Baba says, “Take one step of courage and you will receive multimillion steps of help. This method is fixed in the drama as a law.“

In the Mahabharata, Arjuna’s son is killed in the battle, unfairly, by the enemy. When Arjuna finds out about this, he takes an oath to kill the enemy for what they did: “I, the friend of Krishna“, he says, “take this oath to kill Jayadrath (the enemy) by sunset tomorrow, else I will end my own life.” He had immense faith in God and in his friendship with God. But he didn’t simply rest based on that and leave it all to God like we tend to do sometimes. At times, my attitude can be: I am Baba’s loving child, I follow all His shrimat. I have a close relationship with God and so if He doesn’t help me, whom else will He help! And so, I simply sit and wait for Him to get me out of that situation, help me get that new project or cure me of that illness. But the principle is: “When the child maintains courage, the Father definitely helps.”

In other words, God helps those who help themselves. When I take one step of courage, God matches that with multi-million steps of His own. Arjuna went to war the next morning and fought the hardest he ever had, all day long, tirelessly. And yet, although he got close to Jayadrath, it was clear he wouldn’t make it close enough to kill him before sunset. That’s where God stepped in and helped him. When I have done everything I can in the natural, God, who is super-natural, will step in and do even that which seems completely impossible. In Arjuna’s case, God created a perception of sunset which prompted Jayadrath to come upfront to watch Arjuna end his own life. This was the opportunity Arjuna needed to make good on his oath, which is what he did. When I show courage, when I use my tiny will-power, God matches it with His immense will and leads me to victory.

But sometimes, I can go the other extreme. I can develop arrogance and think: I am a gyani soul, I am a yogi soul. I have accumulated enough power within me that I can achieve things on my own. So I don’t look to God for help, I try to make things happen on my own. And sure, because of the power I have accumulated, I might achieve success to some extent, but I couldn’t even imagine what I might be able to achieve if only I took God’s help. What I can accomplish with the Almighty Powerful is multi-millionfold greater than what I can accomplish through just my own power, my own capacity. The correct method, Baba reminds me is: the child having courage and the Father giving help.

Sometimes I doubt myself: “Do I have courage?” The answer is a resounding “yes!” The very first courage I showed as soon as I took Brahmin birth was that I imbibed the specialty of purity. I had the determined thought: “I have to become pure.”, this was my courage. The Father matched my courage with His multi-millionfold help. He spoke to me daily and reminded me: Yes, you are an originally and eternally pure soul, you have become pure many times and will continue to become pure. This isn’t anything new! You are simply repeating the process of reclaiming your elevated stage. Even now, the devotees continue to sing songs of your purity. Your images are shown with the halo of light, a symbol of purity….” I was made powerful through such awareness- this, is the Father’s help through which I went from weak to strong. Now, I am so strong that I issue the challenge that I will make the whole world, including the elements, pure! Even the rishis, sages and great souls of the copper age considered it impossible to remain pure while living in a household. And in today’s world, they find it difficult to remain pure themselves! but I speak to them about purity in a natural way, that purity is the original and eternal form of the soul. This, is called “the child having courage and the Father giving help.” I experienced the impossible becoming easy and I continue to experience it to be easy.

In the same way, I am now becoming a conqueror of Maya, no matter how many different forms Maya comes to attack me in. Sometimes, it is a royal form- I think of myself as a good yogi, I have this ‘holier than thou’ attitude or sometimes Maya comes in a visible way- sanskars of anger, frustration, impatience or sometimes in an incognito way or sometimes in an artificial Godly form. She may come in different forms, but when the line of my intellect is clear, there is accurate discernment of her form and then I am able to defeat her. Courage is to ensure my intellect’s line is always clear by not allowing waste thoughts, waste feelings to clog it up. But if I simply sit back, allow myself to dwell on wasteful and negative thoughts about the self and others, then I won’t have the discernment I need. Then, I complain that God isn’t doing anything to help me. God has shown me the way, it is now my duty to do what He is asking me to do. He has given me the powers, I now need to use them. To simply sit back because it’s too hard to let go of waste and negative thinking and then expect God to get me out of situations is laziness. It doesn’t work.

Similarly, if I am ill, rather than simply ask God to magically cure me, I might see a doctor and do what I need to do to seek treatment. Additionally, rather then dwell on what’s wrong and weaken myself with negative thoughts such as: “this is just my karma”, “why me!”, “maybe God doesn’t love me…” etc., I ensure I only have pure thoughts, powerful thoughts that God gives me each day in the Murli. This is showing courage; then, I can leave the rest to God. If I want to work on a certain project, then it might be useful to do some research, check on what skills I need to develop and get the right training. If God is asking me to change a certain behavior or attitude, let me pay attention and do it. This is showing courage. To simply sit back and expect God to place the project in my lap is not the method.

When a child maintains courage, God helps; if this method were not a fixed law, then everyone would become a number one king of the world! The law of becoming numberwise is based on this method. Otherwise, Baba explains, everyone would complain and ask why Brahma was made number one, that they too could have become number one. Brahma Baba showed courage at every step, and he received multi-millionfold help from the Father. When I show a step of courage, I too receive multi-millionfold help, same as Brahma Baba. Even though Brahma Baba is #1, you can still come in the first division, simply follow this method, says the Father. He doesn’t hold back in this. Whether it is a one year-old or a 50 year-old child, whether he is surrendered or living with his family, all have equal rights. However, He teaches, the attainment is achieved by using the right method.