Purushottama Paramparaa (Prophet’s Cultural Succession) Prof. Tapan K. Jena, MD (AIIMS), DNB, PGDDE, FARSI Director, School of Health Sciences, Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi [email protected] Yadaa yadaahi dharmashya glaanirbhabati bhaarata Abhyuthanam adarmashya tadaatmaanam srujaamyaham Paritraanaaya saadhunaam binaashaaya cha duskrutaam Dharma sansthaapanaarthaaya sambhabaami yuge yuge’ - (The Gita, Chapter 4:7) Lord Krishna has assured that he will incarnate in every age to preserve Dharma. Indeed Hindu religious scripture has vindicated the reincarnation again and again. In this context, two issues needs to be addressed: 1. How will one recognize when he reincarnates? 2. What will be the process to follow him in the interval period of his two successions? Identifying a prophet Prophet is the incarnation of the creator in flesh and blood. He represents God in conceivable form. He is the Supreme Father, Purushottama, the infinite encapsulated in finite. Therefore while on one hand he has physical limitations, on the other hand he is omnipresent. It is almost an incomprehensible phenomenon. Therefore Sri Sri Thakur tells, “baasudeva sarbamiti sah mahaatma sudurlava” God (Iswar) is the ultimate Supreme and Purushottam incarnate is his embodiment in human form. (Adarsh Binayak: 186). Therefore, Prophet is the visible form of God. Sri Sri Thakur says, “He within whom all the resources of the world—knowledge, love and activity—are spontaneous, and by the inclination towards whom the scattered lives of men and all the diversities of the world find a final solution, is the God of men!” (Satyanusaran) Sri Sri Thakur used to refer everything to the mercy of the Supreme Father. He has defined this term. Supreme Father (param pitaa) is the spiritual urge Readings on Prophets and Principles 16 (aatmik sambega) or spiritual energy, seedling of which radiates everyone with their distinctiveness in the lap of nature. Purushottama is he, who in spite of being born (udvinna) in such a process is also the nurturer of distinctiveness, all fulfiller and the supreme knowledge (betta). So, Purushottam is the savior of humanity in all ages and he is the Supreme Guru, the revered acharya, the manifested Supreme Soul, the One and indivisible. (sangya sameekshaa:109) Sri Sri Thakur has further clarified in unambiguous terms, “Remember— Prophet incarnate is the Nara-naraayan (human God), the finite form of Ishwar.” (Adarsh Binayak: 68) Identifying Prophet is an impossible phenomenon unless he reveals himself to humanity. Sri Sri Thakur says, “The lover alone can know Him; so, keep the company of lovers and worshippers of existence. He must manifest Himself.” Otherwise, He remains as strange and queer to a proud man as a wise-man to stark illiterate. (Satyanusaran) However, there are few essential objective criteria: 1. He must be the fulfiller of all past prophets (aapurayamana). It means, “The fulfiller of past should be observing the sayings of the past ones with all devoutness while taking place, time and person into consideration.” (sangya sameekshaa:91) 2. He must be the preserver of instincts (baisistyapaali). The preserver of instinct means to nourish the distinctiveness that nurtures the existence (sangya sameekshaa:90) 3. He must resist evil in all its forms. Prophet incarnate is the sadguru in spontaneity (swatah-sadguru), blissful by nature (swabhaba-Ista) and the Guru of the world (biswa-guru). He is also the Guru, purohit, Ritwik, Adharjyu and Jaajak — all in one. (Adarsh Binayak: 232) Process to follow Prophet after His physical demise Prophets, the human form of God, do not die as they are the coexistence of finite and infinite. Yes, the finite physical frame that embodies the spiritual energy leaves as per the eternal principle of mortality. But the infinite, omnipresent and omnipotent form continues, beyond the comprehension of human brain. Evils in the affairs of Dharma spread their branches after the physical demise of Prophet as the ‘resisting of evil’ gets slackened and misinterpretation of His eternal saying becomes rampant. Our scriptures have prescribed guideline for such a situation and Sri Sri Thakur has also endorsed the guideline to be followed in such a situation. The golden principle is that “in case of conflict between ‘shruti’ and ‘smruti’, ‘shruti’ must be upheld’. Shruti refers to the dicta given in objective style by the prophet where as smruti refers to the other literature created by followers