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The Primacy of Selfless Service

A discourse on the principle and power of selfless service (Seva).

"Gurujī often said in his lectures that if you put Mokṣa on one side of a scale and Seva on the other, the side with Seva would be heavier."

"Whoever can perform sevā achieves everything."

The speaker explains the primacy of Seva Dharma over other spiritual paths, describing it as the accessible practice of Karma Yoga. Using the metaphor of a millstone representing the interplay of Brahma and Māyā, he teaches that taking refuge in the Guru allows one to remain whole. The talk covers the purpose of divine incarnations, a future Kalī Avatāra, and concludes that the attitude of selfless service is paramount.

Āshrams should always operate through the service of volunteers. In India, we have many large āshrams that were established and run by the voluntary service of disciples, and they continue to be run by volunteers to this day. In many āshrams, there is even a waiting list for people who wish to come and serve. Why is this? It is because of the power of Seva. Gurujī spoke of this many times in his satsaṅg. The principle of Seva Dharma is greater. Seva dharma je větší. Dharma means the fundamental principle, the religion, the obligation. Dharma is what one accepts and integrates into one's own life to progress toward Self-realization. There are many different techniques of yoga: Rāja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jñāna Yoga, Kriyā Yoga, Nāda Yoga, Mantra Yoga—many, many paths. But what is easier is Karma Yoga. Karma Yoga means that one does their best to work for others—physically, intellectually, or socially. Everyone has different abilities, and according to that ability, one helps. "Socially" can also mean politically or economically. Thus, there are many, many ways to perform Seva. The ultimate aim is Mokṣa, liberation. We wish to be freed from the chain of rebirth and death. Gurujī often said in his lectures that if you put Mokṣa on one side of a scale and Seva on the other, the side with Seva would be heavier. So God Himself, from the Brahmalokas, from the realm of Mokṣa, comes to this world to act. There have been 24 incarnations of God. The 24th will be the Kalī Avatāra, which will incarnate in this Kalī Yuga. At that time, all political systems will change, all negative activities will change, all torture of animals will change. All negative activities like wars will also end, for nothing is impossible for God. The change will come in such a way that suddenly the pure souls will find relaxation. They will realize peace and happiness. This planet will be cleansed of all negativities. This is the meaning of the Kalī Avatāra, the incarnation for the Kalī Yuga. Incarnation takes place often. Every holy saint is an incarnation, but their work is limited. The work of the Kalī Avatāra will encompass the entire planet, like the wind that blows through the whole world. This will come to pass. And, of course, many will perish in that process due to their karmas. Do not think God is cruel. God is not cruel. The cruel ones are the people themselves—through their thinking, their negative activities, their greed, jealousy, hatred, differences, and discriminations. What people harbor in their minds is what will destroy them. There is a beautiful poem by the holy saint Kabīr Dās. He was going for alms and saw a woman grinding wheat for a meal. This involves two millstones, one stationary and one rotating, between which grains like wheat or corn are ground. When Kabīr Dās saw this, he began to cry. Someone asked him, "Why do you cry?" He said, "I cry because between these two stone plates, nothing remains complete." Protože mezi těma dvěma mlýnskými kameny nezůstane nic celé. Všechno, co se dostane mezi ně, tak bude semleto, nic nezůstane úplné. I když tam bude nějaký mol, tak i tohoto semele. Kabīr Dās cried because between the two plates, nothing remained whole. These two plates represent Māyā and Brahma. Māyā is these worldly things, and Brahma is the Supreme. And who comes between them? All these creatures pass through and are crushed. But his master said, "No, no, no, no. It is not like this. There is that which remains complete." These two plates have a hole. From the lower plate, a wooden peg protrudes, and upon this peg, the upper plate is balanced. If you want fine wheat flour, you tighten the mechanism and the stones come closer together. If you want to grind coarsely, you loosen it a little; the stones move slightly apart and grind coarsely. Když chcete mít opravdu jemnou mouku, tak to utáhnete a ty kameny se k sobě přiblíží. A když chcete mlít jenom na hrubou, hrubou mouku, tak ty kameny trošku povolíte, oni se oddálí od sebe trochu a mele to na hrubo. People today have lost this knowledge. The women don't know anything; the men, of course, lost it long ago. We have lost these beautiful, simple things. That stone grinder was long-lasting, used for generations. Now you buy something this year, and next year it is broken. This world is not sustainable anymore. The master told the disciple that the grains which fall near this wooden peg or hook remain whole. Because there is a kind of small hollow there, these grains have no chance to slide between the stones. So Brahmā and Māyā, Brahman and Māyā, are the two stones rubbing together, and Gurudev is that hook between them. Whoever seeks refuge in the Gurudev, whoever takes shelter, will remain complete. Thus, from Brahmaloka, the incarnation also comes to perform sevā. And whoever does sevā is always nearer to that hook. Whoever does not do sevā runs away crestfallen. But you cannot do sevā unless you have dedication; you need dedication. Consider, for example, the medical system. When someone studies medicine, they are not taught how to earn money. In the entire five- or six-year course, nothing in the curriculum is written about how to earn money, only about how to help. Therefore, a doctor should not make any kind of discrimination based on race, color, age, or gender, clean or not clean. If a doctor makes these differences, then he or she will lose that fine art of sevā. Therefore, the attitude of sevā, sevā bhāva, is the greater. Whoever can perform sevā achieves everything.

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:

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