== OWL'S BIRTHDAY ==
Note: At the bottom of this letter are links to more important letters on this topic.
Namaskar,
A critical event and recurring issue demands our full attention,
especially in the wake of recent events.
We all understand that everything Baba has given is sacred, including
our WT system and His divine collection of Prabhat Samgiita.
Yet now, in recurring birthday bashes, both of these gifts are being
misused, nay abused.
Please read the following; see what is going on; and find out which
acaryas are involved.
Collectively, by raising awareness, together we can put a stop to such
shenanigans that undermine the sanctity of Baba's ideological teachings
and devotional treasures.
BABA'S MANDATE:
NO BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION FOR WT
Since a number of Wts have jumped on the birthday party bandwagon, we
need to examine the issue from various aspects.
First off, let's just make it clear that no Wt or avadhuta should be
involved in celebrating their own birthday. That is Baba's strict rule.
Many will recall that in the early 1970's when Nirmohanananda celebrated
his own birthday in Daltonganj, then Baba reprimanded Dada severely. Out
of His great love, Baba wanted to set the record straight regarding
proper WT conduct. So He sent a strong message by rebuking
Nirmohanananda, in front of everyone.
Seeing this all workers immediately understood that they have not come
on this earth to party and celebrate their own crude birthday. That is
not what Baba wants.
Our wholetimers are to think about Him and focus on the Goal.
Tadekam' smara'mah...Tadekam' nidha'nam'
Baba says, "That Cosmic Entity alone should be created in your mind and
no other object...He is the terminating point. He is the Supreme
Desideratum." (AV-2)
WARNING:
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION = DEGENERATION
Indeed, celebrating one's own birthday leads to the degeneration of
mind. Because by thinking of oneself the mind gets smaller and smaller.
And when thinking of oneself in a glorified way by allowing an entire
gathering of people to hold a party in your honour and sing happy
birthday to you by distorting Baba's compositions of Prabhat Samgiita -
which is what some of our acaryas are doing - then this goes against all
codes of Wt conduct and etiquette.
Indeed this flies in the face of being an Ananda Margii and disciple of
the Sadguru Shrii Shrii Anandamurti ji. Such a scene will certainly lead
to one's degeneration.
Baba says, "Vanity harms the mind in three ways...The second [way] is
gaorava, self-aggrandizement or boasting – projecting oneself as a great
personality.... Is this really something great of which human beings can
feel proud? And what is the result of this self-glorification? Raorava
means the seventh hell." (AMIWL-11)
Thus when some of our Wts are having the entire room sing happy birthday
to them - by manipulating Baba's Prabhat Samgiita which is meant for the
arrival of Parama Purusa - and when those acaryas themselves are the
guest of honor, and when everyone is there to celebrate them, then the
entire event is just about puffing up their petty I-feeling.
In that case,their degeneration is sure. As Baba warns, their destiny is
the depths of hell.
SHEER AUDACITY:
HOW THEY ARE CELEBRATING
Now lets critically examine how some of our Wt's are manipulating and
entwining Baba's divine songs of Prabhat Samgiita into their misguided
birthday bashes (i.e. parties).
First, our workers are not supposed to be celebrating their own crude
birthday. They have come onto this earth for something else. That is now
well understood.
Second, such Wt's are organising birthday parties for themselves and one
another and then singing Baba's special Prabhat Samgiita, Janmadine...
#135, in the honour of that worker. When in fact that song is meant to
be sung to Baba and Baba only during our Ananda Purnima celebrations.
That's right, you read the above paragraph properly. Your eyes are not
deceiving you.
On not one, but rather on multiples occasions, certain WTs have directed
Baba's beloved Prabhat Samgiita toward themselves, as if they are so
great and their mundane birthday is so special.
Such is their audacity.
That entire Prabhat Samgiit, Janmadine...#135, is all about celebrating
the grand arrival of Parama Purusa, yet some of our workers have the
gall to redirect this divine song unto themselves. And they stand there
and smile as a whole crowd of people are singing that divine Prabhat
Samgiita in their honour.
