Answer to Your Query - Two

Bábá

Answer to Your Query - Two

Respected Márgii Brothers and Sisters,
Namaskára

Today's Question From Márgiis

Question—By raising the matter of scriptural distortion before all Márgiis, nothing will get done. Why point out the matter publicly? Just politely inform the Tiljala Publishers about the places where there are mistakes in discourses, and they will fix them.

Bábá's Guideline for Solving Problems in the Society

If any problem arises in the society, Bábá has given a stepwise approach for getting it solved. One should first raise the matter in a quiet fashion to the concerned party, according to the channels created for the purpose. In this regard, Bábá guides that one is to follow the established pathways, and patiently await results. If after moving in accordance with the system one finds that the system is not working, then one should gently and calmly raise the matter to the relevant authorities and make them aware that something needs to be done. If even then there is no meaningful response, then only the next step is to begin to take other measures. The society or organization may have means for redress such as a court or justice system. If that is followed and yields no result, then only as a last resort, the next step is to make the citizenry aware and bring public pressure and ultimately public outcry to bear on the matter. This is Bábá's system, and He has taught about this in many PROUT discourses.

History of the Scripture Issue in AMPS

In order to fully understand the Scripture Issue in our AMPS, one needs to know the history of how the above process was applied and followed. The time-line and sequence of events is presented below so as to give an overall view. In subsequent postings on this theme, great detail will be provided as to the history of efforts to get rectified the innumerable distortions in the published discourses of Lord Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrtiji.

1. The following are among the chief concerns held by Ánanda Márgiis:
   
   a) The dadas running the Tiljala Publications dept have been propagating the false notion since 1990, that the official original version of each and every discourse should be in Bengali regardless of what language Bábá actually used in the discourse. So if the discourse was given by Bábá wholly in English or Hindi, even then Publications Dept dadas translate it into Bengali and from there again into English and Hindi for publishing. In this way Bábá’s original words are lost.
   
   b) Many, many discourses have been written down in mere summary form, often tiny in size compared to the original discourse.
   
   c) There are countless distortions in the discourses when compared with the original sound tracks. These consist of wrongly written words and sentences— words and sentences which are different from what Bábá said.
   
   d) Of the above-mentioned distortions in (c), many represent frank ideological errors i.e. go against Bábá's very teachings themselves. In such cases where distortions go directly against Bábá's teachings, they become all the more serious.
   
2. Starting in 1990, matters relating to the inordinate number of serious distortions in our Ánanda Marga Scripture were brought to the attention of the Tiljala Publishers. Tiljala Publishers' reply was that the approach being taken in publishing Bábá's discourses is intentional and represents the expressed verbal wishes of Bábá.
   
3. In those days after 1990 the organization was still one, and those in authority had the power to take very decisive action. They took strong actions against any and all who expressed their concern about distortions in Bábá's scripture. These reprehensible actions taken by highly posted dadas are outlined below, and will be given in greater detail as well in subsequent postings.
   

Appropriate Channels Followed by Ánanda Márgiis

== But No Result ==

In the early years after 1990 many Ánanda Márgiis expressed their concern that distortions in the published discourses be fixed without delay. These matters were brought to the attention of authorities in the organization in accordance with the approved channels. Starting in 1990, and many times— but to no avail. 
 

Organizational Authorities Lash Out

Against Ánanda Márgiis

Not only was the scriptural issue not addressed in a positive way by organizational authorities, they lashed out strongly to squelch, repress, and erase any efforts to raise the matter. Actions were taken not only against the Márgiis' voice, but against the Márgiis themselves. Dadas in positions of authority those days were ruthless in their intent to repress the voice of Márgiis, and even to harm Ánanda Márgiis physically. Here below is a brief outline of some of the main activities which were carried out by dadas in positions of power those days after 1990, in response to Ánanda Márgiis raising the scriptural distortion issue:

• Márgiis holding post such as BP etc who spoke out, were removed from their post.
  
• Márgiis sitting on the ACB who spoke out were removed from the ACB.
  
