Guru Sakash & MPD Can't Co-Exist, Why?

Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2012 21:18:42 -0000
To: am-global@earthlink.net
From: Shantanu.Deva@bharata.net...
Subject: Guru Sakash & MPD Can't Co-Exist, Why?

Baba

== GURU SAKASH & MPD CAN'T CO-EXIST, WHY? ==

Namaskar,
That day at the Madhu Koraka Baba Quarter (Tiljala, Kolkata) in June 1990, I was there. Baba gave His discourse in Bengali. He revealed the secret behind the greatness of Guru. That was the day Baba gave Guru sakash, which every sadhaka knows is an extremely important practice in spiritual life.

Presently, each and every margii is aware about Guru sakash. The sadhaka feels, "Baba is in my close proximity - showering His grace." In Ananda Marga, each and every day starts with Guru sakash.

Baba says, "Gurusaka'sha means 'near the Guru, under the Guru's umbrella, under the Guru's wings, in the Guru's shelter'." (Yoga Psychology, p.146)

Guru sakash can only be done when one has this basic feeling or ideation: "I am under His shelter" or "He is, that is why He will give me the shelter", & "He is here with me".

Baba has graced every bhakta to feel, "Parama Purusa is easily accessible, He is around me. Not only around me but very close and intimate." This special feeling is a great boon in the life of any sadhaka: To experience what it is like to live under His shelter.

SCENE AT THE POLICE STATION

Once I visited one of my friends who worked at the police station. While I was there, one lost baby from a local mela (festival) had been brought to the station by a concerned citizen. The baby was crying and crying for its parents. Police officials were trying to help the baby by offering the child some chocolate, fruit, sweets, candy etc. But all their attempts were in vain. I kept wondering why is this baby crying non-stop. What was missing? What is it that the baby needs?

As we all know, that baby did not need anything other than its mother. Why mother? Because the baby feels safe when it is under the shelter of its mother. Haven't you seen in your childhood or neighborhood that when 2 young children of different families quarrel, they claim, 'I will tell my mother and she will beat you'. The point being those young kids think their mother is going to solve all their problems. In that way, small babies are care-free, their life is free of any type of problem, because mother takes care of everything.

IMPORTANCE OF SHELTER

The whole concept of shelter is very significant. Taking the shelter of Guru has a tremendous value in the life of a spiritual aspirant. Life is enmeshed in problems; yet those who depend more and more on the Supreme Entity (Baba) are comparatively stress-free and relaxed. Life is blissful.

In contrast, those lacking the feeling of taking shelter in God, live in a quagmire of problems. In spite of having all worldly luxuries, still they live in hell - in tension. To remove that, they get addicted to alcohol and other vices. So taking shelter in Guru is very meaningful in day to day life.

Baba says in many discourses, "Mahat prpaeva bhagavat krpaleshadva", meaning Grace of Guru is everything.

We can say that Baba gives His special grace when a devotee takes shelter in Him. In spiritual life, His grace is everything. So when grace is everything and grace is related with the feeling of shelter under the Guru, and when the feeling of shelter is associated with the feeling of the presence of Guru, then feeling Guru's presence is paramount. Because without feeling His presence one will not feel His shelter.

For the bhakta, Guru's presence means "very close proximity with my own existence." So to take shelter in Him, the existence of both Guru and devotee is required.

DOGMA OF MAHAPRAYAN

When the idea is injected that Guru has left and gone to some distant land, i.e. passed away, departed, and went to heaven - vis so-called mahaprayan, then the One to Whom the disciple should take shelter in is missing. The disciple is present, but the Guru has departed to some far away place. In that situation, taking shelter in Him is not possible. One's heart will not feel comfortable taking shelter in an entity who is in some other abode, gone to some distant land, i.e. passed away, departed, and went to heaven i.e. "mahaprayan". That is the ill-effect of the dogma of so-called mahaprayan.

The eternal truth is that Brahma is Guru and Guru is an eternal Entity - He never dies.

Those sadhakas who take shelter in Him are most blessed and realise Baba in an intimate way.

Baba says, "Parama'tma' is seated in your heart." (Subhasita Samgraha - 19)

Such a bhakta feels in their regular life and realises in their sadhana that Guru is along with them. That is the greatest blessing of all.

The practice of Guru sakasha helps greatly in this way.

Baba guides us that very early in the morning upon awakening, immediately a sadhaka should place themselves under His shelter. For this reason, the practice of Guru sakash is mandatory for each and every Ananda Margii.

For every Ananda Margii, each day begins with Guru's closeness. Indeed, over the course of the whole day, His closeness is felt by Guru mantra, different meditation lessons, shravan (hearing His name), manan (thinking of Him), nididhya'sana (ideating on Him), and doing His work, etc. At night, when going to bed, each bhakta remembers Him and falls asleep in His lap.

