Baba says, ‘When you are afraid, you fail. You have to become strong.’

Fear is a big vice, says Baba. It shuts down my mental resources and causes me to fail. External situations are many and they will come; storms will come. But they should not influence the original stage of master almighty authority souls, He says. Rather, I should become the instrument that liberates others from their fear, from the distress of their mind. Doctors will do their work, scientists will do theirs and the government will do theirs. Everyone has their own role, teaches Baba. My role or my duty is to finish the distress and tension of the mind, it is to give the donation of a tension-free life, says Baba.

Have I become fearless and tension free myself? Baba says, ‘don’t become afraid of the scenes of Maya. She is just a paper tiger.’ She, like a tiger, adopts a fearsome form but she is powerless. I fail only when I believe her fearsome form to be true. Even with real tigers, they say that if you ever encounter one, the thing to do is to look the tiger in the eyes and slowly back far, far away while keeping eye contact with him. At all costs, they say, resist the temptation to turn your back toward the tiger and run. If I do, I will just die tired! The tiger doesn’t want to kill me as much as it wants me to leave from its territory. Same with Maya. She comes in various ways, as various scenes. All I need to do is remain detached and observe the scene as a game or entertainment and let it pass. What I mustn’t do at any cost is get into the spinning of ‘why is this happening?’, ‘what will I do now?’ because then she will eat me up.

Sometimes, she comes as waste thoughts in the mind- lustful or angry thoughts, or thoughts of greed. When these thoughts come, if I cover my face in fear thinking: ‘why is this happening?’, ‘can this too happen?’, ‘I never had these thoughts even before Baba, how come I’m having them now!’ etc., then that’s how she eats me up. Instead, again, all I have to do is recognize the thoughts as a detached observer, learn what I need to and move on. To get into shame, regret, guilt etc., is to offer myself to Maya on a plate. Let me simply leave her territory as quickly as possible and return to my place with the Father.

In the field of service too, you mustn’t be afraid, teaches Baba. Mothers especially can do so much service, He says enthusiastically. If mothers come onto the service field, then those other people of the world that consider themselves to be lions will become like goats and bow down to the mothers, He says. Why? because they see the practical proof of the viceless lifestyle in which they are weak; they will become ashamed. Rather than be afraid by thinking: ‘I am just a mother, just a housewife, I will get eaten up..’etc., Baba says, ‘move forward courageously like a lioness’. When I am afraid, then when others question me or insult me, I react negatively or run away. Rather, if I keep my cool, then I am able to tactfully bring them onboard – I am able to think before I speak, deflect negative comments, remain positive toward them even when they are not. It’s when I remain unshakeable in my stage that others are influenced; that’s when the arrow strikes. Baba says, ‘if you even make one lion into a goat, many others will fall into the net because their followers will follow them’. So always remain ready to serve, He says.

‘You are Mahavirs, you are Shaktis‘, He reminds me. ‘When you have courage, the Almighty Authority gives help.’ Never think of yourself as being alone, He emphasizes. Lions and lionesses are never afraid of anyone, they are fearless.