Living with Baba

I have written these stories of Lord Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji, or Baba , not to show a man of miracles. I am simply trying to give a glimpse of this Lord of Love. For those who are devotees, there is no need to explain anything. For those who are not, these stories are meant not to be blindly believed, but rather to encourage them to learn meditation, and by their love to come in contact with His overwhelming tenderness. No one should have blind faith but experience for himself some of His divine sweetness.

Actually, all these stories, all the incidents or demonstrations, have a very deep inner meaning. He used to talk day and night just to explain the mystery of life. For most people, it is impossible to grasp the inner meaning of life and the forces that govern it. His grace alone throws light on this mystery. And only devotees can access that boundless grace.


Taraka Brahma

We say, and by our meditation we experience, that Baba is a Mahasambhuti or special manifestation of Taraka Brahma. To put it very simply, that aspect of the Supreme Consciousness that generates, operates, and destroys this universe, that is showering each and every entity with love, is called God or Saguna Brahma. Saguna Brahma is at once within everything and omnipresent. It is the permanent reality behind each and every entity of this universe. Now, that aspect of the Supreme Consciousness that is transcendent or beyond this expressed universe is called Nirguna Brahma. Here, all duality ends and the devotee, the Beloved and the love between them dissolve into one pure consciousness.

What is Taraka Brahma? Taraka Brahma is that blissful link between these two stances of the Supreme Consciousness. Taraka Brahma is, at the same time, immanent and ever-present in this universe, while being transcendent and immersed in that supreme stance of Nirguna Brahma. For devotees, Taraka Brahma is the real Beloved, who makes them weep and dance in bliss, as well as fight like lions against injustice.


Mahasambhuti

The Supreme Consciousness manifests Itself as Mahasambhuti when the suffering of the people is overwhelming, when society degenerates to the point of total exploitation and when spirituality and the natural spiritual inclination of people is suppressed. In general, there are three types of manifestations of the Supreme Consciousness:

Firstly, Jiivakoti: they are the normal human beings.

Secondly, Iishvarakoti: they are those who have been given special power to do spiritual work and, to some extent, social work. Their power is one hundred times that of a jiivakoti. There are three types of Iishvarakoti in order of increasing greatness. They are (i) kalavatara, who has one-sixteenth of the full power of Iishvarakoti, (ii) amshavatara, who has even more power, and (iii) khandavatara, who is still more developed. Iishvarakotis advance due to their sadhana or meditation. They work in a particular time and place and then leave the world.

Thirdly, Brahmakoti: he is a person with full manifestation of Saguna Brahma. In such saints there are no worldly bondages at all. This manifestation is also known as Maha'kaola or one who has the power to raise not only his own kundalini, but that of others also. Brahmakoti is also known as Bhagavan, having certain clear characteristics. Another name for this manifestation is Sadguru. Such saints have already attained the final stance of Nirguna Brahma, but to benefit humanity according to the will of Taraka Brahma, they come under the limitations of Saguna Brahma in order to serve the world. They maintain a link with Nirguna Brahma by their sadhana.

Now, Taraka Brahma is different. He is completely free from the limitations of Saguna Brahma. He comes in the form of a Brahmakoti or a Sadguru, and He stirs the entire world with His special vibration. Unlike other spiritual masters, He is able to create a Cosmic vibration on the planet, which continues to guide society as long as it exists. Lord Shiva came 7, 000 years ago, while Lord Krsna came about 3, 500 years ago. During their advent on this earth, they emanated a special spiritual vibration, which still continues to guide human society to this very day. They also possessed all the characteristics of Taraka Brahma.

Lord Shiva came when human society was moving from the age of shudra to the age of ksattriya, but it was mainly the sudra era. Then, Lord Krsna came during the ksattriya age. Baba came at the critical juncture between the vaesya and vipra ages. Shiva established Tantra mainly by His physical force. Krsna established it by physical and intellectual force. Baba established it by intellectual and spiritual force, including love and other suprahuman qualities.

Baba said that the main purpose of His advent was to flood the world with devotion. To prepare the human mind to accept even a drop of His overwhelming love, one has to follow strict discipline in his daily conduct and has to do a lot of social service. In addition, he has to perform his tasks with detachment, total surrender and constant ideation of the Supreme Consciousness.


The Characteristics of Taraka Brahma

In His different discourses on various aspects of spirituality, Baba has, for the first time in history, explained the characteristics of Taraka Brahma in His human manifestation.

