Dedication

Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in sacrifice, whatever you give, whatever austerity you practise — O son of Kuntī, do all that as an offering to Me.

Ever singing My glories, striving with firm vows, bowing before Me with devotion — ever united, they worship Me.

Steadfastness in sacrifice, austerity, and giving is also called 'Sat'; and likewise any action dedicated to those ends is itself called 'Sat'.

"When a man acts, then he is steadfast; without acting one is not steadfast. Only by acting is one steadfast. But one must seek to understand action." "Venerable sir, I seek to understand action."

"When a man is steadfast, then he has faith; without steadfastness one does not have faith. Only being steadfast does one have faith. But one must seek to understand steadfastness." "Venerable sir, I seek to understand steadfastness."

Vājaśravas, desiring heavenly reward, performed the Viśvajit sacrifice and gave away all his possessions. He had a son named Naciketas.

Devotion is the means that joins the devotee to God, and this is also the supreme deed. What is devotion, and what is a devotee? The devotee is a blossomed flower, and devotion is its fragrance. Devotion performed selflessly, rising above cravings, rising above self-interest, offered from the heart with reverence — such devotion alone has beauty and greatness. Only through such devotion does the true form of a devotee come before us.

This human life is the highest of all lives. Those who pass this life in a spirit of dedication and serve everyone - they alone attain the immortal rank.

Service is the foundation of spirituality. Through service, all kinds of sorrows are destroyed of themselves. Therefore we should remain ever ready for service with body, mind and wealth.

This is the heavenly fire, Naciketas, which you chose as your second boon. People shall call this fire yours alone. Now choose your third boon.

The great Yama, much pleased, said: 'I give you yet another boon today. This fire shall bear your name. Take also this many-jewelled garland.'

The devotees do not regard service as a compulsion; they regard it as good fortune, as great blessing. They do not serve with a frown upon the brow, but with a glad face and with eagerness. Those who serve treating it as a burden never gain joy from it, but those who labour cheerfully attain wholeness and become sharers in happiness. No task, however great, is burdensome to them; for when it is not seen as compulsion, how can it be a burden?

Adoration or dedication with love means only the spirit of submission. Only a person who surrenders himself in terms of body, mind and materials to this God, the Formless, and gets merged into the divine name, can be said to have the true spirit of devotion.

'Let me sing immortality for the gods' — thus should one sing; 'svadha for the fathers, hope for human beings, grass and water for the animals, the heavenly world for the sacrificer, and food for myself' — meditating on these in his mind, he should sing the praises attentively, without negligence.

The more a devotee is filled with the Lord's love and loves the Lord, the more he comes to love human beings. The more he is dedicated to the Master, the more he becomes dedicated to humanity. Those not filled with this spirit of love continually give pain to people and mistreat them.

As in satsang, so in service the spirit behind it is special. If the body is serving, the mind too should be absorbed in service. Service is good only when it is done from the heart.

Yama taught Naciketas the primordial fire — which bricks, how many and how arranged. Naciketas repeated it exactly as taught. Yama was pleased and spoke again.

Loving devotion is only the name of the spirit of offering. Whoever surrenders himself before this Formless One in body, mind and wealth, and loses himself in His Name, he alone truly loves, and that alone is called true devotion—like the love of a child and a mother. A mother's love for her child is spontaneous. She does not nurture him or rise night after night to care for him so that she may reap a reward, or so that when he grows up he will open great bank accounts in her name. A mother never loves her child from such craving; her love is pure love. Every pore and every breath of the mother is offered up in this love.

Wherever we go, we must keep this feeling in our heart: that we are to carry Baba Ji's message of truth into every corner. Even if we go somewhere on our own private work, whether at a shop or in offices, there too we should ourselves set going this talk of divine knowledge.

Blessed is the devotee who is filled with the spirit of devotion and remains immersed in it, who keeps alive the fervour of constant devotion and service. May no occasion, no moment ever come when this fervour grows weak. May there always be firmness for this devotion. If there is some slackness toward the world, let it be; but toward the Formless, toward this devotion, let no slackness ever come.