he next night Bhai Sain Dass was still there when the Sindhi
came over. They continued their conversion as previously. The Sindhi said, “Honoured Sir, does the concept of service, to which you referred in great detail yesterday, also include charity and social service?”
The Bhai replied, “Yes, the concept of charity and social service are mentioned in the Sikh religion quite often, but we have two special terms for service. Service includes charity as well as social service but that is not all. All actions performed for others’ welfare are called service. But mostly the actions performed in the name of Service give a feeling of superiority, and one gets an illusion of being greater than other people. This impression inflates one’s ego in a very subtle way. The other concept of service is free from all illusions and leads to humility and dedication. Service enables the doer to free himself from all base thoughts. You might have seen that the people hesitate calling themselves dispensers of charity or working for the welfare of others, but one never feels, tired of calling himself the servant of people.”
“In the Sikh religion the concept of service is centred in. utmost humility. That is why it is said that the servant is happy in serving others because through service he has attained supreme bliss. He is to serve as if he had been so commanded by the Guru. A true Sikh is always pleased when asked by the Guru to do something. While doing service, one’s mind does not go astray and this also does not let him tickle his ego because while serving he is doing nothing but obeying the Guru. This way service done in the name of the Guru leads one towards God and enables him to subordinate his ego to God's
will. When the ego is controlled, it becomes easier to attain
spiritual bliss. So, dear friend, it must be clear to you now that the concept of service is far more ennobling than the concepts of charity and general welfare. In the Sikh society, service is given top priority and in service, humility rises above all other considerations. After humility comes love in the context of service, humility and love do not mean humility and love towards and recepient of the service; rather it means that one has to be humble and full of love for the Guru under whose command one is performing service. So, in this way, love for the Guru is the second most important consideration in the concept of service.”
The Sindhi said, “I have not been able to understand the concept of love in relation to service. Kindly explain your point a bit further.” The Bhai said, “By love for the Guru, I mean that while serving one acts in the name of the Guru. When you serve with the Guru in your mind, you do not claim any credit; on the contrary, you act as ordained by the Guru. In the’Sikh religion service is always performed in the name of the Guru and no credit is taken by anybody. While serving, if the Guru is in your mind and you Serve as if you are obeying the Guru oras if the Guru has ordained you to do so, and if your service pleases
the Guru, such service will not be for the needy person, rather
it shall be devoted to the Guru.”
| “Let us discuss the point from another aspect. Without love no service is possible or, the service does not bear fruit unless done with devotion or love. If you start taking the recepient of the service as an end, you will get involved and go astray but if you love and remain devoted to the Gum and serve the needy human beings, you will be fully devoted to the Guru. If you think that all that you do for others is not done for the sake of others, rather it is for the sake of the Guru and for seeking the blessings of the Guru and to please the Guru then your service will help the needy, but, you will remain devoted to the Guru. This approach has many benefits and it helps the seeker to avoid complications. First of all, when a person sets out to seek the Almighty, he can seek Him only if God wills him to seek. As he does not know whether god wills or not, so he
turns to the Guru to seek his blessings and spiritual light. God’s will is reflected in the Guru's blessings. To obey the Guru is our first and foremost duty and to be worthy ofhisloveisour highest achievement. Just suppose that the Guru asks us to fetch water from the well; how can we obey our Guru if we get involved in the water or the well?”
