== MISUNDERSTANDING ABOUT WHO IS DEVOTEE ==
Namaskar,
In each and every era, society is ruled by one or another dominating
group that indulges in suppressing and exploiting all the other sectors
of the population. In such an atmosphere, everyone falls prey to the
unjust ways of the ruling group. This is the tragic trend and proven
history.
Likewise, throughout the ages there have been strong, courageous people
who have risen up to oppose the wrongdoings of the ruling class. Yet,
time and again these brave bhaktas were tossed aside and labeled as
trouble-makers by the so-called leaders of the day.
And instead, fake type of meek people were touted as 'great saints' or
'seers' or 'devotees' by the leaders of that era-- all because these
spineless goody-goody type of saints were keeping mum about injustices
and just raising the banner of the dominant group.
By this scenario, a totally wrong conception, or utter misconception,
was created about who is devotee and who is not.
SOME CONTEMPORARY EXAMPLES OF FAKE DEVOTEES
For example, in the 20th century itself, various "sages" were brought to
the fore and presented as being great devotees and top spiritualists
when in reality such people were just tools or agents of the ruling
elite. Immediately the case of Mahatma Gandhi comes to mind as well as
numerous Christian and Catholic priests, nuns, bishops, and even popes.
Of course Baba Himself has exposed these pseudo-saints such as Gandhi
etc, but within the general society Gandhi and one particular nun of the
20th century are often hailed as true saviours and God-realised souls.
Yet the reality is that Gandhi et al were so attached with their
reputation & prestige and so fearful of the rulers of the day that they
were scared to speak out against capitalist & political exploitation.
By this way, what it means to be saintly in the real sense, and what is
the true quality of a devotee gets totally misconstrued by the common
people.
BABA'S DHARMIC GUIDELINES: WHO IS DEVOTEE
In unambiguous, distinct language Baba has totally cleared up any and
all misconceptions about who is a true devotee and graciously given firm
guidelines as to who are the real bhaktas. Here below Baba pointedly
reveals how true devotees will act.
'Samuaunmasrnito sava'nto mamatva'tishaya'nktah'.
Baba says, "Those who have Iishvaraprema - inner love for God - remove
the pebbles and stones from their path, making it smooth, neat and
clean. Non-indulgence in duplicity, hypocrisy and other base mental
propensities is the first sign of Iishvaraprema. Say things clearly:
'No, I am unable to do it. I shall not support you'. Talk straight. Do
not say things like, 'It's good to see you again. Yes, of course I shall
think it over'. Say immediately, 'No, I won't support you. Your actions
are not proper. You are not following dharma. You are immoral,
unideological and inhuman. Why should I support a person like you? You
won't get any support from me, you can be sure of that'. But do not say,
'Come back tomorrow or the day after to give me a chance to think it
over.' Close the chapter without delay. Do not linger. To do this, what
do you need? You need a little courage, that is all. Every devotee
possesses enough courage. Those who pursue the path of bhakti
automatically acquire such courage-- they are not timid." (AV-7, p.8)
By Baba's above animated explanation anyone can easily understand that
devotees are brave souls ever-ready to step forward and uphold the call
of dharma.
And in this below teaching, Baba again clearly tells us that devotees
will always take a strong step against wrongdoing and exploitation.
Baba says, "By observing people's conduct one will easily notice those
who are absorbed in divine love...Those who have attained Iishvaraprema
can never and will never exploit others. They will raise their voice
against all sorts of tyranny, injustice, and exploitation. Those who do
not possess that kind of honest courage to oppose all wrongs are nothing
but fakes-- they are never genuine [devotees]." (AV-7, p.12)
MAKING THE MATTER PERFECTLY CLEAR
By Baba's afore-cited guidelines, it is perfectly clear who is a devotee
and who is not. So no one should get confused or tricked into thinking
that a spine-less and meek type of person is a devotee. Those who keep
mum in the face of injustice cannot be hailed as a true devotee. Rather
they are a fake-- hiding behind their own clown-like behaviour &
superficial smile. Such duplicitous souls should never be trusted.
DEVOTEES WILL ALWAYS STAND TALL IN THE FACE OF INJUSTICE
Baba shows us that: Guided by their neo-humanistic love, devotees feel
that all are part and parcel of their singular human family. So when
bhaktas see crooked leaders exploiting and hurting the common people,
then immediately those devotees will spring into action and oppose that
wrongdoing. This is the intrinsic quality of every devotee.
And furthermore Baba's mandate is that as those bhaktas are ever
ensconced in the grand ideation of Parama Purusa, they will always get
more and more strength and courage to maintain their dharmic campaign.
