Baba
This entire email is composed of 3 parts:
(1) Posting: Baba Story: About Grand Buildings;
(2) Trailer Quote: Character of Great People;
(3) Prabhat Samgiita #1154;
Each section is demarcated by asterisks (***).
******************************
About the Storyteller: Tarachand Jain, PU BP, of Jaipur, Rajasthan is a very senior Ananda Margii. Tarachand Dada worked in the Transportation Dept, Rajasthan State Roadways, as an Asst. General Manager. Here following is his story. - Eds
Namaskar,
This is the story of what happened one time when I saw Baba. One question came in my mind about the Vivekananda Memorial (built in 1970) which was under construction those days.
The followers of Vivekananda were collecting huge amounts of money from all around India for the construction of their grand memorial in Kanyakumari in South India.
That time when I was with Baba this matter came in my mind. So I raised the point with Baba.
I said, "Baba, the followers of Vivekananda are collecting money to make a memorial."
I waited for His reaction.
Baba asked me, "What is your opinion?"
I remained quiet.
Then Baba explained, "Building such a memorial is a waste of resources. If Swami Vivekananda saw this he would not appreciate this being built. Rather he would condemn it. Such monies should be used for social service. In the world, when so many are without food, medicine, medical care, clothing, housing and education and when hospitals and schools and other social structures are in dire need, then constructing such a memorial is a huge waste. It is a misuse of financial and natural resources, time, and energy. Best would have been used to expend that money to help the suffering humanity."
Hearing His words, I realized how seriously Baba was taking this situation. Baba gave two essential points:
(1) The memorial was a blatant misuse of resources; and,
(2) Vivekananda would not approve of such a memorial.
I remained quiet and contemplated Baba's explanation. I thought that we are fortunate that in our Marga we do not have this type of waste. At that time, back in 1970, I thought like this.
Namaskar,
Tarachand
Note: The entire cost of construction of the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in 1970 was crores of rupees. That was a huge amount of money those days. Back then India was not like it is today. It was still newly independent and struggling in its early days of nationhood.
After reading the above story by Tarachand Dada, it is very clear that we face this same key issue in our Ananda Marga as well - unfortunately. What Baba Himself warned us against, top Dadas are doing.
In the post 1990 era, the hard-earned money of so many margiis has been wasted in the construction of various memorials and temples in Ananda Nagar, Tiljala and Jamalpur. This is all just a waste of money and a misuse of resources.
At present in Ananda Marga, we do not have ideal institutions where our kids can come and learn in a neo-humanistic manner; and, indeed there are so many other social service projects and institutions that demand our attention. There are so many centers, medical care units, etc that need to be made. We do not have such facilities right now yet that is the need of the day. So it is shameful that since 1990 some Dadas have diverted huge funds to the construction of memorials when Baba clearly does not support such things.
We must right our ship and use all our resources - financial and otherwise - for the betterment of society and implementation of the projects Baba outlined for the welfare of humanity.
As Ananda Margiis we should understand that Baba was not just against the building of the Vivekananda memorial, but verily condemned any such memorial. Here below Baba uses the example of the Konark temple in Orissa to point out the injustices and waste surrounding the building of any type of memorial.
"While money has been spent lavishly for the construction of beautiful places of worship, money has never been arranged for food, clothing, housing, education and medical care for the welfare of the poor. While for four full years all the state revenues of Orissa were spent for the construction of the Konark temple, during that period not a penny was spent for human welfare. Needless to say, the history of all countries is replete with such examples." (1)
By all this we can easily understand that the construction of memorials is an anti-Ananda Marga idea. Those doing so are most unfortunate; they could not understand Baba's teaching.
Indeed nowadays in Ananda Marga there are so many memorials such as the ones in Tiljala, Jamalpur Tiirtha, and Ananda Nagar. Plus they are planning on constructing more.
It seems some Dadas have begun competing in a temple construction contest with the Sikhs, Jains, and Hindus. At present the Hindus are wasting 600 crores of rupees on a gold temple for the goddess of wealth Laksmii.
"More than 400 gold and coppersmiths from the Thirupathi Thirumala Devasthanam are said to have worked for six years to craft the Rs 600-crore gold temple located on 55,000 sq ft of land on a 100-acre salubrious stretch in Malaikodi, about 6 km from Vellore in north Tamil Nadu. [Plus countless laborers and specialists have workes numerous years on other aspects of the temple."
