Passage 18

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In plain words

We must grow into a sacred, broad heart. As broad as the world and the ocean are, so broad you must grow your heart too. But if, instead, you say, ‘We have made the offering to God,’ and keep this narrow mind, what is the use? So you must try to grow into a broad heart. You must give no room at all to these worldly desires. You must give room for divine, splendid, ever-new desires to grow. You must do service fit for the welfare of the world. You must set about making ‘May all the worlds be happy’ come true. Only then will your sādhana be the right sādhana. There are so many devotees in the world. Why should so many hardships come into the world? This is not the right Bhakti. This Bhakti must be Bhakti that is wholly offered. Without this offering, you are getting caught up in worship. Offering is far more important than worship. Only then will you and God become one. This spiritual principle of the feet is that very divine principle by which the jīva and God attain oneness. So in every single matter you must keep the welfare of the world in view, long for the well-being of society, and enquire, ‘What service does this society need from me?’

"Duty, Devotion, Discipline"

Students! You too must not enquire with a job in view, ‘If I study which course, which job will I get?’ ‘How should I be of help to this society? What is it that society needs from me?’ This is what you must keep thinking about. Only then will you become uplifters of the nation. You will become those who long for the nation's well-being. Along with the welfare of the nation, the welfare of your family too will grow. So you must develop in yourselves the feeling that you were born to uplift the nation. What did you study all this for? All this study must be for the uplift of the nation. But today they study. Where they are forgetting it, who knows?