The Sindhi said, “The Guruis obeyed only if we fetch water as desired by the Guru.” The Bhaisaid, “Suppose we fetch water and in such an act if we find the Guru all around and consider ourselves lucky that we are obeying the Guru and focus our attention on the Guru, how noble and satisfying it would be!” The Sindhi could not help saying “Of course, such an act will make us tremendously happy and at the same time save us from being egoistic.” The Bhai was quick to point out, “That is right. So, while serving we should not get involved either in service or in the recepient of the service; rather we should keep ourselves tured to the Gurufor whose sake we are serving others. If we keep our mind in tune with the Guru, we shall save ourselves from the difficulties created by our ego. We shall save ourselves from the feelings of selfishness and keep ourselves near God, and find our mind tuned to the Almighty. Oftena man who serves others forgets his Guru and gets deeply involved in service. This attitude gives him the feeling of selfglorification. He starts thinking, ‘I serve others, I am useful to society,’ and from this he goes on to think, “The people are all praise for me because! serve them.’ Such a person is willing to _doeverything to avoid criticism by the people and he is willing to go to any length to earn their praise. This way such a person gets involved with the people. Instead of God, human beings become the focus of his attention. The real aim of service was to break the shackles of the ego, but by forgetting God he has created new shackles. The aim of service was to rise above criticism or praise, but he has involved himself he is only bargaining service for praise. He has become a trader. Every day affairs of life do not give peace of mind; but when service is done with an aim to earn others’ praise, where is the peace of mind? All the time such a person runs after praise. At times, to
please one person one has to displease another. In such a situation the mind of the seeker is always caught in a vicious circle. Naturally no one will call such a person happy. Had he kept the Guru in mind he would have faced no problem. He would have been completely unmindful of either praise or blame. He would have rather tried to do everything as his duty. In such a situation he would have found peace of mind and freedom from egoism.”
“Let us discuss this question from another point of view. If we do not keep the Guru in our mind while serving, often it happens that we become emotionally involved with one who needs our service. Often such a situation leads to disastrous results. Suppose you are helping or serving a poor helpless widow. And suppose that treatment is given to herinherillness and she recovers. Ifyou are serving her because of your devotion to the Guru, there is no problem. If you have forgotten your Guru and as a result of your service if the woman recovers, she praises you for your kindness and her praise pleases you; the more she praises you, the more you feel attached to her. This attachment increases and the increased attachment leads towards sin. Just imagine how the wrong concept of service corrupts this person. I know a large number of cases where the concerned person did not perform service with a genuine dedication to the Guru, and got involved with the recepient of the service. :
“Another important point is that service is alwaysrendered to the one who is facing some problem or crisis. In other words, service is rendered to a person who is not happy. One who is not facing any problem or one who is not unhappy does not need service. Let us think what creates problems and what makes people unhappy. A person faces problems and unhappiness because of his wrong acts. Wrong actions create two situations; sorrow and false desire. As you serve such a person, you go near the false desires and the sorrows. If the Guru is not cn your mind, you take pity on such a person. Pity makes you sympathetic. In other words you become mildnatured. In such a situation the sorrows and false desires of
the object of your service create an impression on your mind and you come under his influence. His influence compels you to behave in a certain manner. You go all out to serve him, but you return with a burden of his false desires and sorrows. Saint Kabir has said about such a situation:
Kabir, man takes upon his head the burden of other's sins: Let him realize that head is a difficult ascent.
Although you make no effort to get involved in the unhappiness of the person, nevertheless, his unhappiness creates an impression on your mind. This impression will make you sad and your mind will be burdened with his sadness. But on the other hand if you keep the Guru in your mind, sorrow will not touch your heart and you will remain unaffected.”
“Dear friend, such matters are not discussed casually. As you expressed a desire for the Nam I have told you that to live one’s life is completely different from living a life dedicated to God.” “Aseeker after spiritual life has to realize and understand the call of his spirit. Service is the panacea for the ailment. called egoism, but if the medicine is not taken properly, it acts as poison. When we express love, the heart of the giver and the seeker, communicate with each other and receive each others’ impressions. When you serve a man who has been ‘suffering because of his false desires, you exchange your peace of mind for his false desires. He recovers, but you become a patient. Therefore, it is necessary that we should always keep the idea of the Guru on our mind. With the Guru's name in your mind, then the object of your service will hold no attraction for you. Neither will you be influenced by his or her personality. This way the needy will benefit from your service and you will come closer to the Guru. The Guru’s name in your mind will keep you on the night track. [am not talking to you on my own; - Tam rather conveying to you the wish of the Guru. The Guru has enjoined upon his followers to go and serve the needy. But the service should be devoted to the Guru and with an aim to win his blessings and approval. The peace of mind earned through serving others should be dedicated to the Guru. Many
a time the Guru has said, ‘Iwas happy with your service on that day.’ Although in fact the service was done to another person, it was done with the Guru in mind. As the service was done in the Guru's name the Guru was pleased with the service.”