· He takes birth at a transitional period of history, when one era is decaying. He leads the world into a golden era. His emergence means a new era of white peace (peace where justice and universalism are predominant) and dharma.
· He is a Guru from His very birth and has no spiritual Guru.
· He needs no sadhana, but just to set an example to others, He performs sadhana with the masses.
· He does not need to undergo any discipline to achieve realization.
· He gives scriptures that enlighten us with spiritual wisdom and absolute truth.
· He provides the practical method to realize the content of scriptures.
· His physical appearance has the subtlety of the supra-mundane or divine level. The sixth lesson of Sahaj Yoga is proof of this.
· His physical form awakens a strong vibration in the physico-psychic level of the devotees, causing them to sing and dance and weep in bliss.
· He possesses a multifarious personality. From having deep knowledge of agriculture to being able to raise and lower the kundalini of disciples by mere command, He is capable of doing anything and everything.
· He takes the firm determination to establish a sound society. He comes with a specific mission, which is to restore morality and dharma. The entire society becomes divided between moralists and immoralists. A fight between them is inevitable, and ultimately dharma comes out victorious.
· He roots out all immorality. Taraka Brahma forms a desire to come on the earth with a specific mission of restoring dharma by launching a ceaseless fight against all injustice and sin.
· He does not compromise with injustice.
· He is a revolutionary.
· He is a great organizer with strong moral force.
· He is always controversial.
· He is a householder.
All the above qualities are manifested in Shrii Shrii Anandamurti. Taraka Brahma does not come just to teach meditation and give talks on peace. He brings justice into the world by polarizing society into two camps - moralists and immoralists. He gives ordinary people the courage to fight against exploitation. He never compromises with those in power, either directly by supporting them or indirectly by preaching non-resistance to exploitation.


Lord Anandamurtiji, the Paramesti Guru

When Taraka Brahma comes, He takes the form of a Sadguru. Now, what are the types of Gurus?

Adhama guru: This is the lowest guru who may have achieved some spiritual advancement. He just gives advice and does not bother to see if the disciple follows his instructions. He can only help them in resolving worldly problems.

Madhyama guru: This is the mediocre guru, who is able to elevate the disciples a little by singing spiritual songs or by going into spiritual states himself, thus indirectly affecting the disciples. He advises his disciples on spiritual matters and enquires whether the disciples are following his instructions, but does not bother with those who do not listen or follow such instructions.

Uttama guru: This is the highest guru, who not only teaches his disciples, but compels those who have left the spiritual path to return by creating circumstantial pressure. He can directly raise the kundalini of a disciple who surrenders to Him. He keeps strict vigilance on the disciples to ensure that they follow His directives. He guides His devotees, either directly by scolding, threatening and punishing, or indirectly by creating different kinds of suffering in the disciple's life.

Sadguru falls in the third category. Being completely merged in Paramatma or the Supreme Soul, He is able to guide His disciples at all levels. The Sadguru can influence the higher kosas or levels of the disciple's mind through Brahma vidya or divine liberating knowledge and Brahma krpa or divine grace. By connecting the devotees with Taraka Brahma, Sadguru liberates them, by merging them with Saguna Brahma.

The Paramesti Guru is a special manifestation of Taraka Brahma who has blessed the Sadguru. On this planet, Lord Shiva, Lord Krsna and Lord Anandamurti have appeared as Paramesti Guru. Paramesti means "Supreme Beloved" or Ista, which is the goal of sadhakas. Only Taraka Brahma can be the Ista. Ista is personal. Without a personal relationship, one cannot get liberation.

Now, we have said that Taraka Brahma had come to this small planet at different times as Lord Shiva, Lord Krsna and as Lord Anandamurti. The fundamental meaning of Shiva is Supreme Consciousness. The meaning of Krsna is Supreme Attracter and Controller. The meaning of Anandamurti is the Embodiment of Love and Bliss, the Lord of Love. Once Baba told us that there is one force by which the sun controls the whole solar system, and another force by which the earth controls the moon. Baba said that the force that controls the entire cosmological order is LOVE. It is the Supreme Consciousness or the nucleus of the universe.

The Paramesti Guru or Mahasambhuti has this supreme power of love and is able to effortlessly raise the kundalini of a large number of people at once, and even of animals, while remaining normal Himself. Through His compassion, He has transformed ordinary people, such as Caetanya Mahaprabhu, into great saints. The Paramesti Guru always has His kundalini above the Sahasrara or crown cakra. He alone can give supreme liberation or moksa, which is merger with Nirguna Brahma. His physical form alone gives one spiritual ecstasy, and seeing It is itself meditation.

How does one recognize the Mahasambhuti or Paramesti Guru? The main criteria are that He is not merely a spiritual Guru, but is Guru of the psychic and physical spheres as well. He not only has absolute knowledge of all spiritual subjects, but also knows every branch of knowledge - including history, grammar, languages, music, archaeology, and farming. He knows all languages of the world. He knows the detailed history of everything from agriculture to politics to botany, to the detailed geographical history of a particular place. It is knowledge that is not found in any book. It is infinite knowledge. Such is the boundless expanse and depth of His knowledge.

Above all, He knows the unexpressed hopes and pains of His devotees. He alone is the one who, with just a few words or a single smile, can make people weep and feel His overwhelming tenderness. He is so attractive to spiritual aspirants that any of His gestures can send them into a state of spiritual bliss.

