Date: 09 Oct 2011 17:06:39 -0000
From: "Vijaya Deva"
To: am-global@earthlink.net
Subject: Baba Story: I Made A New Kiirtan
Baba
Intro to PS: The following is the marching song which expresses the idea of neo-humanism.
"A'dha'r sareche, a'lo jhariya'che, ekhan shudhu egiye ja'oya'..." (P.S. 2183)
Purport:
By the grace of Baba, the cimmerian darkness has vanished; the effulgence is showering. O' my brothers and sisters, this is the proper time to march forward, march forward. With fear, the creatures of the dark have become lifeless. Now is the opportune moment to sing the devotional song in this quiet atmosphere when the demons who were creating horror have disappeared.
O' brothers and sisters do not waste time by looking backwards. Wasting the time thinking by harbouring over the past is foolishness. We must not forget that human life is very valuable. We should not waste one single moment. After forgetting all the gains and losses we have to march forward keeping the goal fixed towards Him.
Our life is passing beautifully like this: Keeping everybody together, collectively we are moving ahead towards our Goal-- towards Him. After forgetting all differences we are loving each and everyone with the family feeling. There is no time to sit idle and waste. Now is the time to go on rowing the boat of life briskly up to the Goal. His grace is showering on us immensely-- nothing is impossible. By His grace everything is possible. What the duty He has allotted us we have to complete.
By His grace the darkness has faded away. The crimson dawn is knocking at our door. The golden era has taken advent. This is the right and opportune moment to march forward...
It is the accepted international standard and our way not to copy another's work and publish it in your own name. Baba Himself has given a very strict rule on plagiarism.
Baba says, "It is not possible to guide others merely with cheap, superficial knowledge, like a half-baked pandit who reads a half-a-dozen books and then spouts a few mouthfuls of grandiloquence, and who has obtained a doctorate degree by plagiarising others’ works." (PNS-10)
So please do not circulate this letter on any other network without keeping the full and complete letter including the header. In addition, it would be proper to introduce the letter as "Courtesy of...". Then everyone will clearly understand from where you got the letter. This is the accepted standard.
Why is Baba against this type of plagiarism or stealing someone's work? There are many reasons:
1) It is against the code of asteya (non-stealing).
2) The individual who steals gets degenerated and it sets a bad example on the social sphere.
3) It will impede social progress as others will not be inclined to pursue new and original work as they think that others will just steal it.
4) Countless stories of devotees need to be published. But some do not want to do the hard work of compiling and writing these stories, so they just steal them from others. But new stories need to be told, otherwise so many unpublished stories of sadhakas will be lost and forgotten forever.
5) Here the sole motivation is to publish the maximum amount of Baba stories. Everyone should work hard and try to contribute original material in this respect. All unpublished stories should be written.
6) In addition, by following this code then fake stories will not be circulated as everyone will be responsible for demonstrating the authenticity of each story.
7) Thank you for abiding by this ethic and code that is both today's international standard as well as Baba's given system. Again, it is our formal request not to plagiarise this story. - Eds.
== BABA STORY: I MADE A NEW KIIRTAN ==
Namaskar,
It was the early 1970's and our Baba Nam Kevalam kiirtan had recently been given. My duty was to organise a nagar kiirtan procession in my village.
I was the lone margii in my area and thought that other people would not be interested in singing Baba Nam Kevalam. After all, in those days many were opposing AM on various fronts. So I thought that the best way to get people attracted to our nagar kiirtan program was to incorporate the names of their Lord into our Baba Nam Kevalam mantra.
The idea came in my mind that since Baba came as Lord Shiva, Lord Krsna and Lord Shrii Shrii Aanandamurtiji - all are the same entity - then there is nothing wrong in including their names also in our kiirtan. By this way non-margiis will be more inclined to participate because the name of their ista is also included. Or at the very least they would be more sympathetic and would not oppose us.
So I thought for a while and decided that we should sing:
This was the kiirtan I invented.
