Baba says, “To show anyone this path is the greatest charity.”

Right from the copper age, there is history of how limited kings or wealthy people performed acts of charity by donating large amounts of physical wealth, land, food and clothes etc. While these are noble acts, they are limited in their nature. It is more an act of mercy that provides temporary relief from a crisis or becomes a means of limited external support. What these acts don’t do is enable a soul to become self-sufficient. It doesn’t address the root cause of sorrow and misery of the soul- a lack of identity and belonging. Because souls don’t know who and Whose they are, they continue to stumble in the darkness of their ignorance. To show them the path, God says, is the greatest act of charity I can perform.

I too was in the cottage of sorrow not too long ago until the Father reminded me of who and Whose I am. He liberated me from the wrong consciousness that caused me to think, feel, speak and act in wrong ways that caused me sorrow; He gave me a donation of a new life. By making me belong to Him, He sustains me, teaches and guides me at every step. By following His shrimat (elevated directions), I change from unrighteous into righteous human being; He thus enables me to ascend, shows me the path to happiness. I was an orphan before, begging for a little love, a little respect; He makes me into child with all rights, the master of all His treasures. To give unto others what I have received from the Father is to be a pure and charitable soul.

Indeed, when I sit in front of the image of the tree, it becomes clear that according to the drama, most of my brothers and sisters in the world will not be able to know the Father as I do. Indeed, most souls who need God are not at the center, or attending lectures or workshops; I bump into them at the grocery store, at the bus stop, sit next to them at work or in school. How am I showing up? A pure and charitable soul, Baba explains, is one whose eyes constantly reveal the image of BapDada and whose face constantly reveals BapDada’s character. When I am a charitable soul, my awareness is as powerful as the Father’s. My words are always the jewels of knowledge; they are always invaluable, uplifting, never ordinary or wasteful. My behavior is always equal to the Father’s, my attitude is constantly that of a world benefactor, like the Father. I only bring benefit through my every thought at every second. With my mercy, I remove the darkness of sorrow and peacelessness from everywhere.

“A pure and charitable soul would use his own treasure to enrich many poor souls“, explains Baba. “There is a lot of strength in even one act of a charitable soul who is an embodiment of knowledge, because that soul is charitable on the basis of receiving Godly power directly.” The charity that people do in bhakti is 1)indirect- they do it in the name of a deity and 2) they don’t know the biography of the deity either. Because of this, their donations and charity etc. are fruitless. Neither does it bring them anything more than fleeting happiness nor does it give more than temporary support to the souls they donated to. Here, because I know who I am and remain in that consciousness, others receive a vision of who they are (pure souls) through my eyes. Here, because I don’t just know but have a deep, intimate relationship with the Father, others experience His presence through me. I am able to forge a relationship of souls with the Father such that they too can claim their inheritance from Him like me. Because I have embodied the directions of the Father, they see me remain peaceful in the midst of the storm, they see me keep my joy despite the circumstance, they see me remain unshakeable and immovable in any situation. They see me respect those who mistreat me, they see me maintain my good wishes for those that criticize or oppose me. In other words, they see the practical example of what they had been seeking but hadn’t been able to verbalize- liberation-in-life.

“You have received the authority, you have all rights, but you don’t use it accordingly with the understanding of its real value“, explains Baba. When I carelessly misuse my thoughts by dwelling on a past event, or on what he/she said, then I don’t accumulate power in my thoughts. “Otherwise even one thought of yours is very powerful“, He teaches. The elevated thoughts of elevated Brahmins are the instruments to draw the lines of fortune of other souls. One thought of mine, He explains, is like a switch that when turned on can dispel the darkness within souls in a second. One thought of mine is like a spiritual magnet that can attract other souls to spirituality. One thought of mine is like a lighthouse that can show the true destination to souls who are wandering around. The thoughts of a pure and charitable soul, Baba says, are so cool and serene that they can cool down souls who are burning in the fire of the vices. My thoughts are so elevated that they can release tied and bound souls from all their bondages and set them free.

“Such is the power of your thoughts“, Baba reminds me. “So whether you use it to inspire others or whether you waste it is entirely up to you. Those who waste it will have to repent and those who accumulate will swing in the swing of all attainments.”