Perhaps, the greatest expression of His loving care is that He will never ignore the exploitation and humiliation faced by humanity. He will neither tell His disciples to ignore the sufferings of the world because it is an illusion, nor will He tell them to passively accept abuse and exploitation. Rather, He will encourage them to rise up and fight for the rights of everyone. He will guide them in drawing up detailed plans on restructuring society economically and politically. He will give them the moral and spiritual power to fight against injustice in their day-to-day lives.

He does not make people sect-ridden and arrogant. Rather, He removes all their petty prejudices. He expands their minds, so that they see His effulgence everywhere, feeling Him in everyone. He makes devotees feel that even the crudest physical object is in reality their Supreme Beloved. This is the essence of Neo-Humanism. He encourages His devotees to preach this lofty gospel to every living being.

He who only punishes is an enemy. He who only loves spoils human beings. But He who guides, controls, punishes and loves is the Supreme Guru, because His real intention is to make human beings perfect by merging them in the supreme sweetness of His heart. He wants to liberate every human being from bondage. He wants to give everyone permanent liberation. He wants to give not only happiness but also ananda or divine bliss. This bliss is an infinite, supremely intense happiness, which dissolves the mind like a wave that dissolves a lump of salt. This divine bliss is achieved through the physical struggle for survival and through mental and emotional clash. Above all, this bliss is attained by the force of His divine attraction.

He is the fear of the fear-imposing people, and the danger to the dangerous people. For a bad man He is dangerous but for a good man He is Premamaya, the embodiment of love. He is Karunamaya, the embodiment of compassion. To understand Him an aspirant has to come within the scope of a particular path, a particular spiritual practice. He needs a rational mind free of propensities and prejudices. He must maintain discipline and a balanced life. He must keep the body and mind pure, and keep the door of his heart wide open, for He showers His unbounded love secretly in innumerable ways. Only then can one understand that He is infinite bliss, that He is Anandamurti, the embodiment of bliss. The devotee will realize that the heart of all divine bliss is Taraka Brahma, his Baba.


His Roles

Parama Purusa, the Supreme Entity, has many names. He plays different roles in accordance with His samkalpa, duty and responsibility. For example, another name of Shiva is Paincanana. Baba also had a number of roles.

As Shrii Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar He was a great seer, philosopher, and Mahasadvipra or great fighter against immorality and injustice. He imbued His disciples with universalism. He was the founder and President of Ananda Marga, an organization created to serve society. Baba is also the Lord of Dharma or righteousness. He alone is the Dharma Guru who can guide human beings in the fight against exploitation and injustice. In His role as Sadguru He is the Yogeshvara or Lord of the yogis. He has complete control of the kundalini and of the propensities of His disciples. He has adjusted the concept and practice of spirituality to suit the modern era. He has given a tremendous spiritual force, which has empowered the mantras and other spiritual practices of Ananda Marga. Only He is the cause of mukti and moksa. He guides His disciples to their goal of Supreme Consciousness at every step in their lives. He blesses His disciples with spiritual feeling through His spiritual discourses. He can give any spiritual aspirant the different experiences of samadhi.

As Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, He is the manifestation of Taraka Brahma. He is kalyana sundaram. This means He embodies the true spirit of blessedness, as He works for the welfare of all living beings. For this very reason His beauty remains unparalleled. He eternally emanates the effulgence of pure benevolence through His divine Varabhaya Mudra . He also radiates the rapture of utter surrender through His Janusparsha Mudra . He is the embodiment of Love. He is the Lord of Love.

As Baba, He is Taraka Brahma. He is our dearest one, our Beloved. He is our most personal entity. He guides, listens and removes our sorrows or sufferings. He is our loving father, our mother, our friend, our everything. He stays with us, within us, within everyone and everything. He is the closest entity, the One who speaks from within the core of our hearts and who takes us within the core of His heart. He is utter love, beyond the duality of devotee and Lord. He is not merely beyond the mind, but beyond the soul, and beyond the Supreme Soul. How then can one even try to describe Him when tears and silence itself are unable to express even a fraction of His sweetness!


His Call

Baba is open to everyone without discrimination - the very ordinary person, the intellectual, the spiritual and the highly spiritual person. Over and above the philosophy, knowledge and deep spiritual science He has given humanity, the most important prerequisite for a devotee is prapattivad or total surrender to Him. Then, His vibration and His name become our only reality. This is why we sing and dance to "Baba Nam Kevalam", during kiirtan.

Those who strictly follow His moral guidelines will experience Him more and more in their meditation. For those who are simple devotees, who cry for Him with full surrender, He will appear physically and bless them with the absolute experience of real love. For those readers who are new, all I can say is that my Baba loves you too, so very deeply. Baba has asked us to tell you that He is yours. If someone hates you, it is natural that you should avoid that person. But if someone loves you so much, should you not at least try to know that person?

These stories are just a tiny taste of His divine sweetness; they are only a fleeting shadow of His greatness. See for yourself who is Lord Anandamurtiji, who is your Baba who is calling you with such intense longing to Him. Then, your own 'living with Baba' will start, as He cares for you and guides you at every moment of your life.