From: Ram Sahay
To: AM-GLOBAL
Subject: Story of Demon's Kitchen & SS Delhi
Date: Tue 24 Jul 2012 19:11:48 -0000
Baba
Namaskar,
When margiis attend DMS, they go for 3 days. But Wts allot 7 days for their stay at DMS. They have 2 days before the actual DMS, 2 days after, as well as the 3 main days of DMS. So they stay at Ananda Nagar for a total of 7 days.
Unfortunately at the recent Ranchi DMS gathering in Ananda Nagar, the mass of workers paid Delhi SS (Ranchi), i.e. Dada Amaleshananda, for their food and meals, yet SS shut down the kitchen during DMS - i.e. the middle 3 days. So general workers were not given food during this period; plus there was a water shortage. Yet side by side SS Dada arranged for a special chef to prepare food for top dadas.
There were many issues and certainly one key matter is: "haves" vs "have-nots". Specifically certain in-charges treated themselves to delicious delicacies while the general workers were the have-nots, deprived of food during DMS. They were forced to find food for themselves.
A critical report on this issue is noted below.
First however we should review Baba's teachings on this important matter.
In His book "The Golden Lotus of the Blue Sea", Baba describes very colourfully how the demon indulges in sumptuous feasting while his staff is left to starve.
In this particular story, the demon king hoards huge amounts of food and luxuries and leaves his staff to starve: They are deprived of basic food and suffer from malnutrition. It seems similar things are happening with our top dadas.
Here the villain demon is introducing the hero guest, i.e. the prince, to his [the demon's] daily menu.
"Do you know what our daily menu is? We eat golden cakes fried in clarified butter, Pearl water mixed with coconut kernel, spiced Parble curry with salmon fish made of platinum and in the morning we brush our teeth with diamond powder!”
The prince asked, “Is there such an arrangement for everyone here?”
The demon said, “This arrangement is for us only – that is, for those who are learned, intellectual, rich, highborn and aristocratic. Those with whom you associate due to your ignorance – those poor, mean and illiterate people – where would they get such things? They neither know how to cook nor eat. They eat stale rice and scorched eggfruit and they brush their teeth with ash.”"
"The next day the prince went to the demon’s palace on invitation. He went there reluctantly, out of sheer courtesy. When he arrived, he found that there was a royal feast. Before him were spread so many dishes and bowls, some of gold, some of silver, some studded with diamonds, all finely carved. He did not even know the names of all the pots and utensils! The distance between some of the dishes was not less than one mile. There were some telescopes also to see the foods kept in the distant dishes. The prince was not familiar with most of the dishes served."
"Fancy rice, fried vegetables, green vegetables, mixed vegetables, breaded vegetables, seven hundred types of curry, roasted meats, braised meats, shik kabab, and besides these, something he could recognize very well – mangoes!"
"There were small langra mangoes of Hazipur, Dasherii mangoes of Lucknow, Alfonso mangoes of Bombay, yellow Jardalu mangoes of Bhagalpur, Fazli mangoes of Malda, Ranipasand, Begampasand, and Kohitoor mangoes of Murshidabad, Sarikhas mangoes of Hooghly, Pearafuli mangoes of Sheorafuli, Begunfuli mangoes of Madras, and so many other kinds as well!"
"Then there were lechees of Saharanpur, Muzzafarpur and Baruipur, watermelons from Lucknow, halwa-sweets; Rabri of Vrindaban, cream sweets, Ghevar sweets of Rajasthan, Shonpapri; Kalakanda Paura from Gaya and Deoghar, Morabba (Jam) from Suri, white milk sweet of Mankar, Sitabhog and Mihidana from Bardhaman, Gaja from Chandannagar, Khaichur of Janai-Dhanekhaii Langcha of Shaktigarh, tasty puffed rice balls from Jayanagar, Sarbhaja-sarpuria of Krsnanagar, Manohara from Beidanga, Chanabara; chanar-jellabee and Raskadamba from Murshidabad, curds from Natore and Nababganj, sweet rice pudding from Dacca, chandanchurd from Pabna, kancagolla of Muragacha (Nadia) and sweet laddu of Delhi..."
In this above section, you have read how the greedy demon was indulging in all kinds of tasty foods.
Now here read below how the demon's own staff was living. They were suffering from severe hunger and malnutrition as they were not allowed to eat any of the wonderful food they cooked for the demon king; rather forced to eat spoiled, rotten food. This was their pitiful condition.
"Let me see those cooks, servants and pages who prepared such delicious dishes and served them so elegantly,” [the hero guest] thought. While passing by the servants’ quarters [of the demon's staff], he suddenly reached the place where the kitchen staff were eating together after the day’s hard labour. They were quite exhausted. Those who had cooked so wonderfully and served so carefully were eating only stale rice, scorched eggfruit and the sour sauce of some leaves, perhaps tamarind."
Finally the hero guest, i.e. the prince, retires for the evening but is unable to sleep, thinking of all those starving people.