Yet side by side, countless people in India lack pure drinking water and suffer from severe food shortages. Many are dying of starvation yet this astronomical sum is being spent on this temple / memorial for goddess Laksmii. Those religions are bereft of a lofty ideology so they are wasting their money, time, and resources in constructing large, gaudy temples for show. But why should Ananda Margiis do like this. We have a lofty ideology and we know what should be done.
Ananda Marga should be a beacon of light and not be prone to following dogma. So certain Dadas must give up their habit of constructing memorials.
It is good that margiis have stopped giving money to Dadas for constructing these dogmatic memorials. That is why such buildings remain unfinished. Now those same unfinished buildings should be used for philanthropic works like schools, medical clinics, food distribution centers etc. That will be the real dharmic use of such buildings.
In no way, shape, or form, does Baba want memorials to be built. Rather His desire is that all our energy and resources should be used for the upliftment of humanity. We should all keep the above story in mind and move according to His direction.
"We will not deviate an inch from our ideology, nor will we allow others to do so." (2)
Namaskar,
in Him,
Vinay Deva
REFERENCES:
1. Ráŕh: The Cradle of Civilization, Ra'r'h - 6
2. Namah Shivaya Shantaya, Shiva's Teachings – 2 (continued) (Discourse 14)
“Alas, what suffering an animal has to bear at the hands of cruel humans! But the animal is absolutely innocent. It is not a born enemy of the human being that if a person does not kill it, it will kill the person, just as a tiger or an insect does. I shall continuously make efforts to see that human beings refrain from such cruel acts of violence.” If one sees someone doing noble work, as a result of which the progress of the world is accelerated and the path of human welfare is widened, then one should think: “The noble work of this person will remain written in letters of gold in human history. I shall give my full support to this person in their noble endeavours...I shall help them in every possible way.”
"If one sees a person engaged in deleterious activity, then one should think: “On account of the pernicious activities of this person, people are going to the dogs, this person is striking at the root of long-cherished austerities, forbearance, benevolence, and so on. I shall never support such misdeeds.”" (Shabda Cayaniká Part 4, Disc: 27)
~ PS #1154 ~
Song of Neo-Humanism
The following review of Prabhat Samgiita #1154 is comprised of four distinct sections:
O' Parama Pursa, O' Lord, You came and lit the lamp [1], thereupon humanity came onto this earth. You showered Your love, poured the nectar, and a tender [2] loving feeling was aroused in the mind.
Mother earth [3] was being ripped apart by constant blows and battering [4] - torn asunder, into hundreds of pieces, by this divisive intellect. She bore on her body wounds from her pain and suffering.
O' Lord, You lit the lamp and applied ointment [5] on her wounds. You asked about the pain of those who were suffering. You gave Your assurance, removed the terror, and told, "As Kleshtra'ta' [6] I am always here to remove your suffering."
O' Parama Purusa Baba, You came and lit the lamp of neo-humanism and spirituality, and by Your grace humanity came on this earth...
[3] Mother Earth: This refers to the entire creation including all living beings like plants, animals, and humans. So it should not be taken literally to mean just the dirt, rocks, and soil of this planet.
[4]Blows and Battering: Humanity has been divided and hurt by so many dogmas and isms like casteism, racism, provincialism, nationalism, factionalism, groupism, selfishness, materialism etc. That is what is meant by the blows and battering of mother earth.
[5] Ointment: Parama Purusa has graciously applied the ointment of seva (service), sadhana, universal love, 16 Points, Prout, and neo-humanism. By this way the wounds and sores of humanity can be healed.
[6] Kleshtra'ta': [Klesh (suffering, pain) tra'ta' (permanent reliever)]; This is one of the names of Parama Purusa. He has innumerable qualities and attributions - one of which is to permanently, not temporarily, remove the pain and suffering. In this role, He is called Kleshtra'ta'. All in all there are three types of relief, and in this instance Parama Purusa is graciously providing permanent and lasting relief.
Here are some notes on the use of phonetic spelling.
For instance, take the English words "know" or "knowledge". Without having first memorized the pronunciation, people will pronounce those words as "Ka-now" or "Kay-Now" and "Kay-Now-La-Di-Ge",respectively. Simply sounding out the letters will not produce the desired result. Because in the English language, spelling and pronunciation must be memorized. Otherwise it is not possible to pronounce words properly.
