Talks Excerpt 455. Swamiji says ‘If the message seems like it’s for you, it is!’ And don’t expect even a ‘thank you’ for your selfless seva.

From Mother Radha’s recordings of Swamiji.

Once a learned man went to [Sri Adi] Shankaracharya and said, ‘Maharaj, you are so holy, and we householders [Grihasthas] are suffering in the villages and the towns. Please come and speak to us about truth. By your grace we will make progress and people will be comforted.’ The first time the man asked, Maharaj kept quiet. The second time again Maharaj kept quiet. The third time the man asked, Shankaracharya said, ‘Why should I come there? What for? There are a lot of other people preaching truth.’ The man said, ‘No, please, you must come.’

Shankaracharya then asked, ‘By my coming what will the people do?’ The man said, ‘They will do what you say.’ Shankaracharya asked, ‘Do you know what is truth and what is untruth?’ ‘Yes,’ replied the man. Shankaracharya then asked: ‘Tell me, did you utter an untruth at any time?’ The man just put his head down.

That is truthfulness. The man was so truthful that he knew that what Shankaracharya was saying was applicable to him. So whatever I say, and if it comes direct to you, it’s for you.

Devotee: Swamiji, what does ‘serving selflessly’ mean? Swamiji: Firstly, to see the ‘servant’ power we must look at Hanumanji’s example. He is the Eternal Servant of the Eternal Lord, humility personified. His humility was not a worm-like [grovelling] thing. It wasn’t like that with Hanumanji. He prostrated to Sri Rama in everyone. Hanumanji never gave up his principle.

So, ‘serving selflessly’ means you are the servant of God Himself. Thus you go into it deeper, and willingly do it. That means the serving power, [seva] the servant power, is awakened in you. When you serve, you must want nothing in return. Not even a ‘thank you’.

Bhakti means love or devotion for God. Bhava means deep, intense, irreversible feeling for God Himself. And when bhakti matures it becomes prema.

The free-to-read or download, 396-page Flipbook version of Swamiji’s biography is available by clicking HERE. If you’d prefer the PDF version, please click HERE.

These recordings or the excerpts from them, were made from the early 1970s onward, by Mother Radha, a close devotee of Swamiji’s and edited for uploading here by our gurubhai and her son, Brother Tim. Please be mindful that what Swamiji was saying may have been specific to an individual or a group of people with him, at the time.