"The prince returned to his cottage with a heavy heart. So many thoughts were running in his brain. He was thinking that he had made a great mistake to eat and drink such delicious food and drink cooked and served by those poor people. The beautiful eyes of the prince were deprived of sleep that night. He was thinking continuously, “If I cannot free humanity from such meanness, what is the use of my education, my intellect? My coming to this earth as a human being bears no value.”"
Here in this story Baba is telling us that how degraded demons eat voraciously and do not care about their staff nor their fellow brothers and sisters. Rather they continue to exploit them.
In other words, we can say clearly that Baba is teaching us that we should treat all with respect and not create a two-tiered system of "haves" and "have nots" on the point of food etc. That is not the way for leaders of society to live - indeed those who contravene this rule are nothing but the enemies of humanity.
Baba says, "A few become rich and others become poor. In such a condition millions die without food, live without shelter, work without education, suffer without medicine and move without proper clothing. The society then splits into two distinct groups – haves and have-nots. The former is the class of exploiters – the capitalists – and the latter is the class of the exploited." (A Few Problems Solved - 8)
This above quote parallels what was going on at the recent DMS: How some Dadas were enjoying exotic dishes while others were not even getting basic food and almost starving.
Namaskar,
Ram Sahay
To: AM-GLOBAL
Subject: Story of Demon's Kitchen & SS Delhi
Date: Tue 24 Jul 2012 19:11:48 -0000
Baba
== STORY OF DEMON'S KITCHEN & SS DELHI ==
Namaskar,
When margiis attend DMS, they go for 3 days. But Wts allot 7 days for their stay at DMS. They have 2 days before the actual DMS, 2 days after, as well as the 3 main days of DMS. So they stay at Ananda Nagar for a total of 7 days.
Unfortunately at the recent Ranchi DMS gathering in Ananda Nagar, the mass of workers paid Delhi SS (Ranchi), i.e. Dada Amaleshananda, for their food and meals, yet SS shut down the kitchen during DMS - i.e. the middle 3 days. So general workers were not given food during this period; plus there was a water shortage. Yet side by side SS Dada arranged for a special chef to prepare food for top dadas.
There were many issues and certainly one key matter is: "haves" vs "have-nots". Specifically certain in-charges treated themselves to delicious delicacies while the general workers were the have-nots, deprived of food during DMS. They were forced to find food for themselves.
A critical report on this issue is noted below.
First however we should review Baba's teachings on this important matter.
BABA STORY ABOUT DEMON KING'S GREEDINESS:
HOW HE HOARDED DELICACIES FOR HIMSELF
HOW HE HOARDED DELICACIES FOR HIMSELF
In His book "The Golden Lotus of the Blue Sea", Baba describes very colourfully how the demon indulges in sumptuous feasting while his staff is left to starve.
In this particular story, the demon king hoards huge amounts of food and luxuries and leaves his staff to starve: They are deprived of basic food and suffer from malnutrition. It seems similar things are happening with our top dadas.
Here the villain demon is introducing the hero guest, i.e. the prince, to his [the demon's] daily menu.
"Do you know what our daily menu is? We eat golden cakes fried in clarified butter, Pearl water mixed with coconut kernel, spiced Parble curry with salmon fish made of platinum and in the morning we brush our teeth with diamond powder!”
The prince asked, “Is there such an arrangement for everyone here?”
The demon said, “This arrangement is for us only – that is, for those who are learned, intellectual, rich, highborn and aristocratic. Those with whom you associate due to your ignorance – those poor, mean and illiterate people – where would they get such things? They neither know how to cook nor eat. They eat stale rice and scorched eggfruit and they brush their teeth with ash.”"
"The next day the prince went to the demon’s palace on invitation. He went there reluctantly, out of sheer courtesy. When he arrived, he found that there was a royal feast. Before him were spread so many dishes and bowls, some of gold, some of silver, some studded with diamonds, all finely carved. He did not even know the names of all the pots and utensils! The distance between some of the dishes was not less than one mile. There were some telescopes also to see the foods kept in the distant dishes. The prince was not familiar with most of the dishes served."
"Fancy rice, fried vegetables, green vegetables, mixed vegetables, breaded vegetables, seven hundred types of curry, roasted meats, braised meats, shik kabab, and besides these, something he could recognize very well – mangoes!"
"There were small langra mangoes of Hazipur, Dasherii mangoes of Lucknow, Alfonso mangoes of Bombay, yellow Jardalu mangoes of Bhagalpur, Fazli mangoes of Malda, Ranipasand, Begampasand, and Kohitoor mangoes of Murshidabad, Sarikhas mangoes of Hooghly, Pearafuli mangoes of Sheorafuli, Begunfuli mangoes of Madras, and so many other kinds as well!"
