Podcast details
Seva
Selfless service purifies consciousness and is the essence of spiritual success.
Karma yogis who serve with love gain more benefit than mere intellectual understanding. In a story, when students chose seva, Krishna waited and took the remaining task of clearing the used leaves, stating it held the most benefit. Another account describes a disciple's exhaustive daily service to his guru, sometimes feeling tired. When offered any boon, the disciple asked only for the guru's service in every life, a wish granted though the guru remarked he could have asked for more. Service must come from the heart; refusal can mean never being asked again. Serving all is service to the divine.
"Whoever does seva, whoever has a consciousness of seva, purifies their consciousness more quickly."
"If you want to give me something, then give me in every life your seva."
Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic
This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.
The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:
- Yoga in Daily Life - The System
Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda. Ibera Verlag, Vienna, 2000. ISBN 978-3-85052-000-3 - The Hidden Power in Humans - Chakras and Kundalini
Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda. Ibera Verlag, Vienna, 2004. ISBN 978-3-85052-197-0 - Lila Amrit - The Divine Life of Sri Mahaprabhuji
Paramhans Swami Madhavananda. Int. Sri Deep Madhavananda Ashram Fellowship, Vienna, 1998. ISBN 3-85052-104-4
