Story: Useful & Useless Request

From: "Manindra Singh"
To: am-global@earthlink.net
Date: 23 Jul 2011 20:57:29 -0000
Subject: Story: Useful & Useless Request

Baba

"Sukhe ele na'ko, shoke sa'ntvana' dite ele..." (PS 3091)

Purport:

Baba, when I was feeling happy and content that time You did not come. Those days I was so enamoured with myself and I was so involved in my own glory that I did not even think to call You. So You did not come. But when I lost all that happiness and when I become drowned in my sorrows of self pity and when I was suffering and overwhelmed by various problems, then by Your grace You immediately came and consoled me. Baba in that desperate moment You graciously relieved me of my grief.

Baba, I did not ever feel that You are mine. In this life I was always suffering from the vanity and ego of my own I-feeling. Those days I was thinking that 'I am everything'. Due to my ego I did not accept You as the Supreme One-- as my Goal. I did not take You as that most loving One who can solve all my problems; I did not surrender at Your feet. Baba, even then by Your grace You have taken advent deep inside my heart and became mine. And now I understand that You are ever helpful and that You remain with me always.

Baba, those days when I was overwhelmed by that severe suffering, I did not outrightly tell You about my problems. I did not openly say anything. I did not express my pain to You. But because You are ever-present in my heart and because You are my eternal shelter, with Your infinite compassion You fully understood the desperate state of my mind-- You understood my sorrow. And by Your grace You instantly poured Your eternal sweetness and love. By Your grace You filled my whole existence with Your divine bliss.

Baba, due to my ego and vanity I could not recognise you. You were showering huge grace on me but I could not recognise that. I thought that due to my own qualities everything was happening. In those happy times I could not recognise You. Only did I begin to recognise You in my sorrow. Baba, in my state of terrible suffering, when the mountain of misery started falling on my head, then all my friends left me. I was all alone. When I was happy then they were along with me but when I became sunk in misery all those friends disappeared. Baba, You are the exact opposite. When I was sunk in woe then by Your grace You immediately came and removed all my pains and troubles. Baba You bathed me in Your infinite love. Filling my I-feeling with Your bliss, You surrounded me each and every second. Baba, You showered Your grace and saturated my heart.

Baba, You are so gracious. You are love Personified. You have done everything for me. Baba, I surrender at Your alter...

== STORY: USEFUL AND USELESS REQUEST ==

Namaskar,
This story teaches us that when people have the opportunity to ask for something then  some ask for something useful and some ask for something useless. It all depends upon their mental colour.

We have all seen similar scenes in front of Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji also. When sadhakas reached in front of Baba, then He would graciously ask, "What do you want?".

In reply, margiis and workers responded in all kinds of ways - according to their own psychic standard. Sometimes sadhakas responded to Baba's query by mentally asking for something and other times sadhakas spoke their desire out loud. The common thread among all was that they had got their wish granted.

Many margiis have seen this and we know that most requests were like that of Kátyáyanii. Some rare persons made a request like Maetreyii and they were fortunate.  Still today this is happening: Baba satisfies everyone's request - regardless of one asks like Ka'tya'yanii or Maetreyii.

BABA STORY OF KA'TYA'YANII & MAETREYII

Read the following story told by Baba on 27 December 1978:

"One day, Yájiṋávalkya fell seriously ill. His two wives, Maetreyii and Kátyáyanii, attended on him with due care and affection. It is a fact that some men are ordinary and some are extraordinary. Similarly, some women are ordinary and others are extraordinary. After recovering from his illness, Yájiṋávalkya said to Kátyáyanii, “I would like to give you a present. What would you like?”"

"His wife replied, “Let me see I’d like some new clothes, some new jewellery, in fact, so many things.” And she made a long list of all the things she wanted."

"Yájiṋávalkya bought everything she asked for and then asked Maetreyii, “What would you like? Clothes, jewellery, or any other valuable thing?”"

