Baba says, “Specialties are a gift from God. A gift from God is to be constantly offered for world service.“

God comes at this most auspicious confluence of the cycles to transform the world from old to new, from hell into heaven. He does so by transforming souls from residents of hell into residents of heaven. A world or a society is made up of the individuals that live there; as are the individuals, so is the world. God comes and changes me from a degraded human into an elevated deity full of specialties. While there are many specialties, “you must always remember the 8 specialties of those who are to become the elevated deities.“, teaches Baba. These are the specialties that devotees experience even from the non-living idols in the temples to this day.

1. The first specialty of the especially loved deities is of being constantly merciful. What type of mercy? That of saving every soul from stumbling and wandering around as a beggar in Ravan’s world. A merciful deity would not have mercy for some and not for others; they would be merciful in an unlimited way, and because of their merciful thoughts, many souls would be made aware of who they are and Whose they are in a second. They would thus be liberated from a life of begging and become a child with rights. “A beggar would be able to have a glimpse of all treasures from your merciful thoughts and wandering souls would be able to see very clearly the shores of their destination of liberation and liberation-in-life. You would be merciful to this extent.“, teaches Baba.
2. The second specialty of the especially loved deities is that they would always be a remover of sorrow and bestower of happiness for all souls. I wouldn’t be able to bear anyone’s sorrow because I can empathize, I was once sorrowful myself until the Father found me. So when I see another’s sorrow, I consider it my own. I would always have a way to help souls forget their sorrow and make the unhappy, happy.
3. Third, my personality would be a personality of purity in my thoughts, words and deeds.
4. Fourth, I would appear very simple externally but very elevated in my nature, sanskars and behavior.
5. Fifth, just as my non-living image is adorned, so too, I will always be seen with the ornaments of all virtues. Not a single ornament in the form of a virtue would be missing.
6. Sixth, my features would be like a lotus, and they would also make others become as loving and detached as a lotus.
7. Seventh, my stage would always be unshakeable and immovable. Just as an idol is established in a temple- it is fixed permanently- so too, my stage would be constantly stable.
8. Eighth, my thoughts and words for everyone would always be filled with blessings. I would even give blessings to those who defame me or complain about me. I would always maintain good wishes and pure feelings for all; I would not allow anything they said or did to pollute my attitude toward them. It is as if I shower flowers on everyone, no matter what they might give me. In return for this, Baba says, “you are worshipped with flowers as specially loved deities to a much greater extent.” It is common to praise those who praise me but “to praise and maintain good wishes for those who defame me means to make them your devotee for birth after birth.“, explains Baba. Not just that, but even during the present time, I am guaranteed to receive co-operation from everyone when this is my nature.

Just as the Father’s praise is sung for His every action and His every virtue, so too, the praise of special deities, the great souls, will also be constantly sung. Giving in this way becomes a form of taking many times over, explains Baba. “So now”, He says, “check yourselves to see to what extent are you special deity souls ready, adorned with all the specialties such that you can offer them for world service.” When the idol is ready, the curtain opens. “Your devotees will not be satisfied with an incomplete vision, therefore, always keep the image of your special deity form adorned with all your specialties.” In other words, I cannot say things like: “I meant well but that the wrong words came out”, no, my thoughts and words and actions all have to be elevated, else, it is an incomplete vision. Similarly, I cannot say, “How can I not be worried, how can I not be frustrated when the situation is such..”, no, one of my specialties is to be immovable and unshakeable no matter what. I cannot say: “I will change when they change…”, no, I am the bestower, not the taker. Deities or shaktis are shown with eight arms, each with a different power or specialty. If even one hand is empty or broken, that deity is not brought to the temple, let alone worshipped.

It is when I step out adorned with all my specialties that I reveal the Bestower of those specialties.