Why must you serve?*

 *Why must you serve?*

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

When service becomes your life’s purpose, fear gets eliminated, the mind gains focus and you experience long-term joy. And the best form of service you can do is uplift someone’s state of mind. Today mental health has emerged as one of the biggest concerns in the world, and most of it goes undiagnosed because of the stigma around it. This is where we come in.

 

People talk about their diabetes and blood pressure but the same is not true for mental health. So, we should stop and ask people around us, how they are doing, and if they have some botherations. This opens up their hearts; and gives them a sense of security. We especially need to take care of our youth. They need to be assured that they are not alone. The youth are often unable to express if they are feeling depressed or anxious. Then they either get into depression or aggression. We need to help them raise their level of Prana, which is the subtle life force. The life energy is connected to our state of our mind. When the Prana level is high, there is a feeling of expansion and well-being. When the Prana level drops, then one feels low, depressed and a sense of contraction.

 

This is where knowing the secret of breath can really be transformational. Practices like Sudarshan Kriya raise the life force, and steady the mind. Meditation and breathing enriches our inner dimension and the peace, joy and enthusiasm born out of it spills over all other aspects of life. As prana rises in the body, one starts to feel real difference in the state of happiness and not as a forced mental exercise. One starts becoming happier, creative and more willing to serve.

 

What can also be helpful for youth in improving their mental health is developing an attitude of service. Thinking about ‘what can I do for society’, getting involved in a bigger cause brings a shift in the focus of life and can take one out of the rut of ‘what about me’. Societies, where values of service, sacrifice, and community participation are ingrained, do not have a lot of mental health issues.

 

The willingness and ability to do service comes only when you don’t have any botherations which happens once you come to a Guru, then all your botherations get dropped, and you are able to joyfully serve.

 

Why seva is so important?

 

There is a joy in getting things but there is a bigger joy in giving. The happiness that you get from serving society, you cannot buy that kind of happiness anywhere.  When you make service a part of life, society becomes better. Just imagine if everyone just wanted to take things from you, what would happen? But if everyone comes from the space of contributing then the society becomes ideal, harmonious, and one with more humaneness in it. Service is part of our human nature and if we don’t have this, life can never be fulfilling.

 

When you become an instrument for someone to experience relief or freedom, good vibrations and blessing come your way. And this merit takes you deeper in your meditation, which brings back your smile.

Not just for the good days…

Ask people what you can do for them. Even on the days you feel hopeless and horrible, immediately walk out of the room and ask somebody, ‘What can I do for you?’ This will bring a revolution in you.

This body is here for others.  Let it be in service of others, in making their lives better like incense burns to spread fragrance around or a wick burns to spread the light or like a tree that absorbs all the heat and gives you shade. Through meditation, you find happiness within. Through service, you spread happiness outside.  

We experience ourselves in the things we love more.  That is why, when we lose the things we love, we feel hurt and unhappy.  Suppose you love your piano very much and you hear that it is broken, it affects you.  Or, if some tragedy happens in another part of the world, you feel a sense of loss, and you want to immediately help. So you are not just living in your body, but also in that of the objects/people you love or are connected to.  But if you can expand this existence even more to cover the entirety, by serving all the beings, you will know that there is no loss and you are tota