== WRONG WAY TO ATTRACT ==
Namaskar,
At the 2010 New Year's DMS, it was once again apparent how Baba's devotional
treasure of Prabhat Samgiita is being abused by certain group leaders. In order
to make a sale, they put unseemly, half-naked photos of filmy heroines on the
cover of our Prabhat Samgiita CD's in hopes of attracting both customers and
new persons into the Marga. Because they display these CD's in all kinds
of pseudo-culture music shops etc.
But their approach is bound to backfire. No doubt they may attract people, but
for all the wrong reasons and the outcome will be horrendous.
SIGN FOR BROTHEL OUTSIDE OF JAGRTI
Think of it this way.
Putting half-naked filmy females on the cover of our devotional Prabhat
Samgiita recordings is tantamount to putting a sign for a brothel on the
front gate of one of our jagrtis. Certainly that sensual sign will attract
people, but not the right people.
And not only that, in this transitional period when good people are seeking
the proper way, then those good people will be disgusted by seeing that
prostitution sign in front of the jagrti and they will not venture inside.
Rather they will turn away, irritated by our prostitution sign, not realising
that we are a yoga jagrti.
Likewise, by putting crude, sensual pictures on the outside of our Prabhat
Samgiita cassettes, the wrong crowd will get attracted for all the wrong
reasons and those pious people will be disturbed by that negative photo. So
they will neither purchase nor listen to that cassette / CD. As they
will not understand the beauty and devotional treasure of Prabhat Samgiita.
Hence it is a double loss: Bad people will come and good people will go.
NEGATIVE IDEATION
In addition, Prabhat Samgiita is totally based on ideation. The mind is to be
goaded within. However, by putting flashy, racy photos on the outside of those
cd's and cassettes, then that will automatically make the mind extroverted.
So when the song goes, "Oh my Dearmost", or "Oh my Beloved", then that extroverted
mind will not seek Parama Purusa within but instead some crude sensual image.
Using such an image on Baba's Divine Prabaht Samgiita collection is not at all good.
Rather it harms. And we are falling into the same flow as those degrading captialists
who try to sell anthing and everything by placing half-naked females on the cover or
packaging.
MORE ABOUT THE SITUATION
Such leaders continue to put the pictures of filmy heroes and movie stars on
the cover of the lates cassettes. This is a tragedy as if those pseudo-culture
stars are great and not Baba's devotional lyrics and melodies.
This is the sad history since the last 20 years, regarding Prabhat Samgiita
so many achievements have been proclaimed that "This is going on" and "That
is going on".
Yet despite this, the basic cassettes which Baba introduced
regarding Prabhat Samgiita, Margiis are not getting. And it is one common
pattern that Margis are asking from their friends in order to get hold of
whatever old tapes they can. Otherwise, through organizational avenues
Margis are not getting any of the Prabhat Samgiita which was regularly
being made available prior to '90. Now instead Prabhat Samgiita became
unfortunately, the song of one particular territory or the tune of the land
of a certain language. It is not universal. And due to this Margis are not
getting Prabhat Samgiita.
Here the point is that, prior to '90 by Baba's order, PS cassettes in
consecutive song order were regularly issued for purchase by Margis. New
cassettes were made and sold in consecutive order up through 1990. After
'90, production stopped. And cassettes in increasing order were no longer
produced and issued, and have not been available since 1990.
Here it may be useful to give some detail regarding the Prabhat Samgiita
cassettes which have been produced by a certain group or groups.
Every Margi knows that Prabhat Samgiita is verily one of the most important
devotional treasures. But many Margis are concerned that since 1990,
Prabhat Samgiita has not been highlighted in accordance with Baba's
established guideline. And that B group has been largely responsible for
this. Please see below for details.
DEGRADATION OF PRABHAT SAMGIITA BY ONE GROUP:
HERE IS ANOTHER DOGMATIC COVER THEY MADE
To give one detailed sense of what has been done all these years since '90
by RAWA, our organization's PS Department. Here follows a description of
the cover of the Rawa PS cassette number RC-056, 'Ma'lik ho Mere' (Oh My
Lord):
Viewing the cassette cover, gives the feeling that Baba's two folded hands
pictured on the cover, are praying to god. And god is somewhere above the
clouds.