Indeed, by His grace through their sadhana they will get more and more
energy to fight injustice-- knocking down those exploiters,
simultaneously opening the eyes of the common people and clearing their
vision. And in the end bringing welfare to all by His grace.
By such qualities of courage & valour devotees are easily recognisable.
This is Baba's eternal teaching.
BABA'S BLESSING
By Baba's infinite grace and compassion may we all become great bhaktas
and wipe away all injustices from this earth and usher in that brilliant
pure era of peace and vitality.
Baba says, "Those who can dedicate their all to the thought of the Great
and the inspiration of the Supreme are verily the most heroic. Indeed,
they are the virtuous, and they alone are capable of taking human
history from darkness to light." (A'nanda Va'nii, #22)
Namaskar,
Kalicharan
Note 1: SITUATION IN AMPS
Since 1990, in our AMPS there has also been confusion as to who is a
devotee. So this situation or misconception is not totally limited to
the general society alone. This distressing scenario has entered into
our AM family as well. Where sometimes people mistakenly think that
those who are quiet and walk around with half-closed eyes are the great
devotees of our AM family. When in the end we find that such so-called
saintly souls spend their days getting kicked around by the various
groupist forces-- all because they are mentally weak or scared to lose
their post or both. Certainly there is no need to mention such names
here as everyday things are becoming more and more apparent. Actually,
now as a collective we are developing an understanding of who is who;
step by step that inner feeling is coming. And by sharpening our mind
and paying heed to Baba's various guidelines, we will develop more and
more in this regard-- thus enabling our AM society to grow in a proper way.
Note 2: DEVOTEES ARE NOT GOODY-GOODIES
Here Baba again clearly differentiates between fake devotees or
goody-goodies and the real dharmikas or bhaktas.
Baba says, "We cannot call people 'good' if they cannot lead people of
all walks of life towards welfare. We can call them 'goody-goodies' but not good
people. Those who are truly good people will move bravely forward and
provide inspiration and strength to those mute masses to fight against
all kinds of obstacles, and give a clarion call to them to march ahead."
(May 17, 1982)
Baba says, "The characteristic of good people is to fight against
injustice, to firmly adhere to truth and righteousness, to protect the
helpless and fight against all evil persons. Those who are merely simple
and are of a meek and goody-goody nature are not good people." (AFPS, pt
5, pg 28)
Note 3: BABA EXPOSES FAKE DEVOTEES
OUT OF THEIR OWN WEAKNESS THEY SUPPORT THE RULING ELITE
THUS RUINING THE LIVES OF MILLIONS
In these following passages, Baba exposes the weak and faulty character
of various fake devotees like Gandhi who led the people astray. And not
just Gandhi, there are many cheats who fall in this lowly category. So
we should crystalise our own understanding and never get befooled by
such fake saints in the future.
Baba says, "During the struggle for independence, a great blunder was
committed by Mahatma Gandhi. In order to show his innocence, he said
that he would not support the communal award, but nor would he vote
against it. That is, indirectly he supported it. What happened to the
country after this was due to the himalayan blunder committed by Mahatma
Gandhi. At that time he should have said, 'No. I do not support the
communal award'. He did not say this because his party workers and party
leaders were eager to become ministers, so they pressed him for
provincial autonomy. But Mahatma Gandhi neither supported it nor opposed
it. He committed a great blunder. What has happened in the country after
this is the result of what Mahatma Gandhi did. At that time he should
have said that we can neither split the country nor disintegrate it. As
a result of the communal award, the country was trifurcated into
Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. This was the result of the blunder of
Mahatma Gandhi, and he did it under the pressure of his party leaders."
(PNS-18, 'The Dangers of Communalism')
Here below Baba again points out how fake saints like Gandhi are just
the tools of the ruling class.
Baba says, "The post-independence period can be divided into three main
phases -- the Nehru era, the Gandhi era and the Janata government. All
these eras came within the jurisdiction of the Vaeshya Era or capitalist
rule, and they all had one thing in common-- they had a soft state
policy towards the capitalists." (PE)
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Spiritual Progress in Future Humans & Animals
Baba says, "The human beings of that future age will be very
sensitive...The functional jurisdiction of the brain will also increase.
Similarly, many animals will become more sensitive and their vocabulary
will increase. With intellectual development vocabulary increases, and
the number of words in a language also increases. The functional
jurisdiction of the brain of animals will increase too. With the help of
spiritual practices, the human beings of the future will increase the
functional jurisdiction of their brains with accelerating speed."
(PNS-17, p.36)
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