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Murad and Malamita
Sri Vidyadhar Joshi
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I seek your kind permission to share my
understanding of these two terms, “Murad &
Malamita”. Beloved Master Pujya Sri Ramchandraji
Maharaj has given 5 categories of disciples that
serve as a benchmark for all who claim to be
disciples. These as mentioned are “
(a) Selfish;
(b) Fazli;
(c) Ahli;
(d) Devotee;
(e) Murad.
Selfish disciples are those who want to gain their
own ends. Suppose a person comes to know that Shri X
is a Mahatma and a devotee of God, he will
immediately rush to him with the idea that he would
get material benefit by that contact. Such persons
who are concerned with worldly matters do not do any
work. They join the Satsangh to achieve their
selfish ends. They get things done by means of
flattery. After that they will creep away. If their
work is not done, then also they turn their back.
They have nothing to do with love and attachment.
Fazli type are those who sit for meditation
occasionally, if they are in a cheerful mood due to
the pleasant atmosphere. They have no attachment of
heart whatsoever. And Ahli are those in whom there
are Sanskaras of higher type of worship, and who
want to worship and want to continue it. Some among
them may progress and reach the position of the
devotee. Some, however, are such that they start
from the very beginning with the condition of
devotee, and a devotee is one who loves his Guru
intensely. He always keeps himself internally
connected with his Guru. Men of this type possess
all those qualities that should be present in a
disciple. From among these devotees, rarely one or
two acquire the condition of a Murad. A `Murad' is
one who has become the object of love of his Guru.
In other words, the Guru's attention is always
centered on him. He can also be called a beloved
person and such people are rarely found.” 1
I feel this categorization is enough for any serious
aspirant to discern what should be their intent and
approach towards sadhana.
Whenever we think we are devoted to Master, it must
be asked, what for? That gives the answer what kind
of disciple we are. If we are devoted for our
desires or wish fulfillment, we are selfish
disciples. If there is no devotion or vague devotion
then it is of the Fazli state. It can also be stated
as lack of goal clarity and aspiration. If we feel
like we are developing inclination towards Master,
then it is the Ahli stage and when we are devoted
towards Master for His sake and His Mission with
single pointed orientation, we can say that we are
devotees. It also happens that at times we are
selfish, at times fazli, at times ahli and at times
devotees. There in lies the need for proper
motivation and sincere sadhana. It must be
endeavored that one stabilizes as devotee through
the means and methods given by our Beloved Master
Pujya Sri Ramchandraji Maharaj.
So how are we to be devoted? How are we
expressing our devotion to God or Master? This is
what Pujya Lalaji Maharaj has explained as 3 stages
of devotee.
“Devotees of God, Sant, and Sadhu etc have three
stages:
i. Ayad or Abid
ii. Sufia
iii. Malamita.
Ayad (i.e. Abid): People of this stage perform
external prayers for example Fasting, Namaaz,
Sandhya, Pooja etc and are busy doing good things
like yajna, vratas, daan, pilgrimage etc. They do
not have the happiness and bliss like Sufis. If
anybody from Abid category experiences happiness and
bliss, he moves into the group of Sufis. People who
do not practice the steps of Dharma, Dhyana, Samadhi
and practice Japa, Pooja, Yajna, Havan etc and make
others to perform them are called Poojari or Abid.
They are not interested in Meditation and internal
practices like Sufi and Sadhu and they have no
experience of happiness like Sufis.
Sufia: They are blessed with total and higher state
(Ucchatha). They do not hide their miracles from the
entire creation. Their attention is always on God
and they accept the creation as the expression of
God. In this group there is some Ahankar and
artificiality. These people practice Dharma, Dhyana
and Samadhi etc. They get special kind of happiness
by doing internal sadhana and they experience states
and conditions. They are also called Siddha,
Sadhaka, Sant, Vali, Hans, Paramahamsa and Avadhoot.
Some of them are imposters also. They exhibit their
experiences and miracles. They do not hide
themselves from the worldly people but they have a
kind of attraction towards worldly people and they
live separately. They think of themselves as having
different individuality from the rest of the people
and it is of a high order. That is why they have
light and unknown ahankar in their temperament.
Malamita: These persons dress like common people and
there is no difference between common people and
them. They perform the duties of Sandhya, puja etc
like other people but they do not exhibit any
miracles and supernatural things and they do not
pose themselves as famous people. They may try their
best not to reveal themselves in social gatherings
and among friends. This third type of people is
called Sufi, Sant, Vali, Siddha and Sadhaka. They
always do traditional pooja like common people but
they always do the internal sadhana also. They
progress all the stages of dharma, dhyan, Samadhi
etc step by step. They do not reveal the miracles.
All their dealings will be like simple grhasta
people but they try to maintain friendship and
socialization to the extent possible.”2
It is evident that one should be devoted as a
Malamita. It is this stage that is relevant to the
devotees of the Supreme Master Pujya Sri
Ramchandraji Maharaj.
In the same article, Pujya Lalaji Maharaj states
further:
“Here Ikhlas means inner and outer is the same
without any duplicity. They do what they talk and
they talk what they do. This type of Sufis is called
Malamita. These people have hidden their identity
from common people. For their interest, they copy
God in this respect because they know that this
world is not the place to be revealed. It means that
Atma cannot be clearly shown in this world and
nothing can be known by these eyes. God has also
hidden himself from the eyes of everybody in spite
of his presence everywhere. For the same reason,
often, generally people think other people in the
world to be similar to them and know them as such.
There is neither ahankar in them nor any desire or
pomp. These have attained the state of Abhudiyat.