Same is the case with Bengali.
For example, in the first line of the above song #1154, the actual spelling of the third word is esechila but unless one knows Bangla, they will mispronounce it. Hence we have given the phonetic spelling, esechilo. By this way even new readers will be able to pronounce the words correctly when listening to and singing the song.
Here is another example. The actual spelling of the two words in the third line is
chinna and diirn'a, but that will not yield the proper pronunciation for non-native speakers; hence, we spelled them as chinno and diirn'o, respectively. With this phonetic spelling, readers will get the right pronunciation. Indeed there are many such examples.
Only native Bengali speakers - or those extremely fluent in Bangla and familiar with Prabhat Samgiita - will pronounce all the words correctly. Yet everyone wishes to listen to and sing Prabhat Samgiita and enjoy the song. If the lyrics are written in a technical manner then people will not be able to pronounce all the words properly. Hence the decision to write it phonetically.
With regard to the repetition of certain lines when the song is sung, while listening to the song you will just have to be alert and adjust accordingly as all the original lines are present.
This entire email is composed of 3 parts:
(1) Posting: Baba Story: About Grand Buildings;
(2) Trailer Quote: Character of Great People;
(3) Prabhat Samgiita #1154;
Each section is demarcated by asterisks (***).
******************************
== BABA STORY: ABOUT GRAND BUILDINGS ==
About the Storyteller: Tarachand Jain, PU BP, of Jaipur, Rajasthan is a very senior Ananda Margii. Tarachand Dada worked in the Transportation Dept, Rajasthan State Roadways, as an Asst. General Manager. Here following is his story. - Eds
Namaskar,
This is the story of what happened one time when I saw Baba. One question came in my mind about the Vivekananda Memorial (built in 1970) which was under construction those days.
The followers of Vivekananda were collecting huge amounts of money from all around India for the construction of their grand memorial in Kanyakumari in South India.
That time when I was with Baba this matter came in my mind. So I raised the point with Baba.
MY QUESTION TO BABA
I said, "Baba, the followers of Vivekananda are collecting money to make a memorial."
I waited for His reaction.
Baba asked me, "What is your opinion?"
I remained quiet.
BABA'S REPLY
Then Baba explained, "Building such a memorial is a waste of resources. If Swami Vivekananda saw this he would not appreciate this being built. Rather he would condemn it. Such monies should be used for social service. In the world, when so many are without food, medicine, medical care, clothing, housing and education and when hospitals and schools and other social structures are in dire need, then constructing such a memorial is a huge waste. It is a misuse of financial and natural resources, time, and energy. Best would have been used to expend that money to help the suffering humanity."
Hearing His words, I realized how seriously Baba was taking this situation. Baba gave two essential points:
(1) The memorial was a blatant misuse of resources; and,
(2) Vivekananda would not approve of such a memorial.
I remained quiet and contemplated Baba's explanation. I thought that we are fortunate that in our Marga we do not have this type of waste. At that time, back in 1970, I thought like this.
Namaskar,
Tarachand
Note: The entire cost of construction of the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in 1970 was crores of rupees. That was a huge amount of money those days. Back then India was not like it is today. It was still newly independent and struggling in its early days of nationhood.
REFLECTION
After reading the above story by Tarachand Dada, it is very clear that we face this same key issue in our Ananda Marga as well - unfortunately. What Baba Himself warned us against, top Dadas are doing.
In the post 1990 era, the hard-earned money of so many margiis has been wasted in the construction of various memorials and temples in Ananda Nagar, Tiljala and Jamalpur. This is all just a waste of money and a misuse of resources.
At present in Ananda Marga, we do not have ideal institutions where our kids can come and learn in a neo-humanistic manner; and, indeed there are so many other social service projects and institutions that demand our attention. There are so many centers, medical care units, etc that need to be made. We do not have such facilities right now yet that is the need of the day. So it is shameful that since 1990 some Dadas have diverted huge funds to the construction of memorials when Baba clearly does not support such things.
We must right our ship and use all our resources - financial and otherwise - for the betterment of society and implementation of the projects Baba outlined for the welfare of humanity.
As Ananda Margiis we should understand that Baba was not just against the building of the Vivekananda memorial, but verily condemned any such memorial. Here below Baba uses the example of the Konark temple in Orissa to point out the injustices and waste surrounding the building of any type of memorial.
