BORN TO SERVE - The Clarion Call of Swami to all

[Guest guest]

Om Sri Sai Ram

BORN TO SERVE

Bhagawan's inaugural discourse at the All India Sai Active Workers' Conference,

At the Poornachandra Auditorium, on 19-11-1987

The Clarion Call of Swami for us always to remember and recollect as Active

workers, Sevadal, Devotees, human beings or in whatever terms we are called or

think ourselves.

Embodiments of the Divine Atma!

You have to recognise that life is meant for selfless service and not to be

lived for selfish purposes. Only through such service can the oneness of

mankind be experienced. Unselfish service is the sheet anchor of Karma Yoga

(the Yoga of Action). The basis of yoga is disciplining the mind and the body

through disinterested service.

Society honors only the persons who serve society. Such persons earn the grace

of God. Every individual has to realise the paramount importance of selfless

service. The spirit of service should be coupled with readiness for sacrifice.

Only then it can be called selfless service free from any taint of

self-interest. Such service lends savor to life.

LOVE AND SERVICE

Universal love sustains life by its nourishment. Love is the life-breath of man.

Magnanimity of spirit lends fragrance to life.

However eminent a person may be, he has to realise that the main purpose of life

is to render dedicated service to one's fellowmen. The relationship between

mother and child, preceptor and disciple, God and devotee is based on mutual

dependence.  There cannot be a child without a mother, a disciple without a

teacher, a devotee without God. Each is associated with the other in an

inextricable bond.

One should be prepared to serve others than choose to be served by them.

Moreover, there is nothing meritorious in serving those who are high above us.

For one thing, they can command the services of attendants.  Rendering service

to those who are in the same position as ourselves is not also commendable.

Service should be rendered to those who are worse off than ourselves and who

are neglected by the world.

There are three levels of people in the world. At the highest level are those

who may be placed in the category of " Lakshmi-Narayana Those who are in the

same stage as ourselves are in the category of  "Aswatha-Narayana" Those who

are poorer than ourselves may be described as “ Daridra-Narayana ". There is no

need to render service to one who is “ Lakshmi-Narayana ", as there will be

servants to take care of him. "  Aswatha-Narayana " is the type of person who

is filled with endless desires and is never contented, whatever his

accomplishments or earnings. Service to such persons is unnecessary. It is the

weak, the destitute and the helpless who need to be served. Even in rendering

service to such persons, there should be

no feeling that we are serving " others ". We should feel that we are serving

the Lord (Narayana) who dwells in them.

When service is rendered in a total spirit of dedication, with concentration of

thought., word  and deed, the heart gets sanctified. Without purity of heart

there can be no spiritual progress.

"ACTIVE WORKERS "

"Active workers "  (in the Sai movement) should have no feelings of arrogance or

ostentation in carrying on their activities. They must be broadminded,

completely free from selfish concerns, and must develop love towards all.

Active workers are the spinal cord of the Sai Organisation. They should

understand what are human qualities and practice them in their life.  Without

having the right attitude, service done demonstratively in a spirit

of self-conceit is a travesty of service. They should rid themselves of the

sense of " mine " and " thine".

Pre-occupation with one's own welfare and happiness is the bane of the dualistic

mentality. It breeds discontent and sorrow. Feelings of attachment and aversion

sully the mind and only through service can such a mind be purified. External

observances like bathing several times a day and smearing Vibuthi all over and

mouthing mantras mechanically will not serve to cleanse the mind of impurities.

These are only outward show, with nothing spiritual about them.

Transcendental knowledge that can be got through diligent enquiry and steadfast

faith and which will help to raise man from the animal level is being ignored

today. No effort is made to acquire this knowledge.  Perceiving untruth as

truth and treating truth as untruth men are

immersed in accumulating ephemeral objects, considering them as permanent. Men

must get out of this narrow groove. They must outgrow their selfish tendencies

and learn to regard the whole of mankind as one family. That is true service.

Few have such a large hearted approach today.

The first requisite, therefore, is to get rid of all the bad thoughts, the

selfishness, pride and other undesirable qualities from the heart so that the

spirit of love can find its rightful place in it. Only a heart filled with love

is pure and holy. Hence, you should take up service activities in a loving

spirit. You should not be concerned about name or fame. Fame is not a

commercial product or a commodity that can be got from some one. It

flows spontaneously like a river, which starts in a small way, but gathers

volume as it goes along. Do not go after name or distinction. Concentrate your

mind upon achieving your objectives. Fill your heart with love and engage

yourself in service. The man who cannot do service to others is no man

at all.

"BORN TO SERVE"

We must consider that we have taken birth only to render service to society as a

sacred duty.  Whatever small service we may do, if we do it in the right spirit,

serving with no thought of self, we shall be doing something commendable

and worthwhile. An act of service by itself may be a small thing. But it must

be done wholeheartedly. Just as a cow transforms whatever it may consume

into sweet, wholesome milk, any kind of service done with a pure heart will

result in great good. You should not have any returns in view in rendering

service.  This is my duty. I am born to serve "-It is with such an attitude

that you should take to service.