Can you imagine such a thing? Such is the lowly standard to which a few
of our workers have fallen.
Of course, there are many disciplined workers who would never stoop to
such degrading activities, so we are not talking about all Wts.
The tragedy is that some of our senior and top workers are involved in
this birthday scandal. A few of their names are mentioned below.
MORE ABOUT PRABHAT SAMGIITA #135
As true Ananda Margii will recognise, in Prabhat Samgiita #135,
Janmadine ei shubha ks'an'e, the entire song is directed towards Parama
Purusa. It is His holy arrival that is being celebrated, not one Dada's
mundane birthday.
In the song, due to the grand arrival of Taraka Brahma, devotees are
losing themselves in bliss - that is what is meant by the line,
"Khusiite vibhora a'panha'ra'.
Plus, the devotees are expressing the love and joy of their heart for
Parama Purusa and no one else. That is what is meant by the line,
"Udvela hiya' toma'rei la'giya'".
Each and every syllable, line, and stanza of the song is about the
grandeur of Parama Purusa and how He makes everyone's heart dance in
bliss, and how His arrival creates a new spiritual vibration that
transforms the whole world, and how He has come to remain close to me.
Thus Prabhat Samgiita #135 is a very personal and devotional song that
reflects a bhakta's joy in having Parama Purusa in the mind and heart
and how His arrival is totally blissful.
Thus to sing this song in honour of one Dada's crude birthday goes
against all ethics of devotional life. To speak frankly, according to
our standard of Ananda Marga, such an act is not only misguided but
criminal.
After all, we are not talking about a primary school student. We are
talking about our esteemed acaryas who have been on the path for decades
and been in hundreds of reporting sessions with Baba. These Dadas are
not innocent babies. They have been educated and trained about AM and
Baba's teachings.
They should know better and set a better example to others.
So it is absolutely shocking that they could even think to use Baba's
divine Prabhat Samgiita in honour of their own mundane birthday - as if
they are the Saviour of this universe. Either such a Dada is just plain
ignorant, dumb, and devotionally blind, or they have an ego the size of
the Himalayas.
In either case the situation is not at all good - and their future is
not at all bright.
BABA'S ORDER:
MUST NOT GLORIFY ONESELF
Here Baba is clearly warning that human beings, let alone our esteemed
acaryas, must not be involved in self-glorification by holding birthday
parties and singing songs of their own greatness. One must not do such
things.
Baba says, "Kiirtana should be done on Hari and on no other entity. One
should not praise oneself or any other person. There are many people who
are very fond of praising themselves by telling everyone what wonderful
things they have done, but, as mentioned in this sloka, kiirtana is not
for one’s own self but for Hari. Even though people are taught to do
kiirtana for Hari, they still make the mistake of praising themselves
too much. Sometimes their self-praise is so intense that others are
obliged to say, “Please stop praising yourself so much.” They forget
that their self-applause is rather boring for others. Human beings
should realize that no one likes to hear the self-praise of others." (AV-8)
Even though a few degraded workers may enjoy the crude display of their
own petty glory, such ostentatious displays are not received well in the
society. This will tarnish the image of all workers who have come on
this earth to selflessly serve others, not glorify themselves.
BABA'S BLESSING
By Baba's grace we are to become great by our spiritual and selfless
conduct, not by the pomp and show of our birthday bashes.
Baba says, "It is action that makes a person great. Be great by your
sa'dhana', by your service, by your sacrifice."
For a Wt to celebrate their own birthday using Prabhat Samgiitas is
nothing but of a function of their own blindness. That is why many say
this is just one owl's birthday.
Namaskar,
Mahendra
Note 1: PART LIFE VS FULL LIFE
Regarding birthdays, it has to be mentioned that our present life is
nothing but a part life. It is not a full life. Our life began when our
consciousness first emanated from the Cosmic Hub. Since that time we
have undergone incarnation after incarnation.
