== PUBLICATIONS KNOWS MANY WAYS TO CONFUSE PEOPLE ==
Namaskar,
With the recent printing of Ananda Vacanamrtam Part 11-12 (2008), it is
evident that there are a number of ways that the Tiljala Publications
Dept is trying to confuse people. Let's first address the tactics used
in AV-12 and then focus on AV-11.
(Note: For those who may not be aware, these two volumes (AV-11 & AV-12)
are part and parcel of the very same book, i.e. the same publication.
They have the same cover, the same binding, and the same back.)
AV-12 IS A TRANSCRIPTION NOT A TRANSLATION
Ananda Vacanamrtam part 12 (2008) contains discourses which Baba
graciously delivered during His European tour. Hence, those discourses
were originally given in English. To publish an English edition of those
discourses, as was done in AV-12 (2008), then absolutely no translation
work is involved. Zero. It is purely the matter of transcription: Simply
type what Baba has spoken and the book is complete and correct.
Unfortunately, the English discourses of AV-12 are laced with thousand
and thousands of errors:
http://am-global-01.blogspot.com/2008/11/art-of-sarvatmananda-discourse.html
http://am-global-01.blogspot.com/2008/10/re-proof-of-distortion-in-new-book-av.html
http://am-global-01.blogspot.com/2008/08/proof-of-distortion-in-new-book-av-11.html
http://am-global-01.blogspot.com/2008/09/proof-of-hypocrisy.html
And when anyone raises any of these errors with those Publications
personnel, then they give their own false logic and reasoning.
Their lengthy sermon goes something like this: 'You see, we are
translating the discourses of Parama Purusa. How can a human being do
such things. To do such translations takes immense talent, language
skills, precision, and subtlety of mind. Blah, blah, blah; blah, blah,
blah.'
What they totally forget to mention and fail to understand, is that
printing an English edition of AV-12 needs no translation work at all.
Zero.
All those discourses have been spoken by Baba in English. All that is
needed then is to faithfully type what Baba has spoken. There is no
subtlety of translation involved; indeed there is no brain power
involved. Just type what Baba spoke-- then the book will be proper.
But even this much could not be done by Tiljala Publications as there
are huge, gaping holes, missing text, wrong words, missed phrasing, and
the like on each and every page. Every page, every paragraph, and nearly
every line. There are thousands and thousands of careless and obvious
errors.
Yet when any concerned margii raises such matters with Tiljala
Publications, then one of their cohorts like Kirit (California, USA)
comes forward and issues his sermon about the delicate and sensitive
nature of properly translating AM books. And he'll say something like,
'How can a human being truly translate the Lord's discourses. This will
take years and generations. No one on the planet now can do such work.'
This is the type of reply one will receive from Kirit.
Yet again, in AV-12, there is no question of having to do even one
syllable of translation. The discourses were given in English. It is
just a matter of transcription. Type what Baba spoke and the book is
ready for publication. And when Tiljala has all those original
cassettes, then it is not at all a difficult job. Any typist off the
street can do the job.
But Kirit describes the task as being something gargantuan that cannot
be attempted or done by any living, breathing human being. And he and
his pals just deliberately try to confuse the mass of margiis about the
great sensitivity, if not impossibility, of their so-called translation
work.
Indeed it seems that those helpers like Kirit, who are affiliated with
the Tiljala Publications team, have become blind and lost their sense of
rationality. Otherwise why is it so difficult for them to see the light
of day on this issue. AV-12 is just a matter of transcription, not
translation.
Ultimately it is an easy solution: Baba spoke in English, type what He
spoke, then print it. Then the English edition of AV-12 will be complete
and proper.
KEEPING QUIET MEANS ACCEPTING THOSE MISTAKES FOREVER
The real danger is that once all those gross errors and mistakes get
incorporated into a printed volume, like AV 11-12 (2008), then those
mistakes get passed down from one generation to the next. This is the
way so many books and scriptures have been distorted in the past,
throughout the human history. Just see what happened with Lord Shiva and
Lord Krsna's teachings.
So keeping quiet about AV-12 means accepting those errors for hundreds
of years. Because the next volume will not be printed for 25 more years
and by that time readers will have forgotten about the mistakes, and
again the same type of garbage edition will be published. And it will go
on and on like this. Our AM books will be wrong from one generation to
the next.
So distinct action is needed to ensure that this problem is finished and
solved once and for all. We must continue to raise the matter that AV-12
should be printed "as is". Just accurately transcribe what Baba has
spoken and the English edition of AV-12 will be complete.
Tragically, up till now the Tiljala Publications team could not do this
and when questioned about it they resort to all kinds of silly
justifications about their so-called art of translation.
DOGMATIC PHOTOS
Now let's switch the discussion to AV-11, which is composed of Bengali
discourses.
Some days back, a letter was posted about the use of glossy photos of
dogmatic idols in the newly published, Ananda Vacanamratm part 11 (2008).
That letter raised two main points:
(1) That certain leaders will do anything and everything for their
agenda of the Bangalistion of AM, including littering our AM
publications with photos of dogmatic idols exclusively from Bengal, and
no other place.
