Spiritual Significance of Loving Service

Embodiments of Love! A pure, unwavering, compassionate heart, truthful speech and use of the body for dedicated service to others are sublime qualities in a human being, says a Sanskrit poem.

Mankind has been engaged in the quest for Truth from the earliest times. Bharat is the birthplace of many sages who explored the realms of the spirit, discovered the highest truths, and proclaimed them to the world. In more recent times others have been engaged in pursuing scientific investigations to discover a different set of truths. Whatever the truths discovered by science or spirituality, the ultimate reality is the energy of the atom. All that is perceived or experienced in the manifested Cosmos is a combination of atoms. The five basic elements are made up of atoms. The food you eat, the water you drink, the air you breathe, the sounds you hear are all expressions of atoms. The Cosmos is made up of atoms.

It has taken science a thousand years of investigation to discover this truth. But many millennia ago, a young child Prahlada, proclaimed this truth. He told his father, Do not have any doubts as to whether Hari (the Supreme Lord) is at one place and not at another. Wherever you search for Him, you will find Him. Prahlada taught that the Divine permeates the entire universe in the form of atoms. This omnipresence of the Divine was also proclaimed in the Gita.

See The Divine In All

What pervades the entire universe is a manifestation of the Divine Energy. To experience this omnipresent energy, certain spiritual processes have been indicated. One of them is to see the Divine in whatever you do, whatever you perceive and experience.

Love and Service represent the same truth (Telugu saying). For man, love and service are like two wings with the help of which man should strive to realize the Spirit. The quest for Truth really means discovering one’s own inner reality. This eternal Divine Principle is in one and all. To experience this Divine, one has to develop certain sacred qualities.

Morality is a mark of a human being. Truth is the rule. Righteousness is the path. Sacrifice is the glory. These three are the hallmarks of humanity. Mankind is distinguished by these three qualities. Man today has lost the spirit of sacrifice. Morality has been undermined. There is no concern for truth. He is lost totally in mundane pursuits, forgetting his divinity. The Sai Organizations were set up to make people realize their true divine nature.

What is the primary purpose of the Sai Organizations? It is to make people realise they are sparks of the Divine and not embodiments of the physical products of Nature. The inherent divinity of man has been clearly proclaimed in the Gita. This truth is not the opinion of any person, subject to changes.

Spiritual Value Of Service

Some speakers at the Conference have stated that Swami is bringing about transformation in individuals. When does transformation take place? After a person has received information. Therefore, the first requisite is to get information about the presence of the Divine Principle in all. The Sai Organizations have been engaged in propagating this information. Seva (Service) is the ideal means by which this message can be conveyed. You should all realize that the human body has been given to you solely to render selfless service. Such service broadens the heart, destroys the ego, and generates bliss. Service also helps to promote consciousness of the brotherhood of man and the Fatherhood of God. Your task does not end there. You have at the same time to propagate the idea of Ekatma-bhavam (spiritual oneness of all mankind). Mankind has to be led from dualism to non-dualism.

Arguments over the existence or non-existence of God are entirely futile and foolish, as Buddha pointed out. According to the minds of different persons, views and beliefs are bound to differ. But irrespective of these controversies, the Truth is one. That Truth is God. Dharma is God. Ahimsa is God. Adhere to these three: Truth, Righteousness, and Non-violence. Follow the path of Truth. There is no greater virtue than truth. The truth you speak must emanate from the heart and should be filled with love. Where there is love, there is truth.

Stick to truth in whatever you do. This may not be easy. But through persistence, truth will become a natural habit. Act according to the dictates of your conscience and not the promptings of your senses.

Love Is The Basis For All Actions

Make love the basic impulse for all your actions. Share your love with others. Be unselfish. Self lives by getting and forgetting. Love lives by giving and forgiving. Develop confidence in yourself. Through self-confidence, you can achieve self-realization.

The Sai Organizations have been enjoined to carry out a program of ceiling on desires. Everyone should try to control desires as much as possible. The promotion of human values is another item in the program. These human values are inherent in every person. All that is needed is for everyone to manifest them in their daily life. Truth, Righteousness, and Peace are all in you. You are the embodiment of Truth, Peace, Love, and God. Recognize this fact. Members of Sai Organizations should cultivate certain desirable practices. For instance, they should regulate their diet because one’s food influences one’s thoughts. Smoking and intoxicating drinks have to be given up. They are ruinous for health. Meat eating should also be given up because eating animal food promotes animal tendencies. The fourth evil that has to be gotten rid of is gambling. Those who take to the Spiritual path should avoid as much as possible these four bad practices. It is sinful to slaughter poor animals for one’s food. Sai members should follow the motto: Help ever; Hurt never. There is no meaning in professing to respect human values without observing the rule that you should cause no harm to others in any form whatsoever.

