In plain words
Is selfishness a human quality? No, no. These are the marks of beasts. Today we take these marks of beasts for human qualities, and pass as current coin.
There are many people in the world who do every karma for the pleasure of God, without the feeling of ‘I’ and without the attachment of ‘mine’, and who live that renunciation. To think there are none is a delusion. Where there are ten bad people, there will be at least one good man among them. Among ten good people there will be at least one who holds God dear. Among ten who hold God dear there will be at least one who follows it in practice.
He has sent the vessel called the body into the world, the field of karma, for some purpose. Think it over well. When there is a wedding at home, we fetch vessels to cook in from the house of some wealthy family. In what state do we hand these vessels back to the owner? One who spoils the vessels he fetched and hands them back is the lowest. One who uses the vessel he fetched, cleans it and hands it back just as it was is the middling one. But one who, having used them, thinks, ‘Thanks to that owner my function went off well,’ scours the vessels thoroughly, has them tinned, makes them clean and gives them back is the best. Consider how low a state it is to bring the vessel called the body for the welfare of this world, spoil it, and give it to God. At the time of coming, this vessel is perfectly steady, spotless and without fault. This vessel came with no holes pierced in it by kāma, krodha, lobha, moha, mada or mātsarya. Having brought it, in it a hole called kāma, a hole called krodha, a hole called hatred… If we knock in so many holes and offer this vessel back to the Paramātma, is that proper courtesy? So, having given it a coat of the tin called spirituality and made it pure by that: ‘Lord! Swami! The vessel You gave, with no hole of any hatred, any envy or any Ahaṅkāra, I hand back to You pure’ — the one who offers up his life with these words is the best.
Only when the Sathya Sai institutions strive to do service free of Ahaṅkāra, free of self-interest and full of Prema will our institutions fulfil their purpose. Setting up these institutions is not for name and fame, nor for posts of authority.