Practise what you preach

17 November 1985, Prasanthi Nilayam

Professor Kasturi's English.

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THE quest for God does not mean doing , worship and the like. These are merely means for achieving mental concentration and subduing desires and aversions. Why cry out, asking: "Where is God?" He resides in the heart. Offer service and receive Love. Thereby experience the bliss of Self-realisation.

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In the land of two great streams of Higher Wisdom have been flowing from ancient times. One is Vedic wisdom. In this, the (rituals) is primary. It has its origin in . The receded the Vedic intimations and propagated their message. The second stream is the scriptural heritage of the . In this Duty is paramount. The acquired them and spread their message. Both these streams are of equal validity.

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The goal of is and for , is the base. To combine the two in practice constitutes . Through right conduct, the mind is purified and a pure mind leads to Atmic bliss. Hence, the duties that are enjoined on one have to be discharged. The foremost duty of man is to do good deeds with a pure heart. There should, however, be no egoistic feeling. "I have done these good deeds." It is not right to entertain the slightest desire for enjoying the fruits of these actions. Egoism and desire are the cause of bondage to . Desire is the barrier between the pure mind and devotion to the Self. To regard the performance of right action as one's duty and to eschew egoism in one's conduct and desire in one's motives is real sacrifice.

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True meaning of teaches how actions should be performed. It enjoins duty for duty's sake. "" ( is excellence in action). It enables man to recognise the image of the Divine in him. Righteous action and control of the senses are essential for the cultivation of universal love and goodness. It is the foundation for the good life.

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Not all realise the true meaning of . Many look down upon acts like cleaning of streets, relief to the sick, feeding the hungry, and service to the poor and the destitute as undignified. This is a grievous mistake. The supreme Lord of the three worlds, Himself when He came down to proclaim the divine destiny of man, rendered service to beasts and birds. He tended horses and cows with love. In the great war, disinclined to wield the sword, He was content to figure as a mere charioteer. He made known thereby the ideal of selfless service.

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Service to the society is the highest good The underlying truth of is the demonstration of the unity that subsumes the diversity in the universe. (desireless action) demonstrates and promotes the Love principle. There is no greater spiritual than service. The tendency to distinguish between the spiritual path, the path of service and the path of knowledge and regard them as separate is wrong. The three are not distinct; they are one. (service) is spiritual knowledge. is the primary means to acquire Divine Grace. Without being a devoted follower you cannot become a worthy leader. Without being a (one who is ready to do any work) you cannot become a (The Divine). Each one has to realise this truth. Service to society is the highest good. It adds to the joy of life and enhances its savour like salt.

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Universal love sweetens life like nourishing food. The joy of giving makes life blissful. The (meditation) that is sustained by life is the real lifebreath. Life requires four elements. (sweetness), (strength), (fragrance) and (vital breath). The unity of these four makes up the human entity. When you sit down for a meal, if there is no salt in the , you keep it aside. If that is the case, should not there be some sweetness and taste in a life led for sixty or seventy years? What is it that gives savour to human existence? Good qualities alone impart savour to life. Good conduct alone is the right source of strength to a man. A man without good conduct becomes a weak and pitiable creature. Again, good qualities like forbearance and sacrifice lend fragrance to the life of a man. Without good qualities, righteous actions and the attitudes of forbearance and sacrifice, life is worth nothing.

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The Light of 's philosophy does not lie in encouraging devotees to sit in a comer, control their breath and go on uttering, "! ! !"

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"Oh, ! Arise! gird up your loins! Plunge into social service!" This is the message. No room should be given for laziness and indifference. Controlling your senses you should take to social service. A life not dedicated to service is like a dark temple. It is the abode of evil spirits. Only the light of can illumine the spiritual aspirant.

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Therefore embark upon service to your fellow men without any expectation of reward. Do not waste your time in profitless talk. Of what avail is it to mouth expressions such as: the Lord is All-knowing, Omnipresent and Omnipotent? You clap your hands when these epithets are used, delving pleasure from simply hearing them. How many act according to the word they speak? There must be harmony between what is-said and what is done. All spiritual exercises like and are efforts to control the mind and prepare it for the journey to the Divine. Knowing the way is not enough. The path must be traversed to reach the destination. That journey is service to the society. This service must be done with the awareness that the Divine dwells in every heart, in every individual and in every living thing.

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In the tradition one of the beautiful names of is "" - the Self is the indweller in all 1iving beings. To worship this Supreme Self residing in all beings and to experience this Self no separate temple or shrine is necessary. The body is verily the temple of God. The eternal Self resides in this temple of the body as the Divine that sustains the individual (self). Forgetting this truth men beautify only the temple and are concerned only about its external appearance. They do not consider the basic Divine Indweller who sustains everything.

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is The body is not primary. What is important is the Indwelling Spirit. Keeping the goal of selfrealisation in view, you must engage yourselves in service till the destination is reached. Selfless, dedicated, purehearted service is the means. When the entre 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.

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Know, oh man, is ! When love overflows it is There is no progress without Love Without Service there is no hope for man.

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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 (sacrifice), which alone holds the key to immorality.

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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. (man) is and is . Love is the link that binds the two. With love as the motive force and as the means, the aspirant should seek to attain the supreme goal of life.

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Nowadays even avowedly spiritual organisations are involved in business. 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. 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. must be regarded as 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 organisations.

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Selfless Service 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 (salvation). To seek only your future is equally selfish. To be concerned about your own (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.

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Experience divinity through Hence, avail yourself of the golden opportunity that has come to you now, without misusing it, and redeem your lives by engaging in service. Through you can experience dignity and inexpressible bliss. You can be an ideal to others.

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, and are in us like the (five vital airs). We think that the five (, , , and ) are protecting this body. But it is Truth, Right Conduct, Love, Peace and Non-violence which give real happiness to the body. These are the real . In no circumstances should these five vital principles be departed from or given up. Render service to society with these principles in your mind and with broad-minded dedication to the well-being of all. That alone will please . rejoices when is done. All that does or says is . By acting according to what says and does, I hope you will delve the joy of the Self.

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has said: "If you cannot do what you talk about, that is sin. To do what you say is purity." Remember the significance of these two statements and carry on your work in a spirit of dedication. Remember that world welfare and peace cannot be achieved without selfless service to mankind.