(Service in the villages by students and teachers of Baba’s Educational Institutions – launched on 30th October 2000-- A tragic event was reported in the columns of a newspaper had caused agony to His heart- Unable to bear dire poverty and starvation, a poor mother in a remote village had killed herself and her two little children by poisoning. When Baba referred to that incident, tears welled up in His eyes and His voice choked. His ‘forbearing heart’was not prepared to forgive. His bleeding heart erupted in righteous anger) — ‘How could this happen in the sacred country of Bharat, the Punyabhumi, Tyaga bhumi and Yoga bhumi! Have the springs of Compassion in the hearts of Indians dried up so copletely to let a hapless mother and her children die for want of a few morsels of food? ‘ (It was an outburst of the Avatar’s compassion) (SSSm Vol.7, pp. 259-260)
Grama Seva Is Rama Seva
The body is not primary. What is important is the Indwelling Spirit. Keeping the goal of self-realisation in view, you must engage yourselves in service till the destination is reached. Selfless, dedicated, pure hearted service is the means. When the entire life is devoted to this purpose, direct experience of the Divine can take place. Eschew as far as possible attachments and aversions. Every effort must be made to keep the mind and body unpolluted.
Know, oh man, Grama Seva is Rama Seva!
When love overflows it is Rama Rajya.
There is no progress without Love
Without Service there is no hope for man.
It is through service that man can expect to redeem his life. He is not a man at all who has no kindness and love in him. The path to Self-realisation lies through Love and Service. Cultivation of love is the first step. Faith is the basis for Love. When Faith and Love are combined Peace is attained. And in that Peace resides Truth. Truth reveals the power of Tyaga (sacrifice), which alone holds the key to immortality.
Self-confidence is the basis of faith. How can a man who is not sure about his own future over the next few days, have faith in God? Only the man who has faith in himself can have faith in God. Nara (man) is Narayana and Narayana is Nara. Love is the link that binds the two. With love as the motive force and seva as the means, the aspirant should seek to attain the supreme goal of life.
You have participated in many conferences, but what have you accomplished thereby? Without putting into practice the decision taken, what is the use of endless debates and long resolutions? Conferences of such a nature are a sheer waste of time and money. You must try to implement at least one or two of the decisions. There is no use in listening to talks if you do not make use of knowledge gained from them after you go out from the Conference.
Nowadays even avowedly spiritual organisations are involved in business. Sathya Sai organisations should never become such commercial institutions. The only kind of commerce in which they can indulge is: from heart to heart, from love to love. It is in such a sublime exchange that they should take part. They should have no financial or other material involvement. Organisations which get entangled in money or property do not grow. We should be concerned with genuine, God-oriented, heart-to-heart association. Seva must be done hand in hand in comradeship. This will demonstrate the unity of the Cosmic Being. The heart does not blossom out through the mere study of books or by listening to discourses. It is only the cultivation of love that breaks the knots binding the heart. One who does no service himself has no right to call upon others to serve. The right to speak has to be earned by doing service. Seva must be regarded as sadhana and service rendered to any one must be looked upon as service to God. To develop such an attitude of spontaneous love towards those whom one serves should be the primary aim of Sai organisations.
If there is no spirit of sacrifice in the Bhajan or meditation you do, however earnestly you may do it, it becomes a self-interested exercise. There is self interest in seeking one’s Moksha (salvation). To seek only your future is equally selfish. To be concerned about your own ananda (bliss) is also selfishness. Only the man who gives up his self-interest and regards the happiness of others as his own and devotes himself to their well-being, is a truly selfless person. The Lord will love only those who love others. If you seek to win the Lord’s Love, you must have to love others. You cannot win the love of others if you do not love them. Without worrying about what has happened in the past and without concern for the future, strive to make the best use of the present by cultivating love and doing service. (SSS Vol.18, pp. 134-137)