Living with Baba

Baba introduced paincajanya as an integral part of our spiritual practices to accelerate the speed of our progress. He instructed all Margiis to perform paincajanya at 5.00 a.m. sharp, based on local time.

Once in 1979, when I was traveling with Baba to different countries of Europe, several Margiis from the Ananda Marga units there requested me to ask Baba if paincajanya could be done later than 5:00 a.m. It was very difficult to awaken that early in the morning in Europe, especially during winter. The European Margiis wanted to know if they could do paincajanya at whatever time they awoke. I did not respond to their queries at that time. I wanted to get Baba's opinion first.

After Baba's tour in Europe ended, we returned to India. We reached Mumbai in the morning. Every day after lunch I would submit the latest organizational reports to Baba. I followed this routine on the day we arrived in Mumbai. I went to His room to present the report, but I felt that He was not in a mood to listen to any report. He then asked me to tell Him something unrelated to organizational matters. Immediately, I thought of the queries on paincajanya raised by the European Margiis. It was an opportune moment to get His comment on this matter. I started by saying, "Paincajanya......."

I could not even complete the sentence. He glared at me in a very angry mood and scolded me for nearly an hour, which seemed like eternity. He angrily asked me why I had to question the need and timing of paincajanya. He remarked that as He had already introduced the system, it was my duty to implement it. Questioning it meant that I still had some doubt in my mind. In the first place I should not have entertained any questions about it.

After this sharp and severe rebuke, I somehow managed to explain to Him that I did not have any doubt about paincajanya. However, I had to give a satisfactory response to the queries on paincajanya raised by the European Margiis. As I was then unable to do so, I thought that I should first consult Him before responding.

Baba then softened His mood a little and clarified that when He first introduced the practice of paincajanya, He deliberately did not explain the reasons for following this practice. He wanted Margiis to do the practice first before He explained the reasons. He clarified that every sadhaka should get up from bed before a certain time, which is 45 minutes before sunrise. At that time the sun emits a particular wave beneficial for sadhakas, and it is through this wave that He removes all negative vibrations from the human mind and injects positive ones in their place. In order to make this a formal system within the framework of our spiritual practice, He instructed all His devotees to start paincajanya at 5.00 a.m. sharp.

Baba informed me that He had taken a samkalpa or firm determination that for those who performed paincajanya according to the prescribed system, He would take responsibility for their spiritual development.

Baba further explained that emotional problems, mental troubles and many diseases could be cured by paincajanya. He stressed that since it is the Guru's samkalpa that paincajanya be performed by all sadhakas, one should do it without fail.

After this elaborate explanation of the importance of paincajanya, Baba emphasized the significance of dharmacakra. Dharmacakra is one of those spiritual practices that are mandatory for Ananda Margiis. It involves the coming together of Margiis in a particular area to do collective meditation in a prescribed manner once a week. This practice generates a powerful collective vibration and removes problems confronting Margiis. Dharmacakra also helps those who are weak in spiritual practice. He stressed, "It is My samkalpa that every sadhaka should participate in dharmacakra at least once a week."

Both practices of paincajanya and dharmacakra can accelerate the spiritual progress of sadhakas and should be strictly performed by every sadhaka.