The Sindhi said, “That is true. Now | remember that while serving others I often used to lose temper, I used to be fed up, lused to feel proud of myself and often I became restless. Once I served an orphan child who was down with fever. I was very upset, but did not know the reason for my unhappiness. While serving the sick I myself fell sick many a time. Many a time when my service was returned with ingratitude [lostmy temper and quarrelled with the person.” To this the Bhai said, “Had you served with the Guru on your mind, you would have neither lost your temper nor suffered. Now, I think, it is amply clear to you how beneficial it is to serve others with the dedication of service to the Guru. This attitude saves us from various problems and countless complications. This attitude cleans our mind and keeps us directed towards the Guru and spiritual peace. Whether you material possessions, remember one thing, always keep the Guru in your mind. The Guru's face and name should inspire you the service. Though done to human beings, service should be devoted to the Guru. When your service bears fruit, dedicate it to the Guru and this way, you will realize how easily your problem, to so much involved in the discourse that he forgot that questions were not to be asked during discourses. The custom there was to ask individual questions after the discourse was over. He could make your point clear and easily comprehensible, but is it possible to serve one person and _ devote the attention to another person?” The Baba gave a hearty laugh and said, “My child, just think that punctually, but he does not consider himself our servant. His attention is always directed towards his boss, that is the post-master. He serves us, but he is devoted to the post-master. He serves us but he is paid by his employer.” The traveller said, “Wonderful, really wonderful. Kindly excuse me for the interruption and proceed with your discourse.” The Baba continued with the reading from the holy book.
The Sindhi said, “I am fully enjoying your discourse. You are great and greatness becomes of you. Kindly clear another doubt in my mind. You have said that one should serve others in the name of the Guru, as if commanded by the Guru and for winning the favour of the Guru; by doing this one’s mind remains tuned to God and one is elevated in one’s effort to seek spiritual bliss. Selfless service purifies one’s mind and its concentration will be directed towards God and this way one will feel no attraction for worldly things. You have said that if one is unable to give selfless service, instead of rising above the temptations which keep a man down and involved in transitory.things, the seeker may get lost in his infatuation for the recepient of the service. The selfish motives of service keep a man down. You have also said that the first step towards selfless service is to keep the Guru in mind while serving the needy. Now I wish to ask you most humbly whether serving food to an otherwise well-provided and satisfied person and to nurse an otherwise healthy person with the sole though that he has also been created by the same God, is also fraught with the same dangers as pointed out by you?”
The Bhai said, “That is real service. That is the highest form of service. No service is bad or harmful in itself, bad or harmful intentions make it so. My purpose was to make you aware of the importance of service for the seekers of truth and also to make you aware as to what is the right way to serve others. Letus come to your present question. The type of service to which you have referred is also based on the same principle but this matter has been treated a bit differently. When we serve a person knowing fully well that the recepient of our service is a lover of God and also that our real purpose is not to serve him, but to please our Guru, this service also leads us” closer to God. In the earlier example, by keeping God's name in our mind, we escaped the influences of the evil people, but here we have to be aware of the temptations of the good people. When a good person praises us, the praise pleases us, but it also tempts and corrupts us. The only feeling that we should
have while serving good people is the thought that these persons are the lovers of our Guru and that their kindness in accepting our service will take us nearer to the Guru. We should serve them food in the name of the Guru. In other words, the food is meant for the Guru, but it has to be routed through the | good persons, we should serve them as if we are serving the Guru through them. One should always think that one is serving the Guru and none else. If you serve a devotee of the Guru, with the thought of the Guru in your mind, and with the realization that the Guru is accepting your service, you will feel free from the shackless of the ego. But if you receive love from the recepient of your service, then the purity of his mind will elevate you. He loves God and by loving you he is in fact loving his Guru or God. In this case both the persons are serving each other. But in reality both are serving the Guru. Here too, the same principle works. Both have to be careful. Neither has to come down from the highest level of service. You are not to forget that in fact you are serving your Guru. Such great and good persons arte very rare. It is human nature to throw one’s own responsibilities on the shoulder of others. The result is that most people, unmindful of the reality start serving the self-styled ‘saints’ and the ‘holy’ persons. The result of serving those people