"Master Glossary" Blunder: The Term Aparabhakti

Date: 10 Mar 2011 07:52:28 -0000
From: "Liiladhar Deva"
To: am-global@earthlink.net
Subject: "Master Glossary" Blunder: The Term Aparabhakti

Baba

                == "MASTER GLOSSARY" BLUNDER: THE TERM APARABHAKTI ==

Namaskar,
In this ongoing investigation of the "Master Glossary" from the "The Electronic Edition (English) of the Works of P.R. Sarkar" (version 7.5), we examine the term: aparabhakti.


                              BABA'S TRUE DEFINITION OF APARABHAKTI

                        ASKING SOMETHING ELSE FROM PARAMA PURUSA

Baba clearly tells us that when one has longing for material gain (house, job, money, wife etc) and one asks the Lord to satisfy that worldly longing that is aparabhakti.

Baba says, "When people beseech the Lord to fulfill all their selfish desires, this is called aparábhakti. “Oh Lord, I am your devotee, help me to pass my examination… Oh Lord, my daughter has attained marriageable age – help me to find a worthy suitor… Let the bridegroom be ideal, let me not spend much on the wedding…” This type of showy devotion that simply asks for mundane objects, is no devotion at all, because it demands everything except Parama Puruśa. Such devotees never say, “Oh Lord, be mine… I want You and only You.” They always say, “I want this, I want that.” In fact this is no devotion at all. When one asks only for Parama Puruśa, this is the true devotion, parábhakti." (AMIWL-11)

In His above teaching Baba terms aparabhakti as the fulfillment of one's "selfish desires" wherein the bhakta requests the Lord to grant him worldly things. Thus if one asks Parama Purusa for a new car, a new boat, prestige, power, post, money or fame, then that is aparabhakti. The request need not be for something physical like a house etc; it could be something psychic like fame. All this is known as aparabhakti because one is not asking for Parama Purusa Himself.

Here below Baba describes this phenomenon of aparabhakti in another manner.

Baba says, "When one wants money from Parama Puruśa one says, “O Parama Puruśa, I am Your devotee.” No, [that person] is not His devotee! Because he does not want Parama Puruśa, he wants money from Parama Puruśa. “O Parama Puruśa, I’m Your devotee. I have got a girl of marriageable age, I want a groom. I don’t want to spend a farthing.” Is he a bhakta? No, no, no. Now, there have been distortions. These are all distortions of bhakti. That’s why it has been said that these are all aparábhakti. When one wants something else from Parama Puruśa other than Parama Puruśa, then that bhakti is called aparábhakti, and when one wants Parama Puruśa from Parama Puruśa, then that bhakti is parábhakti." (Subháśita Saḿgraha Part 24)

Here again Baba is guiding us that when one asks for something other than Parama Purusa then that is aparabhakti. All requests for money, gems, and jewels fall in this category. And truly speaking, any request placed before Parama Purusa that is for anything but Parama Purusa is aparabhakti.


                                        A REQUEST MUST BE MADE

Nowadays there are many people in the world hankering after worldly gain. Do all such person then fall in the category of aparabhakti?

The answer is, "No".

Someone on the path of aparabhakti must make a request to the Lord for worldly gain. The person must say, "O Lord please grant me victory in my court case" or "O Lord please help me purchase a new sports car" etc.

So the key point in aparabhakti is that the person must request Parama Purusa for that worldly item.

If one is an atheist and does not ask anything from the Lord yet hankers after material objects and mundane pleasures, then that is not aparabhakti. Why? Because such people do not even believe in God. They are purely atheistic materialists. They are not asking the Lord for anything.

So again the operative factor in aparabhahkti is that the person must ask Parama Purusa to satisfy their mundane desires.


                                  WHAT THE "MASTER GLOSSARY" SAYS

Now we come to the definition from the "Master Glossary" as from the recently published electronic edition of Baba's books. There the publishers have given the following definition:

"Apara'bhakti. Attraction to Apara Brahma, the expressed aspect of Brahma."

("Master Glossary" from the "The Electronic Edition (English) of the Works of P.R. Sarkar" - version 7.5)

So this definition is not proper. Aparabhakti is not mere attraction to Apara Brahma, the person must request to the Lord to satisfy those worldly desires. That is the key point which is missing in their definition.

Today, various parts of the the world are filled with materialists and atheists. But these people do not fall within the realm of aparabhakti as they do not request to the Lord to grant their selfish desires. Such persons do not even think that Parama Purusa exists. Hence they are not even up to the mark of aparabhakti. They are a step lower.

For our purposes here, the main thing is that the given definition by the publishers of the "Master Glossary" fails to give the reader an accurate depiction of what aparabhakti really is. Because those publishers simply say that aparabhakti is chasing after any material longing when in reality aparabhakti means requesting the Lord for that material gain.

Our AM philosophy is very vast and pointed and many will not be able to understand the basics of Baba's teachings if our own "Master Glossary" is not correct. We have come onto this earth to follow His order and spread His message. When the "Master Glossary" itself is incorrect then that undermines our entire aim.

Having a "Master Glossary" is an excellent idea; and best will be if it accurately depicts Baba's teachings.


                                             BABA'S BLESSING

By Baba's grace, as sadhakas of the Marga, we should channelise all our energies and longing towards Him and become aspirants of parabhakti. We should ask for Him and Him alone - not any material gain.

Baba says, "When one wants something else from Parama Puruśa other than Parama Puruśa, then that bhakti is called aparábhakti, and when one wants Parama Puruśa from Parama Puruśa, then that bhakti is parábhakti." (SS-24)

Namaskar,
Liiladhar


Note 1:                      THREE TYPES OF APARABHAKTI

Here below Baba classifies those on the path of aparabhakti into three distinct classifications.

Baba says, "There are three classifications within aparábhakti. When a so-called devotee (aparábhakti means they are not devotees, they are so-called devotees) says, “O Parama Puruśa, I am Your devotee,” and then says, “X is my enemy. Please kill him, please kill him!” this type of bhakti is called támasika bhakti. Actually it is not bhakti. When someone says, “O Parama Puruśa, I am Your devotee, but You know, I am not getting any employment, please arrange for my employment,” he is not trying to harm anybody, but he wants physical development or physical elevation, his [physical] betterment. His bhakti, his so-called bhakti, is known as rájasika bhakti. And that is also aparábhakti, and aparábhakti is not bhakti. And suppose someone says, “O Parama Puruśa, I am Your devotee, and You know, I want mukti, I want mukti,” and Parama Puruśa asks, “O my boy, why do you want mukti?” “Oh, I don’t find any charm in this world, because I lost my digestive power. Either give me back my digestive power or give me mukti.” This is sáttvikii bhakti. Actually sáttvikii bhakti is not bhakti; aparábhakti is not at all bhakti." (Subháśita Saḿgraha Part 24)



Note 2:         OTHER POSTINGS ABOUT THE "MASTER GLOSSARY"

To view and read the first posting in this series about the term "gopa" click below.

http://am-global-01.blogspot.com/2011/02/master-glossary-blunder-term-gopa.html

To view and read the second posting in this series about the term "acarya" click below.

http://am-global-01.blogspot.com/2011/03/master-glossary-blunder-term-acarya.html