[*Bholenath refers to Lord Shiva; and **Radheshyam refers to Lord Krsna and Radha]
That day we sang this newly made kiirtan for our nagar kiirtan program and it worked well. Many non-margiis joined who otherwise would not have participated. Of course still many opposed but overall we gained some people. So I was thinking it was quite successful.
I WENT TO SEE BABA
The next time I went to see Baba, He was very kind and gracious and He asked me,
"What type of nagar kiirtan have you been singing in your village. Sing the entire kiirtan now."
I then sang it in front of Baba:
Baba looked at me and said, "Sukhadeva, you have made a mistake."
Then Baba went on to explain that the great mystic Caetanya Mahaprabhu created two kiirtanas:
This was for those who were devotees of Ram.
This was for those devotees of Lord Krsna.
People should not sing both names in the same kiiirtan. Nor should anybody sing both kiirtanas independently. One must not sing two names in any way, shape, or form.
Baba furthermore explained, "A sadhaka should only repeat the name of their Ista in their kiirtan, not the name of any other. On the point of Ista one must not compromise."
"So Ananda Margiis should not add Bholenath and Radheshyam to the Baba Nam Kevalam kiirtan in order to appease non-margiis.
"You should not mix two or more names into the same kiirtan. If you mix them together, then the pointedness and efficacy of that kiirtan will be gone. No sadhaka should compromise on the point of Ista. If you chant multiple names it has no value, rather it is harmful. Regardless of how much you sing, you will just waste the time and bifurcate the mind."
By Baba's grace since that time I stopped my new kiirtan invention and I only chanted Baba Nam Kevalam. I realised my mistake and did not do that again. I realised that my Ista is only one: Baba. So I should only chant Baba's name in kiirtan.
It is certainly true that Baba came on this earth as Lord Shiva and Lord Krsna but in our spiritual practices the names of Lord Shiva and Lord Krsna are meaningless. We should only sing Baba Nam Kevalam. I realised my mistake in wrongly adding those names into the kiirtan we were singing in the village.
Nowadays, I see that the disciples of Caetanya Mahaprabhu are doing wrong by mixing their two kiirtanas and using Krsna and Rama together. Due to a lack of proper guidance people commit such mistakes. Their present-day leader is ignorant and misguiding others, unfortunately.
Since my meeting with Baba, in my puja I stopped singing those Prabhata Samgiita compositions about Lord Shiva and Lord Krsna. I understood that these songs are for non-margiis.
Baba has given such songs for non-margiis. So we can teach those songs to others and by that way they can express their feelings for Lord Shiva and Lord Krsna. But we should not sing them ourselves in our devotional life. I only sing those devotional Prabhat Samgiita compositions which are about Baba.
That was the unique lesson I got that day, by His grace. Now I only sing Baba's name and songs exclusively about Him.
Namaskar,
Ac Sukhadeva Dharmamitram
The above story told by Ac Sukhadeva Dharmamitram (Gaya Dist Bihar) is very devotional and key to adhering to the point of "non-compromising strictness and faith regarding the sanctity of Ista."
Often we see that non-margiis use multiple names in their kiirtans and devotional songs and that is not good. Non-margiis should pick one name, not two. If they are strict in this way, then in the due course they will get tantric diiksa and become Ananda Margiis.
Namaskar,
Vijaya
From: "Vijaya Deva"
To: am-global@earthlink.net
Subject: Baba Story: I Made A New Kiirtan
Baba
Intro to PS: The following is the marching song which expresses the idea of neo-humanism.
"A'dha'r sareche, a'lo jhariya'che, ekhan shudhu egiye ja'oya'..." (P.S. 2183)
Purport:
By the grace of Baba, the cimmerian darkness has vanished; the effulgence is showering. O' my brothers and sisters, this is the proper time to march forward, march forward. With fear, the creatures of the dark have become lifeless. Now is the opportune moment to sing the devotional song in this quiet atmosphere when the demons who were creating horror have disappeared.
O' brothers and sisters do not waste time by looking backwards. Wasting the time thinking by harbouring over the past is foolishness. We must not forget that human life is very valuable. We should not waste one single moment. After forgetting all the gains and losses we have to march forward keeping the goal fixed towards Him.
