Baba says, ‘if you become a child, you will receive liberation-in-life‘. We say, ‘liberation-in-life in a second’; it is not so easy, says Baba.

For half a cycle, I was lost having forgotten who I am or Whom I belong to. I wandered without an aim or purpose. But I knew deep down somewhere that there was Someone that had helped me before, Someone I belong to. So I called out at the temple, at the church, at the synagogue for that One not knowing exactly Who/how He is but just that He can and will help.

Then, Baba came.

He reminded me of who I am, gave me His own introduction and reminded me of my lost inheritance. You are My child, He told me and proceeded to describe to me my lost world, my sovereignty. Back then you were free, you were liberated-in-life. I am here to help you reclaim your lost inheritance, He says.

As He talks to me, I listen and compare what He says to my present state- entangled in various roles, attachments. I can feel the heaviness of all my past actions, my responsibilities. I feel the lack of fulfillment from chasing after false successes, fame, money. I feel the burden of sorrow and anxiety….and it takes me just a second to realize that I would need to let go of all of this to feel liberated. I realize that essentially, I would need to return to my original truth to regain my lost self-respect, my self-sovereignty. It takes just a second….to understand, a tad longer to attain.

I start off as a student learning from the Supreme Teacher. He He gives me the knowledge of the soul- reminds me of my original qualities and my powers. He teaches me about right and wrong, true vs false. He teaches me about Maya and reveals how she comes in various forms to snatch away my happiness by tricking and confusing me. I listen and learn.

Some students become apprentices. Not only do they listen and learn, they also apply the knowledge in their practical life. It does not remain as a point in their intellect. Apprentices crave being like the Master, they admire Him and His skill. They believe that they too can become like Him if they pay attention and master the craft. So they spend time in reflecting, in contemplating, in doing. Yes, they stumble often but they stand back up again and keep learning, keep getting better. They don’t get tired or disheartened. They don’t do something out of obligation or because ‘Shrimat says..’ or to be a good person. They do it because they see the value in what they are learning, they enjoy it.

As they continue to chip away and change, they gain more and more self confidence. They are able to discern right from wrong clearly, they can spot Maya from a distance and know how to keep themselves and others safe. They are no longer just learning, they have now accepted His task as their task: ‘This is my responsibility’. I don’t go to Him or rely on Him for every little decision, I have no debates or arguments. No battles I fight within myself. I want no praise, neither does criticism shake me. I know who I am and am aware of my elevated destiny. I fly and spend my time helping others fly.

In other words, I have stepped into the vision my Father had for me, I have taken back the reins, I have become strong enough to shoulder the Father’s task. I have become the child or the heir.

There is never a point in the cycle when I am not His child – I was, am and always will be. But there is a difference between knowing and being. I called myself a child even when I worshiped at the temple and yet, I had no idea Whose child I was! Now that I know Who my Father is, have I accepted Him as my Father and become the child? or am I still theorizing and philosophizing as a student? Have I graduated from being a loving and co-operative apprentice to feeling ownership as a child?

My Father is God. He is waiting to crown me once I am seated on my throne of self-sovereignty. It is your birthright, He has said. He’s not going to do it for a student or an apprentice. I have to step up and be His child.