Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s 83rd birthday falls today:

Service brings mankind closer to one another

by Dr. Vasantha Jayasuriya Chairperson Suriya Foundation

Look about for chance to relive, rescue or resuscitate. Train yourselves that you may render help quickly and well. Seva is the most paying form of austerity, the most satisfying and the most pleasurable! It springs out of love and it scatters love in profusion. It plants a seed on stone and is delighted to see it sprout! Plant it with love, and the seed will discover love inside the stone and draw sustenance therefrom.

It is the inner joy, the love that you radiate that is important. Mere sentiments and sympathy are of no use, they must be regulated by intelligence shown, cheer on the sad; smooth those that have lost the way; close your eyes to the faults of others, but keep them open to discover your own. All these are hard jobs. Practice alone can make you perfect, practice not only in item of service, but in meditation of the divine. This will render you more efficient in the field of service.

There are four types of Seva as per great Saint Philosopher Vivekananda, Spiritual Seva to Impart spiritual knowledge to others, to make another person stand on his legs eg. employment to the needy, to help the sick, and to give food to the hungry.

Bhagawan says “My life is my message”

Rendering help to the needy, doing seva according to convenience, need and necessity of the needy, expecting nothing in return, “Nishkama Seva”, forgetting the ego when you realise the improvement you have gained after doing Seva, doing a continuance process of Seva, are the main objects of correct way of doing Seva. Seva must be directed towards the removal of physical distress, the alleviation of mental agony and the fulfilment of spiritual yearning.

The first lesson in Seva has to be learnt in the family circle itself says Baba. Father, mother, brothers, and sisters in this limited group which is well knit, one must engage in loving service and prepare for the wider Seva that awaits outside the home. The character of each individual member determines the peace and prosperity of the family; the character of each family is the basic factor that decides the happiness and joy of the village and the community. And the nation’s progress is based on the strength and happiness of the communities which are its components. So for the welfare of the country and of the entire world, the spirit of service, vital enthusiasm, constructive imagination, pure motivation and unselfish alertness are all urgently needed.

Work is worship

Baba says, “Man alone is capable of Seva, that is his special glory, unique skill. When you go into the qualifications needed for Seva, a pure heart uncontaminated by conceit, greed, envy, hatred or competition is essential. Seva is the worship you offer “Duty is God. Work is worship”. Seva is more fruitful than prayer beads, meditation, sacrifice. Man alone has the quality of sympathy. He alone can be happy when others are happy and miserable when others are miserable. Man alone is capable of Seva that is his special glory, unique skill. Serve with love, intelligence, humility and efficiency. The real value of Seva is it reforms you, reshapes you.

“Do not serve for the sake of reward, attracting attention or earning gratitude or from a sense of pride at your own superiority in skill, wealth, status or authority, Serve because you are urged by love. It is spiritual discipline and mental cleaning. Look for chances to relieve, rescue and resuscitate. Train yourselves that you may render help quickly and well. Seva is the most paying form of austerity, the most satisfying and the most pleasurable. It springs out of love andit scatters Love in profusion. It plants a seed on stone and is delighted to see it sprout. Plant it with Love the seed will discover, Love inside the stone and draw sustenance therefrom.

Shower cheer on the sad. Soothe those that have lost the way. Close your eyes to fault of others, but keep them open to discover your own. All these are hard jobs. Practise alone can make you perfect. Prayer beads and meditation will render you more and more efficient in the field of service. The practices of Seva will cleanse the mind and sharpen concentration. Without vigilance and intelligence service cannot be fruitful. Each little detail has to be attended to. Let love be ever translated into Seva, into beneficial acts, sweet words of consolation, comfort, and courage and thought of sympathy and compassion.

Service brings human beings closer to one another and promotes affection and friendship. Without this friendship and feeling of love for one’s fellowmen, one cannot attach intimacy with the Lord. One can cross the cycle of births and deaths by performing Seva. In order to evolve oneself into a balanced individual service is an essential quality. The ideal of service has the good quality of removing ego in man. It promotes love and affection. It takes him away from the aspect of worldly attachments and puts him on the path to the divine. It can give widespread pleasures and bliss for the entire mankind. If one who understands the spirit of service becomes a leader, that leader with always retain and enjoy his leadership throughout service.

Man is born in the society. He lives in the society. He glows affluent by serving the society. Under these circumstances if man becomes distant from society, he will be distant from everything. The child will cry for mother milk and therefore the child will have to serve, respect and follow the mother. He can flourish and thrive that way. In the same way we should regard the country as the mother of all citizens. This is the divine mother and we should serve this divine mother. Through service we should be able to fulfil the purpose of our life.

It is only by work and by keeping our surroundings clean that you can do service. You can do service by your words as well. With a good word you can soothe their hearts and by doing good deeds you can soothe their minds.

We should shape our lives according to our decisions and irrespective of what others think about us. Only a sevak can grow into a leader, serve and thereby gain the position of a leader. During our lives we have to accept help rendered by many thousands. We have to pay back the debt by helping at least as many as we can. With a generous keenness or readiness to serve others, you can be happy in any group or community. Derive bliss through Seva done with no desire to gain anything therefrom. When you get a chance to help someone, rejoice at your good fortune. The very eagerness to serve others will endow you with power and skill necessary for the required service, service to man is service to God.

Evil of ego

Service helps us uproot the egoism that burdens us. The evil of ego brings about the fall of man. When egoism is absent, the self shines in its splendour.

The self is Bliss, it is Beauty and Wisdom but we allow it to be tarnished by the ego. Engage in humble service and egoism will fade away.

Religion is three fourths character. No person can claim to be religious, if he merely observes the rules and fails to be upright and compassionate. Character alone can harden one to the blows of pain and pleasure. You should yearn for the chance to console, comfort, encourage, heal, help someone looking for it. See yourself in him, feel his joy to be yours, his sorrow to be yours.

Avatar has to come as man among men and move as a friend, well-wisher, kinsman, guide, teacher, healer and participate among men.

He has come to restore righteousness. Act as so that your career as a human is not degraded, desecrated.

Seva is the primary means through which the heart is purified. Service saves you from the agony you get when another suffer, it broadens your vision, widens your awareness, deepens your compassion.

Plant the seeds of Love in your hearts.

Let them grow into trees of service,

And shower the sweet fruit of Bliss.

Share the bliss with all.