How to Help People ?

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 mankind once he has had a vision (darshan) of God because having had such a vision, he would not leave God alone. To see and experience God, people offer service to others. Service to others should be sincere and done from the heart; only then it is fruitful. When a person acquires fame and prestige for his service to others, it can create a lot of difficulties for him. When service to people is done without any expectations of recognition, then it is real. Prestige may indeed come, but one should not have any expectations and desire for it.

Generally, people are not inclined to serve others, but within them lay the need and the greed for fame and recognition; this is what drives them to do so. The one whose services for others are true and pure is the one who is non-acquisitive (aparigrahi). Such a one has no desire or need for anything. On the whole, people give service to others with expectations and subtle beggary and greed for fame, recognition and an expectation of position of power down the road. When one's intentions are devious, external difficulties will arise. When one becomes free from beggary and expectations, everything works out. On the one hand, people want to possess as much as they can (parigraha), and on the other, they want to Help Others. How can the two together be possible?