Director of the play. (Glossary for the Vahinis)

Narrating the events after Lord Krishna left his mortal coil, Arjuna said to his brothers ‘I learnt that day that not even the tiniest event can happen unless willed by Vasudeva. I got fully convinced of this. He is the Sutradhari, the holder of the strings that move the puppets and make them act their roles; but He seats Himself among the spectators and pretends He is unaware of the plot or story or cast. The characters cannot deviate a dot from His direction; His Will guides and determines every single movement and gesture. The varying emotions and events on the stage by which the drama unrolls itself affect the hearts of those who witness the play; but they do not cause a ruffle in the heart of the Sutradhari. (Bhag Vahini, p. 49)

Acquaintance with the contents of the various Shastras or Vedas is not going to remove the screen in front of one’s mind. On one side of the screen is the jiva, or the individual, and on the other side is the Deva. On one side of the screen is the creation, and on the other side is the basis for all that we see. The past birth is not known to us, the present birth is not something stationary or unchanging, the future birth is such that no one knows about it. The human body is impermanent and transient and the jiva residing in the body is indestructible. He is the permanent one and he is the Sadashiva and the one who is Sutradhari, or the basis of all that we are. It is His greatness that manifests in many different ways. I have been searching, I had been searching in the past, I am searching now for one who understands the basis of all these manifestations. (SSB 1974, p. 248)

God is the Sutradhari, the string- holder and man is Patradhari. The role-player or puppet. Move about in the world like an actor. Whenever the feeling that the drama is real enters the mind, deny it firmly. Do not identify yourself with the role, such identification retards progress on the path of the Lord, your Source. (NNSG Vol.9, p.82)