I am trying to follow the sadhaka messages and swami's words. I do seva for my parents and in-laws, but I seem to lack the love. I pray for feelings, to feel love, while serving. I pray to remain focused on God, but my eyes keep getting drawn towards the negative things in the world and the self-centered relationships. Even in close relations, I see negative, like parents always focused on their own self-interests. How to remain joyful, focused on God while serving? Where am I going wrong?
Sarita S
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Till you are serving [that is till you experience that service is being rendered BY you], you CAN'T feel that joy. The moment you start experiencing God [or Paramaatmaa] serving them [your parents and in-laws] through you, you SHALL be lost [your 'I' will no more be in the scene] in that joy.
Swamijee's 'achooka upay' as lived by saadhaka.
Humbly,
Saadhaka.
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Dear Sadhakas, Namaste!
Saritaji's question is quite natural on the path of spiritual journey.
Saritaji, you ask how to remain joyful, focused on God while serving. Now think on this, if you are busy serving others, sincerely, with all your heart and mind, you wouldn't have time to ask this question as to how to remain joyful or remain focused on God. Is it not?
Serving so-called "others" while asking nothing in return is the only Goal, then, it places you at peace with yourself.
Desire to be joyful, be focused on God while serving others, takes away from the main goal of serving.
As a matter of fact, various other expectations on the goal of serving others distracts us.
We keep on worrying by thinking "am I happy now, am I focused on God yet" etc etc which dilutes efforts to serve!
My suggestion is to stop worrying about "remaining joyful and god-focused", just serve to the best of your ability and leave it to God! When you are not serving or are at rest focus on God! This is the key point!
Self-centered actions arise in us because we take ourselves to be independently existing individual. If you examine what makes us think we are individual, you wouldn't find any evidences other than the belief rooted in us from childhood. When you see clearly that you have all evidences against such belief, the belief loses its stronghold on you. Our body and minds are all made up of universal elements, including universal intelligence.
We cannot even survive individually. That body-mind which serves others is thus God, the universality serving through us! Once you are convinced of this, then you will change, a shift occurs in your relationship, I am sure this will happen.
Then others are no longer others as you knew them, but they will seem like God, same Self as yours!
Naturally, without any efforts, you will be full of love, joyful, God-focused, devoid of negative feelings!
Your feelings towards your parents will change to positive!
You will come to know the truth that giving joy is receiving joy, too, not two separate efforts!
There is no way to Joy, Joy is the way!
Namaskar.......Pratap Bhatt
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Hari Om
If you are serving with a pinch of salt or with an ego in you..then sure you need discuss remedial measures. But frankly I could not understand your desire to introduce 'love' into the service. Where is the need for the same?
Actually, your dilemma is not your being unable 'to love'...it is your ego or superiority complex vis a vis them. That snatches away 'whole heartedness and enthusiasm' out of your taking care of them. But 'duty/service' demands 'diligence'.
Are you sure , you are not renouncing the worldly things in their favour by presuming those things to be belonging to you? If yes...consider them to be belonging to them only, and feel indebted/grateful to them, that they have given you opportunity of serving them. You should give with your eyes lower because it was their thing only, which you are now returning. Thank them for not reminding you of your debt to them.
"Love"- I am not sure if I should suggest you to develop for any one except Paramatma. Actually , love means 'mineness' and 'mineness' means bondage !!! Any service done by presuming the servicee to be mine, is futile ! It is no service at all.
You are going wrong in presuming them to be wrong/selfish. You are not supposed to see their duty. If you focus yourself exclusively towards your own duty, results will be 'peace' in you. Service means 'renunciation' ! You can't renounce with a pinch of salt or with an emotion that they are forcing you to do so. It is a law: You can not perceive negativity in others, unless that negativity(fault) lies in you !
Jai Shree Krishna
Vyas N B
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Shree Hari Ram Ram
Saritaji, Have you been mostly reading the sadhaka messages? If so, I would at this time strongly urge you to listen to Swamiji's discourses that related to your question. Hearing (shravana) has a unique power of penetrating deeply into the very consciousness. You will see the magic.
You can start with this one- (if short of time, go past the first 30 minutes and then listen).
http://www.swamiramsukhdasji.org/swamijicontent/2001/3-6-2001_24-7-2001/cdrom/html/aa.php?file=../15june_2001/20010625_0830.mp3
Meera Das, Ram Ram
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