Spreading the Dharma of AM...

From: "Karma Rasa" To: AM-GLOBAL Subject: Spreading the Dharma of AM... Date: Mon, 17 Aug 2009 07:27:36 +0000 Baba PS Intro: This below Prabhat Samgiita highlights the divine glory and greatness of Parama Purusa. Note: The audio file for this song has been uploaded to our AM-GLOBAL blog, http://www.am-global-01.blogspot.com/ "Tumi kotha'y chile, kotha'y tha'ko, keu ta' jane na'..." (PS 540) Purport: O' Parama Purus'a, where were You - where have You been? I have been searching all over for You. Where do You reside - nobody knows. I have been looking everywhere for You. You are the smallest of the small and the most vast of the vast [1]. I have not been able to find You anywhere. Baba, those who want You, ultimately You make them Yours, You merge them into Your Divine Self [2]. O' Infinite Entity, You are boundless, You cannot be held. O' Parama Purus'a, where do You reside - nobody knows. O' my Dearmost, in this entire universe, no single manifestation can express Your full beauty. The moon's smile - the ocean breeze - the smiling flower - the sweet charming sky - all these beautiful things were created by You. You have filled this world with Your divine expressions, yet they are not Your True Self. They are not Your full expression nor can they express Your full sweetness. All these things are mere small reflections of Your infinite charm. O' Ananta, You are limitless. Your full glory cannot be expressed in words, shapes, or forms. O' Parama Purus'a, where do You reside - nobody knows. O' Parama Purusa, You are so gracious. In my ideation and in my meditation, my every atom and molecule are dancing in Your flow - it is Your grace. You do everything for me. Baba, You have been playing the flute [3] since time immemorial and You will continue up to eternity. By this way, You have been attracting me and drawing me closer to You. O' my Lord, Your effulgence is infinite and unfathomable. O' Parama Purus'a, where have You been, where do You reside - nobody knows. O' Baba, please grace me by coming close... Notes for Prabhat Samgiita #540: [1] Here below Baba explains how Parama Purusa is more vast than the vast and smaller than the small. Becuase of this one cannot find Him with their crude senses. Baba says, "On the one hand Parama Purus'a is very vast; on the other hand He is very small. He is so vast that you cannot fully see Him. In Sam'skrta, there are a few words to describe something very vast: visha'la, vira't'a, brhat, etc. Out of these, the words vira't'a and brhat are used to describe an entity which is immeasurably vast, and visha'la is used for an entity which may be vast, but can be measured. For instance, the Himalayan mountains are very vast in size, but still they can be measured in terms of miles, from south to north and from east to west. In the scriptures it has been said.

Brhacca taddivyam acintyaru'pam'...

"Parama Purus'a is extremely vast: then how can you see such a vast Entity with your dim vision? It is impossible. And besides seeing such a divine effulgence, your eyes will be blinded; your vision will be completely lost."

Su'ks'macca tat su'ksmataram' vibhati

"Parama Purus'a is not only vast. He is small as well – so small, so subtle that you cannot see Him with your physical eyes. Human ocular power is extremely limited: if an object is very vast it cannot be seen, and if it is very small and subtle it cannot be seen either." (SS-12) [2] In these below quotes, Baba is telling that one cannot go close to Him and still remain separate. When one gets closer and closer, then by His grace, the bhakta will merge in Him - just like a piece of salt gets merged in the ocean, it can not longer remain a separate grain of salt. Baba says, "If a salt doll goes to fathom the sea, it will certainly melt and become the sea itself. Similarly, if the knower of the Supreme Consciousness goes to fathom the Supreme, he merges in the sea of Consciousness and becomes Supreme himself. Be constantly absorbed in the thought of the Supreme Consciousness and you too will become Supreme." (SS-2) Baba says, "If a salt doll goes to measure the sea, it will melt into it. Neither can it measure the sea, nor will it ever return, its existence will merge into the vastness of the sea, releasing it from all cares and worries. If one wishes to take the form of the sea, one will have to become the sea itself; there is no other way. None of His qualities has any limit. His fragmentary manifestations are all passing through unlimited forms, due to His ceaseless imaginative flow: none of them is an end in itself." (SS-3) [3] Here below Baba explains the inner meaning of the sound of the flute and how the bhakta rushes towards Parama Purusa due to His divine attraction. Baba says, "The music emanating from Krs'n'a's flute shook the minds of the sa'dhakas, causing them to echo and vibrate. This resonance is nothing but prapattiva'da. Here there is scope neither for jina'na nor for karma. Here mobility is the only task, the only dharma. “The way He is calling me – I am to move accordingly.” This state of mind is one of the sweetest states, the madhura gun'a [sweet quality] of prapattiva'da. “I am rushing ahead due to the sweet call of His flute and entering into His sweet and blissful environment.” Hence for Vraja Krs'n'a, there is no need to interpret the faculties of knowledge and action. There is no scope for fighting over philosophical ideas. Only complete prapatti is there, and once it shakes the jiiva, he can no longer stay away. One rushes out and starts running after Him." (NKS, Disc: 4) Baba says, "The spiritual aspirant hears the various sounds of onm'ka'ra or pran'ava [like the sound of the flute] at various stages, during deep sa'dhana', during sweet sa'dhana'. The sound is called Krs'n'a’s muraliidhvani. The sa'dhaka becomes mad because of this sound and goes deeper and attains Ra'dha' bha'va more and more, and rushes headlong forward." (DKG)