is always full of disappointments. Suppose you serve a Self-styled saint who has forgotten the Guru's name and suppose that your purpose of serving him is to please him, you both are in fact, engaged in a relationship of mutual flattery. What you are doing is not service but bargaining. If you have lost the view of the guiding star which was to help you on your way to reach your destination, where will you reach? Will you not go astray? You both have forgotten the real purpose of service. The real saints are enjoined upon by God to help human beings in finding the right path. The seekers are commanded to serve those who help them in finding the right path. The seekers are to serve the saintly persons because it is through the prayers of the latter that they will achieve their goal. Butif the object of your service is not areal saint and if you do not have the right dedication, the whole affair will lose
spiritual purity and become a profession. Instead of love it will become a relationship of selfishness. Instead of friendship it will merely become a business relationship. The Guru has said, ‘I serve him who enlightens me about God.’ In other words, such service is performed to please God. The Guru has commanded his followers to serve humanity for seeking the blessings of the Almighty. The company of a pious man helps us in coming closer to the Guru and Guru helps us in coming closer to God.”
“Now let us consider once again the earlier question. | _ had said that any charity given without keeping the Guru in mind or any service done without dedication to the Guru is not desirable. Such service bears no fruit. Any person doing such service actually multiplies his problems and in fact serves the devil. You will understand the real meaning of this concept when you have God's name in your mind. For the time being the mostimportantthing foryouistounderstandthatallcharity . . is to be given and all service is to be done in the name of the — Guru and dedicated to the Guru. Whatever you give or do should: be dedicated not to the recepient of your charity or service, but to the Guru. Such service is selfless and it helps in taking you closer to the Guru and God. Any service by a follower of the Guru is in the name of the Guru.”
“Love is the origin of all things. It is the fruit of all labour. It is the beginning, the middle and the end of everything. Any action or service without love will create more problems than it will solve. Love is great, but the greatest love is for the Guru. 50, whatever you do, ought to be attempted in the name of the Guru. The Guru has said that any service devoid of dedication leads to evil ways.”
“T wish to treat this subject from still another point of view. God is the father of the universe. The whole world and all living beings are His creation. That means we all are brothers and sisters. Now you tell me, how and when do we consider others as our brothers and sisters? We shall consider others as our brothers and sisters only if we first consider God as our father. If we are not willing to accept God as our father, it is impossible
to consider human beings our brothers and sisters. When we are indifferent to our father, how can we be full of love for others? If you are respectful to your father (God) and full of love for your brothers and sisters, then will you in fact love God. You must consider all human beings as your brothers and sisters. If you go avail and to the other you will go farther and farther, away from God. At the same time such service will neither have. relevance nor meaning. It is an everyday experience that no one can serve a brother like an obedient son. Where there is a feeling of alienation, there can be no service. The unfamiliarity - can be removed only with the feeling of kinship which follows the acceptance of the fact that both are the off-springs of the same father. Such a level of intimacy is just not possible between two strangers. Similarly one who believes that God is our common father, can serve humanity with a true and dedicated mind.”
The Sindhi said, “You had told me that while serving, one should bear an attitude of detachment towards the recepient of the service, but now you are telling me to develop a level of deep kinship. How is it possible to reconcile the two opposing attitudes?” teat
Sain Dass said, “I mean what Isay. When you serve others, as if you are obeying the Guru's command, your mind will not get involved with the object of the service, but will get involved with the Almighty. If you help another being, you do so because you consider him your brother and consider God as your father and the world as His creation. Ifyouhelp others with the thought - that they are also the children of the same father (God), then the real source of joy will not be yoursisters and brothers whom you are serving, but the father-God. Your brothers and sisters will give yousecondary joy, the primary joy will flow from God. Because your mind is devoted and dedicated to God even your involvement with others will not make any difference. A mind dedicated to God becomes devoted in course of time and when you reach the ultimate stage of merger, you will become one with God. Kindness, sympathy and service will become your real nature. What will happen then, will be known to us when
we reach that stage. For the present, we should behave like seekers. A true seeker tries to become selfless. The beings who have attained perfection, the saintly person or the merged souls are free from all desires; so their actions are full of kindness and joy.”
