In Israel When I was with Baba in Israel, He reminded me of two things: What Sadhana is? "To satisfy Him is the sadhana." What Guru puja is? "To carry out His order is Guru puja."
Haifa I toured with Baba in Europe in 1979. In Haifa, Israel, we had a three-day program, including a DMC function. It was a beautiful, memorable occasion. Throughout His stay there, Baba showered His infinite grace on all of us. We obtained a hall inside the university campus for the DMC function. The local Margiis were not old Margiis; nevertheless, they had been trained in the proper procedures regarding the occasion. My duty was to organize and materialize the entire program. Some of the dadas were assigned various duties regarding the external arrangements of the function. Others had to tend to tickets and visa arrangements of those who came from other countries. Realizing the local conditions in Israel, we decided to keep our pratik folded until just before Baba's arrival in the DMC hall. Baba came punctually for His discourse, and at that time the pratik was opened and hung on the wall behind Him. Some non-Margii students walking on the campus passed by our DMC hall and saw the...
Land of Mysticism During Baba's tour to Israel in 1979, I noticed that He was in an exceptionally light and jolly mood at the Haifa airport. For us who have been exposed to His dark and work-until-you-die-working moods, this was indeed a pleasant diversion, a bonus of sorts. I really could not understand the reason for His happy mood. After His lunch, the reason for His happiness became clearer. He told us, "This country has a lot of dynamism, energy and spirit." He said that the Jews were the original Semitic race with their own unique language and culture. He revealed that many things of spiritual value lay hidden in this deeply mystical land. In olden times, many mystics used to meditate on the top of the hills at midnight. Israel was, in fact, the land where the original concept of madhur sadhana was born. Madhur sadhana is a very sweet and devotional form of spiritual practice taught by Baba to accelerate the speed of spiritual progress. It is done only by renunciates. In the olden...
Psychology Baba had always stressed the need to adopt a psychological approach in conveying unpleasant news to others. If possible, direct approaches should be avoided, in order not to unnecessarily shock the receipient of the news. This story happened in 1979 during Baba's Israel tour. One day, after dinner, we received news from Calcutta that the General Secretary of Ananda Marga wanted Baba's suggestion for a suitable candidate for the position of Sectorial Secretary, Hong Kong Sector. That position had recently fallen vacant. This was, indeed, not positive news, and no one dared to give the news to Baba. After some discussion, the dadas present requested me to give the news to Baba, as I presented the organizational reports daily to Him. I agreed but was not sure whether I should tell Him the news on that day itself or on the following day. The next day's schedule was very tight, and thus there would be no opportunity to convey this news to Him. I thought that since this was...
