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Real joy comes by leading a dedicated life. That is what we see in nature. The entire nature exists to serve others. We don’t need teachings for all the other species in life because they already live to serve others. So let your motto be, “I am living to serve others. I am living to serve.” Everything that you possess was given to you as a gift to be used in service, not to be used for yourself.
The most important thing in life is service, service, service. Keep that in mind. The immediate benefit of that is you are always happy. A person who has dedicated their life to service will never find sadness in life. They always will experience peace and joy. Trees and flowers don’t exist for themselves. Only human beings seem to exist for themselves. That is why Yoga is only necessary for the human beings.
Offer everything that you can. Accept whatever comes to you. If you serve well, if you are useful to other people, they always will take care of you. You don’t have to worry about yourself. Others should come and say, “Stop that; enough work; go and rest.” Others should tell you, “You should eat. You should go and rest. Enough for today.”
Try it for some time and see how happy you feel. We should not work for ourselves. “What can I gain? What can I get?” No. Forget yourself and think of others always. That is what makes selfless service, Karma Yoga. The place where people are where they are really Karma Yogis is a heaven and a haven. Wherever selfishness comes to, it becomes a hell. So let us learn to be totally, totally selfless and service-oriented—searching for opportunities to serve others. That will make the place a heaven.
Well, words can never bring the real joy. I may talk the whole day about how tasty the sweets are; but, unless you take time to eat, they are just words. So, try it out by asking yourself: “What more could I do to serve?”
Source: Heaven on Earth: My Vision of Yogaville by Sri Swami Satchidananda