(2) By putting photos of dogmatic idols in our dharmic AM books, the
publishers are goading people's minds toward the crude practice of idol
worship. So just as we do not show pictures of alcohol and cocaine in
books where Baba is talking about the dangers of intoxicants, similarly
we should not highlight idol worship in discourses where Baba is tearing
down that dogmatic practice. Best is then not to have any photos of
religious idols in our AM books.
Here are some of Baba's key teachings about this second point.
MUST NOT DIVERT TOWARD DOGMAS
The whole entire globe has been running after religious dogmas like idol
worship for centuries if not thousands of years. Each and every
tradition, each and every country has such a history of chasing one
religious dogma or another. People are accustomed to this as it is an
easy or cheap way to pray.
That is why in our AM books, it is essential that we not highlight those
very dogmas we are trying to draw the world away from. Rather we should
highlight asanas, sadhana, kaoshikii, or kiirtan in our photos, not
dogmatic idol worship.
In a phrase we should not replicate the very dogmatic environment in
which they are stuck, but rather introduce a new, more sentient, way of
living.
Baba says, "The best psychological cure for addicts is to put them in an
environment where they will be unable to think of their object of
addiction for any length of time. To proclaim, “Don’t do this, it’s
bad,” is futile, for it is a negative approach. If you say, “Don’t drink
wine”, you are still injecting the concept of wine into the alcoholic’s
mind, thus making it impossible for him to forget it and kick his bad
habits. You are giving alcohol negative publicity, and it again becomes
his mental object. Thus whenever he gets the opportunity he will
certainly drink it again. And it may be that this negative approach
encourages the alcoholic to become even more addicted. It is a defective
approach." (APH-6)
The same phenomenon is occurring by placing dogmatic idols in our AM
books. Just as alcoholics will be drawn toward alcohol when they are
reminded of it, similarly the hundreds of millions of idol worshipers on
this earth will revert back to that dogmatic practice if it is
highlighted in our books.
MUST DIVERT THE MIND TOWARD SENTIENT PURSUITS
Here Baba guides us how the mind should be goaded toward sentient
practices.
Hence instead of big, glossy photos of idol worship, pictures (if any)
in our AM books should be of dharmic, tantric practices like: Sadhana,
kiirtan, tandava, etc.
Baba says, "These days the sign “No smoking please” is placed in many
public places, but it will not reduce the amount of smoking. If society
wants people to stop smoking, its approach should be to divert the
smoker’s mind to other objects. A chain smoker should be encouraged to
get involved in various pursuits such as music, dance, songs, culture of
fine arts, etc., for if the mind remains engaged in these things it will
forget its object of addiction. But the person who thinks, “I’ll stop
drinking wine the day after tomorrow – no, let me see, why not tomorrow”
can never kick the habit, for wine remains the mental object. The mind
will try to materialize whatever it thinks about in the external world –
this is its nature." (APH-6)
So just as a no smoking sign will remind the person about cigarettes,
similarly pictures of idol worship in AV-11 will just plunge the reader
into that cheap form of worship.
That is why Baba's guideline is to divert the mind toward higher,
dharmic ideals. Then one will easily be able to overcome their negative
habits and desires.
Here Baba shows how this exact theory works in the spiritual sphere.
Baba says, "The same thing also happens in the spiritual sphere. In the
physical sphere the mind may run after rasagolla', a cup of tea, or a
boy’s shirt; and in the psychic sphere after mother’s words. In the
spiritual sphere, if the mind is withdrawn from all such objects and
directed to Parama Purus'a, it will eventually become one with Him. But
it will have to take a firm decision: “I will think only of Parama
Purus'a, and not any of the thousands of other objects.” So the mind
must be withdrawn from all objects and directed towards Parama Purus'a
In this process, and after some time, it will become one with Parama
Purus'a. At that stage it will cherish no further desire for rasogollas,
tea, fashionable shirts, or the mother’s words. Parama Purus'a alone
will be the greatest object of happiness." (APH-6)
Just as we are to guide the mind towards Parama Purusa when doing
sadhana, the pictures in our AM books should guide the mind toward the
dharma of AM, and not any dogmatic form of idol worship.
BABA'S BLESSING
By Baba's grace together we will be able to clean up our AM Publications.
To make AV 11-12 proper, the dogmatic pictures of idol worship must be
removed immediately from the book; and the English discourses must be
properly transcribed, and not done in a sloppy manner with the excuse
given that make a good translation can take hundreds of years.
It is just plain foolishness & dangerous to allow such errors to
continue. We must not allow Publications to employ their tactics and
cheap agendas to confuse readers. Now is the time when all these things
should be corrected and the air cleaned.
Baba says, "The scriptures containing spiritual injunctions must be
totally flawless." (NSS, Disc: 14)
Namaskar,
Dinesh
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Special Formula of Tandava
Baba says, "Tandava: As long as a dancer remains above the ground, he
derives much benefit; when he touches the ground, then those benefits
are assimilated by the body. That is why in the tandava dance there is
much jumping, because jumping requires the practitioner to remain off
the ground for a fairly long period of time." (NSS, p. 23)
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