== HISTORY: STORY OF ARCHIVE & AC NAGINAJI ==
Namaskar,
This is an account about the working style of the archive in-charge and his
communication with the late revered Ac Naginaji.
Included in this post is the tactic done by Pranavatmakananda wherein he
resorted to self-glorification and praised himself on the inside pages
of Baba's books, noting that were it not for his efforts these discourses
could not have been printed.
WHAT I PERSONALLY SAW
When Pranavatmakanandaji started "doing his archive work" & collecting those
audio cassettes from margiis, in some cases I was present and I personally
witnessed what was actually going on. I saw how Pranavatmakanandaji took so
many things from the margiis' houses. Like old AM books, Baba's cassettes,
any belongings related with Baba, handwritten articles, anything.
Since the late 80's Pranavatmakananda has collected a huge number of books,
cassettes, letters and more. And indeed, the archive is a needed element
for our Marga society, though we should all be aware about how this work
was being done.
Perhaps the most questionable part that I observed was that on many occasions
Pranavatmakananda told the margiis that (1) he will make a digital copy of
their cassette etc, (2) then margiis will get back their cassette, and (3)
and that the Archive will have the digital version. Yet in many cases
Pranavatmakanandaji did not produce a digital copy and did not
give the margiis their cassettes back.
Sometimes Dada made a copy for the margiis and sometimes not. On other occasions
he personally requested margiis to keep the original and submit a copy to
the archive.
In related cases, he regularly said that he would send back the cassettes
and associated materials to the margii. But later on it was found that this
was rarely ever done. Many claim that Dadaji merely took advantageous of
argiis' faith. And in that way margiis gave their cassettes and they never
got those tapes back.
Yet those very things which for ages margiis had been keeping and safeguarding
for ages - through good times and bad. Simultaneously, in some cases, the archive
itself had been remiss in protecting their own copy, so they were seeking margii
for help. Hence margiis were often more diligent in their efforts than archive
personnel.
Some margiis who did not have that type of blind trust or who were aware
about the politics behind either kept their things or already copied
the cassettes in their house itself and then gave the cassette to
Pranavatmakanandaji. So naturally then their position was better than those
who trusted fully and lost their items.
MORE ABOUT HOW THINGS WERE GOING ON:
HOW AC NAGINA JI FELT WRONGED
And in the case of books and diaries a similar thing happened.
Pranavatmakanandaji promised that margiis will get back their possessions,
but often this never happened.
Here is one unfortunate incident. The very senior margii Family Acarya Naginaji
from Muzaffarpur had all his historical things related with Baba in well kept
order. Ac. Naginaj idid not like to give anyone because he had strong devotional
feelings for Baba's writings, personal letters and various other used materials.
For decades and decades Ac. Naginaji was keeping all those materials very
carefully and treating them as more valuable than his own life. Because of
devotional reasons Ac. Naginaji did not give those treasure to anybody.
But Pranavatmakanandaji approached Ac. Naginaji and convinced him that
everything will be kept in the Archive in digital form and that "We will
return all your things to you as they are after scanning them into the
computer."
At first Ac. Naginaji was hesitant but after a lot of convincing and
requests he thought that, "Alright, I do not like to let these things out
of my sight. But for the sake of pleasing Baba I will temporarily give
these things, because it is all Baba's property." And he told,
'Pranavatmakanandaji, you must return all these things back to me."
Pranavatmakanandaji reassured him many times that, "Be assured that within
a short time this digital work will be finished and I will return your
things to you."
Because again and again, Ac. Naginaji was telling that, "These are my
strictly personal things. So many letters Baba wrote personally in His own
handwriting-- many such things are there, You must return me without delay..."
In that way Ac. Naginaji handed over his devotional treasures to
Pranavatmakanandaji. Because Ac. Naginaji got befooled by the tall talks.
And Pranavatmakanandaji gave the promise to Naginaji that all those Baba
handwritings and treasures which Naginaji was keeping, he (Nagina)
will get back them back from Kolkata.
So with full faith and trust, Ac. Naginaji entrusted his entire personal
archive materials. Including his diaries and all those letters which Baba
personally wrote to Naginaji on so many occasions in 1956. And most letters
were in Hindi and Baba Himself signed as Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji.
AC NAGINAJI NEVER GOT THEM BACK
So all those materials Naginaji handed over and he did not get them back
from Pranavatmakanandaji. With heavy heart so many times Naginaji wrote
letters to the Archive Dept in Kolkata, but in the name of reply nothing
came.
FORGED LETTER BY DADA P
& AC NAGINAJI'S PASSING
And later on one drama was played by Pranavatmakanandaji. He wrote one
letter to Naginaji in the name of Dada Vijayanandaji as if Dada Vijayananda
himself wrote it. And in the letter it was mentioned that 'Naginaji! we
accept your donation of different articles related with Baba. And it will
be safe in Archive etc etc.'
So the letter was like this and when it reached to Ac. Naginaji. Unfortunately or
unfortunately, I was there when Naginaji opened the letter. After reading it,
Naginaji was shocked and with rage he started abusing Central Dadas saying,
"They cheated me. I did not give them donation. What about my getting them
back, why they are not writing."
And then Ac. Naginaji wrote a strong letter again to Centre and nothing
happened. Finally Naginaji became completely fed-up and sad. Because his
own Baba's things went out from his hand. And he was feeling, deceived, and
manipulated by Pranavatmakanandaji. And with this sadness gradually his
health got deteriorated. And eventually in very short span of time he died,
left his mortal frame. This is the sad story.
