By Meher Baba

Selfless service is unaffected by results. It is like rays of the sun that serve the world by shining alike on all creation: grass, fields, birds, mankind; saint and sinner, rich and poor, strong and weak – wholly impervious to their attitude or reaction.

It is of vital importance, however, that service, though utterly selfless, be guided by spiritual understanding, for even selfless service unintelligently handled often creates complications and chaos.

To be a pure blessing to humanity, the most selfless act of service must be born of absolute understanding of life and governed by faultless wisdom.

Selfless service consists of rendering service to others without thought of gain, reward, or result; it is free from the idea of placing others under obligation.

One does not put him under obligation when serving a fellow human being in the spirit of spontaneous, selfless love.

On the contrary, the one helped confers upon the helper the blessing of an opportunity to serve his true Self.

There is complete disregard for one’s convenience or welfare in selfless service; it is characterised by absolute subjugation of one’s happiness-by unalloyed joy in sacrificing every thing for the well-being of others.

In selfless service, the comfort of others is one’s convenience, health, healing, happiness and delight. By giving one’s life to others, one gains a glorious life for oneself.

Sheltering others in one’s heart makes one inhabit others.

An act of helpless ness, a word of comfort, the spontaneous warmth of selfless love, give to others what they greatly need.

Their thoughts of gratitude and goodwill, the heightened surge of their spirit and the increased flow of God-love released by the selfless act bring to the giver infinitely more than he can ever give.

From a spiritual point of view, the real danger in service lies more in the possibility of your rendering it from a false motive.

If you render service to oblige a person and feel proud of doing it, you are doing spiritual harm to the recipient of your service and yourself.

If, while serving, you take delight in it and develop pride in doing a good thing, you are getting attached to your act and there by binding yourself.

Hence, the way to remain free from karma is to stay completely detached in service.

The consciousness that, ‘I am obliging some one’, is the first to occur during the process of serving; but it can be annulled by the contrary thought, I am obliged by being given this opportunity of serving.’

This latter thought facilitates the attitude of detachment and secures freedom from bondage of actions.

Service based upon comprehensive understanding is not only selfless and adjusted to the spiritual demands of the recipient but is rendered with complete detachment.

Such a service takes the aspirant to the goal most rapidly.

The perfect master serves the whole universe out of finality of his infinite consciousness; those who serve the master or submit to his guidance share in his universal work.

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