Our life is passing beautifully like this: Keeping everybody together, collectively we are moving ahead towards our Goal-- towards Him. After forgetting all differences we are loving each and everyone with the family feeling. There is no time to sit idle and waste. Now is the time to go on rowing the boat of life briskly up to the Goal. His grace is showering on us immensely-- nothing is impossible. By His grace everything is possible. What the duty He has allotted us we have to complete.
By His grace the darkness has faded away. The crimson dawn is knocking at our door. The golden era has taken advent. This is the right and opportune moment to march forward...
STEALING REAL STORIES
It is the accepted international standard and our way not to copy another's work and publish it in your own name. Baba Himself has given a very strict rule on plagiarism.
Baba says, "It is not possible to guide others merely with cheap, superficial knowledge, like a half-baked pandit who reads a half-a-dozen books and then spouts a few mouthfuls of grandiloquence, and who has obtained a doctorate degree by plagiarising others’ works." (PNS-10)
So please do not circulate this letter on any other network without keeping the full and complete letter including the header. In addition, it would be proper to introduce the letter as "Courtesy of...". Then everyone will clearly understand from where you got the letter. This is the accepted standard.
Why is Baba against this type of plagiarism or stealing someone's work? There are many reasons:
1) It is against the code of asteya (non-stealing).
2) The individual who steals gets degenerated and it sets a bad example on the social sphere.
3) It will impede social progress as others will not be inclined to pursue new and original work as they think that others will just steal it.
4) Countless stories of devotees need to be published. But some do not want to do the hard work of compiling and writing these stories, so they just steal them from others. But new stories need to be told, otherwise so many unpublished stories of sadhakas will be lost and forgotten forever.
5) Here the sole motivation is to publish the maximum amount of Baba stories. Everyone should work hard and try to contribute original material in this respect. All unpublished stories should be written.
6) In addition, by following this code then fake stories will not be circulated as everyone will be responsible for demonstrating the authenticity of each story.
7) Thank you for abiding by this ethic and code that is both today's international standard as well as Baba's given system. Again, it is our formal request not to plagiarise this story. - Eds.
== BABA STORY: I MADE A NEW KIIRTAN ==
Namaskar,
It was the early 1970's and our Baba Nam Kevalam kiirtan had recently been given. My duty was to organise a nagar kiirtan procession in my village.
I was the lone margii in my area and thought that other people would not be interested in singing Baba Nam Kevalam. After all, in those days many were opposing AM on various fronts. So I thought that the best way to get people attracted to our nagar kiirtan program was to incorporate the names of their Lord into our Baba Nam Kevalam mantra.
The idea came in my mind that since Baba came as Lord Shiva, Lord Krsna and Lord Shrii Shrii Aanandamurtiji - all are the same entity - then there is nothing wrong in including their names also in our kiirtan. By this way non-margiis will be more inclined to participate because the name of their ista is also included. Or at the very least they would be more sympathetic and would not oppose us.
So I thought for a while and decided that we should sing:
Bholenath*
Radheshyam**
Baba Nam Kevalam
Baba Nam
Baba Nam
Baba Nam Kevalam
Radheshyam**
Baba Nam Kevalam
Baba Nam
Baba Nam
Baba Nam Kevalam
This was the kiirtan I invented.
[*Bholenath refers to Lord Shiva; and **Radheshyam refers to Lord Krsna and Radha]
That day we sang this newly made kiirtan for our nagar kiirtan program and it worked well. Many non-margiis joined who otherwise would not have participated. Of course still many opposed but overall we gained some people. So I was thinking it was quite successful.
I WENT TO SEE BABA
The next time I went to see Baba, He was very kind and gracious and He asked me,
"What type of nagar kiirtan have you been singing in your village. Sing the entire kiirtan now."
