== YOU CAN'T FIGHT ALONE ==
Namaskar,
Our march on the path of dharma entails overcoming all obstacles. This
we all know.
However Baba Himself proclaims that there are some obstacles that we
just cannot overcome. No matter how hard we try we cannot. We may use
all our intellect and every bit of our might - all the force we have -
yet as human beings we just will not attain victory, so long as we stand
alone.
Such is the predicament, limitation, and frailty of human life.
What is the obstacle that will defeat us time and time again, and how
are we to ultimately prevail. All this Baba has revealed in a few
special discourses.
JAEVII MAYA IN EVERYDAY LIFE
As sadhakas, we encounter jaevii maya day in and day out. Always she is
there and it is well within our abilities and strength to get victory.
She is not our arch enemy that is beyond our abilities to overcome. No
doubt, jaevii maya can be tricky, but we regularly defeat this type of
maya.
Consider the following.
We are walking down the street and a certain type of food entices us -
it is dinner time. Yet we know it is our duty to first attend to our
sadhana before eating. With a little bit of iccha shakti (will power),
we are able to keep our crude desire at bay and first attend to our
practice of dharma sadhana - thereby winning the battle against jaevii maya.
A sensual picture pops us in our web browser, we might desire to take a
quick look, but then we realise its futility, close the pop-up, and move
on with our dharmic work, unaffected by the distraction. Here again, we
are not bound by jaevii maya.
It is fasting day, we are tired, we want to skip our dances and asanas.
Lethargy and fatigue are calling. Even then we put forth the needed
effort and valiantly attend to our tandava, kaoshikii and asanas. Once
again we gain victory over jaevii maya.
In short, jaevii maya is the collection of all those types of
attractions, allurements, and samskaras that we are able to overcome
with our own unit strength. There are countless example in human life:
sexual allurement, compromising with dogma, self-glorification, post,
prestige, money, and the list goes on and on.
They come at us from all angles, but they are small enough that we are
able to vanquish those forces of jaevii maya.
JAEVII MAYA SNAGS MANY, BUT NOT SADAHAKAS
In today's materialistic and capitalistic society, all delights of
jaevii maya dance before our eyes 24hrs a day.
Unfortunately, most of the common people - i.e. non-sadhakas - get
burned every day by such allurements. We read of politicians ensnared in
sex stings and drug scandals, as well as the guy next door who cannot
give up his habit of eating at McDonald's and drinking wine. Most
everyone gets caught. By everyone, I mean the common type of citizens
that we see on the street.
As sadhakas, however, we are able to extricate ourselves from jaevii
maya and see her for the pauper that she really is. She has nothing good
to offer us and with our pointed intellect, we are not taken in by her
glitz and glamour.
Each and everyone one of us on this tantric path achieves this each and
every day, to some or more degree. No one can enter onto or move forward
one inch on the path of Ananda Marga without having the determination,
strength, and stamina to surmount the callings of jaevii maya.
And, of course, the more sadhana we do, the easier we are able to gain
victory over jaevii maya.
DAEVII MAYA
Daevii maya, however is a horse of a different colour, a different breed
entirely. This we cannot overcome. Call it what you will: Maya, reactive
momenta, fate, or samskara, but the callings of this one utterly lead to
our demise. There is nothing we can do about it.
Daevii maya is also known as Shaevii maya becomes it comes from
Shiva or Brahma or Parama Purusa directly.
We have a business engagement in London. We have to fly there - there is
no choice. We are eager to make the deal. Our plane tragically goes down
in the English Channel. We had no chance of survival. Our life ends in
this way. That is daevii maya.
We could not see her coming and we had no answer for her ways.
Earthquakes, incurable illnesses, bomb blasts, economic depressions,
birth defects, car accidents, social upheaval - all these things are
beyond our control. We may take special care and preparedness in life,
but any or all of the above - as well many other types of things - can
bind us and change the course of our life at any moment. We have no
chance to predict these events, nor avoid them. We are just their
victims, as slaves to daevii maya.
Such is the gargantuan strength and challenge of daevii maya. Humans
have not a chance in the world of gaining victory by themselves. Always
we will lose.
And indeed if you talk to any aged person, they will recount so many
examples in life where despite their most intense efforts they could not
prevail. Youths always think they are invincible and capable of doing
anything. Yet as one lives on this earth and undergoes the toils of
life, we invariably discover how overcoming daevii maya is beyond our
limited means. With deavii maya, we have met our match.
Only there is one single way out.
THE ONLY WAY OUT
Here Baba graciously supplies us with the one and only recipe for
gaining victory over daevii maya.
Daevii hyes'a' gun'amayii mama Ma'ya' duratyaya';
Ma'meva ye prapadyante Ma'ya'meta'm' taranti te.
Baba says, "This Ma'ya' of Mine is of the nature of three principles,
and is almost insurmountable. Only those who take refuge in Me can
overcome this Ma'ya'...Ma'ya', the force that creates confusion and
distinctions, is very powerful, it is insurmountable by jiivas [living
beings]. “But those who surrender unto Me transcend these forces of Mine
with My help."
