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Service

Across spiritual traditions, service generally refers to selfless acts that benefit others. Many traditions converge on the importance of service as a means to cultivate compassion and connection. However, they diverge in their specific motivations and methods for service.

5,975 quotes

Across traditions

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Quotes

Serve, love, give, purify, meditate, and realize
Swami Sivananda
HinduTeachingCleansing HeartsHelpfulness
All About Hinduism, p. 1
Among all human beings there is none who does Me a dearer service than such a one; nor shall there ever be another on earth more beloved to Me.
Krishna
HinduTeachingDevoteeServiceSanskrit
Bhagavad Gita 18.69
Love is selfless and pure when it has no ulterior motives.
Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji
UniversalTeachingAltruismLove
Stream of Thoughts, p. 59
Agriculture, cattle-keeping, and trade are the natural duties of a vaishya; and for the shudra, the natural duty is one of service to others.
Krishna
HinduScriptureServiceDutySanskrit
Bhagavad Gita 18.44
I remember the glorious Guru who is the Supreme Brahman. I speak of the glorious Guru who is the Supreme Brahman. I bow to the glorious Guru who is the Supreme Brahman. I worship the glorious Guru who is the Supreme Brahman.
HinduScriptureGuruHelpfulnessSanskrit
Guru Gita 88
There is no truth higher than the Guru, no austerity greater than service to the Guru, and no knowledge beyond the knowledge the Guru imparts. Salutations to the Guru.
HinduScriptureGood DeedsGuruSanskrit
Guru Gita 74
Offer one's body, senses, and vital breath to the true Guru. Offer everything — one's very self, one's closest relationships, all that one calls one's own — to the Guru.
HinduScriptureGuruSacrificeSanskrit
Guru Gita 29
The Lord said: O Goddess, you are my very Self. Out of my love for you I shall speak. This question of yours, which benefits all the world, has never been asked by anyone before.
HinduScriptureHelpfulnessLoveSanskrit
Guru Gita 4
The wise, with the help of the Vedas and knowledge, having ascertained that the visible universe is an illusion, instantly realizes the Supreme Spirit as the sole existing independent essence.
Vyasa
HinduTeachingHelpfulnessKnowledgeSanskrit
Mahabharata, p. 314
Regardless of their inherent nature, these things cannot help him love God as much as the smallest act of living faith and hope, which is done with selflessness and detachment from all things.
St. John of the Cross
ChristianTeachingAltruismFaith
Ascent of Mount Carmel, p. 266
One gets liberated either due to their karma or with the help of saints
Guru Nanak
SikhScriptureHelpfulnessKarmaPunjabi
Japji Sahib (Gurmukhi and English), p. 19
Music is spiritual; it's not meant to merely stimulate the senses or provide sensual pleasure. Instead, it's a yogic practice that helps you achieve Self-realization or Atma-sakshatkara.
Swami Sivananda
HinduTeachingAttainmentHelpfulness
Bliss Divine, p. 326
The life of a householder is not about indulging in lust and loose living. Instead, it's a life of selfless service, focused on Dharma, charity, goodness, kindness, and self-help, which benefits all of humanity.
Swami Sivananda
HinduTeachingAltruismBenevolence
Bliss Divine, p. 302
My advice is to not strive for supernatural powers or rapid Kundalini awakening. Instead, cultivate devotion to God, have complete faith in Him, and embody a spirit of service to humanity. The Kundalini will awaken naturally.
Swami Sivananda
HinduTeachingDevotionEnlightenment
Bliss Divine, p. 279
Yogic practices alone are not enough; purification of the heart is essential. Self-reflection is necessary to eliminate faults and bad habits. Correct your flaws, such as selfishness, pride, jealousy, and hatred. Cultivate your heart by sharing with others and engaging in selfless service, which will lead to a pure mind.
Swami Sivananda
HinduTeachingAltruismContentment
Bliss Divine, p. 279
Worship God by serving humanity in their suffering
Ramakrishna Paramhamsa
HinduTeachingDevotionService
Tales and Parables of Sri Ramakrishna, p. 57
God's grace is the ultimate help. You may try thousands of times, but nothing can be achieved without God's grace. One cannot see God without His grace. It's not easy to receive God's grace; one must renounce egotism completely, as one cannot see God as long as they feel they are the doer.
Ramakrishna Paramhamsa
HinduTeachingAttainmentEgo
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, p. 142
Serving God is not possible without serving humanity. Serving humanity is equivalent to serving God.
Baba Hardev Singh Ji
UniversalTeachingServiceGod
Gurdev Hardev Part 2, p. 157
True religion teaches us to come together, rise above all kinds of discrimination, and treat all beings as children of the same Supreme Father, serving and loving them selflessly and genuinely.
Baba Hardev Singh Ji
UniversalTeachingAltruismBenevolence
Gurdev Hardev Part 2, p. 71
Gods, celestial musicians, ancestral spirits, yakṣas, kinnaras, seers, and all the perfected ones — none of them can attain liberation if they turn away from the service of the Guru.
HinduScriptureAttainmentChange of HeartSanskrit
Guru Gita 86