I then sang it in front of Baba:
Bholenath*
Radheshyam**
Baba Nam Kevalam
Baba Nam
Baba Nam
Baba Nam Kevalam
Radheshyam**
Baba Nam Kevalam
Baba Nam
Baba Nam
Baba Nam Kevalam
Baba looked at me and said, "Sukhadeva, you have made a mistake."
Then Baba went on to explain that the great mystic Caetanya Mahaprabhu created two kiirtanas:
1. Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare;
This was for those who were devotees of Ram.
2. Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krna Krsna Hare Hare;
This was for those devotees of Lord Krsna.
People should not sing both names in the same kiiirtan. Nor should anybody sing both kiirtanas independently. One must not sing two names in any way, shape, or form.
Baba continued: "For Ananda Margiis, I have given:
"
Baba Nam Kevalam
"Ananda Margiis should only sing this kiirtan.
And you mixed all three names in one kiirtan. That was a
mistake."
Baba furthermore explained, "A sadhaka should only repeat the name of their Ista in their kiirtan, not the name of any other. On the point of Ista one must not compromise."
"So Ananda Margiis should not add Bholenath and Radheshyam to the Baba Nam Kevalam kiirtan in order to appease non-margiis.
"You should not mix two or more names into the same kiirtan. If you mix them together, then the pointedness and efficacy of that kiirtan will be gone. No sadhaka should compromise on the point of Ista. If you chant multiple names it has no value, rather it is harmful. Regardless of how much you sing, you will just waste the time and bifurcate the mind."
REFLECTION
By Baba's grace since that time I stopped my new kiirtan invention and I only chanted Baba Nam Kevalam. I realised my mistake and did not do that again. I realised that my Ista is only one: Baba. So I should only chant Baba's name in kiirtan.
It is certainly true that Baba came on this earth as Lord Shiva and Lord Krsna but in our spiritual practices the names of Lord Shiva and Lord Krsna are meaningless. We should only sing Baba Nam Kevalam. I realised my mistake in wrongly adding those names into the kiirtan we were singing in the village.
Nowadays, I see that the disciples of Caetanya Mahaprabhu are doing wrong by mixing their two kiirtanas and using Krsna and Rama together. Due to a lack of proper guidance people commit such mistakes. Their present-day leader is ignorant and misguiding others, unfortunately.
Since my meeting with Baba, in my puja I stopped singing those Prabhata Samgiita compositions about Lord Shiva and Lord Krsna. I understood that these songs are for non-margiis.
Baba has given such songs for non-margiis. So we can teach those songs to others and by that way they can express their feelings for Lord Shiva and Lord Krsna. But we should not sing them ourselves in our devotional life. I only sing those devotional Prabhat Samgiita compositions which are about Baba.
That was the unique lesson I got that day, by His grace. Now I only sing Baba's name and songs exclusively about Him.
Namaskar,
Ac Sukhadeva Dharmamitram
NOTE: ABOUT THE ABOVE STORY
The above story told by Ac Sukhadeva Dharmamitram (Gaya Dist Bihar) is very devotional and key to adhering to the point of "non-compromising strictness and faith regarding the sanctity of Ista."
Often we see that non-margiis use multiple names in their kiirtans and devotional songs and that is not good. Non-margiis should pick one name, not two. If they are strict in this way, then in the due course they will get tantric diiksa and become Ananda Margiis.
Namaskar,
Vijaya
******************************************
LONGEVITY
Baba says, "Spiritual practice makes the mind calm and quiet, and maintains the nerves in a state of equipoise; and thus spiritual practice increases longevity. Those vaishnavites who are vegetarians, who regularly sing spiritual songs, do meditation, perform virtuous deeds and think pure thoughts, live longer than ninety years."
(Ananda Vacanamrtam, part 33, p. 113)
******************************************
LONGEVITY
Baba says, "Spiritual practice makes the mind calm and quiet, and maintains the nerves in a state of equipoise; and thus spiritual practice increases longevity. Those vaishnavites who are vegetarians, who regularly sing spiritual songs, do meditation, perform virtuous deeds and think pure thoughts, live longer than ninety years."
(Ananda Vacanamrtam, part 33, p. 113)
******************************************
