Om Shanti. At the Confluence Age Baba is making us into self-sovereigns. Baba says that a self-sovereign should have the ruling power and the controlling power. Generally when it comes to sovereignty, it means authority. But when it is true sovereignty, then it is governed by right principles. There are certain policies of governance. So the first important thing is whether I govern my own life based on Baba's principles. Because the more I can govern myself based on Baba's principles, the more authority comes to govern in whatever field I have been made responsible. Or in simple words, if you have dharna, then if you tell something to others it will definitely have an impact.
Sometimes this question comes up within the family that who has created all these principles and systems of the Yagya. And the second question is whether I am able to accept all these Maryadas and principles. Because one of the titles we have to claim is Maryadas purushottam. That's one of the qualifications of a self-sovereign.
Generally when it comes to any type of governance, there are three things involved in that. One is legislation, that is creating laws, creating certain principles. This is what is done basically by Parliaments. Secondly there are those who execute, those who have to implement all that. These are different ministries etc. And the third part of the governance is judicial authority, courts etc. In a democratic society these are three different branches, three separate bodies. But actually these three are the powers of creating, sustaining and controlling.
Creating
We all should feel that whatever Maryadas are given in the Yagya, we all are part of it, and we all have created it. It's not that somebody is dictating this to us. Because all Maryadas are essentially connected with two things. Firstly, through them Baba helps us to keep safe from doing wrong actions and creating karmic bondages. And secondly, the family tradition and the kingdom tradition are being established. Every family has its social status, so Baba's family also has some Maryadas which create our social status. That's why Baba says that He has come to establish a religion and also a kingdom. This religion, or dharma, really means our dharna, Maryadas, principles and the quality of actions we perform. And the kingdom definitely requires some kind of fundamental rules because the kingdom is established through those rules. So it's a family, a kingdom and a religion. If we look at all the three, then we understand Maryadas and principles very well. In the beginning of establishment BapDada and Dadis were the only family. At that time you were not there and we were not there. So they have created all that, and now we came and you also came and we have accepted all these principles and Maryadas. And in this way, by accepting, we also become part of creating our social customs, systems and ethics.
Executing and Judging
Secondly, we should have the capacity to implement. And thirdly, we should be able to judge ourselves based on what changes we have to bring about. And really it's not judging but more like realisation. It means just to remind yourself that you are the one who created these Maryadas. A self-sovereign knows that it's not someone else asking him to do it, but that he has himself accepted it. Then the language we speak will be that of self-respect and dignity. And Baba says that if there is self-respect and you accept everything with self-respect, then you naturally give respect to others. A self-sovereign will help others to inculcate those things but he will do it in a very respectful way. Many stories come to my mind about Brahma Baba – how respectfully he would help us to become what we are today.
Baba always had love even for those who left Gyan. His love and respect for those children never reduced. And as a result of that many of them would stay in connection with the Yagya even after they had left. Why? One of the reasons was that they realised that it was their fault and that they had no one else to blame. We should never blame anyone for our failures. I have to look at what my weakness is because I have failed because of that weakness.
Baba taught us to govern our life on the basis of love and respect. Baba says that we should never take the law in our hands, even if we have that authority. Even Baba says that Dharamraj is His right hand. He does not say that He is Dharamraj. He is not playing that role now. So we have to realise these Maryadas as our royalty, royalty of our family. And then we start giving respect to others as well.
Controlling or Governing?
But then also Baba says that how you manage your subjects is also very important. How many servants do we have? They are our five physical sense organs. Governance is not all about controlling them but rather how we use them. Because sometimes we are so scared of Maya that we just think about protecting ourselves. We forget that we have to do something else also! 'I shouldn't look at this, I shouldn't gossip' etc. All that is necessary but there is something else also.
I always say to myself that through this mouth I should speak the jewels of knowledge, I should speak God's versions. So then I just feel strange: how can I talk about anything else? My mouth is a conch. How can I use the conch for gossiping or saying something waste? I cannot! So it is but natural that I will not gossip. Then there is natural control. I want people to experience Baba's virtues through my eyes. Then, how can I look at something in a body conscious way? The same is with my ears. If through them I have to listen to God and gain wisdom from God, how can I listen to something useless? You can think in this way about any of your sense organs. So then it will be governing rather than just controlling.
Love and Law
Dignity and truth of a self-sovereign in a natural way allows one to get free from the habit of criticising and making comments. Because you are to be accepted as a sovereign not with fear but with love. Others should listen to you and act because they love you.
The controlling power should be applied for the self and the ruling power should be applied for others. A self-sovereign knows how to maintain balance of love and law. Law is for the self and love is for others. Some always use law for others, which means they don't love themselves. Our law is the law of love. I remember that whenever Baba taught us something very deep and very important, he would say about it so sweetly and nicely that you would just remember it forever.
Some instruments say, 'This one is always doing what he wants.' Or they say, 'Why he did it?!' But my duty as an instrument is to see whether this person knows how to do that particular thing or not. The instrument has to explain instead of just saying that this one is not good. Okay, you may do so but then you will just sit alone. Whom are you governing then? Then your duty becomes just to maintain the system or to maintain the place but there is no governance. And if we explain with love and respect, then even if that person does not accept it, but at least we feel we did something right.
Once somebody said, 'Oh, nobody has patience here!' So what does it show? Who does not have patience? Others do not have patience or you? Or someone said, 'No one listens to me!' Again, whose fault is that? Listening only happens when it touches, when it appeals, it's not just because everyone has to listen to you.
A master and a child
When others say something and you accept it with respect you are still a self-sovereign! Because a self-sovereign also means that you are obedient, you are a servant. A self-sovereign will say 'Ha ji'. As balance of love and law is important, the balance of being a master and a child is equally important.
Brahma Baba would just start some karma Yoga and others would follow. He would just sit down to clean the grains, and all the children would immediately come and start doing the same. And he would start doing something else, he would not just remain there. That is also a quality of a self-sovereign: you just started and then there are so many people who want to do it.
Self-sovereignty means that your sovereignty continues because you have many heirs. Whenever I do something, I always take someone else with me because I know that when I won't be able to do this thing, that person will do it. Any information, any task, any talent, if you just keep it to yourself, then this is not the sign of a self-sovereign. A self-sovereign is a bestower. And we know that the more we give the more we receive.
Another quality of a self-sovereign is the ability to sustain. In earlier days whenever subjects needed something they would knock at the door of the king because they knew that the king had all the treasures. So if we are self-sovereigns, then all our treasure-stores of powers and virtues should be full. This is what I notice in Dadis: their treasure-stores are always full and so they are constantly giving, bestowing. Not a single person should go from us without experiencing any attainments.
Baba gave us the throne of awareness and we should not leave it empty. And we should not be without a crown. Which crowns does a self-sovereign have? The crown of light and the crown of responsibility. If I am responsible but not light it's not that I have a crown, it's as if someone has put stones on my head. And I have to carry this heavy basket! When there is a crown you don't feel heavy. And remembrance of Baba, awareness of Baba's presence makes us keep our tilak. Then we are victorious at every step.
A self-sovereign can make toli, eat toli and distribute toil; all three things! A self-sovereign does not mean that you only eat toli! Everyone of you should learn to make at least one kind of toli. How do they make tolis these days? They would take milk powder and chocolate and just mix it! I say to them, 'But you have not cooked anything here!' For us making toli really meant cooking! Previously in London Dadi Janki would cook little pera from fresh milk for Baba every Thursday. And you have to stir it for at least 40 minutes to make that small toli. That was not condensed milk. Dadi says that if every time you move the spoon you remember Baba, then how much power will be there in that Bhog!
Om Shanti