There are some saints (Fakir) who say ‘whom should
they pray and who is there except them’ and add that
everybody should worship them. But Sufis of Malamita
category inspite of being complete Jnani, do not
think or act against Nature. They always have the
disposition of a devotee and serf. Malamita category
is much better because common people consider them
to be similar to them so that they can be free from
ahankar.”
I understand Malamita as an approach towards
devotion. As we can see from above, in this approach
unlike the sufia approach, one does not try to
impress his greatness on others, rather chooses to
love Master, silently abiding by His commandments
and striving to keep free from the effect of Ahamkar
or ego. The hallmark of this approach is seeking
humility and insignificance of self rather than
seeking Gurudom or display of miracles.
In the message, “Yearning to reach Ultimate”,
Master mentions: “If we consider ourselves great, we
put up a wall to that Greatness, where we have to
arrive. We create a bondage, so to say, that becomes
an obstruction on the path. What's the harm! When we
assume greatness, we start considering others as low
(insignificant). Now that path, which we have to
trudge, also gets closed; and we are wholly lost to
all intents and purposes. Somebody takes it on his
mind that he excels someone else in some particular
way: that assumes various forms; and we strengthen
egoism for nothing, without getting anything in
return. We blow our own trumpet in our own thoughts,
and lose a lot in the process.
To stiffen one's neck, is a defect. So long as it
is not removed, one is not aware of one's own Base.
What I mean by 'Base' is that when a person is
wholly rid of this defect, there arises a state,
which has been attempted to be translated by the use
of this word. To live in that state is human
culture. When that state grows a bit denser, it
enters the region of the attribute of Poverty or
Humility. When such a state is achieved, then the
subject (of the Lord) becomes a subject in the real
sense. To achieve such a state, hundreds of
transmissions and prayers are prescribed. Man ought
never be away from his own level; and this level is
called ABUDIYAT (The subdued). This is the essential
object for the subject (of the Lord). It is here, as
I have written so often, that the burden of egoism
is very much lightened. The fulfillment of purpose
comes after this. The better way may be that
whatever you are, you go, with all of it, towards
That (Ultimate Purpose) i.e. there should remain
nothing, whose face does not get turned to that
side; which means that all the belongings - Physical
and Spiritual - that may be there, be surrendered to
Him; so that you are left with nothing in yourself,
except remembrance.”3
Pujya Sri Ramchandraji Maharaj has explained in
Commandment 2, the true form of devotion.
“Prayer is the sign of devotion. It shows that we
have established our relationship with the Holy
Divine. When the idea of Divine Mastership is
established our position turns into that of serf.
Now service is the only concern of the serf. Take
for example the case of Bharata. He never allowed
his heart to be contaminated with anything but the
esteem, regard and devoted worship of the Master.
This example must be kept in view for maintaining
the relationship which is the true form of devotion.
This is the connecting link between the Master and
the serf.”4
It is only in humility, can one keep the
disposition of a devotee and a serf. The point is
that disposition of Malamita is that of devotee and
serf which means service to Master is the only
concern. Only through dedicated service to Him for
His cause can we say that we are making attempts to
deserve His attention. The service we do to the
Master is without pomp & show and silent. We are to
remain free from Ahamkara or ego.
Our sadhana must be one of attention, intention
and action thereof. Attention on the fact that
Master’s abode is our heart and we should remember
it again and again. This continually makes us more
and more humble. Thereby an intention should be to
strive to keep the heart pure and unaffected by
events and circumstances. Such attention and
intention leads us to perform action that is
dedicated to Him for Him. The basis of such action
is Love and Love alone. This is the way to loose our
self in selfless action. The status of a Murad is
His prerogative to grant. Our concern should only be
such service that makes us deserving.
When we read the message of Beloved Master in
Showers of Divine Grace, every now and then he
repeats His Mission to uplift humanity out of the
dungeons of lower consciousness. It is the same
Mission we serve, first by moulding our own self and
then the awareness of Master in the heart makes us
serve His Message to others, silently through the 9
PM Prayer. We realize as we move in our sadhana that
though it is an individual endevour, the purpose is
participation in the Divine endevour which
unambiguously means happiness for all. Following the
commandments of the Master, prepares us to share the
wisdom the Divine Light within grants, to ignite the
same in others. This is the call of the Master. We
all should feel blessed that we are party to this
sacred Mission of the Master to which we must
dedicate our being in the humblest manner.
Pujya Lalaji Maharaj states:
“Man’s essential duty is realization of Maitri
(Ikhlas) and love. The specialty of love is that it
does not distinguish between others and mine.
Inspite of many Islamic religious rules fixed on it,
Ikhlas is to have unalloyed purity of love, total
attention and thought without any other thought; not
captivated in selfishness, neither trust in anyone,
nor fear for anybody etc.”
It would be apt to conclude with points given by
Pujya Lalaji Maharaj that I feel sums up the
Malamita approach to make us fit devotees.
Definite means to achieve God by Pujya Lalaji
Maharaj.
1. Practice internal Japa only.
2. Heart should be kept clean from the impressions
of opposite sex, strangers and friendship with
strangers.
3. Attention should be only on God and none else.
4. Make a determination to be with a heart full of
attention and concentration.
5. Acquire attachment, love and intimacy with Sat
and God.
6. Erase yourself and entirely merge in it.
7. Erase yourself in this work.
Pranams
References
1. Silence Speaks – 2004 Edition Page 522
2. Journey to Infinity - 2008 Edition Page 170
3. Showers of Divine Grace – 2006 Edition page 40
4. Basic Writings of Sri Ramchandra – 2008 Edition
Page 134
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