That is how a devotee passes their days. Such is Baba's divine grace and presence.
                                

HOW TO DO GURU SAKASH

Thinking on this, there is no scope for so-called mahaprayan. Baba is always present with every devotee. So every sadhaka should be vigilant to adhere to Baba's divine guideline from Shabda Cayanika, discourse #223, which is also printed in Yoga Psychology:

Prátah shirasi shukle’bje dvinetraḿ dvibhujaḿ gurum;
Varábhayakrtahastaḿ smarettaḿ námapúrvakam.

"Early in the morning one should meditate on the Guru in Vara'bhaya Mudra with two hands and two eyes seated on a white lotus in Guru cakra, and address Him with your most loving and affectionate epithet...In what state does the Guru, endowed with two eyes and two hands exist? In the Vara'bhaya Mudra (in the posture of holding out the boon of fearlessness) He is your well-wisher, and as a matter of fact, the doer of your good. The epithet with which you address the Guru or silently speak during your dhya'na or Gurudhya'na should also be used by you at the time of this Gurudhya'na. Always address the Guru at a stretch. This is Gurusaka'sha." (10 June 1990)

In one's practical life, one is to feel and experience that, "Baba is with me."

FOOLISH ATTEMPT: SHELTERING IN DOGMA

Some people misuse this theory of taking shelter by "sheltering" under dogma. But their so-called shelter is futile because that shelter is itself baseless. One must take shelter in that Entity Who does not need any shelter, i.e. Parama Purusa.

Idol worshipers think that by the grace of their cherished idol they will cross bhavasagar (ocean of samskaras). But they are living in dreamland. Likewise, those following the program of mahaprayan feel this will bring them to the door-step of their final emancipation. But that is just bogus.

Those sheltering in dogma only bind themselves deeper - they are further plunged in the net of avidya maya.

RELEVANT STORY OF SHANKARACARYA JI

This following story about Shankaracarya & his Mayavada theory (illusion theory) is highly related with the present scene.

Baba says, "One morning a wild bull suddenly started to charge that maha'purus'a [Shankaracarya], so he ran away as fast as his legs could carry him. A logician who happened to be standing nearby asked the maha'purus'a, "Well sir, if you say that this world is unreal, then the bull is also unreal, so why are you running in fear?" That maha'purus'a would not accept any defeat in logic and replied, "My running away is also unreal." (Namami Krsnasundaram, '97, p. 81)

Baba says, "This philosophical doctrine [of mayavada] had left the people cynical and brought them to the brink of disaster." (Namami Krsnasundaram, '97, p. 81)

The above story which exposes the hypocrisy of Shankaracarya is more than 1000 years old but it still has much relevance in this present era. Because these days certain leaders are once again organizing their hypocritical, so-called mahaprayan function.

The point being that making their so-called mahaprayan (MPD) program itself gives the false message that Baba is gone. At the same time at so-called mahaprayan, they are making a kiirtan program in which everybody ideates that Baba is present. So on the one hand Baba has departed forever (i.e. mahaprayan), and on the other side He is along side us. That is the conflict: So-called mahaprayan versus kiirtan.

So the entire way of dealing of these group leaders is self-contradictory and submerged in the whirlpool of dogma. They are caught in the net of their own self-created contradiction.

This hypocrisy is for no other reason than the purpose of convincing innocent people to come into their group fold and donate money to their "cause". It is nothing but one negative, hypocritical ploy.

These days no one is befooled by such tactics. And step by step, nearly everyone is understanding the dogma and extreme negativity of the so-called mahaprayan program and how this is just one group's hypocrisy and groupist strategy.

Namaskar.
At His feet,
Shantanu

WHO IS SADGURU

"The one formless, beginningless and infinite Parama Brahma (Supreme Consciousness) is the only entity to be attained by living beings – That alone is Jagat Guru (the Supreme preceptor), That alone has revealed Brahmavidyá (intuitional science) to us through the medium of the name and form of Anandamúrtijii. Unit beings must be made to appreciate Its majesty." (1)

