When children see a puppet show, it is typically set in a small window in which they only see the puppet or two moving around according to the story or music being narrated. The children think that the puppets are moving on their own, especially since the threads and the people who are controlling them, are crafty and artistically hidden behind the curtains. Same is true about our lives, we typically live in the world where we limit our view only to the limited window of what we can see and perceive through our limited senses. The way when children expand their view and see the hands of the person that controls the puppet, then they realise that the puppet is not moving by itself, but is being actually controlled by the puppeteer. Similarly, when we expand our own perspectives, we can learn to realise who guides and controls our lives.
Once we expand our view, or actually awareness, to see the hands of the one who pulls the threads of the puppet, and then if we also expand our consciousness to consider those hands also as our part, then we control our movements (aka puppet’s movements).
Of course, there is a difference between this metaphor and ourselves. While we definitely need to expand our consciousness so that we can see that God controls our lives, but we are not like a non-living puppet. We have a choice, we can do things. Our role is to create those threads. These threads are the threads of devotion, of faith, of following the techniques, of seva, of love, of the scriptures. The stronger we make those threads, the more we are able to be controlled by our Masters. And that is exactly what is said in the purification ceremony where they say “The Master say – open your heart to me and I will enter and take charge of your life” and also Yogananda used to ask his disciples to pray “I will reason, I will will, I will act, but guide Thou my reason, will, and activity to the right path in everything”. Both of these suggesting that we need to build those threads and then the Masters take charge of our lives exactly the way the puppeteer take charge of the puppets.
However we also need to realise that there is another actor in this game – which is Maya. So we also need to ensure that we do not hand over the control to Maya. The threads to Maya are built through lower consciousness, through darkness, through negativity. Unlike a puppet, we have the freedom to build these threads either with Maya or with God. And as Swamiji often used to quote – “Yato Dharma Tato Jaya” means “Where there is Dharma, there is Victory.” Swamiji adopted this as one of the guiding principles for the Ananda communities.
So we are definitely blessed that we know which threads to create, and how. The weaving is now in our hands. Let us all pray that we all build stronger threads with our Masters and we all have a victorious life.
Joy to all.
– Nitendra Rajput