== SPREADING THE DHARMA OF AM IN ALL THE WAYS ==

Namaskar, Now in the general society there is an extreme dearth of sentient ideas. Rather the rancid mud of materialism has infiltrated into every arena of life. Even then good people all around are looking for some daylight by which to move ahead. In their heart they have a yearning to discover something better.

SACRED DUTY OF A'NANDA MA'RGIIS

As Ananda Margiis, it is our duty to share Baba's ideas in all the ways and in all the directions. This is what the society needs and this is a sensitive time because right now around the globe people are in search of something. So we should satisfy their thirst with the benevolent teachings of AM. And if we refrain from doing so then someone will fill the gap with more faulty ideas, thereby leading the society astray. So it is a must for all Ananda Margiis to express Baba's divine guidelines in multifarious ways. By this way we can help the society to advance.

NO HESITATION IN THIS REGARD

Some in AM may be thinking that they do not know enough; or some may be thinking that we need not do because Baba Himself will do; or some may be thinking that in the future they will do. But to all these thoughts, the reply is that what we know about AM we should teach in this present moment. We should not wait for the future nor should we remain passive thinking that Guru will do. Rather He has already given us the duty and now the moment is ripe. Indeed we are merely His medium, He is projecting through us. The more we try the more He will grace us to do His work. So what we know in any sphere of AM philosophy or AM way of life we should teach: In our workplaces, in our communities, in our travels, and in all sorts of new avenues. In all the places, in all the ways.

AM TEACHINGS MUST SPREAD

Because Baba's ideas must be spread to all people and as we apply ourselves in this great endeavour we will become more capable media for disseminating His divine teachings. Of course all of these above things everyone in AM is already aware about-- we know we are to propagate AM ideals. So please excuse me for repeating this now.

WE MUST NOT LAG BEHIND

But at the same time in the practical sphere we are lagging behind, a little bit. Now so many so-called yoga groups are blowing their trumpets in full force. Yet what they have to share is not the panacea for the society. Here the idea is not to condemn all those saying anything in the name of yoga. Because they are also our brothers and sisters and they may be sincere in their approach. But nonetheless the fact stands: Only Baba is the Parama Purusa Incarnate and only His divine teachings of Ananda Marga are perfectly true across time, space, and person. Only His directives can lead the society forward. And only His teachings are logical and rational in all respects. There is no dogma only dharma in our AM - so it can all be explained rationally. So casting away all shyness and hesitation we should undertake our march and spread His ideals in all the ways: With our vocal chords, paintbrushes, keyboards, films, meetings, classes, etc. In all the ways. This is our allotted duty. We should be at the forefront and not be second to anyone in any regard. Reason being, Baba's ideas are best and they should reach the people's ears first, lest they led astray by something else.

BABA'S BLESSING

Here Baba is encouraging all Ananda Margiis to come forward and express the benevolent ideas of AM-- in whatever way they feel they are most suited. By this way we can clean the muck from the society and build it into a brilliant, shining humanity. Baba says, "When litterateurs dedicate themselves to the service or sa'dhana' of literature, they have to let their creative genius flow in this very current: they have to cleanse all that is turbid, all that is inauspicious in individual life in the holy waters of their universal mentality, and then convey it sweetly and gracefully into the heart of humanity. Herein lies the fulfilment of their service, the consummation of their sa'dhana'." (PNS-10) Namaskar, Karma Rasa

Note 1: HOW OUR PRACAR SHOULD BE DONE

As we know our AM teachings are grounded in benevolent truthfulness-- satya. So our minds should be coloured in this eternal ideal and not in pseudo-culture when involving in our pracar programs. Baba says, "The main duty of the Ta'ttvikas is to make a propagation which aims at collective welfare...At the time of propagation, your views, nay, all your tendencies should be pointed towards satya, because it is only through the propagation of satya that collective welfare is possible." (Tattvika Diipika- II)

