ADI DEV BRAHMA: CORPOREAL MEDIUM OF god SHIVA
Anyone who studies impartially the life of Brahma Baba will reach the conclusion that his
spiritual efforts led him to many new discoveries –discoveries of new continents of thought which were no less important than the discovery of America by Columbus or India by Vasco-de-
Gama. Baba’s voyages into meditation and his sojourn in spiritual thought have given to man the knowledge of many new islands of truth. If we ask the question whether a man who has chosen to dedicate his life to the pursuit of knowledge and to ideas ever made an impact on the minds of the men in general, Baba’s life would provide the answer that ideas do travel from the meditation hall of a Rajyogi over the wide world around. Eighteenth January brings with it the sweet memories of Brahma Baba who, on this day, in the year 1969, left his mortal coil and took the angelic form to work, side by side with Shiv Baba, for the spiritual rejuvenation of mankind without any
physical and worldly bondage. The year 1936-37 had proved a turning point in the life of Baba. Until then, he had been doing diamond and jewel business in Kolkata, Bombay and Karachi and had also been worshipping Shri Narayan, studying the Gita and attending religious congregations. But in the year 1936, when he was a little less than sixty years, he became more introverted, more withdrawn and more detached and practised spiritual contemplation more devotedly.
DIVINE VISIONS AND ‘SURRENDER’
During this period, he had a number of divine visions. One of these was about the forthcoming destruction of tIron-aged world. Baba saw, in that vision, the world shaking badly because of severe earthquakes, certain continents burning and going deep down under the water because of nuclear catastrophe and a lot of blood being shed in India because of communal frenzy. Baba felt terrified and saddened. He then had a vision of the new, coming world order of Satyuga or Golden Age when there would be perfect law and order, love, unity, purity, peace and prosperity. Baba was ordained by the Divine to be His corporeal medium for the reestablishment of Satyuga – the era of world peace. Baba willingly and immediately surrendered all his worldly belongings and his physical, mental and spiritual energies to God and, as corporeal medium to Shiv Baba, became the founding father of Brahma Kumaris Institution.
PROTOTYPE OF A DEV
Baba was unlike the saints and founders of religions of the past and gurus and ‘god-men’ of the present. Incorporeal God Shiva had given him the name, Prajapita Brahma, because, through him the whole world was to be spiritually created. He was also known as Adi Dev because he was the prototype of a dev or god of the future Golden-aged world. By practicing intense and lovefull meditation, Baba not only settled his karmic accounts and became completely enlightened, purified and divinized but he now had the rare privilege of working in union and unison with God Shiva from the realm of angels for the good of mankind.
IDEAL GODLY STUDENT
He was able to impart the words of profound wisdom – this despite the fact that he did not have much formal education. Perhaps, this proved an asset, for his mind received no indoctrination and false conditioning and had no vanity of being a highly educated man or a scholar. He always considered himself a student – a Godly student. He was an ideal Godly student for he followed
God’s teachings wholeheartedly and sincerely.
HIS RESPONSIBILITIES
He did not believe in the philosophy of being tucked away in the bowels of the red wood forests, besides a stream, away from all. In fact, he disapproved of all this and advised to be natural. He was a practical World Teacher. He knew that the salvation of an individual would solve no problem, for the whole world was in agony and pain. He, therefore, worked for the purification of one and all.
CRITICS AS FRIENDS
Purity and Meditation, Knowledge and Virtues were his main lamps of life. He was an embodiment of tolerance, compassion and forgiveness. His opponents relentlessly tried to malign him but he never allowed hate to enter into his mind. He wished all people well and considered his critics to be his friends, for they drew his attention to certain points of his weakness and imperfection.
BABA’S MESSAGE
His main lesson is pithily expressed in his last discourse which he delivered on the night of 18th January, 1969. He asked man to become Nirakari, Nirvikari and Nirhankari, i.e., to establish himself in the truth that he is an incorporeal Soul, to be viceless and, above all, to give up all pride, ego and bodyconsciousness. He further asked to have lovefull and conscious link with God, for that alone is capable of absolving the soul of all its rust of past moral deformities. Baba’s message was the message of love, compassion and universal brotherhood of man, under the Fatherhood of God. His method has brought real integration among people of different races, nationalities, castes and creeds and has given hope and peace to the agony-stricken world.
VALUE OF TIME
He understood the value of time as no one else did. He often explained how this particular life, being last in the World Cycle, was valuable and how time, usefully spent in spiritual endeavour and in service of mankind can give us a happy future for twenty-five centuries. “Our present body”, he said, though born of sex-lust, can be a very useful instrument for raising ourselves to be deities.” He, therefore, advised us to take care of the body as God’s property and to do no evil, hear no evil and not to see evil through it, for God will not give to man – a thing for being misused. When it was time for doing Godly service, he counselled all not to say ‘No’, for Baba would help a person if he would happily devote the self to service.
Tower of Light & Strength
Above all, he was the greatest Rajyogi of all times. There was divine grace in his acts. He radiated vibrations of spiritual calmness. He had attained the mental quietude and constancy under situations of stress and in face of vicissitudes. He was noble-hearted and had become, by means of practice of intense meditation, a powerhouse from which a great multitude of men, women and children drew their spiritual strength. In the strife-torn world, he brought peace to many homes, hopes to many dejected souls, spiritual strength to those who considered themselves too weak to attain worthy goals of purity, and he blessed many souls with the gift of self-realisation and happiness. He is now doing this divine work in the angelic form of Avyakt Brahma. He and the Supreme Soul, Shiv Baba, who are in constant company, are together called Bap-Dada.
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