He Sends Out a Clarion Call

Calcutta, January 1990.

Today, as Baba was leaving the nursing home, He called all the nurses “Ma” and distributed sweets to them.

They all cried. The last person at the door was Baba’s doctor, Dr Sen, one of India’s leading heart specialists. He also treated Mother Teresa. He said, “Baba, we all thank You for putting Your holy feet in our nursing home. But You are not a man, or even a superman. You are a god.”

Then he prostrated himself at Baba’s feet.

Dada Keshavananda told me that a few days ago the doctors pro¬ tested that Baba was continuing to compose Prabhat Sangiit songs in the emergency ward even though they had requested Him not to do any work. In one day alone He wrote thirteen songs. He responded by saying, “Composing Prabhat Sangi it does not require any special effort from my part. Similarly, whenever I write Shabda Cayanika (His encyclopedia), it is a spontaneous expression. Rather than considering these processes to be my work, you should title them my pleasures.”

Keshavanandaji asked Baba what He considered to be work. He said, “When I conceptualized the idea of Ananda Marga, or Prout, or microvita, or Neo-H uman ism —these original revolutionary creations required a little exertion. You may be interested to know that the work which occupied my effort for the longest time was the invention of our Pratik (the symbol of Ananda Marga). It took me thirty minutes.”

A few days ago two nurses approached Keshavanandaji with a ques¬ tion. They said, “Each of us separately observed Baba talking in His sleep. Both times He said the same words: Master units. Master units.

Do the words master units have any special meaning that you know?”

Keshavanandaji laughed. “Yes, I know. The establishment of Master Units all over the globe is now our most important program. It is so important that Baba goes on creating the conducive psychic wave for them even when His body is sleeping.” 99

The last story concerns Dr Ramesh, a specialist at the clinic. One day the doctor told Baba, “Your health is not good. But I understand you frequently scold your workers. Anger is not helpful to your cure. So I request you to refrain from such rebuking.”

Baba became furious, shouting loud enough to cause everyone to jump, “Who is he to tell me such a thing!”

The Dadas became upset, and the doctors became afraid.

In a twinkle of an eye, Baba again changed His mood, and said sweetly, “Now, do you mean like that?”

“Yes, Baba,” said Dr Ramesh, shaking.

“No need to worry,” said Baba. “You see, I say all such caustic words from my throat, not from my heart. It does not affect me.”

“TheM aster Unit program is the culmination of all other social service activities of Ananda M arga. For simplicity’s sake, until this point my diary entries referred to such projects as’ 1 land communities” or 11 model communities." Ananda Nagar was our first M aster Unit. To be considered a M aster Unit, a piece of land must beat least five acres. On this land we must establish a yoga/meditation center, agricultural farm, cottage industry, family dwellings, a self- contained system of ponds and streams, an alternative energy center, and a permanent service center. According to location and various other factors, we should also, if possible, develop a children’shomeand school, a wild animal sanctuary, botanical gardens, medical hospital or clinic, a dairy farm, and a good number of welfare homes and appropriate industries. Thus, the M aster Unit serves as a model community by which the public may practically experience Prout in action. Without this demonstration, Prout would be only an interesting theory, and most people would not believe that the implementation of Prout is truly possible. The M aster Unit is also a training ground to develop the subtle feelings and knowledge required for gaining the cooperation and leadership skills upon which a Proutist society is based.

Though Baba gave the concept of M aster Unit many years before this diary entry, it was only in 1987 that He began emphasizing it. During the four years beginning with 1987, He gradually stepped up the level of concentration on making and developing M aster Units. Eventually, almost every Dada and Didi became involved in obtaining land. Throughout the world we now own hundreds of properties on which we are developing M aster Unit projects. For example, in theFareast Asia sector we have a total of ten M aster Units in Taiwan, K orea, Russia, M ongolia, Hong K ong and J apan.

The creator of madness

The doctors first gave strict instructions, and then pleaded with Baba, that He should not work for the next one month. Though it is doubtful He can keep Himself away from work for so long, we expect that for a few days at least He will abide by these instructions. He will not, for example, hold darshan or workers’ meetings. Many Margis are here from all over the world who are desperate for a glimpse of Baba. Their only chance is while Baba takes garden-walks twice daily. It is possible to look over the boundary wall and see Him. It is Baba’s private time so no one is technically permitted to do this, but the rule is generally overlooked because the Margis have never been too many at a single time, and everyone maintains silence. This stretching of the .rule has gone on for years.