******************************************** Human Life on other Planets & Stars

Baba says, "Humans of this world-- not only of this world, but of the entire universe there are so many planets and stars where there is human life-- and all humans of the universe have got the same wont. And they utilise and display these wonts according to climatic conditions, conditions of time and space. But fundamentally, humanity is a singular entity." (17 August 1979 DMC, Taipei) The above is what Baba actually has spoken in English. The below is how the Publications Department printed it in SS-12. "Humans of the world - not only of this world, but of the entire Universe there are so many planets and stars where there is human life - and all humans of the entire Universe have got the same course. They tend to display their wonts according to climatic conditions, conditions of time and space. But fundamentally, humanity is a singular entity." (SS-12) Note 1: In comparing the above two paragraphs, it is clear that so many small and big mistakes have been committed by the Publications Department. And there was no translation involved either. Baba spoke in English and the book is printed in English. Even then, there are a variety of changes which dilute the meaning of Baba's discourse. For example, they changed the word "wont" to "course". Plus they ommitted the word "utilise"; then they wrongly inserted the word "display". Indeed, each sentence has a minimum of 3-5 mistakes. So this is the grade of work that is going on in our Publications Deparment. And then of course there are the big distortions like AM-Revolution where they cut the entire paragraph about margii rights. Note 2: In His above discourse Baba is giving us the conclusive idea that there are humans living on various planets. This is not a hypothesis; rather it is a fact given by Parama Purusa. And He knows everything because this is His creation. So we should propagate this idea that there are humans living on various planets. Still modern science is unsure about this concept. They are using rockets to reach distant planets but what they fail to realise is that the speediest thing is the mind. With the mind one can easily realise this truth. It is our hope that in the near future scientists will reach this conclusion that human beings already on exist on many other planets. But in our Marga, this is a well-known, established truth, not a mere hypothesis.

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Not Just A Ritual

Date: 16 Aug 2009 11:01:11 -0000 From: "Shivadayal Singhal" To: am-global@earthlink.net Subject: Not Just A Ritual Baba PS Intro: This following song can be taught to non-margiis as it belongs in the 'Krsnaliila' series. As we know, in Baba's Prabhat Samgiita collection, there are a number of songs about Lord Krsna. So when any program is organised related with Krsnaliila, then these songs are most useful to attract non-margii devotees who have love for Krsna. So this song is not for our regular devotional chanting. This is not a devotional song for Ananda Margiis. If anyone has any doubt or confusion about this, please refer to Baba's discourse: "Onm'kara and Is't'a Mantra". "Giitir ka'n'u priitir vrajer ka'n'u e anunay..." (3655) Purport: O' Divine Entity, O' Lord Krsna of the song, O' Lord Krsna of Love, O' Lord Krsna of Braj*, I have one request of You: O' Mohan, the divine Entity who is attracting everyone, please be gracious and shower Your infinite grace on me with Your radiant smile. O' Entity who can only be known through the realisation of divine Love, please come in the sweet grove of my mind, in my madhukanan. O' Lord Krsna, please be gracious. Please come with Your divinely attractive & most venerable appearance and grace me by residing on the lotus petals of my citta. O' Liiila'may, please grace me and come in my close proximity so that I need not wander around this vast earth in search of You-- seeking You in various tiirthas (holy lands) or in the distant dense forest or in the caves and caverns of the insurmountable mountains. O' Divine Entity who eternally resides in my heart, please shower Your grace-compassion on me with the heavenly waves of Your ocean of nectar. So that by Your grace I can sing the glory of Your blissful tales and spread the supreme effulgence of Your divine name. O' Lord, please be gracious and come deep inside my heart... *Braj= When the aspirant is withdrawing his mind from all worldly objects and desires and is instead goading all his psychic propensities towards Parama Purusa, then the sadhaka is no longer chasing after name, fame, money, post, power, position or other worldly things. Only the aspirant is trying to cultivate more and more spiritual longing: To accept Parama Purusa as their only Goal in life; to accept Him as their sole object of adoration. This type of mental state is braj-- where the devotees is playing with the Lord in that divine land, in the mind. That is the land of braj.