GURU MUST BE MAHAKAOLA

"In order to be an ideal guru in the spiritual sphere, one must be thoroughly conversant with the minutest details of sádhaná, every aspect of sádhaná, important or unimportant. The guru must not only learn those things, but must also possess the capacity to teach those practices to others. Otherwise he should not be treated as a guru. The Mahákaola alone has this capacity, no one else. Kaolas are those who by dint of sádhaná have successfully elevated their microcosmic stance and established it in the Macrocosmic one; but a Mahákaola is one who is a kaola, certainly, but at the same time possesses the capacity to help others as well to get to that exalted kaola position. In the past Lord Shiva was one such Mahákaola. Lord Krśńa was another. To be a guru one must be a Mahákaola. One must possess knowledge regarding sádhaná, not only thorough knowledge of the shástras [scriptures]. And in order to gain thorough scriptural knowledge, one must know as many important languages as are necessary for the purpose. That is to say, it is not enough that a guru acquire the necessary qualifications to be able to teach sádhaná (that is, impart lessons on the practical cult); he must possess adequate knowledge of theory also. That is, in order to know the inner secret of sádhaná, he must possess thorough and authentic scriptural knowledge; then only should he be accepted as a perfect guru in the spiritual sphere. One who has a fairly good knowledge of sádhaná and can also help others in that realm, but is completely devoid of intellect, or knowledge of languages and scriptures, cannot be a perfectly competent guru in the spiritual sphere; for, being a guru, he will have to explain the theoretical side also. If, suppose, I say to someone, “Do this,” I should also explain why he or she should do that, and at the same time I should be able to support it in the light of the shástras." (2)

BE ABLE TO PUNISH & LOVE

"A spiritual guru must be well-acquainted with all the processes of sádhaná, must have the capacity to convince others, must possess complete knowledge of the scriptures, must know many languages, and must have comprehensive knowledge and intellect, plus some extra qualifications. What are those qualifications? Nigrahánugrahe shakto gururityabhidhiiyate – “the guru must possess the capacity both to punish, and to love, or bless, his disciples.” Punishment alone, without love, is not good. Love and punishment should go together, and the degree of punishment should never exceed the degree of love. Then only can one be called a real spiritualguru." (2)

GURU MUST BE AUTHORITY ON ALL SUBJECTS & ALL REALMS

"I have already said that a guru must be an authority on all subjects in all the three strata:"

"As a spiritual guru, he must be thoroughly versed in spiritual science – both the theory and the practice. He must know how Parama Puruśa associates Himself with jiivas [unit beings]; and he must know how jiivas associate themselves with Parama Puruśa (they associate themselves just as the Ganges merges into the Bay of Bengal). Otherwise, how can he teach this science to others?" (2)

BRAHMA ALONE IS THE GURU

"And who knows this science? Only Parama Puruśa knows it, because He Himself has created everything. He has created our sense organs, and He has created the tanmátras that our sense organs detect. He can create anything He likes. But remember, He does not do anything. His “doing” means His thinking. Things will take shape as He thinks. No one but Parama Puruśa knows how He does it. So how can people know Parama Puruśa if He does not teach to others the science of knowing Him? Only Parama Puruśa knows the science and the method to realize Him, to know Him; because He has created both human beings and the path that they must move along. So people can know the method by His grace only. Hence it has been said in Ánanda Sútram, Brahmaeva Gururekah náparah – that is, “Brahma alone is the Guru.” Through His physical structure, He teaches the actual science to the spiritual aspirants. People should clearly understand this." (2)

GURU IN THE PHYSICAL WORLD

"Next comes the physical world. The followers, the disciples, of the guru, are men and women of flesh and blood having physical structures. They have their sorrows and miseries, their tears and smiles. This is their life. They have their problem of food and clothing; they have their pleasures and pains, their tears of pain and tears of joy; they become elated in happy circumstances and depressed when things go wrong. It is the duty of a guru to provide his followers with the wherewithal for their progress. This is what an ideal guru is to do in the physical sphere. As a guru in the physical world, he will have to teach mankind such techniques as will solve their worldly problems – problems of food, clothing, education and medical treatment. A guru must see to it that their mundane problems are solved."

"So in order to be a guru, one must come onto this earth with the highest qualifications in the spiritual field, and with the greatest capacity to face the mountainous obstacles in the physical world. To shoulder the responsibility of a guru is not child’s play." (2)


References For Above Quotes:
(1) = Caryacarya - 1
(2) = Discourses on Tantra - The Criteria of a Guru 

 

 

PRABHAT SAMGIITA

 

"A'ka'shabhara' a'jake ta'ra'..." (P.S. 2523)

Purport:

Baba, the sky of this amavasya night is filled with the stars. The sweet, nectar-like breeze is blowing mildly. The mind is floating in divine ecstasy from the known to the unknown world - towards its final destination. Baba, ensconced in Your ideation, my mind is getting lost in Your divine bliss. Baba, the lily flower is constantly looking towards the sky; the aroma of flowers is emanating all around. They have forgotten themselves and lost their awareness about their own unit existence. They restlessly move in the attraction of one call. Baba in Your longing I am sitting alone, counting the stars. I understand that by Your grace I have lost myself in this beautiful atmosphere and the attraction of Your love. Baba, You are ever-gracious and You are always remaining by my side and guiding me. Baba, on this amavasya night my heart is yearning and longing for You. Please grace me by coming closer and still more close...