A saint lived in a small hut in a village and used to worship God and do japa-tapa and meditation. By the grace of God, he was provided with two meals a day. One day, when the saint was trying to concentrate on God by closing his eyes, he heard the scream of a crying child coming from a distance. The sadhu’s attention was focused towards the crying child in the neighbourhood and there was a reaction in his tender heart. Thoughts appeared in the mind, ‘Is the child distraught with hunger? Is that child shivering with cold? Is the stove not lit in that house even today? Is there no food to eat in that house?’ The heart, purified by chanting and penance, was moved. Self-realization awakened in the monk. He immediately got up and entered his hut, brought two meals a day of bread kept for himself and covered his body with clothes. The saint saw God in the peaceful form of a satisfied child. This is the true service of God, service of humanity. Feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, give clothes to the naked, console and encourage the poor and the miserable, take care of the pain and needs of others, lift up the fallen, support the helpless, show the way to the blind and the lost, educate the illiterate, give milk, medicine and fruits to the sick and the helpless, serve animals and birds; all these are forms of service.
All these paths of service have been told by our sages and saints, gurus, the most revered Swami Sivanandaji, Swami Satyanandaji and other great people. Our great revered Sri Swami Satyanandaji comes in the category of such great saints, who dedicated his entire life to the upliftment of others. His concept was that by reading books, scriptures and Puranas, one can be called a pandit, a learned person; by doing worship one can become religious; by doing japa-tapa and meditation, one can become a yogi; one can get the vision of God. But unless the feeling of service to the unknown needy emerges deep within your soul, unless your heart melts seeing the suffering of others, you don’t have a reaction in your mind, unless you change the definition of yours and others’, high and low, and serve selfishly, till then what is the use of you being a scholar, pandit, being religious or spiritual, what is the purpose of you being a yogi, what is the justification of you seeing God?
Swami Satyanandaji was an embodiment of truth and happiness. The form of truth is eternal, infinite, it shines and reveals itself. He does not need anybody’s praise. His guru, Swami Sivanandaji, said about him, “Satyam does the work of four people alone” and he named him ‘Jnanayagnoprabhit Rajyogi .’ That is one who has sacrificed his ego and is completely pure and established in spiritual knowledge, one who is independent, disciplined, fearless and loyal, and is progressing on the path of raja yoga. His personality was very simple, without ego and like that of a fearless, small child. He did not know the difference between men and women. His vision was beyond good and bad, small and big. Caste, happiness-sadness, respect-insult, praise-criticism, friend-enemy – all were equal. He achieved peace by practising detachment and renunciation. He was a lover of all, without any malice and without any selfishness.
Whatever life and circumstances he got, he accepted. He had no liking or attachment to anyone except his love for God. He always remembered the name of God in his heart and was always satisfied. He did not even have to worry about two meals a day. Sri Swamiji was such a great yogi, great donor, great Vedantin, great ascetic that is if he had to leave his place of residence, he could have served God and humanity even by staying under the shade of the blue sky.
Sri Swamiji used to say that love is feeling, if we turn this feeling towards God then it becomes devotion. If we turn this feeling towards the world, connect it with worldly experiences, then love appears in the form of attachment and hatred. After all, attachment is also love, isn’t it? We like something, it attracts us, after all, that is also love, isn’t it? That we run away and keep away from something, that too is lack of love. We love happiness, so we wish for happiness; we don’t love sorrow, so we try to remove sorrow. I love my wife, so I take care of her but I don’t love any beggar woman walking on the street, so she is nothing to me. Love always connects a person with another person and what will happen if we remove this love from the world and connect it with God? You will be free from the cycle of the world.
Tulsidas’s wife had said the same things to him; ‘If even a part of the love and affection you have for me had been given to God, you would have been freed from the world.’ Tulsidas’s eyes opened and he immediately left. After that, he never returned. He experienced that when one loves God, the world is unnecessary.
We have heard and read many stories about charitable people, but have never seen such a person personally except Sri Swami Satyanandaji. No person would return empty-handed after seeing him at Rikhiapeeth. He was so sensitive in giving that no one had to beg for help. He used to get information about the village people in advance and help them – bicycle, rickshaw, handcart, sewing machine, clothes, books, pens, pencils, cows and bulls, ploughs for farming, spades and shovels, kitchen utensils – whatever material was useful for the household or business was distributed as yajna prasad. A monthly pension was given to the elderly, widows were given remuneration for reciting the Ramayana every day, and a new bride was given sixteen types of items indicating good wishes as prasad.
Sri Swamiji’s concept regarding charity was quite clear. His approach was simple; if he donated a bicycle to someone and if that person sold it, he would not worry about it. He was a realist. He used to say, “Whatever God has given us, there is no condition on it even if we misuse it, God does not punish us, then why should we worry? Real generosity is to give without conditions.” This is the philosophy of God. Lakshyam vihaaya daatavyam – if an opportunity comes to donate, one should leave a million tasks aside and donate. Donate money, if you don’t have money, donate food. Give a cup of water to a thirsty person but donate something.
The body is perishable; it is not certain when death will come. Therefore, learn to give something. Even if we have to give our body for God, we can give it and in the end when God’s name comes out of our mouth, we should understand that we have attained salvation. That is why remembering Hari is so important. It is said in the scriptures that even if you utter millions of words, remember Hari and take the name of God, make good use of this precious life. Our revered Sri Swami Satyanandaji also used to say that Naam sankirtan, chanting the name of God, is the simplest way to worship God.