== NOT JUST A RITUAL ==

Namaskar, Each and every day after bathing we all recite our bath mantra, "Pitrpurus'ebhyo namah...". The meaning of this mantra holds great value in our human life and movement along the path of pratisaincara. However, often we find that its meaning is misconstrued within our Marga. It is not that people adopt the wrong meaning per se, but more commonly they miss the greater meaning. Or even worse, many just treat it as some type of ritual that does not have a lot of value. So let's take a look at its inner significance and see what our bath mantra is all about - according to Baba's divine precepts.

WHAT IS COMMONLY THOUGHT

Generally, if you ask an Ananda Margii what is the idea of the bath mantra, they will often reply, "It is a salutation to our ancestors - a way of paying respect to our forefathers and predecessors." This is how people commonly respond and this is how I and others in my unit responded when asked this very same question. Because after all the first two lines are:

Pitrpurus'ebhyo namah Rs'idevebhyonamah

Baba says, " You are in this world, but before you so many human beings came...To all our forefathers who came into this world and left this world. So many people, so many millions of people, came during the last ten lakh years. So, Pitrpurus'ebhyo namah. “I do namah to those people,” because I am a continuity of those people in the flow of the human race.... During this long period so many things were invented by so many great people. Great people are known as rs'is...So, rs'idevebhyo namah – “I also do namah to those rs'is who invented so many things.” And the collection of their inventions is modern human civilization." (AV-30) So honoring our forefather and sages is a distinct aspect of our bath mantra. Plus we all know that pitr yajina, or service to ancestors, is a part of our AM way of life. Baba says, "Pitr Yajina means remembering the ancestors and the sages. As long as a person possesses the physical body, he remains indebted to his ancestors." (AMIWL-2) For all these reasons and more, some or more in AM commonly think that the bath mantra is all about recognising and remembering our ancestors - when in fact this is just a small part of what our bath mantra is all about.

JUST A RITUAL

While the above is a but a partial understanding of bath mantra, even more often the bath mantra gets treated in some ritualistic manner. People might recite it mindlessly or internally think that this is just some silly thing - not really part of our spiritual life. Then there are some who just repeat it at rocket speed such that they do not even know what they are saying - neither the meaning nor the actual words. In that sense bath mantra is regarded no differently from one religious custom such as putting ghee on the sacrificial fire etc. Of course not everyone falls in this category, but it is not entirely uncommon either. Here then are Baba'a main teachings on bath mantra. Everyone should evaluate for themselves how far they truly recite and ideate on bath mantra in the proper way. Only you can be your own judge.

MADHUVIDYA: ASCRIBING GODHOOD

In His discourse, "Ascribe Brahma-hood to All", Baba pointedly reviews every line of the bath mantra. He furthermore states that the essence of bath mantra is about linking every action of life with the Supreme. Baba says, "You should know its [bath mantra] meaning. It has closest proximity to this ma'dhuvidya', that is, this ascription of Brahma-hood to worldly work." (AV-30) Because after the first two lines of the bath mantra, the entire mantra focuses on Brahma.

Brahma'rpan'am' Brahmahavir Brahma'gnao Brahman'a'hutam; Brahmaeva tena gantavyam' Brahmakarma sama'dhina'.

As we know, the meaning of these lines is:

The act of offering is Brahma; that which is offered is Brahma; the one to whom the offering is made is Brahma; and the person making the offering is Brahma. One will merge in Brahma after completing the duty assigned to him by Brahma.

For Baba's full explanation of these lines, refer to the discourse, "Ascribe Brahma-hood to All". The overarching import of this mantra is to be completely immersed in madhuvidya, or second lesson. We are to see everything (the offering, the action, the Receiver, the doer) as Brahma and we are to remember this fact every day during each and every waking moment. That is the greater meaning of our bath mantra. It is is wonderful explanation of second lesson. Since bathing is daily component of human life, then what better way to remind us of our second lesson practice than with a bath mantra that goads the mind in this very direction. Thus bath mantra holds great significance and it should not just be regarded as some useless ritual or merely a prayer to our ancestors etc.

