Where is the time to serve God? The answer may lie in a serving of curd rice
Over the weekend, I attended Bhajans at a devotee’s home. We were graciously served dinner prasadam, including one of my favorites - curd rice. I stood talking to an old friend in the evening light, savoring the soothing effect of the cool breeze and the cool dish.
The next day, I had the privilege of speaking with the hostess at length on the importance of staying rooted in God-consciousness, even in bustling secular life. These days, as I work long hours for the tax deadline, I remember how easy it is to get caught up in a feverish frenzy of activity, constantly chasing after various worldly goals. Where is the time to serve God? I have often asked myself this question as the pressures of ordinary concerns build. But rather than split our lives into actions devoted to God and actions devoted to self, a better approach is perhaps to do everything as if it was an offering. Swami says, *“In any business in which you engage yourself, treat it also as God's work.”
“What is kriya advaita? You perform many types of service activities and various actions, but if you do all of them to please God then all your actions become one. “Do all actions to please God (Sarva karma Bhagavad preetyartham).” You offer food and fruit to God. Before offering, they are merely food and fruit, but afterward, they become consecrated food (prasadam). You prepare sweet pudding, tamarind rice, curd rice, and various items. Before offering them to God, you may call them by their respective names. But after offering them to God, everything becomes prasadam. Therefore, all actions that are offered to God correspond to kriya advaita.”
Sri Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol 22 (1989)
https://links.sairhythms.org/hXZ5
Sri Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol 29 (1996)
https://links.sairhythms.org/qkMz
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