A Schoolboy We have a very nice school at Krishnanagar, West Bengal, India. One day sometime in 1969, the principal of the school, Acarya Sudhananda Avadhuta, went out for some urgent work. The principal told the teacher-in-charge that he would be back within an hour. The school was going on as usual. During recess time, all the children played and ate their food which they brought from home or bought at the school canteen. Suddenly, one of the boys went back into the classroom and cried hysterically, "My father has died now!" His cries got the attention of all the other students as well as the teacher. The teacher in charge took the boy aside and consoled him. But he could not be consoled. The boy just kept on crying loudly. The teacher then decided to inform the boy's parents of his strange condition. The boy's father worked in a government office, while his mother was a housewife. She was then alone at home. Upon learning of her son's condition, she immediately came to...
Varanasi Story It was in the month of May in 1969, when I was working in the Seva Dharma Mission . We organized a departmental UTC at Varanasi. Varanasi is a beautiful, spiritually vibrated city in Uttar Pradesh. People love to go to Varanasi. It was created seven thousand years ago by Lord Shiva. It is the oldest city in the world. Lord Shiva's spiritual vibration can still be felt by yogis at that place.. After some effort, we found a place near the Ganges River for the UTC. It was summer, and extremely hot - at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Most of those who attended the UTC were dadas. During the daytime we attended classes. After dinner, most of us crossed the river by boat to do our sadhana on the other side of the river bank, and returned the following morning. The opposite side of the river was completely deserted and lonely. The pure, white sand along the river bank sparkled like a thousand heavenly gems. We meditated on the shore, and after that simply went to sleep on the soft,...
Trouble at School Nothing in the world is free from interference and vested-interest - not even noble work and service. One may try to do good work through educational, relief or other developmental projects. But there are other people, guided by self-interest, who would either try to gain from your efforts or obstruct your noble work. Such people are aplenty, like bugs, stains the underside of every noble endeavor. However, one must not be deterred in the face of such obstacles. Rather, one should carry on regardless of the deliberate hinderances. The Supreme Entity recognizes all selfless work and quietly helps people complete their noble tasks by removing or neutralizing the obstacles. This story illustrates this point. We have an Ananda Marga school in Kandi, Murshidabad district in West Bengal. Sometime in 1983, a young missionary of Ananda Marga was posted there to hold the position of the school principal. The school was rented from a local businessman. One day, the dada went to the Central...
Tour Program I was posted as a field worker at the provincial level in 1971. I traveled to the head office, which at that time was in Ranchi, Bihar. After taking a bath, I met the Office Secretary. He told me, "Now you are posted as an Area Level Worker. An area comprises four provinces. You must know your jurisdiction. You must keep the Tour Program of all the workers in your area. Tomorrow Baba will ask you for your report. All the workers will come as well. Talk to them first and then write your report and keep it ready." All the workers came to Ranchi the next day as planned. I talked to my workers regarding their Tour Programs. I was a little nervous because I did not know what Baba would ask. Baba came to the office punctually. We were in Baba's room. When my turn came to give the report, Baba asked me whether I had taken charge of my new responsibilities. I said, "Yes, Baba." Baba then said, "The report is not satisfactory." He asked me why my workers were...
Initiation In 1971 I attended a PROUT symposium at the University Institute Hall near College Street, Calcutta. As I entered the hall, some Margiis introduced me to two young men, Jayanta Singha and Tapan, who wanted to meet me. One boy had a Master degree in Commerce, while the other was a businessman. I spoke with them for a few minutes before the program. I invited them inside to attend the program and promised to talk with them again when it was over. Acarya Raghunathjii and Mr R Prasad were addressing the audience. These boys were, however, impatient to talk with me, and in the middle of the program, came up to me and asked me to go outside. Reluctantly, I followed them outside. The first young man said, "I think you have some power. So I want to test you." I responded, "There are tests at different levels - physical, mental and spiritual. Do you have any doubt about spiritual power?" They were silent. Then the young man said, "Actually we both have a problem - that...
Tests During the month of October 1971, Ananda Marga faced a crisis - both spiritual and organizational. A DMC was held in Calcutta. We were waiting for the evening General Darshan to begin. The procedure was that first Srimati Uma, the wife of Baba, would come out and give a spiritual talk. After that Baba would give His discourse. We used to call Baba's wife "Ma" gave her great respect. That DMC night, Baba's Personal Assistant suddenly came with two or three other central workers and talked about the system of reporting. He started by talking about how Baba gave severe punishment to the workers. He severely criticized this as well as other aspects of Baba's organizational system. Then, he stunned all of us by announcing that Srimati Uma did not agree with Baba regarding several organizational issues, and that she and her son, Gautam, were leaving Him. After that startling announcement, Srimati Uma left with the dissenting group of dadas. This unbelievable drama...
No Tell-tale Signs Baba is truly a mysterious personality - at once a unique spiritual master, a giant intellectual, an outstanding philosopher, a social thinker, humanist, economist, grammarian, philologist, historian, agriculturist, doctor, scientist, song-writer, literary artist, and great organizer, just to name a few of His incomparable qualities. Above all He is a loving, affectionate father to His children. It is difficult, if not impossible, to find so many outstanding qualities in one person. He made many matchless contributions to sustain human society and to advance human progress. His theory of microvita, for example, belongs to the distant future, brought forward about 400 years in time for humanity's benefit. His unique theory of mind and of evolution is yet another example of His greatness. His vast contributions to spirituality alone make Him stand apart from the rest of the spiritual masters. He is truly the renaissance man of human history, not just of the 20th century. Yet, His...
Story in Patna Jail In 1971 Baba was arrested on false charges and unjustly imprisoned in Patna, Bihar. Learning of this, we protested against the government's action. As a result, we were also arrested and imprisoned in the Patna jail. One Margii from Saharsa, North Bihar, was with us in the same cell. He told us the following story. When he was initiated, his acarya instructed him not to be involved in any casteism or groupism. India is a caste-ridden, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious society. Baba had always demanded that Margiis reject any divisive elements, so that a truly universal human society could be established on this earth. Once, a village meeting was called to discuss some issues related to caste. The meeting was held at night. Remembering his acarya's instruction, he decided not to attend the meeting. However, after some time, he changed his mind and decided to attend the meeting. The venue of the meeting was just a short distance from his house. To reach it, he had to cross a...
Dharma Maha Sammelan When Baba was in prison during the period 1971 to 1978, we continued to hold Ananda Marga's main function called Dharma Maha Sammelan (DMS), which usually took place twice a year in January and June. Only Baba could endorse the names of MG (Marga Guru) Representatives who were selected to give the discourse in His absence. Sometimes, we held the DMS more than twice a year. Once in 1974, I was selected as MG Representative for the Agartala DMS. Agartala is a town in Tripura, India. When my name was approved, I went to meet Baba in His cell. I said to Him, "Baba, I am going to Agartala as MG Representative for DMS." He smiled and replied, "Work with sincerity." I reached Agartala in time. I never thought that I would ever address a DMS in my life. In those days, Prabhat Samgiit had not yet been composed by Baba. The Margiis sang their own devotional songs in preparation for the spiritual discourse. Representing the Marga Guru is a very big responsibility. I...