"Maetreyii remained silent."

"Yájiṋávalkya continued, “Just a little while ago, Katyáyánii said she would like some new clothes, jewellery, and so many other things. What would you like?”"

"Maetreyii replied, Yenáhaḿ námrtasyáḿ tenáhaḿ kim kuryám."

"“What will I do with things which will not remain with me permanently? Of what use are the objects which will not establish me in immortality? The expensive clothes I wear today will be torn in a few days. The jewellery I wear today will no longer be fashionable tomorrow as the designs change from age to age. A certain design was fashionable in my grandmother’s day, another one in my mother’s day and yet another in the present day. No design is permanent forever. It’s nice of you to offer me such things, but none of them will remain with me. I will have to leave them all behind when I depart from this world; so what use are they, and why should you tempt me with them?”"

"Yájiṋávalkya then asked, “Please tell me what you would really like.”"

"“If you can,” she replied, “please give me that thing which will remain with me permanently, which I’ll be able to preserve forever, which will establish me in immortality. I don’t want anything else.”"

"Then Yájiṋávalkya gave her a number of instructions, upon which a major part of Rájá Yoga is based."

(Ananda Vacanamrtam, Part 7)

After reading the above story, it is quite clear that we should follow Maetreyii's example, not Ka'tya'yanii's.

REFLECTION:

EXAMPLES OF SADHAKAS MAKING REQUESTS TO BABA

I have seen sadhakas ask for not only useless things from Parama Purusa but harmful things as well.

For example, one person once asked Baba for a particular spouse. What they wished for they got and soon they were married. Within a very short time that marital relation became very sour. The husband and wife even became violent and inimical towards one another. They attacked each other and even the police were called to get involved. Both husband and wife were arrested and put in jail. The marriage became that bad. All along the parents tried to save the marriage but they could not get success. And ultimately that marriage ended in an ugly and bitter divorce. The irony of it all is that this is the marriage they had requested from Parama Purusa.

Here is another key point to keep in mind.

One time Baba left to go on a fieldwalk and two margiis were sitting in the car with Him. One of the margiis started thinking how Baba should help in the marriage of his  daughter. Baba immediately scolded and rebuked him and said, "You spoiled the whole vibration. Why are you thinking like that."

Here the lesson is that Guru does not want His disciples to think of mundane things when in His contact. Because Baba is taking care of everything so without the margiis' awareness, Baba resolves each and every issue. So sadhakas should not waste their time in mundane matter but rather think of their devotional love for Parama Purusa. One should think of their spiritual ideal and and not of worldly, transient things that are here today and gone tomorrow.

When the margii returned back his home area then in a few weeks tie his daughter's marriage was perfectly resolved and since then he never did such mistakes.

BABA'S BLESSING

The central idea is that people do not know what to ask for so best is not to ask for anything at all. One should only ask for parabhakti ("intense love for Parama Purusa").

Baba says, "Suppose Parama Puruśa appears before you and says, “O my boy, do you want something from Me?” then what should be your reply? Your reply will be, “What I require and what I do not require is best known to You. You know better than I do. So You do according to my requirements. I won’t say anything.” But if even then He says, “O my boy, say something, try to get something. Ask something, say something. I want that you yourself say, ‘O Parama Puruśa, I want this thing or that thing’” – in that case you should say, “O Parama Puruśa, give me parábhakti.”" (Subhasita Samgraha - 24, Bhakti, Mukti and Parama Puruśa)

Namaskar,
Manindra

Note 1: PARA'BHAKTI NOT APARA'BHAKTI

Here Baba gives a very pointed definition and example of the highest form of devotion known as parabhakti; plus He also shows us what not to ask for.

Baba says, "If they are told to ask for anything, they will ask only for parábhakti and nothing else. One who asks for parábhakti gets everything. I deliberately used the word parábhakti because there is another type of devotion called aparábhakti. 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." (Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life, Taking the Opposite Stance in Battle)