HOW PRANAVATMAKANANDJI PRAISED HIMSELF
So after all this entire tragedy, even then the materials/cassettes that
were utilised to bring out some books in Publications Dept, nowhere will
you find any word about Ac. Naginaji or any margii. In some cases margiis
had safeguarded those treasure for 30 or 40 years - even through house
searches during Emergency.
In the various books Pranavatmakanandaji did not mention one
word about those margiis who had safeguarded these Baba cassettes at the
risk of their life. Especially during the period of Martial Law / Emergency
period in India.
So only did Pranavatmakananda ensure that his own name has been praised
again and again in the Publisher's note of those recently printed books of
the Ananda Vacanamrtam and Subhasita Samgraha series. Is that not ironic,
as well as against the spirit of being an avadhuta.
Those Margiis did not get any appreciation in the Publisher's Note - just they
got duped by Dada. Pranavatmakanandaji just eulogized himself by paying off
the concerning printing in-charges that time. In this way, the wrong
history has been recorded-- lies have been spread in the Publisher's Note
of our AM scriptures. These scripture where lies have been spread they are:
- Ananda Vacanamrtam (Hindi): Part 19 (1994); 24 ('94); 25 ('94); 26
('95); 27 ('96); 28 ('96); 29 ('96); 32 ('97).
- Ananda Vacanamrtam (Bengali): Part- 24 (1994).
- Ananda Vacanamrtam (English): Parts- 23 (1994); 31 ('97); 34 ('00).
- Subhasita Samgraha (Hindi): Part 4 (2001); part 5 ('01); part 6 ('01)
part 22 ('96); part 23 ('96); part 25 ('00).
...and many more.
In all such books, Pranavatmakananda ensured that lines of praise were printed
in the Publisher's Note wherein he as archive-in-charge was glorified
as the "man of the day" in saving these discourses etc.
AGAINST THE SPIRIT OF BEING AVADHUTA
Here we have to remember that Wts do not pick and choose their works within the
organisational structure; they are assigned various duties. And as dedicated
workers they are expected to carry ou those duties selflessly. That is the ethic
and all do like this.
Thus when an avadhuts like Pranavatmakananda merely is doing his duty in service
to Gurudev and the humanity, then there is no need to print his praises in the book.
That has no meaning; that is just buttering and undermines the dedication of what
it means to be a revered acarya of the Marga. Our workers do in the service to Guru,
not for personal glory or business. Other wts were not requested to collect archive
materials as they were busy in other duties. So Pranavatmakananda's work is nothing
special per se - it was merely what was expected of him as an acarya. Hence, permanently
keeping his name "in lights" on the Publisher's page is a negative tradition and a
bad idea.
HISTORICAL REFLECTION
So these are the examples of duplicity and hypocrisy, what was going on. This
type of action is the complete distortion of truth and the real history
which reveals the duplicity hypocrisy of our AMPS Archive Dept during his
time. Here we should know that was then the Archive Dept of AMPS has now
become the archive of B group. But that is a separate matter.
Still today Margiis do not know why Pranavatmakanandaji never returned back
their materials to them. But many persons think that Pranavatmakananda was
trying to keep a monopoly so that nobody should have any those things
except the Archive Dept. With that reason he did not give and instead
manipulated one and all.
WHAT COULD OR SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE
Upon review, here are critical ways this entire situation of collecting
the devotional treasures from margiis like Ac Nagina ji could have been
handled in a better way,
1. First, there should not have been any deceit or duplicity employed in
order the get the materials. Dada should have told margiis if they would get
the materials back or not - and then honestly kept their word.
2. Perhaps margiis like Ac Nagina ji who have deeply personal items could
have kept those materials under the condition that upon his passing he would
donate those treasure to the archive
3. And there are other possible avenues as well.
Anyway what is done is done and now we have to look proactively and positively
toward the future.
One thing that remains certain is that the so-called glory should not have
been heaped upon Pranavatmakananda in the Publisher's page. Rather Dadaji could
have highlighted margiis' sacrifice in keeping materials, and not highlight his
own efforts because he is a WT and he is doing out of full-time dedication.
We have to remember that when we construct a jagriti then we do not engrave the
name of the names of WTs on the entry way etc in honor of how they worked hard
to get the jagrti built. We never do like this. Similarly, it is totally inappropriate to have Pranavatmakananda's name and glory inked into the opening pages of our AM books.
BABA'S BLESSING
Here I will conclude this letter with this following teaching of our
Revered Guru.
Baba says, "Those guided by group psychology are like ravenous tigers. Of
all the different types of flesh, human flesh is said to be the most
delicious. That's why the tiger that has once tasted human flesh will raid
a village if it cannot get human flesh in the jungles. If it happens to see
human beings nearby, it will immediately attack them without bothering for
domestic cattle. Where the analytical approach is engraved in people's
social psychology, separatist tendencies flow through their bones, blood
and marrow. Such people become extremely avaricious for human flesh."
(AFPS-8, p. 49-50)
Namaskar,
Virendra
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Parama Purusa Baba says, "Suppose you are thinking internally, 'Let me
quickly finish my sadhana in a few minutes, for I have some important work
to attend to. Tomorrow I will devote more time to sadhana'. The moment you
think thus, Parama Purusa immediately knows your thought. Suppose you eat
something on the fasting day of Eka'dashii, thinking that perhaps Parama
Purusa will not know it. Certainly He will know about your secret eating,
and He feels amused at what His little child is thinking. Not only the
boys-- the girls also make the same mistake. Perhaps on fasting day they
eat chocolates and think, 'I am eating secretly-- no one can see it'. This
is defective thinking." (SS-12, p. 49-50)
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