"Then there were lechees of Saharanpur, Muzzafarpur and Baruipur, watermelons from Lucknow, halwa-sweets; Rabri of Vrindaban, cream sweets, Ghevar sweets of Rajasthan, Shonpapri; Kalakanda Paura from Gaya and Deoghar, Morabba (Jam) from Suri, white milk sweet of Mankar, Sitabhog and Mihidana from Bardhaman, Gaja from Chandannagar, Khaichur of Janai-Dhanekhaii Langcha of Shaktigarh, tasty puffed rice balls from Jayanagar, Sarbhaja-sarpuria of Krsnanagar, Manohara from Beidanga, Chanabara; chanar-jellabee and Raskadamba from Murshidabad, curds from Natore and Nababganj, sweet rice pudding from Dacca, chandanchurd from Pabna, kancagolla of Muragacha (Nadia) and sweet laddu of Delhi..."
In this above section, you have read how the greedy demon was indulging in all kinds of tasty foods.
BABA STORY ABOUT DEMON KING'S GREEDINESS:
HOW HE MERCILESSLY DEPRIVED OTHERS OF FOOD
HOW HE MERCILESSLY DEPRIVED OTHERS OF FOOD
Now here read below how the demon's own staff was living. They were suffering from severe hunger and malnutrition as they were not allowed to eat any of the wonderful food they cooked for the demon king; rather forced to eat spoiled, rotten food. This was their pitiful condition.
"Let me see those cooks, servants and pages who prepared such delicious dishes and served them so elegantly,” [the hero guest] thought. While passing by the servants’ quarters [of the demon's staff], he suddenly reached the place where the kitchen staff were eating together after the day’s hard labour. They were quite exhausted. Those who had cooked so wonderfully and served so carefully were eating only stale rice, scorched eggfruit and the sour sauce of some leaves, perhaps tamarind."
Finally the hero guest, i.e. the prince, retires for the evening but is unable to sleep, thinking of all those starving people.
"The prince returned to his cottage with a heavy heart. So many thoughts were running in his brain. He was thinking that he had made a great mistake to eat and drink such delicious food and drink cooked and served by those poor people. The beautiful eyes of the prince were deprived of sleep that night. He was thinking continuously, “If I cannot free humanity from such meanness, what is the use of my education, my intellect? My coming to this earth as a human being bears no value.”"
Here in this story Baba is telling us that how degraded demons eat voraciously and do not care about their staff nor their fellow brothers and sisters. Rather they continue to exploit them.
In other words, we can say clearly that Baba is teaching us that we should treat all with respect and not create a two-tiered system of "haves" and "have nots" on the point of food etc. That is not the way for leaders of society to live - indeed those who contravene this rule are nothing but the enemies of humanity.
Baba says, "A few become rich and others become poor. In such a condition millions die without food, live without shelter, work without education, suffer without medicine and move without proper clothing. The society then splits into two distinct groups – haves and have-nots. The former is the class of exploiters – the capitalists – and the latter is the class of the exploited." (A Few Problems Solved - 8)
This above quote parallels what was going on at the recent DMS: How some Dadas were enjoying exotic dishes while others were not even getting basic food and almost starving.
Namaskar,
Ram Sahay
PRABHAT SAMGIITA
"(Tumi) esechile mor bakul-bita'ne na' baliya' ka'r ghare..." (PS 4320)
Purport:
Baba, that time the place was surrounded by innumerable bakul flowers which in bloom, and You graced me by coming to my cottage during that verdant spring season. With Your divine grace, You brought devotional horripilation (goose bumps) throughout my entire existence, and You also vibrated the very pulsation of my blood. Baba, by having You in such an intimate and close way, my life has become meaningful. It is Your grace. Baba, soon after that golden dawn, Your liila moved into a different phase. Because then You went away leaving me crying all alone. O' my dearmost where did You go that time.
Baba, since then I have spent countless days and nights waiting - sitting by my window threading heaps of flower garlands for You. But that was all in vain because You did not come. It is painful that now I no longer see that attractive & charming smile because You are keeping Yourself distant. Now I no longer see that radiant smile which I used to see on Your lips when You were with me.
Baba, in longing for You, ages have passed since You came close. Springtime has finished and now summer has come. My entire garden of those sweet, fragrant bakul flowers has dried up and withered away in this hot season [1]. Now that same window - where I used to sit and make garlands for You and wait - is full of spider webs. Baba, it is so painful and heartbreaking how You have gone so far away. And my mind is completely dry in the absence of Your divine presence.
O' my Dearmost, please shower Your causeless grace and appear in my heart in a very intimate and charming way...
END NOTES FOR PRABHAT SAMGIITA #4320:
[1] Hot Season: In the absence of His presence, the sadhaka feels a distinct dryness in his heart. Summer season - or hot season - has been used as a metaphor in this song to express that dryness in the devotee's heart, where one's devotional feeling is lower. And this happens with each and every sadhaka. When one feels dry and out of their spiritual flow then that is the dry or summer season. In contrast, when one's flow of sadhana is good then that can be compared with springtime where everything is lush and verdant. In their dhya'na they feel greater proximity with Parama Purusa - that is why it is compared with springtime. But when one is experiencing the dryness of summer, that spiritual flow is not there. In that case, the best thing a devotee can do is to sincerely request Baba to grace them by coming in their meditation.
