Why Serve? : Part-4. Swami Chinmayananda.

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Tuesday, January 25, 2022. 06:00.

Address At Leslie Sawhny Anniversary Function On 15th May, 1983

Part-4.

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Then does the philosophy of work mean to say that the human intellect (,Which alone can have desires), which the Lord has so lavishly given to us, is a liability upon man'? Only unintelligent animals appear to have no desires. They don't know how to plan and keep a given desire steadily in front of them, and pour out their efforts in order to reach their fulfillment. 

It is true. Animals have not the capacity to work consistently towards a fixed goal. Man alone has that capacity. And you say that you should not have any desire when you are working. Think! Others argue : "Must be the karma yoga of the Geeta is a false philosophy! Seva is not proper! No one should do any Seva for anyone! Each one is to be arrogantly egoistic, and act on vigorously. Then the country will progress, as the western countries today!"

This is A typical example. All our millions have become utterly selfish. Here we are : after some thirty-six years of planning and working, yet nothing moves forward. Some do work, and all others undo the same accomplished work. Thus, every community and national program gets self-cancelled. A lot of effort is certainly being made. I am not saying that my country is sleeping. There is a lot of work undertaken, but no result comes of it! 

Why? Self-cancellation of our own endeavours with our own selfishness.

Out of this chaos, how can we bring about the harmony in life and the musical melody of disciplined existence ? The great Rishis point out the "karma yoga spirit" in the fields of work. That is exactly why I suggested that "Why Serve" can be our topic for today. 

Whenever I ask the youngsters, the teenagers, or the officers and others :  "Why don't you serve the society?" 

Very often they have asked me this plain question : "Why serve ?

 What has society done to me, except to pull me down ? 

And 1, in spite of society, have somehow climbed up, and today I am, let us say, at the peak. And now you crowd round me, telling me to serve the society. 

Why should I serve it ? What has it done for me? How does it deserve my service?" 

Please recognize that it is not for the sake of society we appeal to you to serve. It is solely in your own interest that you must serve.

Never think that you can change the world. You cannot. Yet, you must try to serve the world as best as you can, for your own inner growth and mental satisfaction.

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Next-Part-5.

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