STUCK IN THE CYCLE OF ACTION & REACTION

Here is more about how bath mantra can help us escape from the serpentine noose of maya. Typically, as human beings we are stuck in the endless cycle of action and reaction, of life and death. We are but a toy within the cycle of karma. We do actions, become bound, then have to undergo the reaction. There is no seeming escape. And as Baba remarked at one DMC, mostly people are involved in bad deeds. Baba says, "Think about how many of the deeds you performed before coming to the path of sa'dhana' were good and how many were bad. To tell the unpleasant truth, ninety-nine percent of your deeds were bad." (AMIWL-8) Thus we are bound by so many actions - many of which were degrading. That is the tough reality. And not only that, but when we do good actions and get good reactions, then with that heightened sense of confidence or arrogance, one again plunges in misdeeds. This is very, very common. For instance, due to their good work in the past, one acquires wealth or a position of importance, and then one uses that money for sensual pleasure and that high post to satisfy their self-interest. This is the case with so many - not just with Hollywood or Bollywood stars, but with even the person next door. For more about this phenomenon, please read:

http://am-global-01.blogspot.com/2009/07/boon-or-curse-depending.html

So the long and short of it is that - whether one does good or bad works - one becomes bound to those actions, and most of the time one ends up degrading themselves. That is why it is so difficult to escape the cycle of karma. One can go round and round for ions. Baba says, "The unit entities have been moving around the cosmic nucleus throughout eternity...you will have to go round and round like the bullocks in the oil-mill in the endless cycle of creation, life and death." (SS-2)

THE ONLY ESCAPE

The only way to escape this endless cycle of karma is to no longer create samskaras. Of course with His divine grace He can do anything, yet as human beings all we can do is lighten our karmic load. That means we have to undergo the reactions of past actions and live in this world without creating new samskaras. That is why our second lesson and bath mantra are so important. Because so long as we think that we are doing the actions, then a samskara is created - either a good one or a bad one. And ultimately those bind us. Plus, as noted above, when we reap the fruits of our good actions, then we often abuse those benefits and again resort to misdeeds. That only sets us further back on the path, hurling us in the direction of negative pratisaincara. So whenever our I-feeling is attached to an action, we are further binding ourselves, to some or more degree. But when we think that Brahma is the doer and we are merely serving His will, then there is no attached samsakara. And that is the inner value of second lesson and bath mantra. The bath mantra is a daily reminder of how we should ideate and practice second lesson. Because as we all know, this takes practice - constant vigilance and reminders. Our bath mantra is one such reminder. Every day - or twice daily - we chant and ideate that everything we are dong is for Brahma and that ever manifested being and object in this universe is Brahma. With practice - and with regular kiirtan and sadhana - then this mantra will not just be a set of words, or some bogus ritual, and the inner meaning - that everything is Brahma - will settle in the inner recesses or our mind and heart. Then, by His grace, we are sure to remember Him in all we do - always wishing to serve and please Him.

BABA'S BLESSING

By His grace, He has given us all the tools to achieve liberation. We should be vigilant to incorporate the right and true practice of bath mantra into our daily life, lest we fall into demise or worse. Baba says, "Success and fulfillment in life lie in the spiritual pursuit. Only by pleasing one’s Lord through sincere spiritual practice can one attain freedom from the cycle of birth and death. Those who do not follow the spiritual path, even after being born on this earth in human form, can be said to be misusing their vital force and intellectual capacity. The wise say that such people are no better than donkeys." (AMIWL-7) Namaskar, Shivadayal

Note 1: SADHANA - KARMA - AND GURU'S GRACE

Our bath mantra helps us remember that everything is Brahma and Brahma is everything. This will give us force in life to surrender to Him and escape the clutches of karma, by His grace. Baba says, "When, due to the grace of Parama Brahma, techniques of intuitional practice (sa'dhana') are imparted to the unit mind through the medium of a Guru, the way to emancipation from bondages is opened, and the unit mind begins to transcend all sorrows and miseries. By virtue of this sa'dhana' one can also free oneself from the vicious cycle of karma, resulting in the a'tman getting immediate liberation from all mental bondages. Having relinquished the desire for finite objects in different places, in different forms, and in different ways, and having embraced the Supreme Original Entity, one attains the highest fulfillment. This attainment is achieved with the grace of Parama Purus'a in the form of a Guru. Hence there is only one Guru: the Supreme Entity alone is the Universal Guru." (AMIWL-7)

************************************* Know Your Rights in AM

Baba says, "Regarding the Sixteen Points, it was said that a'ca'rya/a's or senior persons would see if you were observing them properly or not. Similarly, I gave a directive to all that they should keep watch on one another. No one will exempt anyone else regarding the Sixteen Points...It is a question of human rights " (AV-23) Note: Pointing out and evaluating the behaviour of others is part of the self-cleaning system of Ananda Marga. All are Ananda Margiis - family people and Wts - but unfortunately pointing out is not allowed these days. If anyone speaks up they get victimised and outcasted. In that case the whole system of pointing out is disables and in result our AM society gets polluted. This is one of our fundamental human rights that must be granted to all Ananda Margiis, otherwise the wrong things will flourish in AM, such as groupism, power mongering and the like

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