• All Márgiis who had lodged complaints about scriptural distortion were warned to desist or actions would be taken against them.
  
• Those who persisted in raising the matter of scriptural distortion were victimized and black-listed; several were expelled from the organization.
  
• It was announced throughout the organization that those raising the matter of scriptural distortion were going against Bábá. Such Márgiis would not be permitted to have marriages in the organization, and organizational service such as pracar, AMURT work etc, would not be accepted from them.
  
• Those who had at any time raised concern about the integrity of the printed books, were forced to sit in closed door as well as public meetings and roundly dressed down.
  
• At all meetings from bhukti to regional level throughout the organization, such Márgiis' names were announced and condemned. Widespread pracar was carried out to defame them. They were termed as enemies of AMPS, as communists trying to infiltrate and destroy the organization.
  
• Regarding Márgiis raising concerns about scripture, false stories were spread during meetings and seminars, to befool simple Márgiis. And simple Márgiis got befooled also, for some time.
  
• In this way such Márgiis were treated by organizational authorities initially as outcasts, and ultimately expelled.
  
• For an Ánanda Márgii, such treatment is worse than police brutality. This Ánanda Márga organization and Ánanda Márga family, organizational life is everything for Ánanda Márgiis; bereft of this their entire world was stolen.
  
• Some Márgiis were attacked physically, and there were cases of death.
  
• Márgiis raising their voice against scriptural distortion were treated as enemies of the organization, harassed, terrorized, attacked, and tried to kidnap. One wt opposing scriptural distortion was harassed so much he committed suicide.
  

Márgiis' Long Struggle For Guru's True Discourses

Ánanda Márgiis had to struggle a lot in those days in the years after 1990, in efforts to get the true discourses of Táraka Brahma. Those in positions of authority did everything in their power to ensure Márgiis remained repressed and in fear of brutal retribution. For Márgiis pointing out the need for Bábá's true discourses, it was difficult to survive. 
 

Highly Posted Dadas' Opposed Fixing Published Discourses

Question arises as to why dadas objected so and took such strong action against Márgiis who were raising this issue of scriptural distortion. Actually, the vast majority of dadas and didis in the organization wanted to see the discourses fixed. But there is a small handful of very highly posted dadas who due to their narrow groupist feeling created long-range plans to change Ánanda Marga scripture so as to support their groupist agenda.

Rest of Story To Follow Yet Answer Seed Is Here

There are more details about how organizational authorities lashed out against Ánanda Márgiis, and what long-term plan they had and still have for altering Bábá's discourses to suit their own narrow group interests. These details, along with the full answer to the question of why the scripture issue needed to be presented before all Ánanda Márgiis, will be given in full form in part B of this letter. Yet the seed of the answer is with you now: When approved channels of redress are not working, Bábá says that something more needs to be done. And in His Prout discourses, Bábá teaches that that “something more” means involving the general society in solving the problem. This is the final solution when all others fail: when governmental and institutional bodies fail, power rests with the common people to demand a solution. 
 

Táraka Brahma Has Come And Given The Message of Dharma

Message Must Preserved As Given By Him

Táraka Brahma Lord Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrtiji came to this dusty earth and gave all the teachings needed for the establishment of dharma. He has given these teachings in the form of discourses. And so these discourses are a priceless jewel for all the living and nonliving beings of the universe. And yet tragically, the forms of these discourses published in our Ánanda Marga books today—when compared to the true discourses as Bábá spoke them—are seen to be extremely distorted. Fixing the published versions of Bábá's discourses and getting them into “As Is” condition is critical to the protection and propagation of dharma on this planet. 
 

Márgiis' Queries: How to Get Bábá's Discourses Fixed

“It is important to fix the published discourses so they are just as Bábá spoke them”—this every Ánanda Márgii will support wholeheartedly. We do sometimes receive email from Márgiis asking about the best ways to achieve this common goal. So that we may all think together on these questions, replies are being published in a series on this network. The above is the second such response to a question that some have asked.


At His Lotus Feet,

Ciranútana
Ánanda Má́rga Discourse Network Editors