Baba says, “You must not become trapped in karmic bondages.”

The aim of this Brahmin life is to become karmateet like Father Brahma and return home with the Father. Father Brahma demonstrated staying in the body and yet remaining bodiless– this is the karmateet stage. As long as I still have my body and am in this world of action, I will continue playing my part through these physical organs; I cannot stop performing actions for even a second. So karmateet does not imply that I stop performing actions, I cannot do that. Rather, karmateet means that I am beyond the bondage of karma or action while performing the action. One is bondage and the other is a relationship. To enter into a relationship of karma through the physical organs is very different from being tied in bondage of karma.

Karmic bondage makes me dependent on the limited fruit of karma. I desire a certain outcome, I have an expectation of a certain response etc., and I therefore become dependent or subservient to the action. I become controlled by the action rather than be the master that controls the action. Then the karma makes my intellect wander and causes distress to me and to others. For example, if I apply for a job with the deep desire for certain perks they offer, or because I believe working in that company will elevate my image or because of the compensation etc., then because I am deeply attached to these desires, I may feel compelled to compromise on my values to get the job. All the while, my intellect will wander thinking: “What if…”, “if only I could…”, “maybe I should…”etc. It’s as if the action is controlling me rather than the other way around. And if I don’t get the job, I become angry, and frustrated and say/do things that I regret: “I didn’t mean to say those things, but it just came out…”, “I didn’t mean to do that, it just happened…”. In other words, I am not controlling my physical organs, they are controlling me! This is bondage of karma.

Karmateet means the soul enables the physical organs to perform action. Yes, it is the task of the eyes to see but I, the soul enable the eyes to perform the action of seeing. I decide what I want to see, what is good for me, then I enable the eyes to see it. Similarly, I decide what I want to say, when to say it and my mouth then says those words. If my eyes see whatever they want- good or not, and the mouth says whatever it wants- good or not, then I am not in control. I am not the master but rather a dependent. But I can only remain the master, or karmateet, when I remain in the awareness of who I am – a soul, a child of God. The moment I slip into the consciousness of being a body, that’s when I come into bondage of roles, relationships, desire to win, need to compete, to amass, to acquire etc. Karmateet requires me to stay beyond, that is, separate from the bondage of the body and bodily relations and possessions. To remain beyond does not mean I leave home and live like a sannyasi, no. Baba says, “yours is unlimited sannyas.” This means that I live at home, in the world, but there is no attachment to relatives, no wants or dependencies. There is no greed for limited position, status, title. There is no ego that leads me to comparisons and competition. In other words, when there is body consciousness, there are also the vices. When I am soul conscious, I don’t want nor need anything, I am self-sufficient. The peace, happiness and contentment that I was seeking through limited achievements, I already have within me. So, there are no desires. All the soul wants is a deep, loving, intimate bond with God, the Father, the Beloved, the Friend, the Companion. Having attained that, I have attained everything. Then, all I want to do is give, share, bestow. I am free from all bondages.

In body consciousness, even though I may attain a limited desire, the happiness lasts for only a fleeting little time before I experience that “I need something else”; I will constantly experience the lack of attainment even though I might be full and overflowing. It will not be possible for the mind, for the body or for everyone else to remain constantly happy at all times. I will continue to be upset with myself or with others due to one reason or another, even against my conscious wish. This means that I have not understood who I am, that I am the soul, the master. Even if there is an illness of the body or perhaps, the sanskars of my mind are in conflict with the sanskars of another soul, but if I am karmateet, I will not be controlled by the suffering of karma, but as a master, I will remain beyond and enable the account to be settled. I may not be able to stop the illness from coming but it is up to me whether to suffer or not. “Through yoga, with a smile, change the suffering of karma from a crucifix to a thorn and burn it, that is, finish the suffering of karma.“, teaches Baba. If I forget who and Whose I am, if I forget that this is the time of settlement, then I will dwell on the illness and get lost in: “why me?”, “I cannot bear this anymore..” etc. The illness becomes a disease and I cause distress to myself and everyone around me.

Some people have a little pain and cry out while someone else might have a lot of pain and yet manages. This is because one with a karmateet stage, is the master of their body, and even though they may be settling their karmic account, they will have the practice of being detached, of experiencing themselves as souls. Their practice of the bodiless stage will take them beyond the suffering of the illness. Just like when a person in pain is given an anesthetic to numb the pain, similarly, when someone is in the bodiless or karmateet stage, it is like an anesthetic that takes them beyond the suffering but also gives them strength. They experience a crucifix as a thorn. “And through following the Father, as visible fruit of being especially obedient, they receive special blessings from the Father’s heart.“, says Baba. “To make a big thing small or a small thing big depends on your stage. To be distressed or to maintain the honor of being a master depends on yourself.” In other words “Why has this happened?” or “Whatever has happened is good.” depends on me. Situations will come to everyone but when I maintain the karmateet stage, I see the benefit in every situation. To say: “Why does this always happen to me? How did this happen? It shouldn’t have been like this.” These thoughts are like tying strings and just like that I tie myself up in the bondage of karma. When I am in the karmateet stage, my attitude is: “Whatever happens is good, the Father is good and the drama is also good.” These thoughts work like scissors to cut the bondage. Once the bondages are cut, I become karmateet.

Without becoming karmateet, I cannot go with the Father because to go with Him, I have to be equal to Him. “So, follow Father Brahma“, says Baba. “To follow him in becoming karmateet means to become worthy and go with the Father.“