through recollection of memory. Sri Sri Thakur says, “whether it is Ritwik, acharya, purohit or whoever he may be, if their sayings do Readings on Prophets and Principles 17 not comply with the shruti vani of Prophet or if there is incongruity even in its essence, then it should not be followed. (Dhruti Bidhaayana, part 1: 275). Commenting upon his given vaani, Sri Sri Thakur tells that the jewel that has been delivered by the mercy of the Supreme Father will remain as the fodder for hundreds of years, nay, for some thousands of years. (Alo.Pras. Vol.21: 19- 9-52: 183). Whatever was given before is like the introduction and whatever is being given now is the chapter which would provide sustenance (paatheya) to move on for thousands of years. There existed many things earlier but in a dispersed manner. It was never in such a comprehensive and analytical format. (Alo.Pras. Vol.22: 9-7-53: 87). He further adds that I have not left anything untold. This time the cooking pot has been broken in public. There remains nothing more to be delivered necessitating me to come again in a quick succession. (Alo.Pras. Vol.22: 16-3-53: 15) Quoting Manu, Sri Sri Thakur tells that the law of land needs to be adjusted according to the time, place and person. The real Brahman i.e. the brahmangya is the architect of this change according to the era and he is the normal dictator. In his physical demise, the assembly of disciples will work in accordance with his principles. (Alo. Pras. Vol.11;10-3-48 :76). There is no doubt that during the lifetime of prophet whatever he says is the last word on that matter because the decision takes care of time, place and personal parameters. But after his demise, the interpretations have to be done taking time, place and personal parameters in mind. Sri Sri Thakur tells, “The emergency guidelines are only for the period in distress; in other periods they are the guidelines of doom.” (Anushruti, Vol 1,niti: 16). Therefore, the guidelines for the period of physical absence of Prophet have to be interpreted, taking all parameters into consideration. Some of the key issues of relevance are being taken up for discussion. 1. Who remains the Ista after the demise of Prophet? Ista means the manifested bliss. It is a generic term which could mean the person who brings bliss. Sri Sri Thakur tells, “Ista is the person from whom we have taken initiation— our Acharya, guide and whom we meditate.” (Deeparakshi, Vol. 5: 17-10-59:185). The point to be noted is that Ista, Acharaya and person being mediated are the one and the same. Sri Sri Thakur has clarified in no ambiguous terms that wherever he has used the words ista, prestha, shreya, adarsha, priyaparama, etc., it points to the person who is bettapurush, the manifested bliss, preserver of distinctiveness and the all fulfiller and therefore one should not be misguided by interpretations. (Sangya sameeksha: 107) We all know that the words ‘ista, prestha, shreya, aadarsha, priyaparama’ are common terms having a broad meaning and can be used loosely in different contexts. But in the context of interpreting these word found in ‘shruti vani’ of Thakur, the meaning must aim at the Prophet incarnate, the Supreme father in flesh and blood. Readings on Prophets and Principles 18 Sri Sri Thakur has told that “in all circumstances prophet is to be worshipped (upaasya) and remains the Ista for the humanity. All the past prophets become alive and are fulfilled through the contemporary prophet. (A.B.64) It implies that the contemporary prophet would not only remain the Ista for the followers initiated in his system but also for the followers of past prophets. “Purushottama (prophet) is the Ista and to be meditated on. Even after his demise, he remains the Ista and the object of meditation till he incarnates again”. (Alo. Pras. Vol.11; 25-2-48:51).Therefore the word Ista as used in Sri Sri Thakur’s literature is always synonymous with prophet and for the followers of Thakur Anukul Chandra, He will remain as the Ista till his reincarnation takes place. Though the word Ista has a generic meaning, Sri Sri Thakur has further emphasized that “Like Ishwar (god) is one, similarly, Ista should also remain only one.” (Dhruti Bidhayana, Vol.II:247) “Purushottam raagadipta Murta iste nistha raakhis, Purushottamer murta pratik Istake tui sadaai jaanis” (Bengali) As per the above verse, it needs to be mentioned that for follower of any prophet, the latest prophet remains the Ista. None other than the latest Prophet should be called as Ista. “Deb debataa haazaar dharish Aacharya jaar Ista nay Spastatara bujhe raakhis Jiban chalaay nehaat bhay”(Bengali) It means, ‘you may follow thousands of Gods and Goddesses. But if Acharya is not your Ista, then it is clear that your life journey is in danger’. If this verse is interpreted in the light of verses from Sangya sameeksha and Adarsha Binayak mentioned above, it is very clear that the word ‘Acharya’ used here is synonymous with Prophet. So, Sri Sri Thakur will not only remain as Ista, he will also remain as Acharya for all his disciples till he incarnates again. 