Here the point is that, if anybody will see the cassette cover they can
easily be misled that Baba is one devotee who is praying to the god that
lives in the sky. And Baba as devotee is looking towards the sky, calling
'Malik Ho Mere' (Oh my Lord...). So the whole idea of Prabhat Samgiita is
painted in a very negative and dogmatic way.
This very PS cassette cover has been made by none other than Bengali group.
Further detail of the cassette cover follows below.
In the very center of the picture on the Rawa cassette cover RC-056 are
Baba's beautiful hands joined together in the namaskar mudra. By looking at
the cassette cover, one can see how Baba's hands are soft and pinkish--
even rose coloured. Plus on Baba's left hand on the fourth finger, Baba's
ring is there. So Baba's beautiful & divine hands have been taken directly
from one photo & printed right there on the center of this cassette cover.
Then, pictured far, far above in the distant sky are many clouds and the
sun's rays bursting through those clouds. And surrounding Baba's hands are the
photographs of different film stars.
So seeing the whole picture of the PS cassette cover for the Rawa PS tape
RC-056, it is very clear that Baba's hands are doing namaskar up toward the
heavenly sky. As I told, all around Baba's hands are the photographs of
different film stars. And Baba's hands are portrayed in a little bigger
size just above the row of photos of crude film stars. By this the overall
impression is clearly given that Baba is giving salutation to the great god
in the heavenly sky. That Baba is one human being, devotee, who is involved
in collective prayer to god with folded hands. And so many film stars are
joining Baba in their prayer to this god who is hidden away in those heavenly
clouds up in the sky.
Excuse me, here it should be very clear that the above description is not
one dream or fantasy. It is exactly the plainly visible scene in this PS
cassette RC-056, 'Malik Ho Mere'.
And like a signboard 'Malik ho Mere' (Oh My Lord) is painted in bold
letters above the sky on the cassette cover itself. Which gives the feeling
that god is above in the heaven and the devotee is praying far below from
the earth and Baba is one of the devotees. And Baba's folded hands
represents that Baba along with the film stars are doing collective prayer.
And they, (Baba and the film stars) are living on this earth and praying to
god who is living in the heaven.
Now as we Margis are well aware, in the common society the dogma is already
existing that god is living in the sky. This dogma is especially strong
amongst Christian and Muslim believers. And for Muslim believers, there is another
point as Muslims are well known for their use of the term Malik (Lord), as
the god who lives in the sky.
So the cover of this Prabhat Samgiitta cassette RC-056 gives the picture
that (a) God is living in the sky, (b) Baba's hands are representing
the collective prayer to god who is residing in heaven, (c) and the row
of photos of film stars gives two feelings. 1. Prayer is done from common
mass to the god living in the sky and 2. The public will be attracted by
seeing the photos of film stars on the cassette cover.
So possibility is there for huge monetary gain.
By seeing this PS cassette cover it is clear that, in the hope of gaining a
few pennies, Baba's lofty teaching and ideology about heaven and hell have
been sacrificed. Or Baba's ideology which preaches that God lives in the
heart is tarnished. And it gives the picture that those who made the PS
cassette 'Ma'lik ho Mere", in their mind, money is the most important
thing. More important than anything else. How crude this tragic game is.
So here in this Prabhat Samgiita critical description, sufficient proof has
been given that B group distorted this PS for the sake of money. And it
should be added here that Margiis are writing on this very point since a
long time. But B group always kept silent.
There are innumerable such cassettes, with highly degenerated cassette
covers designed only to boost sales to the public. At the cost of
improperly representing Baba's divine Prabhat Samgiita as some cheap
dogmatic religious cassette. Or in other cases which have only film stars
pictured on the front painted in full make-up, those cassettes look more
like crude pseudoculture romance cassettes. How tragic it is to see these
things, which completely degenerate the presentation of Baba's divine
Prabhat Samgiita.
