Highest Point Of Service

(Jayadvaita Swami 10/2007)

I don't mean to say that everybody's just a shameless hedonist. You know that as soon as we pile out of this room we're all going to be going looking for the nearest club and doing whatever it is that, turns our senses on. I don't mean to say that. Some of us get our, our pleasure from doing some altruistic work. Some of us from doing some political work, some of us from doing some, all sorts of things……Generally: we don't work however unless we're paid. As much as I say I love my work, if you don't pay me I won't be there Monday morning.


So I work because there's something that I want to get, which I think is going to, in some way maybe make my life happier. Or let’s say that I'm really an altruist I'm just working selflessly, for The Red Cross….. Now I'm no longer just working for my own interests, I've extended, let's say I'm not such an altruist but I'm working for first just for me, then I get married, now I'm working for, you know me and my wife, and some children, so, it's not just me. I've extended my area of interest, I'm interested in making others happy. Let's say I go beyond that now I want to work for my country. I want to work for mankind. So in fact the broader you go, the higher you are. The more exalted your life is. But it's still within the realm of limitation. I care about mankind but I, chomp on the animals, for example. Or I love my country and I stomp on the country next door. Or I love my family and I compete with ten other families. So my altruism or my, yeah my altruism, is still within the conditions kind of a state.

If you extend it further, if you extend it to the ultimate point, where your goal is of service, It's not just to serve yourself, not just to serve your family, not just to serve your country. Not just to serve mankind, but to serve the Ultimate, to serve the Supreme. ……You've come to the highest point of service. And when you are there, you’re automatically going to be serving, everyone.

(Jayadvaita Swami 10/2007)