"While money has been spent lavishly for the construction of beautiful places of worship, money has never been arranged for food, clothing, housing, education and medical care for the welfare of the poor. While for four full years all the state revenues of Orissa were spent for the construction of the Konark temple, during that period not a penny was spent for human welfare. Needless to say, the history of all countries is replete with such examples." (1)
By all this we can easily understand that the construction of memorials is an anti-Ananda Marga idea. Those doing so are most unfortunate; they could not understand Baba's teaching.
Indeed nowadays in Ananda Marga there are so many memorials such as the ones in Tiljala, Jamalpur Tiirtha, and Ananda Nagar. Plus they are planning on constructing more.
It seems some Dadas have begun competing in a temple construction contest with the Sikhs, Jains, and Hindus. At present the Hindus are wasting 600 crores of rupees on a gold temple for the goddess of wealth Laksmii.
"More than 400 gold and coppersmiths from the Thirupathi Thirumala Devasthanam are said to have worked for six years to craft the Rs 600-crore gold temple located on 55,000 sq ft of land on a 100-acre salubrious stretch in Malaikodi, about 6 km from Vellore in north Tamil Nadu. [Plus countless laborers and specialists have workes numerous years on other aspects of the temple."
Yet side by side, countless people in India lack pure drinking water and suffer from severe food shortages. Many are dying of starvation yet this astronomical sum is being spent on this temple / memorial for goddess Laksmii. Those religions are bereft of a lofty ideology so they are wasting their money, time, and resources in constructing large, gaudy temples for show. But why should Ananda Margiis do like this. We have a lofty ideology and we know what should be done.
Ananda Marga should be a beacon of light and not be prone to following dogma. So certain Dadas must give up their habit of constructing memorials.
It is good that margiis have stopped giving money to Dadas for constructing these dogmatic memorials. That is why such buildings remain unfinished. Now those same unfinished buildings should be used for philanthropic works like schools, medical clinics, food distribution centers etc. That will be the real dharmic use of such buildings.
In no way, shape, or form, does Baba want memorials to be built. Rather His desire is that all our energy and resources should be used for the upliftment of humanity. We should all keep the above story in mind and move according to His direction.
"We will not deviate an inch from our ideology, nor will we allow others to do so." (2)
Namaskar,
in Him,
Vinay Deva
REFERENCES:
1. Ráŕh: The Cradle of Civilization, Ra'r'h - 6
2. Namah Shivaya Shantaya, Shiva's Teachings – 2 (continued) (Discourse 14)
The section below demarcated by asterisks is an entirely different topic,
completely unrelated to the above material. It stands on its own as a point of interest.
completely unrelated to the above material. It stands on its own as a point of interest.
**************************************
Character of Great People
Character of Great People
“Alas, what suffering an animal has to bear at the hands of cruel humans! But the animal is absolutely innocent. It is not a born enemy of the human being that if a person does not kill it, it will kill the person, just as a tiger or an insect does. I shall continuously make efforts to see that human beings refrain from such cruel acts of violence.” If one sees someone doing noble work, as a result of which the progress of the world is accelerated and the path of human welfare is widened, then one should think: “The noble work of this person will remain written in letters of gold in human history. I shall give my full support to this person in their noble endeavours...I shall help them in every possible way.”
"If one sees a person engaged in deleterious activity, then one should think: “On account of the pernicious activities of this person, people are going to the dogs, this person is striking at the root of long-cherished austerities, forbearance, benevolence, and so on. I shall never support such misdeeds.”" (Shabda Cayaniká Part 4, Disc: 27)
***************************************
~ PS #1154 ~
Song of Neo-Humanism
The following review of Prabhat Samgiita #1154 is comprised of four distinct sections:
(A) Transliteration
(B) Line Meaning
(C) End Notes
(D) Special Note on Spelling & Pronunciation
(B) Line Meaning
(C) End Notes
(D) Special Note on Spelling & Pronunciation
Please be sure to read each section carefully as they build upon
each other. Please do send your suggestions, comments and thoughts.
