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Baba


Namaskar,


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We Do Not Salute Any Human Being

Date: 06 Jan 2011 05:09:27 -0000
From: "K  Lingappa"
To: AM-GLOBAL
Subject: We Do Not Salute Any Human Being

Baba

"Ka'ra'r kapa't' a'gha'te bha'ungiya' a'lo niye ele ke go atithi..."
(P.S. 4305)

Purport:

Which Divine Guest has come and pulverized the prison gate by His
strong blow and freed everyone from the dungeon. Which Entity has come
and brought such divine effulgence.   O' Ajana Pathik, Parama Purusa, it
is Your grace that You have come and removed the Cimmerian darkness. You
have removed the fear of staticity, dogma, and disaster.   By Your grace
You have given the voice to those who did not have a way to speak.
Previously, they could not express any of their desires and problems.
But with Your infinite compassion You have graced them. These
downtrodden people could not raise the protest against their sufferings
& tortures. They were facing those injustices silently without so much
as saying a word. Their throats were choked. But now all that has
changed.   O' Parama Purusa, thinking about their suffering and pain,
You took up the Gandiiva bow in Your hand and You have made everyone
listen to the song of life. You have made everyone's life blissful by
removing all sorts of suppressions, repressions, and depressions.
Baba, You have graced one and all...


 == WE A'NANDA MA'RGIIS DO NOT SALUTE ANY HUMAN BEING ==

Note: This letter is a reminder about the great import of one of
our most fundamental practices. It is not a small point as it
represents our entire outlook in life.

Namaskar,
In our Ananda Marga, our entire outlook and life is spiritually based--
focused completely on Parama Purusa, revolving only around Baba. Our
each and every thought, word, and action is aimed towards Him.

From morning till night, our existence is centered around the Divine
Entity: When we awaken, we meditate on Him; when we serve others or feed a beggar,
we feel that we are serving or feeding Him. When we receive
anything from anyone, we feel we have gotten a gift from Parama Purusa.

When we talk to our children, we feel that Parama Purusa is expressing
Himself in the form of these children, i.e. that He is in front of us in
the form of these young boys and girls.

In this beautiful way the day passes-- ensconced in His thought & ideation.

And our namaskar salutation is part and parcel of this flow: It is one
of our daily activities that is related with Parama Purusa.

Because as we all know, when we do namaskar we are not saluting any
particular individual like Ram, Shyam, Tom, Dick, or Harry, but rather
recognizing the presence of the Infinite Supreme Consciousness within
that person.


              NAMASKAR IS TO BE DONE TO ALL

Our namaskar salutation, therefore, is to be done to all. Because it has
nothing to do with one's seniority, social stature, post, age, or any
other relative factor.

Because when we do our namaskar mudra we are not bowing down to any
individual per se. Rather we are paying salutation to the presence of
the Divine within that person.

Baba says, "Namaska'ra...It can be done to all regardless of their age,
because this mode of salutation is used with the ideation that everyone
is the manifestation of the Supreme Being." (CC-1, Chapter 7)

Thus part and parcel of our namaskar practice is seeing the Divine
within all. That is the essence of doing namaskar.
For that reason even the senior-most people in society should do
namaskar to little babies, and top-level workers should do namaskar to
newly initiated persons. And fellow classmates should do namaskar to
each other.

So namaskar is to be done by one and all to one and all.

There should not be any shyness or feelings of superiority that inhibits
this process. Because the sweet ideation behind it all is that when
doing namaskar we are honoring the presence of the Supreme within that
individual.

Hence, we should always be ready to do namaskar to anyone.


                 BE THE FIRST TO DO NAMASKAR

Secondly, side by side Baba's guidelines is that we should be the first
to do namaskar.

Baba says, "You should always make an effort to do namaskar to others
first." (AMIWL-11)

So these are two of Baba's fundamental teachings about Namaskar: (1)
That it is to be done to all, and (2) that one should be enthusiastic to
do namaskar first.

These are two fundamentals aspects of our namaskar practice.

Reason being that namaskar is an acknowledgement or salutation to Parama
Purusa in the form of that human being. It is not the act of bowing down
to a particular individual. So we should readily do namaskar to
everyone-- first.


                A FEW MISNOMERS ABOUT NAMASKAR

Unfortunately, some have forgotten this divine formula. And for that
reason certain dogmatic ideas about the meaning of namaskar have crept
into our Marga.

Chiefly, some have the wrong idea that when doing namaskar they are
saluting another human being. When in fact the truth is we are saluting
the Divinity within that human being. But due to their dogmatic
understanding, some big Dadas are hesitant to do namaskar to those who
are their juniors. Those Dadas think that, 'I am more senior and more
respected than him, so why should I salute or bow down to such & such
person'. Hence with their dogmatic understanding, those big Dadas
refrain from doing namaskar when seeing others. This is the common
occurrence, especially at retreats.

