Trying to compete with anybody else’s achievements is futile as everyone has their own trajectory, says Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj Ji

Recently a veteran actor from the Hindi film industry was given the Highest Civilian Award for his contribution towards spreading cultural values across the globe through his acting career. While he was given the award, everyone in the audience stood up to give him a standing ovation to the legend, who brought so many characters to life on celluloid screen. We all have experienced this euphoria in theatres, while a heroic character makes an entry on screen, there are loud cheers, whistles, applause and more. And at the end of film, the hero wins the audience’s hearts and steals the show. Whether he plays a prince or a pauper, it does not matter as his fans throng the theatres to catch a glimpse of him. The beauty of his performance lies in his ability to internalise the character to the extent that he and his role seem one to his fans. But even while doing it, he is very much conscious of the fact that he is merely an actor in a particular drama, his role is carved, his dialogues are scripted and the costumes are designed for that particular character. Hence, his greatness lies only in playing the role to the best of his capability. On his long journey to stardom, every actor  often turns a spectator and critiques his own work so that he can improve upon his act. It is this element of detachment from the different roles he plays that allows him to progress, play multiple roles simultaneously with clarity and then return to his personal life at the end of the day.

Not many of us know that the world cycle is very much similar to this drama in which all of us are actors with unique parts. Everyone is the protagonist in his life and can become a hero who draws applause. However, today we hardly find anyone cheering for the other person because there is great dissatisfaction either with each other’s performance or the script. As a result, the drama appears to have become a tragedy. There is widespread chaos with actors criticising each others’ performances instead of theirs. The reason for this trouble is that most of us act without the knowledge that the earth is a stage and we have all come here to play our individual roles. Each actor’s role is unique and pre-scripted and hence, trying to match it with anybody else’s is futile. The biggest law of the world drama is that it is ever beneficial for everyone. In the absence of this understanding or its consciousness, we get attached to our roles, forget to change our costumes and make-up, and lose the flexibility to adapt to each part.

Take a simple example of a person who plays a son, a husband, a father, a friend and several other roles at the same time. If he is in the consciousness of being a male, he could dominate his wife at home or look down upon his female staff at office. At work, he would stick to his role of being a boss so much so that he forgets to become their colleague when they need his help. On the other hand, if he is conscious that he is an actor and must act like a hero to win everyone’s hearts, then he would understand the requirements of his character and become active, accurate and attractive at whatever he does.

Living the peaks and troughs of each character we play, we drain ourselves and are unable to muster enough strength to meet the demands of each role as a result of which, there are emotional upheavals and sorrow becomes a regular visitor when the purpose of the drama is to help the actors experience joy and happiness. On the other hand, if we become detached to the roles we play and keep faith in the eternal law that the drama has been scripted for the universal benefit, the feeling of loss and gain, comfort and pain would begin to dissolve and our mind would stop questioning the developments in every scene and a peaceful equanimity will begin to settle in our mind. It will help us to enjoy the drama, review our performance, be patient and forgiving towards others. So the moral of the story is that we should be detached and yet be involved in the part we are playing. That’s the quality to be a superstar in this world drama.