2. Whom to meditate after the demise of Prophet? ‘Dhyanashya mulam gurumurti. It means the image of Guru is prime (or root) in meditation. Therefore, prophet incarnate who is the Guru of all Guru is the object of meditation. Sri Sri Thakur says, ‘naami is the manifested form of naam and he is the Dayi purush. He mercifully incarnates so that people can reach the dayaldesh through adherence to him. Sri Sri Thakur cautions not to make any odd person as the point of meditation. If any imperfection or unsolved knot remains within the person being meditated on, then those could be transmitted to the meditating person. Therefore, only the person born with the Readings on Prophets and Principles 19 key of perfection is to be meditated. Because, He is the highest and best guide and goad to human evolution. (A.P. Vol.11; 25-2-48:51 As already mentioned, Purushottama (prophet) is the Ista and to be meditated on. Even after his demise, he remains the Ista and the object of meditation till he incarnates again. The duty of his followers is to uphold and serve him before the society. Scripture mentions that Hanuman, who was contemporary of Lord Rama, was alive even during the period of Lord Krishna. When Lord Krishna revealed that he himself was the reincarnation of Lord Rama, Hanuman replied, “Sri Nathe Janakinathe avedha parmatmani, tathaapi mama sarvaswa Rama kamalalochana” (though there is no difference between Lord Rama and Lord Krishna, still Lord Rama remains everything for me). Sri Sri Thakur has interpreted this statement to highlight the approach to be followed when more than one prophet incarnate during one’s life span. He says, like a wife cannot have two husbands; two husbands means unchaste, similarly, for male or female there can’t be two acharya or sadguru. (Adarsh Binayak: 184). It means, the person to be meditated on will be the first prophet of his lifetime. 3. Who Remains the Guru after the demise of Prophet? Guru is a generic term that means advisor (upadestaa) (Adarsh Binayak: 128) — who advises on practices of existence and growth while remaining engaged in teaching-learning and self regulatory practices (Adarsh Binayak: 147). But when prophet is physically alive, he alone remains the Guru of all. (Anushruti, Vol. 5; Gurubaad:9). Sri Sri Thakur tells, Prophet incarnate is the sadguru in spontaneity (swatah-sadguru), blissful by nature (swabhaba-Ista) and the Guru of the whole world (biswa-guru). (Adarsh Binayak: 232) Sadguru means Acharya Guru (Adarsh Binayak: 168). Therefore, the term acharya guru and Sadguru are used only for prophet. While Sri Sri Thakur has categorically mentioned that even after the demise of the prophet, he remain as the Ista and to be meditated on, he has not mentioned this in case of Guru. But as mentioned above, if we link that ‘image of Guru is prime in meditation’, then it gets implied that even after the demise of Prophet, he remains the Guru of the whole world. Sri Sri Thakur has clarified that even if anyone gives initiation in the system of the prophet after his demise, the person giving initiation is not meditated on and hence does not become the Guru. Therefore, it is logical to argue that the latest Prophet will remain as Guru of the whole world till he incarnates again. Kusum da (basu): What should be done if we don’t want to take initiation from a Ritwik? Sri Sri Thakur: To whomever we adore from within, devote and follow, if he lays down the principle of taking initiation from any Ritwik, then that Ritwik is not Guru. Even after his demise, whoever gives initiation also remains as the Ritwik. Readings on Prophets and Principles 20 The person only explains his path. Ritwiks only talk of meditating Ista rather than meditating them. If someone deviates from this guideline, their family and descendents get ruined. Whoever gives my initiation is not identified as x, y, z rather as