Baba says, ‘consider yourself to be a special actor and play your part on the stage of the drama.’

The souls who play a part throughout the cycle are hero actors, says Baba. The reason they get to play an all-round part is because of the kind of effort they make now to prepare for such a part. It starts with awareness: ‘Do you consider yourself to be a hero actor, a main actor, in this elevated drama?’, asks Baba. If I do, then I will pay attention to myself because I know everyone’s attention is on me.

Famous actors have three main characteristics they pay attention to: 1) attractiveness: Just as worldly actors pay attention to their physical beauty, Baba says, let there be attraction of spirituality in every action and in every activity. That beauty can only attract someone when they come close but spiritual attraction can attract even those sitting at a distance. (2) accuracy: Those actors follow their script or the direction they receive from the director accurately. They trust the director to show them in the best light. I too have been given shrimat for everything from thoughts, words, deeds and a code of conduct to follow. To the extent I follow them accurately, accordingly my part will be elevated. (3) flexibility: Those actors are able to adapt themselves to playing different roles. In the same way, I too should be able to mold myself in whatever way and adopt whatever form I need, whenever I need to. So check, says Baba, to what extent do you have these characteristics in yourself?

‘To be an instrument in Godly service is to be on stage‘, says Baba. And just as in the world, people copy what hero actors do, here too, when I am an instrument: ‘whatever I do, others will follow’. This is not a cause to feel pressured as much as it is an awareness that helps with my self-progress; it is a means for my own safety. When I move around with the awareness that everyone’s vision is on the stage, is on me, I take care to be my very best. And soon enough, I don’t have to pay so much attention anymore, it become natural. Sometimes, I think that ‘instrument of service’ refers to those at the center but Baba says: ‘whether you live at the center or stay anywhere else and do service, you are all servers. To live at home and serve is also being on the stage.‘ In fact, those that live in the household are those that are more visible and more watched. So check, says Baba, how and on what are you spending time on? how are you showing up?

To be an instrument of service is to be a companion of God Himself! And He is the Principal Actor-He comes on to the stage at the very end and plays the most special part. I get to play alongside Him in every scene…how special must I be? If I am caught up in trivial things – what someone said/did, what is going on etc etc.,- then that will affect my attitude, vision, face and behavior. I lose my attractiveness and am not able to be accurate or active. And so Baba says, ‘being a special actor requires that you learn to be a detached observer‘. The more I practice remaining detached, the more fully available I am to play my special part. It wouldn’t seem right, Baba says, that the Father be so elevated and the children be ordinary!

The time for filling yourself with such important sanskars of being ‘a detached observer’, of being ‘moldable’ etc., is now, Baba reminds me. This is what sets me up for that all-round part through the cycle. If I don’t imbibe these sanskars now and am constantly battling my own or others’ sanskars, then I will only start in the silver age and miss all the newness of the golden age. You know everything, you have all the knowledge and therefore, you cannot be distracted by the side scenes and get caught up in: ‘what happened?’, ‘why did this happen?’ and neither can you be subservient and think: ‘it is the atmosphere that is negative, that’s why my stage is not so good’. I don’t make these excuses because I value playing my role alongside the Principal Actor way too much to allow anyone or anything get in the way of a terrific performance. I cherish every moment I have with Him, I am too busy observing and learning from the Best to care for anything else. I realize that this is the only time in the entire cycle when I have this opportunity to learn and mold myself in His image, so that’s what I devote myself to. In other words, I surrender myself fully to God and His study, I follow Shrimat fully and accurately. This is known as playing my role while considering myself to be a special actor.

As is your awareness, your stage automatically becomes like that, He reminds me daily. When I consider myself a special actor playing my part alongside the Highest-on-High, everything ordinary finishes. Every act and every word is special. I automatically attract everyone else and many souls will feel inspired to imbibe these specialties. ‘Seeing a special soul, others too have enthusiasm to become special themselves’, teaches Baba. ‘No matter where you stay, no matter how much Maya there is in the atmosphere, a special soul will be seen as a special soul at any place.’, He teaches. ‘Just as a diamond sparkles even in the mud, in this way, no matter what the atmosphere is like, a special soul will always attract others with their specialty. Always remember that you are special souls of the special age.’