OTHER WRONGS GOING ON
There are many other tragic aspects to the way B group produced PS
cassettes only to maximize sales to the public:
1. No consecutive cassette production as was done before. Only songs are
recorded and sold, which can be easily marketed as pseudoculture romance or
religious songs.
2. Baba's guideline was to always print the name of the cassette in Roman
script to reflect the universality of these divine songs. But since '90 B
group has changed this, now printing cassette covers in Bangla instead of
English. So that it looks like these songs are made for Bengalis and not
for people all over the world.
3. Baba only allowed Margis to perform and record PS for our AMPS.
Professional singers were never employed for this. But since '90 B group
hires all various pseudoculture singers to record PS and put their pictures
on the cassette cover for sales purposes. Which Baba never allowed as it
ruins the sanctity and saintliness of these divine songs.
4. Different pseudoculture photos are printed on the cover of PS cassettes.
5. The names of our PS cassettes are changed away from Baba's system, for
sales purposes.
6. In pronunciation the hired singers don't follow Baba's system. This is
completely disrespectful and disregards Baba's specific guidelines for how
PS is to be sung.
In short, by this it is clear that regarding Prabhat Samgiita nothing
commendable has been done over the last 13 years.
So if we see the quoted report from B group*. There in that report, B group
is bragging about the greatness of what they did with Prabhat Samgiita and
they are asking for money from Margis.
But knowing all the above catastrophes which have been committed against
Prabhat Samgiita, then what B group is bragging about does not have any
sense. What simple thing was needed to be done -- even the old PS cassettes
which were getting presented consecutively prior to '90, that is also gone
into some chasm. Since then nothing has been sold or made available to the
Margis.
In practical sphere, B group did not do anything positive. Rather, in view
of the above it is clear that B group is the main cause of ruining Prabhat
Samgiita over the last 20 years. They made many high sounding speeches and
proclamations, but did not follow any of Baba's guidelines for Prabhat
Samgiita. So their talk appears instead as one hypocritical propaganda.
Just empty slogans are there.
BABA'S WARNING
This following Baba's quote of Namah Shivaya Shantaya gives strong
guideline as to why B group is preaching about the greatness of their
pseudoculture presentation of Prabhat Samgiita. And asking Margiis to
donate money to them on that false ground.
Baba says, "Generally people use the empty words of philosophy like tinsel to cover
their internal blackness of character. Some of this tinsel is golden, some
silver, some a variety of colors. ...In the psychic world, the
implementation of these fatuous philosophies can wreak havoc." (NSS,
ed.'95, p.195)
Here Baba uses the term tinsel. The sense is that what B group is preaching
in the name of Prabhat Samgiita, that is one tinsel. B group is taking the
divine songs of Baba's Prabhat Samgiita and using it to just cover their
black actions. In true sense they are abusing Prabhat Samgiita for their
own selfish ends.
This is the wrong way to try an attract people into AM. Bad people will
come (temporarily) and good people will turn away.
BABA'S BLESSING
These are the challenges we face in our AM today, and it is not simple. And
yet with Baba's grace, I have deep faith that all will be soon on the rise.
"Purvara digante arun'a eseche, ka'lera ka'lima' sariya' ye geche..." (#4795)
In the eastern horizon the crimson dawn is visible. The pitch black dark is
disappearing. After a long span of agony the effulgence is showering. So
our future is bright-- by His grace.
Namaskar,
Mahesh
******************************************
300 Million Years Ago
Baba says, "In the distant past, some areas of India did not exist: There
was neither northern India, nor D'aba'k nor Samatat' areas of Bengal, but
there was Old Gondwana. That was about 300 million years ago. At that time,
the major parts of Sind, the Punjab, U.P., Bihar and Bengal did not exist.
They were all submerged under the vast oceans. The Himalayas also did not
exist. But the Vindhya mountain range and its sister ranges, Sa'tpura',
Sahya'dri, Rajmahal and Ra'mga'r'h did exist. These mountains were very
high, and always snow-covered." (AFPS-3, p.34)
******************************************
