साधना (sādhana - spiritual practice) itself becomes a form of सेवा (sevā - loving service) if it is done with humbleness - “Oh, my Guru has told me to do this.”
सोइ सेवक प्रियतम मम सोई।
मम अनुसासन मानै जोई॥Soi sevak priyatam mam soi.
Mam anusāsan mānai joi.- Ramayan
Shree Ram says, “My favorite sevāk, My favorite servant, is the one who follows My instructions.”
So, thinking that Shree Maharaj Ji has said to do sādhana in this way, “I want to please Him, so I am going to do roopdhyan (loving meditation on the Divine form) and kīrtan (devotional chanting), then doing sādhana also becomes sevā.”
So, sādhana and sevā go together. Doing physical sevā or financial sevā brings us closer to our Guru by helping us develop humbleness and giving us the opportunity to offer that part of ourselves, that energy or that effort, that we put into that physical or financial sevā. It allows us to express our humbleness and dedication and to develop it further, and practicing sādhana, where we sit and make our mind do roopdhyan, helps us to control our mind. It teaches the mind (about) that control, and practices the mind to become attached to Radha Krishna and Guru over and over and over again. So we need to do both sādhana and sevā.
Gītā says:
तद्विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्नेन सेवया |
उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं ज्ञानिनस्तत्त्वदर्शिन: ||Tad viddhi praṇipāten paripraśhnen sevayā
Upadekṣhyanti te gyānaṁ gyāninas tattva-darśhinaḥ- Gita 4.34
“The Guru has all the Divine knowledge and all the Divine bliss and can give that to anybody, but you have to be ready to receive it.”
So how do you become ready to receive it? You’re not ready to receive everything the Guru is able to give you. What do you have to do? Sevayā (सेवया). You have to serve the Guru. By serving the Guru, you purify your heart and you become more and more open to receive the Guru’s teachings and grace.
