http://www.livewithyoga.net/nava_vidha_bhakti.htm <LI>Sravana (hearing of God's Lilas and stories) <LI>Kirtana (singing of His glories) <LI>Smarana (remembrance of His name and presence) <LI>Padasevana (service of His feet) <LI>Archana (worship of God) <LI>Vandana (prostration to Lord) <LI>Dasya (cultivating the Bhava of a servant with God) <LI>Sakhya (cultivation of the friend-Bhava) and Atma nivedana (complete surrender of the self). Some clearing needs to be done: How does one serve the feet of the lord? - well...because God is everywhere seated in everyone's hearts, it is our service to the community. Serve selflessly , help the sick, and volunteer at your local hospital! haha... or try to donate money to an organization that is working to help poor people... better yet , join them in their crusade against hunger and stuff like that.
What does Bhakti Accomplish? see fruits of bhakti on the same website. "Bhakti softens the heart and removes jealousy, hatred, lust, anger, egoism, pride and arrogance. It infuses joy, divine ecstasy, bliss, peace and knowledge. All cares, worries and anxieties, fears, mental torments and tribulations entirely vanish. The devotee is freed from the Samsaric wheel of births and deaths. He attains the immortal abode of everlasting peace, bliss and knowledge." "The fruit of Bhakti is Jnana. Jnana intensifies Bhakti. Even Jnanis like Sankara, Madhusudana and Suka Dev took to Bhakti after Realization to enjoy the sweetness of loving relationship with God. Knowledge or wisdom will dawn by itself when you practice Bhakti Yoga. Bhakti is the pleasant, smooth, direct road to God. Bhakti is sweet in the beginning, sweet in the middle and sweet in the end. It gives the highest, undeceiving bliss. Kindle love divine in thy heart, for this is the immediate way to the Kingdom of God. Pray to the Lord. Sing His glory. Recite His Name. Become a channel of His grace. Seek His will. Do His will. Surrender to His will. You will become one with the cosmic will. Surrender unto the Lord. He will become your charioteer on the field of life. He will drive your chariot well. You will reach the destination, the Abode of Immortal Bliss. "
Noble sentiments. But what about those who are themselves socially or medically disadvantaged? Who have no money to give?
Serving selflessly doesn't necessarily have to be in an altruistic way such as volunteering, giving money, etc...not knocking any of it, but I see these as often done by those of greater means to alleviate guilt, gain prestige or self-conscious spiritual merit, or just to get a tax writeoff. It all starts with trying to cover the basics...treating others well in everyday situations, not lying or cheating, watching your temper, being there for your friends, putting your spouse and family first, and so on, as well as working on the cultivation of at least a mentally renounced attitude...it all belongs to Krishna, anyway.
From ‘The Sunlit Path’ - converations with Mother Mira Alfassa (Sweet Mother). Why do you want to serve humanity, what is your ideal? It is ambition, it is in order to become a great man among men. It is difficult to understand? …..I can see that. Q: The Divine is everywhere. So if one serves humanity, one serves the Divine, isn’t that so? That’s marvellous! The clearest thing in this business is to say “The Divine is in me. If I serve myself, I am also serving the Divine!” (Laughter) In fact the Divine is everywhere. The Divine will do His work very well without you. I see quite well that you do not understand. But truly, if you do understand that the Divine is there in all things, with what are you meddling in serving humanity? To serve humanity you must know better than the Divine what must be done for it. Do you know better than the Divine how to serve it? The Divine is everywhere. Yes. Things don’t seem to be Divine…As for me, I see only one solution: if you want to help humanity, there is only one thing to do; it is to take yourself as completely as possible and offer yourself to the Divine. That is the solution. Because in this way, at least the material reality which you represent will be able to grow a little more like the Divine. We are told that the Divine is in all things. Why don’t things change? Because the Divine does not get a response, everything does not respond to the Divine. One must search the depths of consciousness to see this. What do you want to do to serve humanity? Give food to the poor? – You can feed millions of them. That will not be a solution, this problem will remain the same. Give new and better living conditions to men? – The Divine is in them, how is it things don’t change? The Divine must know better than you the condition of humanity. What are you? You represent only a little bit of consciousness and