God loves those who serve others because He is in all of them. Whomever you may serve, consider it as service to God. Divinize all your actions. Treat every action you perform as God’s work.

Love to Love; Heart to Heart

Sai Organizations have not been set up for propaganda purposes. We do not need any publicity. Who invited all of you here? You came out of your love. It is an outpouring of your love for Swami. What is the nature of your relationship? Love to love; heart to heart. It is your love for me and my love for you that has brought about this enormous gathering here today.

You have to bear in mind yet another fact about our Organization. The services rendered by the Seva Dal to maintain cleanliness and security in the Nilayam Campus are beyond praise. They are true sevaks. In our seva organizations, there are hundreds of thousands of workers who are rendering service of various kinds. The office-bearers should not feel that they are apart from the workers. All are workers. No one can consider themselves a master. Service can assume any form. What a mother does for her child is service. A husband and wife render mutual service. In this sense, all are servants. God is the only Master. All others who call themselves masters like post-master, station-master, etc. are not masters at all.

In rendering service, see that you do it for the satisfaction of your conscience and not to impress others. Treating service as an offering to the Divine, do it perfectly. Remember that God is watching every one of your actions. Be your own watchman to scrutinize what you do. When you do everything to satisfy your conscience, you are well on the way to Self-Realization.

Sadhana Of Overseas Devotees

I am well aware that our Sai members are doing excellent work. Without boasting about it, we can claim that no organizations in the world like the Sathya Sai Seva Organization exist. The way the sevaks have been serving food and water to lakhs of people is inconceivable elsewhere. Moreover, you have to appreciate the patience shown by overseas devotees. They are used to living in spacious houses with all amenities. Here they have been living in sheds adjusting themselves to the lack of many amenities. That adjustment is an index of their devotion. The adjustment is itself a form of spiritual sadhana. Adjustment is possible when understanding exists. It is because they cherish the feeling, Here is our Swami, our God, they are able to adjust themselves. This understanding is also a form of sadhana. Acquire this understanding and then act on that basis. Then you will experience bliss.

There is no use merely going on reading books. Practicing what you have learned is more important than filling the mind with book knowledge. In our organization, all are well-read persons who are keen to practice what they have learned. You are all treading the path of Truth. The whole world is one. Respect all faiths alike. The world is like a veena with many strings. When the strings are in Harmony, the world will be happy. All should behave fraternally towards each other. There should be no differences on grounds of religion. All worship the same God. No religion preaches hatred. Truth and righteousness are common to all religions. Adhere to them. Observe morality and integrity in daily life.

Love For Swami Is Cause For Transformation

Today everyone in Prasanthi Nilayam is living as a member of one family. Whatever your language, religion, nationality or custom, you feel as one here. This is great spiritual sadhana. No one brought about this transformation. It was an individual transformation, each by himself or herself. How did they effect this transformation? Out of their love for Swami. That love accounts for this prodigious transformation.

In the Sai Organization, because it functions in the workday world, some regulations have been laid down. Rules and regulations are essential. First of all, whatever resolutions have been passed at this conference, they should be carried out wholeheartedly. All sorts of conferences are held all over the world. Resolutions are passed. But they are ignored after the conference is over. In the Sai Organizations, this should not happen. Having passed resolution, you must pass in it! You would have scored a pass only when you implement the resolution. Therefore, you must carry out the decisions you have taken. That is the meaning of discipline. Discipline grows out of devotion. Devotion stems from duty. Observe the three D’s: Discipline, Devotion, Duty. This is true spirituality. In the performance of every duty, there should be devotion. There should be devotion and not diversion!

Devotion signifies love. Love for the Divine is the only true love. All other expressions of love are merely attachments of one sort or another. Love is God. Live in love. Start the day with love. Fill the day with love. End the day with love. That is the way to God. This love should be considered Divine by people of every faith. Manifest your love regardless of how others behave.

Share Your Bliss With Others

Cultivate this love. I am not concerned about the numerical growth of centers or devotees. I want only quality. Increase in quantity should be accompanied by improvement in quality. This is the service you have to render. The bliss you experience should be shared with others.

Do not violate the rules of the organizations. Thereby your love will grow. It is that love which is responsible for your putting up with all inconveniences and discomforts. Develop the spirit of sacrifice.

Realize that true happiness consists in union with God. You need not wish me Happy Birthday. I am always happy. I am a tank of happiness. Draw from it as much as you wish. Drink that water and sanctify your life. It was the thirst for Divine bliss that drew you here. Drink deep and experience that bliss. Live in peace in Prasanthi Nilayam, ignoring the attractions of the outer world. When you return to your respective countries, share your experience with your countrymen.

Enjoy the love I confer upon you. It is totally free from self-interest. Receiving selfless love, make your love unselfish.

Discourse at the Sixth World Conference of Sathya Sai Seva Organisations on 21-11-1995