Right Understanding To Help Others

Author(s): Dada Bhagwan
Publisher: Mahavideh Foundation

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Right Understanding to Help Others
Right Understanding to Help Others
New Goal Today is Different from What Happens in
This Life Questioner: Should one live life only for others?
Dadashri: Yes, one should live life serving others. If you were to change all of a sudden and do this, you may become discouraged because you will still continue to experience suffering because of reactions from karma of your past life. Suffering may come for awhile, but eventually it will cease. Even though the effect of karma from your past life is inevitable, at least now you are starting out afresh, are you not?
For the Benefit of One's Own Self You will always be rewarded for helping others and living for others, but these rewards will be worldly in nature, such as material comforts.
Questioner: What if instead of obliging others, one obliges one's own self?
Dadashri: That is the goal. Ultimately, everything has to be done for the benefit of the self. Those who do this attain liberation but in order to do so, one has to know his real Self. Until then, one has to be benevolent towards others which will yield worldly rewards. In order to know the Self, you must know who You are. In reality, you are a pure Soul. You believe, I am Chandulal.' That is your conviction and along with that come countless other beliefs of being a husband, an uncle, a brother, a boss, etc. This is the only knowledge you have so far, is that correct? You have not gone beyond this knowledge, have you?
Helping People is a Societal Duty
Dadashri: Those are considered a person's ordinary obligations and duties.
Questioner: So then, one has to understand that serving people is a worldly duty, is that so? That is considered a worldly duty (dharma), is it not?
Dadashri: It is not even a worldly duty. It is considered a social duty (samaaj dharma). That which is convenient in a society is convenient to the people, but the same service may be inconvenient in other societies. You can only call it a worldly duty (dharma) when it is the same for everyone, everywhere. Whatever you have done so far is considered serving the society. Each person's societal service is different. Each society is different; hence, each service to society is different.
Charity Begins at Home Questioner: Why do people do service for others?
Dadashri: They have good intentions and care about others. Their intentions are to relieve people of their miseries. It is a very noble intention. But many people who devote themselves to serving others behave very differently at home. That is not considered serving others. Charity begins at home, and then come the neighbors and other people. Service to the people in the home comes first; what do you think?
Questioner: This man says that in his case, there are no complaints about him in his home.
Dadashri: That means that his service is real. Perform Benevolent Service While Keeping Your
Intentions Pure Questioner: Does it help to see' (do darshan of) God within those who we are serving? Will that give exact and good results?
Dadashri: A person would not become involved in serving
Questioner: When we have kindness towards others, when we help people, for example, by finding them a job or a place in the hospital if they are sick, is that not fulfilling a worldly duty (dharma)?