1st July, 1998
Chapter 2 - The Path To The Goal That Is You
Day 70 - Seva
Our first and foremost commitment in the world is to do seva, or service. If there is fear in your life, it is because of a lack of commitment. The very thought, “I’m here in this world to do seva”, dissolves the “I” and when the “I” dissolves, worries dissolve. Seva is not something you do out of convenience or for pleasure.
The ultimate purpose of life is to be of service. An uncommitted mind is miserable. A committed mind may at times experience rough weather but it will reap the fruits of its toil. When you make service your sole purpose in life, it eliminates fear, brings focus in your mind and purposefulness, action and long-term joy-and may be short- term problems.
Poor people fight for food. Rich people share their food. Richer are those who share power. Richer still are those who share fame. Richest of all are those who share them selves. The richness of a person is indicated by his ability to share and not by what he hoards. What does success mean?
There is no question of success if you have nothing to gain. There is nothing to gain if you have come only to give and serve. Success indicates non-supremacy. It indicates that there is a chance of failure. If something is supreme, there is nothing to lose.
People running after success only exhibit their limitations. Success means crossing a limit. To cross a limit you need to assume that you have a limit. Assuming a limit is underestimating yourself. If you have no boundaries, then where is your success? If you have limitless access, then there is no success.
You do not say that you successfully drank a glass of water, because it is well within your capabilities but when you do something that is beyond your perceived limits, you claim success. When you realise your unboundedness, then no action is an achievement.
Anyone who claims to be successful only reveals his limitation. If you feel very successful, it means that you have underestimated yourself. All your gains can only be smaller than you. Taking pride in any gains is belittling yourself.
Question - What if you feel that you are not serving successfully?
Gurudev - When you serve others, you may feel that you have not done enough but you will never feel that you have been unsuccessful. Real service is when you feel that you have not done enough.
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji, Celebrating Silence,