“Now, for your benefitI once again repeat the main points. The highest service is done in the name of God and dedicated to God. The Guru is helpful in taking us closer to God, so our devotion should be fixed in Him. The Guru 1s the medium through whom we realize the glory of the Almighty. We should serve the whole humanity, knowing that we have been commanded to do so by the Guru. The Guru says that God lives in His creation. While serving humanity the focus of our attention continues to be God. All our service is dedicated to God. Whatever we give in charity is in fact an offering to the Almighty. Our hands serve others, but our heart serves God. In Gurbani the concept of service is always in the context of God, the Guru and the saintly man, 1.e. the Gurmukh. The Guru calls
upon us to serve the sick, to help the needy but to dososelflessly. .
The service should be done with humility and complete dedication. Service should not be for self glorification, rather it should be for the glory of the Almighty.”
The Sindhisiid, “The Guruis great and great is Sikh religion. All service that'l have done was not performed with the dedication which you have described. Butthere was one saving grace. While serving, I was always conscious of the fact that I was serving because the Gumi had enjoined upon me to do so. Whenever I was pleased with service I used to render thanks to the Guru, who had shown me the right way to experience true joy. Then I used to love the Guru from the depth of my heart. What a fool I was. I never realized that I was yet to complete even the first phase of service when! started aspiring for the ultimate. Iam grateful to you that you have checked my
impatience and shown me the next step. I have realized the _
nature of my next stage of service, and now | shall proceed
according to your advice. I hope to succeed in my efforts .
because the Guru and God inspire me to rise towards them. I
enjoy serving them. Dedication to the Guru gives me immense joy. God willing, I shall devote and dedicate the rest of my life to service in the name of God. Kindly bless me and pray for the success of my mission.”
The Bhai said, “Dear friend, I am the lowest among the low. The Guru is great. The Guru is omniscient. Kindly forgive me. I have said nothing of consequence. The credit for all that [have said is the Guru’s who has made me speak to you. [know nothing. I am delighted by your faith in and dedication to the Guru.”
The Sindhi requested the Bhai to tell him more regarding the Sikh concept of service. The Bhai continued his discourse and said, “It is very praiseworthy that you have built a shrine - where you hold congregations. I wish to know whether or not you comprehend, love and meditate Gurbani. I feel that you have built a shrine and installed the Guru Granth also but you do not seem to have understood the central point of its ~ teachings. Am I correct in my judgement?” The Sindhi said, “You are correct. I have neither any understanding, nor any capacity to meditate on Gurbani but all the same I do not stray’ away from Gurbani. I listen to the recitation of the Gurbani and [enjoy it, but enjoy myself more while serving human beings. Serving others gives me so much joy that! do not feel attracted towards anything else. There is no other reason for not paying due attention to Gurbani.”
| The Bhai said, “This is understandable. It happens so very often. My dear friend, the extent to which you have elevated your mind can be maintained only with the help of Gurbani. You, more than any body else, néed the support of Gurbani. What you have achieved is just the first step. Whatever I have told you and whatever you have liked in my brief enunciation is based on my knowledge gained from Gurbani. Gurbani tells us to do good and to serve others selflessly. It is the Bani (Holy texts) which tells us that true and selfless service cleanses our
mind. By reciting the Bani the seeker finds inner peace and _/ «~
stability. Regular and devoted reading of the Bani prepares the mind to climb further on the ladder of spiritual experience.
Gurbani tells us’ that with Wel) breath man is advancing: towards déath. Time is marching fast. Every moment-we commit errors and at very step We‘become guilty of numerous sins. At every step we need somebody to guide'us and save us” from Abate ilistakes. We need some Aree i to utilize ’
a a. a ed
circtimstahces, That téchtiquie, that method, that ts ines is contained in Gurbani. Concentrate your mind on Giirbani and you will find that you have developed courage to resist evil temptations. Love Gurbani, keep: God atid the Guru in your mind; do setvice-with devotion and dédication and all these will lead to a sense of achievement. Think over what Gurbani’ has to offer and you will find that all your doubts will disappear.
