Work
done with no concern or desire for the profit therefrom, purely out of love or
from
a sense
of duty, is Yoga. Such yoga destroys the animal nature of man and transforms
him into a divine being. Serve others, visualising them as kindred Atmas. That
will help one to progress; it will save one from sliding down from the
spiritual stage attained. Service (Seva) is far more salutary than even
vows and worship (Puja). Service disintegrates the selfishness latent in you;
it opens the heart wide; it makes the heart blossom. So, work done with no
desire is the supreme ideal for man; and when the mansion of his life is built
on that foundation, through the subtle influence of this basis of Nishkama
Seva (selfless service), virtues will gather unto him.
Whoever
assigns his wealth, strength, intellect and devotion towards the promotion of
the progress of mankind is to be considered as a person who is to be revered.
They
are
those who are born for a noble purpose, who are observing the holy vow of
service, unsullied by thoughts of self.
Prompted
by the urge to advance the progress of others, when a person dedicates his
wealth, skill and intelligence, his position and status, he becomes truly
great. Such a one is the purposeful seer for the world. He fulfils unfailingly
the vow of selfless service. He who is conscious of his basic duties and
obligations and spends his days in carrying them out in practice will be in
supreme peace, wherever he may be. Through his influence, his neighbourhood,
too, will share that peace. Vidya impels man to pour into the sacrificial fire
one’s narrow ego and foster in its place universal Love, which is the
foundational base for the superstructure of spiritual victory. Love which knows
no limits purifies and sanctifies the mind. Let the thoughts centre around God,
the feelings
and
emotions be holy and acts and activities be the expression of selfless service.
Let the mind, the heart and the hand be thus saturated in good. Vidya has to
take up
this
task of sublimation. It must first instil the secret of service. Service
rendered to another has to confer full joy in all ways. Vidya must emphasise
that in the name of seva or service, no harm, pain or grief should be inflicted
on another.
While
rendering seva, the attitude of its being done for one’s own satisfaction
should not tarnish it. It has to be rendered as an essential part of the
process of living itself.
This is
the real core of Vidya. As brick and mortar are to a house that is being built,
the activity of seva needs the Vidya that can strengthen our resolve to purify
our thought, word and deed in order to carry out our duties. Vidya such as this
is the key to the country’s progress. What exactly is the secret of ensuring
peace and prosperity for mankind? Rendering service to others without expecting
service from them in return. Karma or activity which binds is a huge
fast-growing tree. The axe that can cut the roots of this tree is this: Doing
every act as an act of worship to glorify the Lord. This is the real yajna, the
most important ritual. This sacrifice promotes and confers Brahma Vidya.
Note that the yearning to do seva must flow in every nerve of the body,
penetrate every bone and activate every cell. Those who engage themselves in
spiritual Sadhana
must
have mastered this attitude towards seva. Seva is the blossom of Prema, a
flower that fills the mind with rapture. Harmlessness is the fragrance of that flower.
Let even your little acts be redolent with compassion and reverence. Be assured
that your character would thereby shine greatly. The highest happiness is
contentment. Where
there
is no harshness, there holiness will thrive and virtue will flourish. Where
greed exists, vice will breed thick. One must completely destroy the urge to
live an isolated life, like a lone bull. Do not entertain such a wish even in
dreams.
Vidya
instructs you to remember yourself first. After transforming yourself, try to
reform others. That is the advice offered by Vidya. The delusive attachment to
the objective
world
can be uprooted by means of selfless service rendered as worship to the Lord.
Devotion to the Motherland, love of the Motherland, these are to be reckoned as
far less than love and devotion towards all mankind. Genuine Bhakthi is characterised
by love for all, at all times, everywhere. Your nature is revealed by your
acts, your gestures,
your
looks, your speech, your feeding habits, your dress, your gait. Therefore, pay
attention to ensure that your speech, your movements, your thoughts, your
behaviour are all right and full of love, sathwic, and devoid of
wildness and waywardness.
You
have to develop the humility to believe that you have much good to learn from
others. Your enthusiasm, your strong ambition, your resolution, your capacity
to work, your store of knowledge, your wisdom—these have to be related to all
others and not utilised for you alone. Your heart should take all others in.
Your thoughts too should be
patterned
on those broad lines. Eating food is a holy ritual, a yajna. It should not be performed
during moments of anxiety or emotional tension. Food has to be considered as
medicine for the illness of hunger and as the sustenance of life. Treat each
trouble you encounter as a fortunate opportunity to develop your strength of
mind, and to toughen you with greater hardihood. The characteristic of Nature
is “to manifest as
manifold.”
The characteristic of the Divine is “to absorb into unity.” So, whoever
dislikes or hates another or demeans and denigrates another is indeed a fool;
for, he is thereby
disliking,
hating, demeaning or denigrating only himself! Only he is unaware of this
truth. Vidya instructs man to establish himself in this Truth and demonstrates
the underlying Divinity. In the garden of the Heart, one must plant and foster the
Rose of Divinity, the Jasmine of Humility, and Generosity as the Champak. In
the medicine chest of each student, one must keep in readiness tablets of
discrimination, drops of self-control, and three powders: faith, devotion and
patience. By the use of these drugs, he can escape the serious illness called
ignorance (Ajnana).
There
are many destructive forces in the world. But, luckily, there are also, along
with them, constructive forces. Students of Vidya should not turn into
worshippers of bombs and yantras (machines). They must transform themselves
into active persons worshipping Madhava (God) and Manthras. Authority and power
are powerful intoxicants. They pollute and poison man until he is destroyed.
They breed misfortune. But, Vidya will confer on them fullness and fortune.
( Taken
from Swami’s Discourses complied in the book Vidya Vahini )
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