Baba says, " After millions of animal lives, a created being attains the
human form..." (Ananda Va'nii #33)
Baba says, "In Sanskrit, dvi means “two” and ja means “born”, so dvija
means “twice born”...the first birth was the physical birth, and the
second birth was the spiritual birth, during initiation." (AV-30)
Thus, one should not think that when the spermatoza fertilised the egg
that led to this particular birth is one grand birthday event.
Our life is spiritual oriented, not goaded toward the mundane.
Thus, every sadhaka in the Marga should think twice about how far they
should celebrate their "birthday". For workers, there is no question of
celebrating as they have given up everything of their unit existence for
Baba. But all sadhakas in the Marga should take a moment and consider
the points in this letter and see if really they feel it appropriate and
beneficial to celebrate their own birthday.
Of course with young kids it is a different matter - they should
celebrate - but advanced sadhakas should rethink this issue with regards
to themselves. Already, probably many do not celebrate as they are more
interested in Parama Purusa.
Note 2: IN CARYACARYA BUT NOT FOR THEM
In Caryacarya, Baba has given all kinds of ceremonies for the general
society, including birthday celebrations (without Prabhat Samgiita of
course!). But no acarya should blindly think that therefore that
birthday celebration is for them anymore than they should think that the
marriage ceremony is for them. Those types of things in Caryacarya are
for the general society, not our esteemed acaryas.
Note 3: WHO IS INVOLVED IN THESE BIRTHDAY ANTICS
On 29 August 2009, in Jharsguda (Orissa, India), there was a big
birthday party event held in honour of Dada Priyakrsnananda.
For those not aware, Dada Priyakrsnananda has years and years of
experience in AM and even in his early years in the Marga he was a
Central Worker who lived close to Baba. Thus he should really know better.
Perhaps most surprising is that there were many, many senior workers on
hand for this birthday gala event and in one big round, they all sang
Prabhat Samgiita #135, "Janma dine...", in order to celebrate
Priyakrsnananda's birthday.
This type of dogmatic thing is totally against the ethics of our Marga
and it sets a very negative example. Because, as we all know, dogma
spreads.
Not surprisingly then, more recently in SUVA sector, the very senior
Dada Paramatmananda and Didi Ananda Shamiita organised two birthday
parties. And once again, they both insisted that PS #135, "Janma
dine...", be sung. Thus with printed song sheets etc that Dada and Didi
made sure that the birthday event was celebrated with Prabhat Samgiita.
So this ugly trend is quickly making its way around the world. It is
such a tragedy that even our senior most workers do not understand basic
principles about AM and Prabhat Samgiita. It is amazing how quickly they
have forgotten Guru's teachings and guidelines.
Note 4: THIS DADA ALSO CELEBRATED HIS BIRTHDAY
Here is a letter about a past birthday events regarding our acaryas.
These letters are filled with stories, explanations, and insights about
this critical issue.
http://am-global-01.blogspot.com/2005/04/avadhutas-birthday.html
http://am-global-01.blogspot.com/2005/04/ideal-avadhuta.html
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Health Guideline
Baba says, "A'pashcavishvabhes'ajii-- that is 'water is medicine for all
diseases'. Truly, all types of disease can be relieved if one knows how to
use water properly. To maintain the internal functions of the body without
hindrance and to maintain the internal liquid balance, everyone should
drink a sufficient quantity of water every day. A healthy person can
consume three or four seers of water a day, a sick person four or five
seers, and a person suffering from skin disease, five or six seers. These
amounts of water help cure disease to a great extent."
"Drinking water is good, but water with a little lemon and a little
salt is still better."
"Drinking a lot of water at a time is harmful, especially for heart
patients." (YT, '96, p. 93)
Note: During meals if people drink water or juice etc then the saliva gets
diluted thus adversely affecting digestion and inviting many diseases.
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