At the same time, Baba guides us that we should always to namaskar to
others first. And if those Dadas understood that by doing namaskar they
are honoring the Supreme and not bowing down to some human being, then
they would surely follow Baba's guideline: They would be the first to do
namaskar.

But since they have the dogmatic view that by doing namaskar they are
bowing down to some human being, then they do not like to do namaskar.
And that is exactly what happens when big Dadas go to any public
gathering or retreat. They expect the entire campus to do namaskar to
them, but unto others they refrain, or at best do namaskar in reply.
But again, this entire situation can be averted if everyone becomes more
aware about the real nature of our namaskar practice.


                 NAMASKAR: MEANING OF THE TERM

Here following then is Baba's special explanation about the meaning of
namaskar.

In various discourses, Baba has explained that:

(a) The prefix 'namah' means 'I salute';
(b) The root 'kr' means 'do'; and,
(c) 'Ghain' is simply a standard Sanskrit suffix.
(d) So: Namah - kr + ghain = Namaska'r

Hence the full meaning of 'namaskar' is 'I salute'.

So the term 'namaskar' is grammatically vague: It does not literally
qualify to whom one is saluting. It just means 'I salute' or 'I pay my
salutations'. Beyond that it has no further literal meaning.

Why is it like that? Why did the rs'is of old create the word in that
way? Because by this way 'namaskar' indirectly refers to Parama Purusa.

That is why it is fitting to use the term 'namaskar' when addressing
other jiivas-- other human beings. Because the term 'namaskar'
recognises those humans as being expressions of Cosmic Consciousness.


             NOT A SALUTATION TO OTHER HUMAN BEINGS

We should not forget that no human being should salute any other human
being. Ours is not like that of the military or some dogmatic regime.

Rather one should always salute Parama Purusa. Because why should we bow
down to any human being? That is the spirit and this is the uniqueness
of our AM philosophy. In the various religions this supreme idea is
totally absent.

They salute human beings, but we don't.


                   REAL MEANING OF NAMASKAR (REVISITED)

So 'namaskar' means: O' Mr Ramesh or O' Mr Manoranjain, I salute the
Divine which is residing within you.
That is the true spirit of doing namaskar.

But if Ramesh or Manoranjan is ignorant and foolish, they will think
that they are being saluted. And if the one doing namaskar is foolish,
he will think that he is saluting Ramesh or Manoranjain etc. Those who
do namaskar in this misguided way, they commit a mistake which is
commonly done in the general society-- and unfortunately in our Marga as
well. So this false manner should be stopped.

In the real sense, with the term 'namaskar' (literally meaning 'I
salute'), we are paying our salutations to the Divine in an indirect
way. Because we seeing 'Ramesh' or 'Manoranjan' or 'Tom', 'Dick', or
'Harry', as being manifestations of the Supreme. Thus the word
'namaskar' recognises the Divine within them; it is an indirect
reference to Parama Purusa

That is the way it works.

Thus none should get confused and think that by saying 'namaskar' we are
saluting another human being or that someone else is saluting us. It is
not like that.


             CONFUSION ABOUT NAMASKAR IN OUR MARGA

Unfortunately, here again let it be said that some in AMPS are confused
and they think that by saying namaskar they are saluting another human
being.

That is why you might have seen how some Dadas do not like to say
namaskar to juniors or new margiis etc. Because they think that they
themselves are someone high, worthy of respect, and that it would be
unfitting to address someone younger or less senior with the term
namaskar. But unto them, those same Dadas want all to quickly come and
say namaskar. Because they think by this way they are getting the
respect and praise of others.

So their misunderstanding works in two faulty directions. Certain top
Dadas do not want to say namaskar to others as they think it diminishes
their own stature. That is the first half of their dogma. Secondly, they
think by having others say namaskar to them then they are getting huge
honor and respect. And that is the second half of their dogma.

They do not know they are saluting the Divine when they do namaskar to
others, and they do not know that the next persons is saluting God by
doing namaskar to them. So that is their blindness.

This type of misdealing is all due to their misunderstanding of the term
namaskar. Theirs is a dogmatic type of meaning that is wrongly based on
social status and prestige. That is why some top Dadas do not like to
address others by saying 'namaskar' and that is why they want the entire
world to come to them and say  'namaskar'.

Such is the confusion and deep rooted dogma that has infested their
minds. And that is why they cannot get the spiritual benefit of using
the namaskar term-- because they fail to realise that by saying namaskar
they are indirectly paying their respects to Baba as they have come in
form of next.

