By this process of repeating our personal siddha mantra, the mind becomes ensconced in His flow and directed towards Him. That is one aspect. The second part is to remember Him in all we do throughout the day. Because while we may do sadhana for 1, 2 or 3 hours, we will be involved in mundane works for many times more than that. So rather than thinking that 'I am earning money to serve my wife or for my own self-satisfaction', one should think that, 'I am earning money because He likes that I should serve others as they are also the children of Parama Purusa and by this way I am serving and pleasing Him'. And this type of ideation should be applied to each and every work, duty, and responsibility throughout the day: Always think that this action is for Him and that He is watching. The tricky part is that this type of day-long ideation is basically impossible without a strong sadhana practice. With theoretical knowledge alone, one cannot do it. Of course, everyone is aware about the importance and interconnected nature of sadhana and service. These are not new concepts to anyone in AM, but sometimes it is important to reflect upon how important these practices are in cultivating a feeling of surrender for Him. Again, these two above practices are complementary. The more established we are in sadhana, the more natural it will be to ideate on Baba throughout the course of the day; similarly, the more we think about Him during the day, the easier the mind will slip into His ideation in sadhana. So the two work hand in hand. In contrast, if one side is lacking-- either sadhana or brahmacarya (ideating on Him throughout the day)-- then that will be detrimental in all regards and the result will be that we will be glued to those upadharmas, i.e. those secondary mundane things, and not to Him.

THE BENEFIT OF TRUE SURRENDER

Finally, by this dual approach of achieving full surrender in life, one great benefit results. When we attend to our upadharmas with the sole idea of serving and pleasing Him, and not for our own material gain etc, then we will be thinking of Him in which case the mind will be filled with infinite bliss. That is the true benefit human beings will get. Then and only then will our desire for lasting happiness be fulfilled. So true surrender, one-pointed ideation on Him, is the only way to achieve happiness in this world. All these teachings, Baba has given again and again throughout His innumerable discourses.

BABA'S BLESSING

Human life is very short and only blessed people come in the contact with the Sadguru. We should follow His each and every guideline and reach up to Him. Baba says, "What then will sa'dhakas do? What steps will they take to maintain the health of the society, to establish dharma, to maintain the speed of social progress? It may be said here that there is just one step to be taken, and that is a very simple and easy one. In the Giita' it has been said:

Sarvadharma'n parityajya Ma'mekam' sharan'am' vraja [“Set aside all other dharmas and take shelter in Me alone”].

One basic element of human beings is their own pra'n'a dharma. Some people have one such quality, some two, and some twenty or twenty-five. Fire possesses not only its essential quality, the power to burn, it has some other qualities as well, such as keeping the environment clean, etc. All these are the dharma of fire. A human too has certain upadharmas [secondary properties or characteristics], as for instance his articular style of eating, particular style of laughing, style of bathing, etc. All these come within the category of upadharmas. Humans bathe regularly – not that they bathe on one particular day of the week; they bathe daily. All these are the especial qualities of human beings. It is in reference to these secondary properties that is has been said"

Sarvadharma'n parityajya Ma'mekam' sharan'am' vraja

"In other words, whatever other qualities and properties humans may have should all be considered secondary properties. That is, take your bath, eat your food, go on with your daily work, but remember that these are not your main vrtti [propensity]; do not take these to be your main propensity, but secondary propensities. Learn to follow only one thing as your main vrtti, your primary dharma, and that is Ma'mekam' sharan'am' vraja – “accept only Me as your refuge.”" "Ma'mekam' sharan'am' vraja – “take refuge in Me alone.” Why this advice? The reason is simple. It is not possible to put one foot in one boat and the other foot in another boat and to sail in that way. If you try to do that, you will end up in the water, and perish. Worship the non-dual Parama Purus'a with a single name. “Just as you move towards the shelter of Parama Purus'a, I say from My side:"

Aham' tva'm' sarvapa'pebhyo moks'ayis'ya'mi ma' shucah.

"Be you a sinner, lowly, fallen, a filthy mole, or even a worm from hell – whatever you may be – I assure you that I will always be with you. From your side you do your duty – take shelter in Me – and from My side I assure you of your liberation.”" (DKG) Namaskar, Satyanarayan

Note 1: UPADHARMA, DHARMA, & PARAMA PURUSA

Baba says, "Sarvadharma'n parityajya [“Set aside all other dharmas”]. What is the meaning of dharma? It means “property” or “characteristic”. Jiivas maintain their existence through the expression of their inner characteristics in different spheres of creation. Every object in the universe has its own inherent characteristic: the characteristic of water is to make things wet, and that of fire is to burn. Centering around this fundamental characteristic, there are many secondary characteristics. For example, fire burns, but it does not burn the entirety of an object in the same way. It may burn one part of an object thoroughly and another part only partially. These different stages of burning are the secondary characteristics of the primary characteristic of fire, to burn. Water also has a number of secondary characteristics, and the collection of all these secondary characteristics is known as its dharma. To illustrate, when people eat, they do not mix all their food together and gulp it down voraciously, but follow a system of eating. For example, they may first eat bitter items, then semi-bitter ones, then sour ones, and finally sweet things. Sweets come at the end. The entire action of taking different items of food is called eating." "All dharmas have upadharmas [secondary characteristics]. Human life is no exception. For example, to provide for your family you require some sort of employment – be it agriculture, trading or business – you have to keep the house clean, feed everyone, and so on. These are the secondary characteristics included within the fundamental human dharma. What normally happens in human life? People get caught up in the secondary characteristics. For instance, when eating delicious food people often say “How good it tastes! But if it only had a bit more spice in it, then it would taste even better.” Being engrossed in the secondary dharma, people all too easily deviate from their main dharma. In ancient India, the usual custom was to offer a part of one’s meal to God before eating it. The spirit was, “May I remember You with every bit of food.” In Ananda Marga there is a system of applying guru mantra before commencing any action. The psycho-philosophy behind guru mantra is to transform the secondary dharma into the primary dharma at the psychic level. If this were not done then one’s secondary dharma would predominate. Much precious time is wasted by those who follow their secondary dharmas." “Give up secondary dharmas and accept Me as your supreme goal. Do not let your mind be diverted to those countless secondary dharmas, but concentrate it on the fundamental primary dharma. Only then will every moment of your life be properly utilized.” Now, what is this primary dharma? Ma'mekam' sharan'am' vraja [“take shelter in Me alone”]. Earlier I said that vraja means to move with Cosmic ideation in a state of bliss. The movement of human beings in this universe is not movement for movement’s sake, but is comparable to a vraja parikrama' [joyous pilgrimage]. No one moves even one step without any purpose. What does vraja parikrama' signify? We all know that just as the historical Krs'n'a lived in the Vrindavana of this world, our spiritual Krs'n'a lives in the Vrindavana of our heart. He is the nucleus around which individuals move.

Ma'mekam' sharan'am' vraja

"Do not run after name, power, position or wealth. Try to become one with Parama Purus'a." (NKS, Disc: 18)