== STORY: PRACTICAL APPROACH TO DHRUVASMRTI ==
Namaskar,
We all know that one of the most blessed things in life is to remember
the name of the Lord.
Baba says,"He is your everything. You cannot do without Him...try to
remember Him always. This remembering Him always, in all spheres and all
strata of life, is called “dhruva'smrti”. Don’t forget this for a single
moment." (AV-4)
Yet we all know how difficult this can be in day to day life. Here below
is the story of how one bhakta approached this knotty issue.
THE STORY OF ONE BHAKTA
Many of you may know Ram Sahay Verma of Wazipur, Rajanthan. He was a
long-time Ananda Margii.
Years and years ago he was contemplating one problem in life: "How to
remember Baba's name all the time." He was thinking he should devise one
scheme where others would remind him.
So here's what he did.
He had his shirts beautifully embroidered with big, artistic letters:
Baba Nam Kevalam.
This was stitched on the front side and on the back side of his shirt.
The lettering was big enough that people could read the writing - Baba
Nam Kevalam - from 20 feet away. And he found that it worked.
THE STORY OF ONE BHAKTA (Cont)
Wherever Ram Sahayji went, he would notice that people would either read
his shirt out loud or they would smile. Seeing their smile he understood
that they had read his shirt. By this way he was getting constant
reminder to remember Baba's name. He was most happy.
But that was not all.
Ram Sahayji would explain that there was a dual benefit:
#1: Yes, most certainly he was getting reminded to remember Baba;
#2: By wearing that shirt he was doing AM pracar and the public was
getting benefited by reciting the siddha mantra, Baba Nam Kevalam.
Such was the very devotional outlook of Ram Sahayji - and that was how
he explained the tremendous value of these shirts.
All in all he was quite pleased, because children would regularly loudly
say, "Baba Nam Kevalam", plus all the aged people in town would smile
seeing his shirt.
THIS VERITABLY BECAME HIS NAME
Ram Sahayji would wear his embroidered Baba Nam Kevalam shirts
everywhere, all the time. He was a professor at one college and everyday
he would wear his shirt and it also became his habit to wear exclusively
saffron. The other university lecturers were thinking that he was mad.
But Ram Sahayji had no cares or worries about their opinions.
He just thought since Baba Nam Kevalam was a siddha mantra then everyone
was getting benefited, whether they liked the mantra or not.
Actually Ram Sahayji wore these shirts daily for so long, that Baba Nam
Kevalam became his veritable name. Everyone in town knew him by this:
This is what they called him and this was how they referred to him. He
did not live in a huge city - just a moderate sized town - so when
anyone new arrived in town all they had to do was ask for "Baba Nam
Kevalam" and the residents would direct them to Ram Sahayji's house.
I know because this is exactly what happened to me. When I arrived in
his town I did not know where to go and I simply said, "Baba Nam
Kevalam" and they brought me to the exact place of Ram Sahayji.
Ram Sahayji was a devotee in all respects. His above plan worked
perfectly. He wanted to be reminded about Baba's name by others
throughout the day, and his desired goal was beautifully achieved by His
grace.
DURING EMERGENCY
Here is a tale about one other facet of Ram Sahayji's life. During
Emergency, he was jailed for 2 1/2 years in Jaipur. He was perhaps the
only margii who was jailed throughout the entire Emergency period.
The reason was that due to Ram Sahayji's dramatic behavior - i.e. always
wearing Baba Nam Kevalam on his shirt and wearing saffron clothes - the
government agencies had identified him as a wholetimer. They thought
there was no way that he was a family man. Hence he was jailed during
the entire Emergency.
And Ram Sahayji was quite happy about this as he was in jail along with
so many Dadas.
Then one other great thing happened. When Emergency was lifted and
Ananda Margiis were cleared of all charges, then Ram Sahayji got his job
back at the government college and he also received 2 1/2 years of
salary. Prior to Emergency, Ram Sahay would regularly donate huge monies
to AM, so he never had much money for himself. After Emergency was over,
then he received a big payment so he was quite happy about that as well.
But the main thing for Rama Sahayji was always hearing Baba's name
wherever he went. For him, this was the most beautiful thing imaginable.
To be called Baba Nam Kevalam gave him much joy and bliss in life. Then
he could always remember his Ista.
SIMILAR STORIES FROM THE HISTORY
There are two stories from history which are similar to this type of
deeply devotional approach.
#1: In one discourse Baba talks about how when Sita was abducted by
Ravana. For Sita, Ram was everything and she did not want to forget him
despite the hardship and troubles she was facing. One interesting
development took place. Ravana ordered the guard to threaten Sita, "Do
not think about Ram". They would say this to her throughout the day and
by this negative type of reminder she always would remember Ram's name.
#2: There was also another famous devotee of Ram. And he had one special
trick. He would pretend to be extremely angry if anyone ever mentioned
Ram's name. The children in town naturally found out about this so they
would run up to him and loudly yell the name of Ram. In turn, the bhakta
would pretend to be so angry and upset. This only made the children yell
the name of Ram more loudly. Plus they would gaily tell all their
friends about this strange man. So wherever this bhakta went so many
children would surround him and repeat Ram and laugh by seeing the man's
feigned frustration and anger. By this way everyone was happy - the
children and the bhakta.
BABA'S BLESSING
By Baba's grace good things always happen to devotees. Baba watches
after all. Living the life of a top grade devotee takes strong desire
and courage. Not everyone could do what Ram Sahayji did. It takes a
certain degree of devotional longing and mental courage - otherwise one
will be embarrassed or self-conscious and swayed by public opinion etc.
That reminds me of one Ananda Margii who would wear a big plackard
around his neck that said Baba's name and other devotional slogans. He
would walk around town like that. He never cared what other's said or
commented.
It is just purely Baba's ahetuki krpa that we have come into this world
and become His disciple. We should all remember Him always and strive
for that top most level of devotion. This should be our sole request of
Him.
“Whatever you speak or do,
Forget Him never;
Keeping His name in your heart,
Work, remembering it is for Him,
And, endlessly active, drift in bliss.”
(CC-2, 'Sadhana', pt #10)
Namaskar,
Vidyasagar
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Importance of Sadhana
Baba says, "Numerous rich and beautiful cities of the historic past
are now buried under the earth. Many splendid palaces and mansions, many
churches, temples, mosques and synagogues, and many pyramids have been
reduced to rubble. With the constant change in the flow of time, how many
major changes have occurred in the universe? Similarly, with the change in
time and space, people also change. A small two year old child becomes a
smart and active twenty-five year old youth. And the same energetic youth
becomes an infirm, inactive old person in due course. Thus, nothing in this
universe is permanent. Many gigantic animals of the past have become
totally extinct from the surface of the earth. Royal pomp and opulence, the
pride of power, the vast knowledge of mighty scholars have become things of
the past, thrown into the dustbin of history. Many objects emerged in the
past, remained on earth for a short time, and then disappeared according to
the inexorable law of nature."
"The only eternal truth is Parama Purus'a. He is Ana'di,
beginningless, endless, all-pervasive; an entity beyond the scope of time,
place and person. He is the only eternal, undecaying, imperishable,
immutable entity. He is the Supreme Source from which the inanimate, plant
and animal worlds have emerged. He is the starting point and the
culminating point of everything. Hence, wise people should utilise their
physical, psychic and spiritual power to realise that supreme
omnitelepathic entity, to become one with Him." (PNS-18, p.6)
Note: Please read Baba's above teaching again carefully. It explains
everything.
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