For this reason one should always be zealous to do namaskar to others
first. But in general, mostly people do not know this secret so they
desire that others should do namaskar to them first.


                       MEANING OF THE MUDRA

Lastly, any discussion about namaskar would be incomplete if one fails
to discuss the accompanying mudra as well.

As we all know, when we say namaskar, first we raise our palms together
and touch the trikuti point with our thumbs. By this we are recognising
the center of the mind which is at the ajina cakra. And then we lower
our palms to the heart or the anahata cakra. By this way we are
acknowledging the feeling of heart, which is one of the subcenters of
the mind as it is responsible for feelings of love, affection,
dedication, and respect.

So when we do namaskar, we are paying our deepest salutations to Parama
Purusa with the totality of our mind and heart. And when doing the mudra
we say, 'namaskar'. This everybody understands.

By this manner we are saluting the Divine Entity inside the next person
and by this way our entire mind & heart gets spiritualised. Because
doing the mudra is very helpful for inculcating the proper ideation.

It is just like if you try doing sastaunga pranam from a standing
position then it does not work nearly as well as when you do sastaunga
pranam while lying on the ground in the proper mudra. Here the whole
point is that the mudra supports the ideational flow in the mind since
when we do any mudra then it brings the mind and body into one parallel
position, which ultimately reinforces the idea in the mind.

That is the specialty of our namaskar mudra.


                SUMMARY: OUR NAMASKAR IS UNIQUE

We can see that throughout this entire world there are hundreds of ways
to salute someone, but the way in AM is totally unique and divine. That
is why we must propagate this unique practice all around. All should
understand the true meaning of this salutation and follow it-- in body,
heart, and mind.


                        BABA'S BLESSING

Baba has graciously blessed us with a salutation system that brings
one closer to Him. Because when we do namaskar we are not saluting any
human being, rather we are distinctly paying our salutations to Him--
drawing ourselves closer to Him, by His grace. That is one special
aspect of doing namaskar.

Baba says, "The only goal of living beings is to attain Parama Purus´a.
This singular goal should permeate the major portion of the activities
of ideal human beings. You should always remember that from the moment
you get up until the moment you go to sleep, Parama Purus´a is your
supreme Goal. Whatever you do, you should do keeping your vision fixed
on that Goal." (SS-12)

Namaskar
Karun


Note 1:             ABOUT THE SUFFIX GHAIN

As we all now know, the term namaskar is derived from the root 'namah'
meaning 'I salute - 'kr' meaning 'do' + 'ghain', which is one of the
many traditional suffixes in Sanskrit. For those interested, on page
1413 of Baba's Sanskrit Grammar Book, He outlines many words that employ
the suffix ghain:

                     yuinj + ghain = yoga

                     div + ghain = deva

                    rainj + ghain = ra'ga

                     kr + ghain= ka'r

So ghain is a commonly used suffix in Sanskrit and is also used in the
formation of the term 'namaskar'. For more about this linguistic science
or to learn more about the use of the ghain suffix, then please refer to
Baba's Sanskrit Grammar Book.


Note 2:    WE SHOULD ALWAYS SAY NAMASKAR FIRST (PART II)

According to Baba, there are numerous benefits to always doing namaskar
first. And Baba furthermore guides us that He always does namaskar first
in order to teach others.

Baba says, "As ideal human beings you should not wait to give namaskar
after another has greeted you: you should rather take the first
opportunity to greet others. When someone greets you, it is merely
common courtesy for you to salute back; you do not become an ideal human
being thereby. Rather one who seizes the first opportunity to salute
others is the ideal. So you should always make an effort to do namaskar
to others first: you should not care whether the person whom you greet
will greet you in return or not. (When people come to me during personal
contact, I greet them first whether they salute me or not.) By giving
honour to others you will not be belittled, you will rather enhance your
prestige." (AMIWL-11)

By Baba's above guideline we can understand that those who do namaskar
first are better than those who wait to do namaskar in response.
Unfortunately, those who are unaware about this do not do namaskar
first, they think they should wait for namaskar. But by this way they
just cheat themselves and deprive themselves of becoming ideal human
beings. That is Baba's specific teaching.


           ***************************************
         Samaj is Based on Neo-Humanism, not Groupism

Parama Purusa BABA says, "If each samaj [socio-economic unit] is inspired
by a comprehensive ideology and a universal outlook, human society will
move ahead with accelerating speed towards a sublime ideal." (PNS-13, p. 23)

Note: Nowadays some leaders are singing the song of samaj as they try
to forge ahead with their narrow-minded agendas. They justify their groupism
by claiming it as a samaj movement. But margiis understand Baba's teachings
and recognise the truth. Our samaj system is based on universal principles
not factional allegiances.
           ***************************************

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