Thus Spake The Lord

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Thus Spake The Lord

 

 

 

Of the nine steps in spiritual saadhana, as laid down in the Bhakthi Suthras (aphorisms on devotion), leading to the realization of the Self, daasyam, or the attitude of a servant to do seva, is quite near the final goal; it is the eighth step. The study of texts, the renouncing of wealth in charity, the repetition of the Name or the chanting of psalms and hymns may be good exercises to sanctify the mind and to avoid falling into evil ways and ruinous pastimes, but they seldom purify the consciousness of man. Instead they serve mostly to bloat the ego and instill the pride and promote a competitive craving for superiority. You may be sitting in the bhajan hall and loudly singing in chorus, but your mind may get involved in anxiety about the pair of chappals (sandals) you have left outside the hall. Always at the back of mind there is fear of the loss of the chappals; this vitiates the bhajan and makes it a barren show.

 

The saadhana of seva is quite distinct. In seva you devote all your energy and attention to the task at hand, for it is a dedicated task. You forget the body and ignore its demands. You set aside your individuality and its prestige and perquisites. You pluck your ego by its roots and cast it away. You give up your status, conceit, your name and form and keep all chitta (thought) pure. Whatever the task you are performing, renounce your personal individuality and share its travails and troubles, its fruits and benefits, with God. You need not bring in God from somewhere outside you; He is in you, all the while. This truth must be your own discovery, your own treasure, your own strength. This is the grand purpose of the Seva Dal. That is the reason why the Seva Dal is assigned a high place in the Sathya Sai Organization.

 

 

Reference: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. XIII, Chapter 29.