All the confusion in your mind will evaporate and’ you will find the atmosphere clear and pure. Fear and illusion are the two biggest and strongest enemies of man. The dedicated _ recitation of Gurbani removes fear; meditation on: Gurbani removes illusions and confusion. Fear and ‘illusion result in pain and disease. When fear and tilusion disappear, pain and disease also disappear. If fear and illusion are man 's biggest enemies, there are three very able frietids of man. Firstly a great friend of man is a pure mind; the second is willingness to” do good and the third is‘selfdiscipline: Gurbani strengthens these three friends of man. Only a pure mind can experience
the truth: True willingness hélps in discarding évil things and in acquiring good things and habits. It provides the méans to achieve the right attitude to perform good deeds. Self | discipline keeps the mind in check. It does not let it go astray.
It rémoves the fog and man learns the art of living a useful and dedicated life. Itis Gurbani which introduces thése three friends’ to men.” ,
“First of all; Gurbani inculcates the feeling of true‘fear of God,'which in turn creates the feeling of self-discipline. When self discipline‘is firmly establishéd, one ‘becdmés thdifferent' to worldly riches’ This feeling of self-discipline hélpsthe seéker in avoiding evil ways and leads hiin to perform good! deeds
which lead towards God. As God is the fountain-head of all that is good, good acts lead the seeker to the fount of all goodness. When goodness is rooted deep into the mind of the seeker, Gurbani cleanses the thinking process. A cleansed mind repeats God's name as a matter of habit. This process leads the seeker to a state spiritual bliss, where one is merged with God. The fourth Guru has explained the whole process in Gurbani which I have described to you.”
“Therefore, dear friend, now I think it is clear to you how to perform service. The first step is that the intention to serve should be born out of the feeling of love. The service which is directed. to a fellow being and dedicated to God cleanses the mind. A cleansed mind thinks in a clean atmosphere. Further cleansing of the mind is possible only through Gurbani. Therefore, it is my suggestion to you to devote yourself to Gurbani, recite it, love it, meditate on it, and above all follow it. You should dedicate yourself to Gurbani, so that all your doubts are removed and all darkness disappears. The moment the darkness disappears, the benign force of self-discipline will - _ get established in your mind. The enthusiasm for doing more good will take you closer to God and will enable you to seek a life full of spiritual blessings. Nam will take you to a state where all contradictions are resolved, where you will find the ultimate realization of life, where the meaning of life will become clear.”
The Sindhi said, “I am grateful to you for helping me and showing me the right path to achieve spiritual bliss. Honoured Sir, do not have words to express my thanks to you. I have realized that I am an ignorant person and you have imparted knowledge to me. [waslostin the wilderness, you have shown me the way out. There was darkness around me, you have shown me the light. Kindly tell me which Bani! should read and also tell me how to read it.”