Today there were far more Margis looking over the wall than at any other time. There were hundreds, mostly from overseas. The Margis literally climbed over each other to secure a vantage points on the wall. To see over the wall it is necessary to stand on something, usually piled bricks or rocks. The types of structures thus built were varied, and often were piled too high, so that they sometimes collapsed, causing many people to simultaneously fall to the ground. Though knees and elbows were scraped, no one seemed to care.

In this atmosphere, for the first time, the unwritten rule of main¬ taining silence was broken. The Margis could not control themselves. As Baba emerged in a wheelchair, a few weeping sounds and sighs cut the silence. Within a few more moments, such a thrill swept through the crowd that Margis were crying, laughing, yelling “Baba!,” “Namaskar Baba!” and so on. Baba smiled. He turned His face toward the Margis, and they went wild. A Yugoslavian brother jumped over the wall, and was immediately restrained by the security volunteers. I was standing or, rather, hanging down from the roof, and had a perfect view of the whole scene. It was cinematic, to say the least.

As Baba concluded the walk, He was wheeled toward the final corner. It was a few meters from there that the Yugoslavian brother was being held. Suddenly he broke away from the guards, lunged in front of Baba, and prostrated at His feet. In the same moment, Baba’s closest bodyguard, Pratap, leapt forward, and in a single flowing movement lifted the brother off the ground and thrust him into the distance.

Though everyone was excited by this performance, Baba was undisturbed. He pretended not even to see it, though it happened immediately before Him.

A moment later, when yet another Margi yelled “Namaskar Baba,” He spoke to the Margis for the one and only time, saying, “You are all doing namaskar to me. One namaskar from me is enough for all.” He then folded His hands and, turning His body slowly around, did a long namaskar toward all the Margis. The effect was like His varabhaya mudra, His gesture of blessing during DMC. By their crying and sighing it was clear that every Margi felt it.

Without reporting sessions to attend, I’ve time on my hands. Thinking to inspire a few Margis from my sector, I escorted four of them to the Didis’ quarters where I requested a meeting with Didi Ananda Bharati who everyone affectionately calls Aunty. Aunty is the first Didi and also the oldest. She is the sole teacher of kapalika meditation for Didis who are authorized by Baba to become avadhutikas. For many months she has been so sick that she could hardly leave her room.

The five of us sat around her bed.

“How are you, Aunty?” I asked.

“My T is fine. But, ach, this body should have died some years ago. Baba is just keeping it around for His pleasure. Ha, ha!”

She spoke in such a way that we all laughed with her. Then I asked Aunty to tell us some of her experiences with Baba. She did not want to tell any, but due to our repeated requests, she narrated a few incidents. These stories were mostly sentimental. For example, she said, “I used to frequent His kitchen to cook food for Him. Once I made ice cream for Him, and He said, ‘Mother, this is yum yum!’

“I remember this sort of moment best. You know, He never had me sit on the floor like other workers—He always arranged a chair for me. Though I was the disciple, He was such a gentleman with me.

“Countless times I saw Him perform miracles with other workers and Margis. But I never desired that experience. I don’t crave things which come and go. I only want what’s permanent. So He never gave me those kinds of miracles. Yet I know He hears the words I am speaking right now. No one can hide anything from Baba.

“You must listen to Guru like a child listens to his teacher in school. Though Baba is against dogma, we must have blind faith in Him. This alone is surrender. The more the child surrenders, the more He must take care.”

She turned to each of the Margis to ask them how they felt in India—it was the first visit for each of them. When it came to Taiwan sister Madhavi’s turn, she said, “I’m fine, Aunty.” Knowing that Madhavi was actually sick, I said, “You see, Aunty, Madhavi is Chinese. So even if she has problems, she will say she has no problems.”

Aunty said, “Why should she have problems? She is a yogini, a Tantric.”

“But the more we Tantrics evolve, Aunty,” I said, “the more prob¬ lems we have.”

“No, no,” she said. “No problems.”

“But look at Baba,” I said. “He has so many problems.”

“Oh, Baba. He is something different. Listen, don’t make problems where there need be no problems.”

She gazed at me, smiling. Her last sentence, simple and obvious as it was, rang in my mind. For the first time in my life I realized that I had a tendency to dig up problems and complications even when they were best left undisturbed. I will never forget her words . 100

A few weeks later Aunty died.