For any spiritual aspirant, what is the importance of love and service? Bhagawan reminds us today, so that we may draw benefit from this opportunity.

Greater than all other forms of worship is Seva (service to one’s fellow men) done in an unselfish and dedicated spirit. There is an element of selfishness in forms of worship like recitation, meditation, etc. But when service is done spontaneously, it is its own reward. It must be done as an offering to God. Seva is a small word filled with immense spiritual significance. Hanuman is the supreme exemplar of the ideal of service. When the rakshasas (demons) asked Hanuman, during his search for Sita in Lanka, who he was, he replied simply: Dasoham Kosalendrasya. He was content to describe himself as a humble servant of Rama. Seva must be viewed as the highest form of Sadhana. Serving the poor in villages is the best form of sadhana. In the various forms of worship of the Divine, culminating in atma nivedanam (complete surrender to the Divine), Seva comes before atma nivedanam. God's grace will come when seva is done without expectation of reward or recognition. Sometimes, ahamkaram (ego) and abhimanam (attachment) raise their heads during seva. These should be eliminated altogether.