Baba says, ‘be a karmayogi‘. You must pay attention to the balance of action (karma) and remembrance (yoga).

I begin each day with remembrance at Amritvela – I remind myself of who I am, Whom I belong to and what I am here to do. Baba reminds me of these things daily and so it’s easy to remember. ‘I am a pure soul, a child of God Himself’. ‘I am the roots of the human family tree’, I remind myself. I sit right next to the Seed. I draw powers from Him and through me, the whole tree is nourished.

I love it! I feel really good about who I am, my elevated role in the Drama and, the fact that I get to play it alongside God Himself. Then, I listen to Murli, I feel even better. He reminds me again of who I am and my role- you are the world transformer, the world benefactor, He tells me. You change the world from hell into heaven. Great! I am charged.

Then, I step into the world and situations come. In that team meeting, a colleague gets praised for something and I sense those feelings of jealousy arise within me. In another discussion, I find out that someone implemented an idea I had presented and it’s been a grand success. Except, the credit is being given to the one who implemented it…I’ve been forgotten. I’ve given my body, mind and wealth in service to the yagya and yet, today at the center, they praised two others for something much ‘smaller’ compared to all that I do…they forgot me.

Hang on a second! but if I am the roots of the tree, I am underground and so it is okay that I am not applauded or praised, right? Do the roots care that the fruits and flowers get attention? No! they stay close to the Seed and do as He does…supply, provide, give, nourish…selflessly. They don’t need or want appreciation or acknowledgment.

The issue, Baba says, is that even though I start my day strong, when I come into action, I forget my self-respect, I forget who I am and slip into body consciousness. ‘Be a karmayogi‘, He tells me, ‘you have to learn to balance action and remembrance, they have to happen simultaneously‘.

Yes, I gave my mind, body and wealth to the yagya but the fact that I expect praise and recognition in return means I limit myself to being a co-operative soul and fall short of being an heir. An heir is a child. To me, my Father’s task is my task, my responsibility. I do what I do because I view it as my duty, it’s what I want to do, not something I do to look good in front of others. ‘You get off your seat of self-respect‘, Baba tells me, ‘and then Maya attacks you‘.

This is not a physical seat that I sit on but rather the seat of awareness. Often I inadvertently treat Amritvela as a scheduled time where I become a different person, the person Baba wants me to be but once that time ends, it’s as if I unplug and become ordinary again. ‘You have to become an embodiment of awareness‘, He reminds me. Then, it stays with me throughout the day. It’s like a king – it’s not that he sits on his physical throne 24 hours a day. He moves around, interacts with people, goes about his business but he never forgets that he is king. Midway through the day, he doesn’t suddenly start begging for alms like a beggar or start dancing on the streets like a street performer. If he did, his subjects would never take him seriously and obey his orders. In fact, they’d dethrone him!

‘You are a self-sovereign‘, Baba reminds me, ‘never give up your throne of sovereignty‘. When I do, that’s when my mind, intellect or even my physical organs do as they please because there is no one controlling them or holding them accountable. When I encounter someone that behaves angrily, I lose control and react. Then, when I come to my senses, I think: ‘I didn’t meant to say those things, but I did’. This is not being a sovereign or a karmayogi, says Baba.

He often gives the example of Father Brahma who held court of his physical and subtle organs daily as if they were his subjects. As a sovereign, he would question each one- ‘O mind, how did you behave today?, ‘O sanskars, were you in order?’ and instruct them to change if they were out of line. This practice helped Baba always remain in the awareness of being a self-sovereign and stay attentive. Follow father, says Baba. When you check and change often through the day, you build up the practice and awareness. Only when you have this practice over a long period of time will it become natural.

According to the present time, you must now let go of all your weaknesses and attachments and become an angel, the embodiment of awareness, the child, says Baba. This is what Brahma Baba did and became. It is also the blessing he gave the children on this auspicious day of remembrance, the day of love, the day of coronation.