xa, xb, xc- where x remains common. They stand on the strength of that common base. (Alo. Pras. Vol.21: 3-2-53: 314) 4. How will the Initiation system continue after the demise of Prophet ? Sri Sri Thakur tells to initiate everyone so that even a lizard is not left out. (A.P. Vol.19, 26-6-50: 177) To a question ‘whether everyone is entitled for initiation’, he replies, ‘whoever has life has the necessity for initiation’ (A.P. Vol.19, 26-6- 50: 177) So, when the prophet remains the Guru and object of meditation, there has to be a process to impart initiation as per laid down guidelines of the latest prophet. To ensure that the initiation guidelines are not distorted, prophets leave behind an initiation system to continue. Sri Sri Thakur tells, Prophet incarnate is the Supreme Ritwik (Parama Ritwik) and all the rest who carry his message are ritwiks including the likes of paabak purush (shreya ritwik), acharya and purohit. (Adarsh Binayak:227) Prafulla da: Now a day, whoever gives initiation prescribed by Lord Chaitanya have neither seen Chaitanya dev nor their Gurus have seen Chaitanya. In that scenario, how much benefit do the disciples get? Sri Sri Thakur: Through the adherence on guru, the original force acts as per the natural law, according to the circumstances. However, it is a duty for every saint (saadhak) to remain in search of the prophet of the age. (Alo.Pras. Vol.15; 20-1-49:104) From the above discourses, it is clear that in the initiation system, adherence (to prophet) of the person giving initiation (ritwik) and uncompromised practice of following the laid down guidelines are of paramount importance. Sri Sri Thakur’s emphasis on adherence to the process is highlighted in the following discourses. Gopal da: I have a little reservation in the initiation system. I am a Bipra but I have to take initiation from a non-bipra. Sri Sri Thakur: They do not impart initiation. I impart initiation. The Ritwiks carry forward and convey my message to all. That is why, even if a dog gives initiation as per my guidelines, that initiation would be equal to that of given by me. Gopal da: Still, hesitation comes due to this system. Thakur: Hesitation? It is because you do not understand. I am not able to go everywhere. Therefore, my delegation of authority (paanja) is bestowed to them. Paanja means my delegation. This delegation of authority gives initiation. It means I give initiation. (Deeparakshi, Vol.5: 17-10-59:184) Readings on Prophets and Principles 21 From the above discourses, it is clear that during Prophet’s time, he only imparts initiation even though physically initiation process is carried out by authorized persons. Not only that, as long as the guidelines for imparting initiation are followed properly by the ritwiks, the original force of Guru acts directly on the initiated person. The initiated person gets charged with the mercy of his/her Guru (the prophet) and Prophet takes over the responsibility of the disciple as long as the initiated person allows prophet to act through him/her. Mrs. Spencer: Is it always possible to get a fulfiller living Ideal? Sri Sri Thakur: it is excellent whenever such an opportunity is available and then, we have to grab this opportunity to be initiated. After his demise, his teachings and his devotees remain available to guide in his path. Whoever, to honour Jesus, discusses the ideology with conviction, he brings out the living materialized message of Jesus. Thus we get the touch of Jesus to the extent possible. If the motive of the devotee is selfishness and self establishment, then he will not be able to deliver the chaste message of Lord. Devotee is the carrier of God. (Alo. Pras. Vol.17; 9-5-49:74) 5. Initiation System to be followed after the demise of Sri Sri Thakur The all fulfiller, preserver of instincts, supreme beloved Purushottama is the unified person of the whole world and is the manifested representative of omnipresent Brahma. He is the Supreme Acharya. His direction is Initiation, his mantra is the clue of life and he is the object of worship for all. When He is not available in the manifested form, one could take initiation from nirdwanda (undisputed) swadhyayi acharya. If such a person also is not available then, he can take initiation from a kul-guru (family guru) who is initiated in the system of latest prophet. (Adarsh Binayak: 237). We have to differentiate between the swadhyayi acharya from Acharya guru. While Acharya Guru is the Sadguru or prophet incarnate, Swadhyayi