TRANSLITERATION OF PS#1154 -
Tumi esechile, a'lo jvelechile, dhara'ya esechilo ma'novata'
Bha'lobesechile, sudha' d'helechile, ma'nase jegechilo komalata'
Vibheda buddhite shatadha'-chinno, a'gha'te dharitrii chile diirn'o
Sa'ra' dehe ta'r vyatha'r cihna, bahiya' ber'a'to vasuma'ta'
A'lo jvele dile, ks'ate pralep dile
Ka'r kii vedana' d'eke shudha'ile
A'shva'se a'taunko sara'le, Bolile a'mi a'chi kleshtra'ta'
LINE MEANING OF PS #1154
Tumi esechile, a'lo jvelechile, dhara'ya esechilo ma'novata'
Bha'lobesechile, sudha' d'helechile, ma'nase jegechilo komalata'
Vibheda buddhite shatadha'-chinno, a'gha'te dharitrii chile diirn'o
Sa'ra' dehe ta'r vyatha'r cihna, bahiya' ber'a'to vasuma'ta'
A'lo jvele dile, ks'ate pralep dile
Ka'r kii vedana' d'eke shudha'ile
A'shva'se a'taunko sara'le, Bolile a'mi a'chi kleshtra'ta'
LINE MEANING OF PS #1154
O' Parama Pursa, O' Lord, You came and lit the lamp [1], thereupon humanity came onto this earth. You showered Your love, poured the nectar, and a tender [2] loving feeling was aroused in the mind.
Mother earth [3] was being ripped apart by constant blows and battering [4] - torn asunder, into hundreds of pieces, by this divisive intellect. She bore on her body wounds from her pain and suffering.
O' Lord, You lit the lamp and applied ointment [5] on her wounds. You asked about the pain of those who were suffering. You gave Your assurance, removed the terror, and told, "As Kleshtra'ta' [6] I am always here to remove your suffering."
O' Parama Purusa Baba, You came and lit the lamp of neo-humanism and spirituality, and by Your grace humanity came on this earth...
END NOTES FOR PRABHAT SAMGIITA #1154
[1] Lamp: Here lamp refers to
neo-humanism, spirituality and Ananda Marga philosophy.
[2] Tender: Devotional.
[2] Tender: Devotional.
[3] Mother Earth: This refers to the entire creation including all living beings like plants, animals, and humans. So it should not be taken literally to mean just the dirt, rocks, and soil of this planet.
[4]Blows and Battering: Humanity has been divided and hurt by so many dogmas and isms like casteism, racism, provincialism, nationalism, factionalism, groupism, selfishness, materialism etc. That is what is meant by the blows and battering of mother earth.
[5] Ointment: Parama Purusa has graciously applied the ointment of seva (service), sadhana, universal love, 16 Points, Prout, and neo-humanism. By this way the wounds and sores of humanity can be healed.
[6] Kleshtra'ta': [Klesh (suffering, pain) tra'ta' (permanent reliever)]; This is one of the names of Parama Purusa. He has innumerable qualities and attributions - one of which is to permanently, not temporarily, remove the pain and suffering. In this role, He is called Kleshtra'ta'. All in all there are three types of relief, and in this instance Parama Purusa is graciously providing permanent and lasting relief.
SPECIAL NOTE ON SPELLING &
PRONUNCIATION
Here are some notes on the use of phonetic spelling.
For instance, take the English words "know" or "knowledge". Without having first memorized the pronunciation, people will pronounce those words as "Ka-now" or "Kay-Now" and "Kay-Now-La-Di-Ge",respectively. Simply sounding out the letters will not produce the desired result. Because in the English language, spelling and pronunciation must be memorized. Otherwise it is not possible to pronounce words properly.
Same is the case with Bengali.
For example, in the first line of the above song #1154, the actual spelling of the third word is esechila but unless one knows Bangla, they will mispronounce it. Hence we have given the phonetic spelling, esechilo. By this way even new readers will be able to pronounce the words correctly when listening to and singing the song.
Here is another example. The actual spelling of the two words in the third line is
chinna and diirn'a, but that will not yield the proper pronunciation for non-native speakers; hence, we spelled them as chinno and diirn'o, respectively. With this phonetic spelling, readers will get the right pronunciation. Indeed there are many such examples.
Only native Bengali speakers - or those extremely fluent in Bangla and familiar with Prabhat Samgiita - will pronounce all the words correctly. Yet everyone wishes to listen to and sing Prabhat Samgiita and enjoy the song. If the lyrics are written in a technical manner then people will not be able to pronounce all the words properly. Hence the decision to write it phonetically.
With regard to the repetition of certain lines when the song is sung, while listening to the song you will just have to be alert and adjust accordingly as all the original lines are present.