a little bit of matter, it is that you call “myself”. If you want to help humanity, the world or the universe, the only thing to do is to give that little bit entirely to the Divine. Why is the world not Divine?....It is evident that the world is not in order. So the only solution to the problem is to give what belongs to you. Give it totally, entirely to the Divine; not only for yourself but for humanity, for the universe. There is no better solution. How do you want to help humanity? You don’t even know what it needs. Perhaps you know still less what power you are serving. How can you change anything without indeed having changed yourself? In any case, you are not powerful enough to do it. How do you expect to help another if you do not have a higher consciousness than he? It is such a childish idea! It is children who say: “I am going to open a boarding-house, I am going to build a crèche, give soup to the poor, preach this knowledge, spread this religion…..” It is only because you consider yourself better than others, think you know better than they what they should be or do. That’s what it is, serving humanity. You want to continue all that? It has not changed things much. It is not to help humanity that one opens a hospital or school…. You may open millions of hospitals, that will not prevent people from becoming ill. On the contrary, they will have every facility and encouragement to fall ill. We are steeped in ideas of this kind. This puts your conscience at rest: “I have come to this world, I must help others” One tells oneself: “How disinterested I am! I am going to help humanity.” All this is nothing but egoism. In fact the human being that concerns you is yourself. You want to diminish suffering, but unless you can change the capacity of suffering into a certitude of being happy, the world will not change. It will always be the same, we turn in a circle – one civilization follows another, one catastrophe another; but the thing does not change, for there is something missing, something not there, that is the Consciousness. That’s all.
Giving is in many ways. A thought or a smile can be more charitable than all the wealth in the 3 worlds. Giving is in many ways. Khalil Gibran: ou give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard for fear you may need them tomorrow? And tomorrow, what shall tomorrow bring to the over prudent dog burying bones in the trackless sand as he follows the pilgrims to the holy city? And what is fear of need but need itself? Is not dread of thirst when your well is full, thirst that is unquenchable? There are those who give little of the much which they have - and they give it for recognition and their hidden desire makes their gifts unwholesome. And there are those who have little and give it all. These are the believers in life and the bounty of life, and their coffer is never empty. There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward. And there are those who give with pain, and that pain is their baptism. And there are those who give and know not pain in giving, nor do they seek joy, nor give with mindfulness of virtue; They give as in yonder valley the myrtle breathes its fragrance into space. Through the hands of such as these God speaks, and from behind their eyes He smiles upon the earth. It is well to give when asked, but it is better to give unasked, through understanding; And to the open-handed the search for one who shall receive is joy greater than giving And is there aught you would withhold? All you have shall some day be given; Therefore give now, that the season of giving may be yours and not your inheritorsÕ. You often say, "I would give, but only to the deserving." The trees in your orchard say not so, nor the flocks in your pasture. They give that they may live, for to withhold is to perish. Surely he who is worthy to receive his days and his nights is worthy of all else from you. And he who has deserved to drink from the ocean of life deserves to fill his cup from your little stream. And what desert greater shall there be than that which lies in the courage and the confidence, nay the charity, of receiving? And who are you that men should rend their bosom and unveil their pride, that you may see their worth naked and their pride unabashed? See first that you yourself deserve to be a giver, and an instrument of giving. For in truth it is life that gives unto life - while you, who deem yourself a giver, are but a witness. And you receivers - and you are all receivers - assume no weight of gratitude, lest you lay a yoke upon yourself and upon him who gives. Rather rise together with the giver on his gifts as on wings; For to be over mindful of your debt, is to doubt his generosity who has the free-hearted earth for mother, and God for father.