Acharya is a person who has attained qualities of acharya through sadhana while remaining adherent to the Prophet. Prophets do not incarnate to break any eternal rule (Adarsh Binayak: 57). So, by allowing ‘Kul-guru who is initiated in the system of latest prophet’ as one of the option for continuation of initiation system, Sri Sri Thakur has fulfilled the system laid down by the past prophets. Sri Sri Thakur tells, after the demise of purushottam, be initiated in the initiation process prescribed by Prophet, through a ritwik who follows the prophet; and follow and meditate the prophet until he reincarnates. (A.P. Vol.2, 27-12-41; 243) If it is correlated with the above three additional provisions i.e. swadhyayi acharya, kul-guru and swadhyayi guru, a clear picture is revealed. The Kul-guru and Swadyayi guru are the persons available in society who initiate people traditionally. When they will impart initiation of Sri Sri Thakur, they will be simply Readings on Prophets and Principles 22 designated as Ritwiks for the initiated person, not guru. The suffix ‘guru’ is just their identity not the designation. These two categories can be elevated to swadhyayi acharya if they can exhibit the level of practice and adherence as defined for such a designation. Sri Sri Thakur has mentioned that if a vegetarian person with untottering adherence follows his acharya, he can achieve the quality of acharya. (Adarsh Binayak: 138). It must be noted that the level of acharya being talked here is that of rishi (seer) not prophet. The word is not to be confused with acharya guru or prophet. Sri Sri Thakur tells, Prophet is the originator of Ritwik (Ritwk-utsha). Prophet incarnate is the Supreme Ritwik (parama Ritwik) and all the rest who carry his message are all ritwiks including the paabak purush (shreya ritwik), acharya and purohit. (Adarsh Binayak: 227) Ritwik is a conventional generic term. It means the companion of prosperity of humanity. So, the person imparting initiation will be called Ritwik. It has been made very clear that the source of ‘gurutwa’ (empowerment as Guru or power of giving initiation) for all varieties of Ritwiks mentioned above is the adherence to Purushottam (Purushottam-nisthaa) and hence only prophet is to be worshipped who remains as the Ista for the humanity.( Adarsh Binayak: 64) Ritwik is defined by Sri Sri Thakur : He, in whom the glimpses of the Lord flash through an unrepelling love and glowing character— is a Ritwik or clergyman— the vanguard of prosperity. (The message, Vol. IX: 28) The people who being attracted by his mercy surrender and form a girdle around him becomes designated according to their distinctiveness as Ritwik, Purohit, adharjyu, Jaajak or leader cum Ganaguru. (Adarsh Binayak: 232) While Ritwik will impart initiation and lead the mass towards prosperity, Purohit remains engaged for prosperity at family level, adharjyu infuses satta-nurturing principles to people, Jaajak awakens people towards eternal path, and the leader cum Ganaguru unifies mass against the evil. Purohit is an acharya who is born in Bipra-varna and pursues Brhamavidya. His role will be to conduct such activities as Dharma karma, Vrata, Niyama, worship, festival, peace, repentance, ten sacraments, Yagna, etc. (Dhruti. B. Part I: 284). It may be noted that Prophet incarnate is the ‘Guru, purohit, Ritwik, Adharjyu and Jaajak — all in one’. 6. Initiation Process Sri Sri Thakur says that the basic objective of initiation is to build ability in a person on all fronts (Sangya Sameeksha: 156). Sri Sri Thakur never wanted Readings on Prophets and Principles 23 to impose initiation. He encourages people to understand, verify and observe things before taking initiation; otherwise, there would be difficulty in maintaining sincere adherence to Ista. (Dhruti B. II: 247) He even prescribed that the people who are not able to surrender, their initiation readiness is not there and they can worship any God /goddesses or great man (Dhruti. B. II: 9). Sri Sri Thakur has mentioned 14 points that a person should verify before selecting a Guru. (Adarsh Binayak: 191). He also categorizes people into three groups as per initiation preparedness (Dhruti. B. II: 10): · He, who is determined to surrender to prophet for ever is the fittest person for initiation · Those who voluntarily express desire and determination to follow Him throughout life without any expectation are the real fit person for initiation · Those who want to follow the path of existence and growth continuously throughout their life should be considered for initiation Initiation process should be as per guidelines mentioned in the Ritwik handbook. The handbook mentions that the ritwik-book is not to be seen by person other than Ritwiks. It is perhaps to maintain the sanctity of the process. 