The Ánanda Vacanámrtam (“Blissful Discourses”) series assembles all the known General Darshan discourses given by Márga Guru Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti. General Darshan (GD) speeches, or discourses, were those given to Ananda Marga members, often as a part of the daily routine, in whatever locality Márga Guru happened to be staying in at the time. Normally briefer and lighter in tone (though no less profound in their fundamental meanings) than the discourses given on the formal occasions of Dharma Mahácakra (DMC), these talks were sometimes delivered in a very intimate way to relatively small groups of Margis.

The Ananda Vacanámrtam series was begun in 1978 with the GD discourses given by the author at that time; it then kept pace with the GD discourses that the author gave over the subsequent six years. Starting with Part 23, the series has included GD speeches given before 1978.

In this present volume, twenty discourses (most of them quite short) have been assigned to the appendix “From the Notebooks of Devotees” in the last pages of the book. These are discourses that were recovered in the form of typed discourse notes; or if recovered from an established magazine of the mission, then recovered in the form of an article that appeared to be a summary or approximation of the original discourse, but perhaps not an exact rendering. It was thought advisable to locate these discourses separately. Writers who wish to quote from these discourses should attribute the material to the “Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 31 appendix”.

Normally within each Ananda Vacanámrtam the discourses appear in chronological order. Although in this volume the appendix has been separated from the main text, within the main text and within the appendix, respectively, the chronological order has been maintained.

To assist researchers, it is our policy to indicate here – in addition to the original language of each speech, the date and place, by whom it was translated, and where, if other than in this book, it was originally published – whether or not a tape of the speech is in existence. At the time of this printing, however, not all the cataloguing of tapes has been finished. Further information as to tapes will be given in future printings.

In the cases of some of the discourses published here, no written record was found of the language in which the discourse was given; but if the language could be clearly inferred from the location and other circumstances of the discourse, we have cited that language.

Footnotes by the editors have all been signed “–Eds.” Unsigned footnotes are those of the author.

Many readers are concerned that the author’s speeches, as published, should adhere as closely as possible to the precise wording the author used in speaking. For this reason, in the case of discourses given originally in English, the editors have not altered pronouns and other terms which the author in his lifetime considered “common-gender” words. As the author once said, “You know, ‘man’ is not only masculine gender, ‘man’ is common gender also. ‘Man is mortal’ – here ‘man’ means both male and female.”

The author was a natural advocate of women’s rights and on at least one occasion indicated that “lopsided justice” in language should be eliminated at some future date. In keeping with this guideline and with present-day trends, it is our policy in the case of translated discourses (where the published wording will necessarily be that of the translators) to use gender-neutral language.

Square brackets [   ] in the text are used to indicate translations by the editors or other editorial insertions. Round brackets (   ) indicate a word or words originally given by the author.

The author used a certain shorthand for explaining the etymologies of words. Under this system, a minus sign (–) follows a prefix, and a plus sign (+) precedes a suffix. Thus ava – tr + ghaiṋ = avatára can be read, “the root tr prefixed by ava and suffixed by ghaiṋ becomes avatára.”

“Make Your Mind Light”. Discourse in English. Tape.

“The Field of Dharma”. Discourse in English. Tape. Originally published in English in a magazine.

“Sinners and Their Rectification”. Discourse in English. Tape.

“The Conduct of an Ácárya”. First published in English as “The Duty of an Ácárya” in Prańám. Original language, date and place not identified in Prańám. Second English publication in Supreme Expression II, 1978. English re-editing by ÁAA.

“There Should Be Subjective Approach through Objective Adjustment”. First published in English as “Subjective Approach – Objective Adjustment” in Trishula, Vol. 2 No. 1, Nov.-Dec. 1979. Original language, date and place not identified in Trishula. English re-editing by ÁAA.

“Macro-Propensitive Equipoise and Non-Propensitive Desideratum”. First published in English in Prout, Dec. 2, 1967. Original language and date not identified in Prout. Second English publication in Divine Flame. English re-editing by ÁAA.

[[“Supramundane Heritage and Supramundane Desideratum”]]. First published in English in The Crimson Dawn, July 1979. Original language, date and place not identified in The Crimson Dawn. [[Second English publication in Subháśita Saḿgraha Part 11, 1st ed., 1991, tr. by Ácárya Vijayánanda Avadhúta and Avadhútiká Ánanda Mitrá Ácáryá. Third, inadvertent, English publication as “The Cosmic Inheritance and the Cosmic Desiderata” in the first edition of the present book,]] English re-editing by ÁAA. [[It will be omitted from the present book when the book is reprinted.]]

“Sleep and Inertia”. Discourse in Bengali. First published in English as “Bábá’s Darshan” in Trishula. English re-editing by ÁAA.