The Bhai continued, “You must read the morning service without fail. You must read five or so pages of the Guru Granth Sahib everybody. If you have time, read Sukhmani, Asa Di Var and Anand Sahib. How would you read these? You may read these any way you enjoy and find convenient. You may read
Gurbani while sitting in solitude. You may recite it in a loud, audible melodious voice. You may read it while strolling or walking. There is not hard and fast rule. You are free to read it any way you like. For people like us the third method, that is while strolling or walking, is the best suited. This method helps in the concentration of mind, it is also easier to perform the reading and provides the maximum satisfaction to the mind. When the mind is still lost in the wilderness, the recitation or reading of the Bani helps in saving it. Recitation while walking gives us tremendous satisfaction. Forrecitation while walking, it is essential that one is able to recite the Bani from memory. The purpose of reading or reciting the Bani is that the mind is concentrated and it elevates the thoughts which normally blind it to worldly temptations. The Bani is the creation of the Guru and it personifies him. Through Gurbani one can remain in the company of the Guru all the twenty four hours. Gurbani has been described as the manifestation of the Guru. Youshould become deeply dedicated to the Bani. The Guru is omnipresent - and omniscient. Whenever the Guru is pleased with your devotion and dedication, he will bless you with spiritual wealth. The Guru will give you the gift of eternal light. Gurbani will cleanse and prepare you mind for receiving the seed of bliss. Prepare yourself, prepare the soul of your mind for receiving the seed. Cultivate your mind and keep yourself in a state of readiness so that when the occasion comes, you are in a position to say, ‘I have made all the preparations which behove a dedicated and devoted wife to receive love from the beloved spouse. You should prepare yourself to such an extent that when you get the gift of the Nam, it becomes yours forever. Once you behold the Guru, you should become one with him and lose your separate identity. The gift of Nam from the Guru removes all hungers and satisfies all thirsts. The Guru says _ that a true Sikh gets the gift of the Nam once and continues to keep it with him for ever.” “Right from the first step to the complete merger with God, all the stages are stages of the Nam. The only difference among the different stages is in fact the difference in levels of
understanding, and as you proceed further your understanding will continue to increase. First make up your mind that you will shun the wicked ways of life. Determine not to hurt anybody. This is very necessary because the human mind is fickle and in spite of its firm resolves it returns to evil acts time and again. To overcome this resistance of the mind, involve yourself in social service. Social service is the Guru for those who are sick in mind. Social welfare through physical service inculcates | the feelings of sympathy and love. Then Gurbani plays the role of cleansing the mind and enabling the seeker to rise higher. Then comes the stage when good automatically flows — and one’s mind is rooted deep into the soul, which is the seat of Nam.”
“My earlier discourse focussed on your shortcoming but through this discourse [ have tried to show you the further stages of the spiritual path. The blessings of the Guru have enabled me to put you on the right path. Do not, even for a moment, think that these are my own ideas. These are the ideas of the Guru 1 have merely delivered them. Ihave only explained what the Guru has said in his Bani.”
The traveller then said, “Baba Ji, you have been very kind to have related these holy thoughts tome. Many doubts which used to trouble me have been removed forever. Now I have realized how to develop the ethical side of my personality. — This book outlines the defect of human behaviour which we must get rid of. Overcoming the pitfalls is the first step in Sikh religion, to proceed on the road to spiritual bliss. To overcome these defects one must perform selfless service. Selfless service helps the seeker to resist evil temptations. Selfless service enables the mind to devote itself to God. In spite of selfless service some baseness is Still left in the mind and it has to be removed through constant and conscious efforts of action and thinking. The study of Gurbani involves human beings in the process of thinking. Gurbani gives us vital force to do good deeds and to protect our mind from going astray. Gurbani inculcates in us the feeling of love, sympathy and meditation. These feelings enable the seeker to rise higher towards the
realization of God. When the mind is cleansed of all baseness and eternal gift ofNam. Nam will bless the seeker with unheard of concentration and a desire for merging into God. Nowlam not, as 1 was in the past, impatient to ask as to what Nam is because I know that at the appropniate place the reference will come and the whole thing will be clear. 1 am extremely happy with your expositions. For many days I have been thinking over the noble lines from the Bani. These lines mean, ‘In the company of the saintly, one loses all baseness. It is the highest form of good actions. All the so called good actions which I performed during my early life were not based on any principle. Now I have realized that your method is the correct one. You have created here, the atmosphere of good action. Now [have understood how to serve with a selfless mind. This understanding has made me tremendously happy and satisfied with myself. Earlier I had understood that the highest form of service was Selfless service and there was nothing beyond it. You have shown me that there are still richer pastures waiting for me. It seems to me as if you have revealed my mind through the Sindhi’s thoughts. By referring to the Sindhi, you have - been actually removing my misgivings and doubts. It is wonderful. Great is Guru Nanak!”
The Baba said, “My child, you will see that this book will remove many of your doubts which are yet to befall you and in — the end you will realize that you have found the night path which has no falseturns and which goes to God.” The traveller was in full agreement with the Baba. The next day the Baba related another incident.
gaa000