The Onus Of The Prasanthi Tag – The ‘Burden’ Of Being a ‘Prasanthi Nilayam Representative’

Puttaparthi is undoubtedly ‘The Land That Did Penance’, and Prasanthi Nilayam, ‘The Supreme Abode Of Peace’. For them who are blessed to be…, …blessed to live in ‘His Own’ sacrosanct Prasanthi Nilayam, does the ‘code of conduct’ remain the same like any other place, or does it come with any special ‘responsible’ tag? …An enlightening reminder from Bhagawan HimSelf. Read on…

Have you reflected on the responsibility which is now being endowed upon you? You are being invested with the chance to be Prasanthi Nilayam Representatives entrusted with the traditional duty of extending hospitality towards your brethren who arrive to this Holy Town. Therefore, you must have Prasanthi in your hearts and not be agitated, worried, angry or upset. Conduct in keeping with the dignity conferred on you. When guests come to the house, does the wife tell the husband, “We shall feed them after we have eaten?” Their needs take precedence, and they have to be attended to with care and consideration. It is the same here too. The men and women who have come are to be met with love and care, irrespective of your convenience and comfort. That is the way to please Me and win My Grace.

You must have not merely enthusiasm to serve, but also the intelligence and the skill. Only then can you be efficient and useful. Enthusiasm without efficiency is often a source of loss and grief. You must do the Seva that is delegated to you intelligently and to a successful completion. It does not matter if the recipient is not fully satisfied. You must have done your best, without hesitation or favour.

What is the use of hurrying along the ranks of persons who are sitting for meals with a basket of laddus shouting, “Laddus, laddus, who wants laddus?” without pausing and serving even one laddu (an Indian sweet) on the plate of a single person? The diners in this case have the benefit of only the name, not the substance. Nowadays, service has become more talk and less deed. But The Lord cannot be deceived; He Is vigilant and all-knowing.

Observe Me. What benefit can I derive from all My activity when it is I Who assigns the rewards to all actions according to what they deserve? But yet, you will find Me busy from dawn to dusk, night and day. I finish My lunch or dinner within minutes so that I can teach you the value of time; I attend to the smallest detail of all the various items of work, for I try to set an example for you, in meticulous attention to, and careful anticipation of, all contingencies. I know many of you idle away hours on end, wasting precious time in gossip, purposeless talk and debate. When you practise the attitude that God is everywhere as the witness of every act of yours; that God is in every being you meet and serve, then you will certainly be rewarded by a Vision Of The Lord.

When you have the brilliant chance, do not let it go through ignorance or negligence. Grasp the opportunity and advance! The best way to win grace is to obey instructions, to follow the advice and submit to the controls exercised with lots of Love. I Am ‘concerned’ that people are not benefiting from Me as much as I would like to confer. In the lotus pond there are many frogs. The bees coming from afar partake the nectar of the lotus blooms but the frogs do not seem to realise the value of what is there in their midst.

Seva done lovingly and well to the people who gather here to have Darshan and to listen to the discourses is a great opportunity for you to acquire discrimination and detachment, to widen and deepen your bhakti (devotion), and to realise how Sai Is the Inner Motivator of all beings. I wish you well. Be humble, sweet and sincere.

II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II