SERVICE AND ABILITY

All beings in creation are living by rendering mutual service and no one can be

considered superior to another. Every person should render service according to

his capacity and the sphere of his activities. There are various limbs in the

human body. But the hands cannot do what the legs are capable of, nor can the

eyes perform the duties of the ears. What the ears can enjoy the eyes cannot. 

Likewise among human beings there are differences. Their capacities

and aptitudes may vary. But each should take part in service activity according

to his ability, equipment and field of work. Any individual may offer worship

and engage in spiritual activities according to his preferences. But, in my

view, the merit to be gained through service is

greater than what can be got through these religious observances.

Na thapaamsi Na tbeerthaanaam No saasthraanaam Na Japaanapi Samsara

Saagarothtbaaram  Sajjanasevanam Vinaa.

("Neither by penances nor baths in sacred waters, the study of scriptures nor

through meditation can the ocean of samsara be crossed without rendering

service to the good".)

Whatever pilgrimages we may under take, our hearts hanker only after worldly

objects and hence no cleansing of the heart occurs. The individual quest for

his liberation (Mukti) is self-centered. This is not right.  One should strive

to help others also to achieve liberation. That is true service. Few have such

a large hearted approach today.

SHED SELFISHNESS

How can those who have been immersed ceaselessly in selfish pursuits earn the

grace of God?  Therefore, to begin with there must be realisation of the

divinity that is inherent in all human beings and which pervades the entire

Cosmos. The unity that subsumes the diversity has to be understood to grasp the

nature of divinity. So long as there is no understanding of divinity, there can

be no correct under standing of even human nature.  Eliminate selfishness,

which is the cause of dualism and its brood of opposites, joy and sorrow likes

and dislikes etc. The egoist cannot understand his own true nature, much less

that of others. Hence the first step is understanding one’s own self. Every

one refers to " I " but where is it located? And

wherefrom does it arise? The ancient scriptures described the seat of " I "

(Ahamkara) as ‘ Hridaya" (the heart). This may suggest that the " I " is

somewhere in the body.  But this is not correct. " Hridaya " is all-pervasive.

It is otherwise known as Atma.  Some consider that the Atma dwells in the

heart. This is also wrong.  Hridayam and Atma are one and to view them as

different entities is wrong. If this is the case, it may be asked why are

people plunged in the darkness of ignorance?  It is because their vision does

not extend upto the Atma. It does not go beyond the mind. One who is unable to

go beyond the mind cannot escape from the shroud of ignorance. The way out of

this condition is to realize that like the moon and the sun, the mind derives

its light from the Atma and when the vision is turned towards the Atma the mind

fades away or ceases to shine

THE SPIRIT OF LOVE

It is necessary to realise that the Atma is all-pervasive and cultivate a

feeling of love for all. The Cosmos (Viswam) is a projection of the Divine

(Vishnuswaroopam). There is no Deed to search in any particular place for the

Divine who is omnipresent.  Formal religious observances or spiritual

scholarship will not lead to God-realisation. It is not intellectual eminence

that is required for spiritual sadhana. It is better to have a single person

with a good and kind heart than a hundred vainglorious intellectuals. We should

train ourselves to become good men, who are fit to undertake worthy tasks. If

your minds are filled with hatred, envy and likes and dislikes, you are not

qualified to embark on service activities.

" Offer service and receive love ". This is the recipe for experiencing

Divinity. But today service is not offered wholeheartedly. Few render service

with love and hence few receive God's grace.  Even their love is self-centered

and is not all embracing. Our love should not be confined to our kith and kin.

It must extend beyond the family to society as a whole, then to the nation at

large, and finally embrace the whole world.

This is the implication of Buddha's call: " Sangam Saranam Gachchaami ".

Starting from the intellect (Buddhi) one should go beyond the intellect to "

Sangam ", society. This way, the oneness of the individual and society is

realised. But mere recognition of membership of society is not enough. One has

to recognise and discharge through service one's obligations to society. That

is the implication of the prayer: " Dharmam Saranam Gachchaami ".  Doing

service in the right spirit is " Dharma ".

THE PATH TO GOD

Service is also the path to God-realisation. God is the embodiment of Love,

Truth and Peace.  Therefore, to realise God one has to develop love, adhere to

Truth and experience Peace within oneself. The human body is like a chariot and

the Atma is the charioteer. The bodies may have different forms a n d names. But

the Atma is one and the same. It is essential to recognise the unity that

underlies the apparent diversity. For instance, hunger is common to all, though

the kind of food through which it is appeased may vary from an emperor to a beg

gar.  Likewise, joy and grief, birth and death are common to all. The Atma is

common to everyone. Recognising this oneness, they should engage themselves in

service to all. Unfortunately, there

is no feeling of unity today in the world. All the problems bedeviling mankind

are due to the absence of unity.