“Devotees Moving around the Cosmic Nucleus”. Discourse in Bengali. First published in English in The Crimson Dawn, Dec. 1979–Jan. 1980. English re-editing by ÁAA.

“The Omnipotent and Omnipresent Consciousness”. Discourse in Bengali. First published in English in The Crimson Dawn, Dec. 1979–Jan. 1980. English re-editing by ÁAA.

Appendix: From the Notebooks of Devotees

“Your Ideal in Life”. Discourse in Hindi. First published in English as “Ideal of Life” in Bodhi Kalpa, August 1966. A note in Bodhi Kalpa read, “That was a Sunday morning gathering in March 1963 to which Bábá told the following. Bábá talked in Hindi. It is too difficult to reproduce the same words and language as was then used by Him. The author, one of those who were present on the occasion, has tried to maintain the spirit of the talk. –EDITOR.” English re-editing by ÁAA.

“The Best Character”. Discourse in Hindi. First published in English in Bodhi Kalpa, August 1966. A note in Bodhi Kalpa read, “And this was on a Sunday afternoon in March ’63. Bábá had said, ‘This is not only a story, this is a historical fact.’ The story was told in the Jamalpur Áshrama and the language was Hindi. It is being retold by one who heard them directly. –EDITOR.” English re-editing by ÁAA.

“Svarńanakula Kathá”. Discourse in Hindi. First published in English in Bodhi Kalpa, August 1966. A note in Bodhi Kalpa read, “This story was told by Bábá on 25th February 1966 during His evening sitting in the field of Jamalpur. The story was given to three persons who had requested Him for a story. It is being put in black and white by one of them. The story was originally told in Hindi and Bábá Himself named it as ‘Svarńanakula Kathá’. –Editor.” English re-editing by ÁAA.

“No One Is Negligible”. Source: typed notes. Original language not identified in the typed notes. The typed notes are headed, “Baba’s Darshan, 1969 in Ranchi”, and a handwritten note mentions, “October”. English re-editing by ÁAA.

“Everything Is Vibrational”. Source: typed notes. Original language, date and place not identified in the typed notes. English re-editing by ÁAA.

“He Is the Mind of Your Mind”. Source: typed notes. Original language, date and place not identified in the typed notes. English re-editing by ÁAA.

“Surrender at the Altar of the Supreme”. Discourse in English. Source: typed notes. Date and place not identified in the typed notes. English re-editing by ÁAA.

“‘What Is Your Permanent Address?’” Discourse in English. Source: typed notes. Original date and place not identified in the typed notes. English re-editing by ÁAA.

“Abhidhyána Samádhi”. Source: typed notes. Original language, date and place not identified in the typed notes. English re-editing by ÁAA.

“Subjective Sense”. Source: typed notes. Original language, date and place not identified in the typed notes. English re-editing by ÁAA.

“Everything Is in You”. Source: typed notes. Original language and date not identified in the typed notes. English re-editing by ÁAA.

“Ordinary Mortal or Divine Child?” Source: typed notes. Original language, date and place not identified in the typed notes. English re-editing by ÁAA.

“Who Are You?” Source: typed notes. Original language, date and place not identified in the typed notes. English re-editing by ÁAA.

“Prańava Dhvani”. Originally published in English as “In Divine Company” in Advent, April 1978. Original language not identified in Advent. English re-editing by ÁAA.

“Guhá and Satsauṋga”. Source: typed notes. Original language, date and place not identified in the typed notes. English re-editing by ÁAA.

“Abhidhyána and Árádhaná”. Source: typed notes. Original language, date and place not identified in the typed notes. English re-editing by ÁAA.

“The Four Stages of Meditation”. Source: typed notes. Original language, date and place not identified in the typed notes. English re-editing by ÁAA.

“Dharma Sádhaná”. Source: typed notes. Original language, date and place not identified in the typed notes. English re-editing by ÁAA.

“The Superconscious Mind”. First published in English in a magazine. Original language, date and place not identified in the magazine. English re-editing by ÁAA.

“The Four Types of Progress”. Discourse in English. Source: Typed Spanish translation from the original English, retranslated into English. English translation finalized by Ácárya Lokanátha Brahmacárii and ÁAA.

We particularly wish to thank Ácárya Prańavátmakánanda Avadhúta, who went to much trouble to collect Márga Guru’s GD discourses from old magazines and newspapers, and from the notebooks of different sádhakas; and Shrii Giri Dhara and Shrii Vinaya of New York Sector, and Táttvika Dhanjoo Ghista of Delhi Sector, who sent us discourses that they had collected in similar form.

Key:
ÁAA = Ácárya Acyutánanda Avadhúta