7. Who is an Acharya? Acharya is a conventional generic word. One becomes the Acharya of what he knows through apt practice. That is why acharya is the centre for our learning. (Adarsh Binayak: 18) The person not having the coordinated successful ardent following and Ista-fulfilling character and behaviour both in action and words cannot be an acharya as this is the minimum qualification for becoming an acharya. (Adarsh Binayak: 19) Quoting difference between Upadhyayi guru (Preceptor/teacher) and acharya, Sri Sri Thakur tells Guru may not be an acharya but acharya will necessarily have gurutwa. He clarifies that Acharya is the sadguru and Supreme father. (Adarsh Binayak: 147) It may be noted that in all discussions, Sri Sri Thakur has used the word acharya as a specific term for Sadguru indicating the prophet. At some places it has been specified further as betta-acharya, param-acharya or Acharya guru proving unambiguous meaning as prophet. Similarly, the words like Bachakacharya, adhiyan acharya, swadhyayi acharya provides unambiguous meaning that these words do not denote prophet. But at quite a few places the word meaning has to be derived by going through the whole verse so that the context has to be taken into consideration. To quote an example which is frequently misinterpreted (Adarsh Binayak: 138): Any man of any nation whoever he may be—if his nature and conduct are existential, Readings on Prophets and Principles 24 if he takes existential food, avoiding meat and fish, if he moves on with untottering skilful adherence to his Acharya, being actively devoted and adjusted with principles aglow with existential intelligence, if his characteristics are not distorted, if he does all these things accurately, then the future anoints him with all adoration as an Acharya; and he who becomes an Acharya spontaneously becomes a proper object of veneration welling up from the exuberant urge of the heart of people; improper move cannot afflict his intelligence and path of activity, he achieves the attributes of a seer, so his individual traits become exuberant and glowing likewise with the illumination of an existential blaze. The level of acharya being talked about is mentioned that ‘he achieves the attributes of a seer (rishi)’. Therefore, the acharya word here should not be interpreted as prophet. The Supreme Acharya (Parama Acharya) is always one and indivisible because he is like him only. Therefore, he is the best fulfiller of all the past supreme acharyas. (Adarsh Binayak: 128). Purushottam is the savior of humanity in all ages and he is the Supreme Guru, the revered acharya, the manifested Supreme Soul, the One and indivisible. (Sangya Sameekshaa: 109) Sri Sri Thakur has clearly mentioned that the past prophets are the past acharya. To a question to Sri Sri Thakur that who are his past acharya, Sri Sri Thakur replied, “Rama, Krishna, Jesus, Hazrat Rasul are all my past acharya.” (Alo. Pras. Vol.22, 21-10-1953:203). The fulfiller of past should be observing the sayings of the past ones with all devoutness while taking place, time and person into consideration. He is also called betta acharya (sangya sameekshaa: 91) Conclusion While discussing with Baikuntha da to mobilize 1.5 lakhs special class of devotees to expedite his mission in his lifetime, Sri Sri Thakur expressed, “even Readings on Prophets and Principles 25 if that is not possible during my lifetime, endeavor it with so much sincerity and promise that this mission succeed without any failure” ( Alo. Pras. Vol.20; 26-5- 51: 213) The creator (‘ishwara –prakruti’) in dumb language tells, do not love any one leaving me aside. That pains me. Love and nourish the whole creation through me. (Adarsh Binayak: 17) · Prophet is the Ista for all. · None other than Guru to be meditated on. · None other than prophet can be called as Guru. All others can be called Ritwik. · According to the levels of Ritwiks, they can be called Swadhyayi Guru, Acharya, Sad guru, etc. · The Ritwik system is applicable to all prophets. · The continuation of Prophets as
Posted on: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 03:28:51 +0000
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