"If Ma'ya' is more powerful than jiivas, will the children of God remain
forever slaves of this force? Is there no hope? No, such a situation is
becoming neither of God nor of His children." (AV-30)
So the only way to overcome daevii maya is to surrender at His lotus
feet. Then, by His magnificent grace, we will cent-per-cent safe in all
circumstances as He will protect us in all ways at all times. When He is
the Controller of daevii maya, then it is impossible for her to bind or
ruin us - so long as we take shelter in Him.
BUT SURRENDER IS NOT SO EASY
One might casually say, "Oh just surrender to Parama Purusa and
everything will be alright." This is a true statement, but not so easily
done.
After all this is the culminating point of all yogas. By His grace, we
have a tantric Guru who has given us all the tools to learn the art of
surrender, as well as warned us about how the human mind forgets this
spiritual art as well.
The main sticking point is our ego, of I-feeling. It always wants to
poke its nose and take credit for all we do.
Baba says, "I did this, I did that – I built this road when I was a
minister I constructed this bridge when I was in the Public Works
Department” – this is how people become mad for their little “I”."
(AMIWL-11)
Baba says, "My ego says that my mind belongs to me.” In the practical
field this is the case. “I come from Switzerland. I have to get a
passport, I have to get a visa. I have to extend the date” – so many
thoughts. But all these thoughts are connected with the individual ego,
the individual mind. And you never think that this mind also belongs to
Him. You think, “It is my mind.” Everybody thinks like this. This is all
talk of the ego." (AV-3)
So this I-felling and ego are always in the way of surrender. And
surrender is not something that can be done halfway. It is either all or
nothing. Just as one cannot be a little bit pregnant, one cannot
surrender just a little bit.
The unit ego and the feeling of surrender cannot coexist. It is not
possible just like it is not possible for a man to both drink and smoke
at the same time. One can do one or the other, but not both simultaneously.
So the moment the unit ego gets involved, surrender becomes
non-existent. In that case, we are all alone and we may fall prey to
daevii maya at any moment. On our own we cannot fight this type of maya.
The help, guidance, and grace of Parama Purusa is needed - yet is
unavailable to us only when we hold the umbrella of vanity - i.e. the
arrogant feeling that, "I did it and it at all happened because of me etc."
SURRENDERING AND OVERCOMING DAEVII MAYA
In one of His many discourses, Baba gently asks, so then what is a
person to do. All want to become dagdhabiija - free of all limitations
and reactive momenta. This is our destiny.
Baba says, "Every human being must be a dagdhabiija [burnt seed], that
is, one whose samskaras are totally burnt up." (AV-23)
Yet in the process of facing all those samskaras and reactive momenta,
we are bound to get swallowed up by daevii maya. Is there then no hope -
are human beings really helpless?
All these questions Baba poses and replies in His sacred discourses and
He lovingly gives this final reply. Why not surrender today- from this
very moment? Why not focus the mind and free oneself right now. Lay your
tired self at My Feet and be free from all the trappings of maya.
Baba says, "When people get fatigued, be they jinanis, karmis or
bhaktas, they say, “There is nothing more I can do.” In such a situation
they can only take shelter in Parama Purus'a. This is called
sharan'a'gati.” Here shelter means one hundred percent dependence on
Parama Purus'a to the exclusion of all other objects. “A” means “coming”
and “gati” means “mobility”. When all mobility terminates in Parama
Purus'a, it is called sharan'a'gati. When sharan'a'gati occurs, one is
said to have accomplished the final attainment. You should remember this
supreme truth." (AV-8)
By His grace, this moment comes in the life of every sadhaka, then we
can truly receive His grace and blessing - and can surrender at His feet
- and that is enough to be victorious.
Baba says, "Only a wee bit of the omniscient grace, will be enough. Just
a small bit of the Cosmic grace will suffice. A huge quantity is not at
all required." (AV-6)
BABA'S BLESSING
By Baba's grace we will surrender unto Him and gain victory over daevii
maya. Alone, by ourselves, we have no chance of winning this battle. But
in surrendering to Him, then we are bound to get victory and cross the
ocean of samskaras and sit upon His lap.
Baba says, "So one must remember that one may or may not attain
salvation by dint of one’s own spiritual practices: one will have to
depend on His Grace. And because He is one with each and every expressed
entity through His ota and prota yoga, He is your nearest and dearest
one. You may depend on Him completely, and your dependence on Him is
called sharan'a'gati. This sharan'a'gati is the only reply to all
spiritual questions." (SS-11)
Namaskar,
Manomohan
Note 1: ONLY HUMAN BEINGS CAN THINK
Only as humans beings can we think about why or how a certain event may
have happened in our life. Animals cannot analyse the past nor plan for
the future. Only human beings have this ability. We only can think about
how to get rid from our problems - animals have no such capacity. And
the way to get rid of all problems and difficulties - from every trap of
mahamaya - is to do sadhana and surrender unto Him.
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The Place of Occult Powers in AM
Baba says, "In spiritual life as well as in ordinary life, if one
retains simplicity it is helpful for the attainment of God; through this
one's life and mind become filled with the effulgence of Parama Purusa.
This is the supreme attainment. Spying out every nook and cranny of the
eight occult powers is another name for stupidity." (SC-2, p.149)
Note: Unfortunately in the general society people think that occult powers
themselves are the essence of spirituality. Indeed, devoid of occult
powers, such persons do not have any concept of spirituality. In AM
however it is different; it is not like that. In our Marga devotion gets
utmost importance.
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