"PROMOTE UNITY"

The foremost duty of the Sai Organisations is to promote unity on the basis that

all are sparks of the Divine and constitute one family. Without realising this

basic truth, there is no use in rendering any kind of service. There can be no

sacredness in service, if good thoughts and good feelings are absent. Service

as an act of righteousness (Dharma) can be offered only by one who is Pure in

heart, selfless and equal-minded towards everyone ("Samathva").

Great devotees in the past exemplified this quality of “ Samathva " 'equal

concern for everyone).  There is the example of Saint Tukaram.  He maintained

his household by cultivating a small piece of land. He was, however,

indifferent to his own needs and spent all his time in contemplation of God.

One year he grew sugarcane on his land. When the crop was ready for harvesting,

passersby came to him and asked for a stalk of cane. Generous

and self-sacrificing by nature, Tukaram allowed them to help themselves to as

much cane as they liked. At this rate, only a fourth of the crop was left and

Tukaram cut it and was bringing it home in a cart. On the way, many children

asked for cane and Tukaram gave it freely. By the time he reached home,

only a single piece of cane was left.  Seeing the empty cart, his wife flew into

a rage and berated him: "Don't you have any thought for your wife and children?

What do you mean by giving away recklessly all the cane? " Tukaram kept smiling

while his wife was showering him with questions. Ultimately, he told her " Here

is one piece of cane I have brought for you ". Unable to restrain her anger,

she seized the piece of cane from Tukaram and hit his legs with it. The cane

broke into two, leaving one half in her hand. Tukaram laughed heartily and

said: " I was wondering on the way home how to divide the cane between you and

the children. I now have the answer. The cane left in your hand is your share.

The children can share the other half ". He felt happy at the way his wife had

distributed the cane equally to all.

This is the way devotees express the sense of equality towards all. (Swami

related an episode from the Mahabharatha relating to Draupadi’s forgiving,

attitude towards Aswatthama, who had killed her children in cold blood, and

described Socrates’s spirit of forbearance towards his wife as examples of how

the believers God show qualities of forbearance and forgiveness even in trying

circumstance

NO PLACE FOR ENVY

Sai Sevaks should cultivate a similar spirit of tolerance and serenity to be

able to render social service effectively. It is unbecoming of Sai

Organisations for anyone in them to bear ill will or envy towards others.  All

should behave as children of one mother. Consider that every one is

an embodiment of the Divine Atma. Only then you can render service with zeal

and vigor. Whatever may be one's wealth or position; in the sphere of service

he should regard himself as equal with everyone else. All should bear in mind

that wealth and position are not permanent. What is it that can be achieved

through these? You get what is destined for you and lose what you are fated to

lose.  Neither of these can be prevented by any subterfuges. Only the

grace of the Divine will remain forever.

Today we are having a conference of active workers. There are many who claim to

be rendering social service. But selfish motives are present even in the field

of service.  Such selfishness should not have any place in Sai Organisations.

The individual and the society are one. Whatever one does for society is also

good for him.  When service is done in that spirit the individual as well as

society derive benefit from it. It may not be easy to cultivate such a sense of

identity. But through persistent effort one can get over the sense of " mine "

and " thine “ and identify oneself with society at large. Once the will is

there, anything can be accomplished. The power of a person’s sankalpa

(resolution) will outlast him.

OFFERING TO GOD

All service should be regarded, as an offering to God and every opportunity to

serve should be welcomed as a gift from God. When service is done in this

spirit, it will lead in due course to Self-realisation.

It is this kind of selfless, spiritually oriented service that is needed today.

To a world riddled with conflict and chaos, this will provide a climate of

serene peace.  Regard yourselves as brothers in a family. But do not stop

there. Go beyond kinship to the realisation of Atmic unity. You have to march

from the Annamaya  (the physical) to Vijnanamaya (the Higher Wisdom) and on to

the state of Divine bliss (Anandamaya). Shed completely all selfishness and

self-interest and enter upon service activities as the highest purpose of life.

Service must become your life breath. You must become ideal sevaks and set an

example to the world.

*****

"The Divine manifestations of Sai are called Chamatkaara.  Every devotee should

try to understand the significance and the reason for these Chamatkaars

(miracles).  This particular phenomenon implies attraction and it is a Divine

quality based on the strength of the Atma. How is this quality to be used? It

has to be used for Samskara, which means for the transformation of human nature

into Divine nature. The intrinsically worthless human nature is subjected

to Samskara, so that it may change to invaluable Divine nature and the

Divine attraction or Chamatkaara is used for that purpose. This Samskara forms

the basis for Paropkaara. The path of Paropkaara or selfless service

and sacrifice for others in society, will ultimately lead

you to Sakshathkaram  (Self-realisation). The purpose of the Chamatkaara is to

lead you to the ultimate Reality. The four steps are Chamatkaara, Samskara,

Paropkaara and   Sakshathkaram. Therefore, this Chamatkaara is not an

exhibition but a Divine   manifestation with a Divine purpose which causes no

harm to the world."

-Baba