The Supreme Power of God upholds the Universe and Creation. It is not possible for mere mortals to understand what or who God is, what are His rules, how He operates, what are His qualities and why He does certain actions which are beyond our comprehension. Only God can teach us about Him. So God manifests in the form of Guru to teach mankind about Him. God is Guru. And Guru is God. A Guru who has overcome his ego and merged himself with God is God Himself. Doing service to such a Guru is service to God. And the blessings and rewards of such seva are astounding. See the story of Samarth Ramdas and Kalyan:
Samarth Ramdas was a powerful and well known Guru. He lived in Sajjangad which was on top of a hill. There was no source of water in the fort. The daily requirements of water for the Guru and his disciples had to be carried from the village at the bottom of the hill. This work of carrying and filling water for the requirements of all persons in the fort was done by a disciple named Kalyan. Kalyan had great love for his Guru and did the task of carrying and filling the water as Guru Seva. All other disciples sat at the feet of the Guru and acquired knowledge from holy books and through question and answer sessions. Kalyan rarely sat at the Guru’s feet to study. He was busy from dawn to dusk carrying and filling the water at the fort. He was the Guru’s favourite and all the students were jealous and envious of Kalyan. They felt that since they sat at the Guru’s feet and studied hard and had more knowledge than Kalyan, the Guru should hold them in high regard.
Samarth Ramdas was aware of the feelings of the other students towards Kalyan. He waited for the right opportunity to show them the value of Kalyan. One day during a study session, the Guru asked a tricky question to the students. None of them were able to give the answer. At that time Kalyan was passing by carrying buckets of water. The Guru called out to him and asked him the same question. Kalyan gave the correct answer effortlessly.
The other students were astounded. They asked the Guru: how is it that Kalyan knows the answer to this question? We sit with you day and night and study and learn. We were not able to answer the question. Kalyan never sits with us and studies. Yet he gave the right answer! Samarth Ramdas replied: Kalyan does Guru Seva with the right understanding and approach. For him, service to the Guru and taking care of needs for water for the persons here in the fort is doing service to God. He does this work cheerfully and willingly. He does not hold a grudge that he carries water all day long and that you sit here comfortably and study. You know only theory of spirituality. For you the dictum ‘serve all like you serve God’ and 'Guru is God' are only words. Kalyan has realized the truth of these dictum by practice. He is doing the service with the right attitude and understanding. The blessings of God and Guru pour over him. Therefore he has all knowledge! Samarth Ramdas later on made Kalyan his official writer for noting down all his songs and teachings. Samarth Ramdas authored many books like the Dasbodh and Shri Manache Shlok which are read and revered even today. Kalyan was his pen.
Listening to lectures and reading books by saints and others gives us only book knowledge. Theoretical knowledge is of no use. It is like knowing the recipe of making a tasty dish. We may know the ingredients, the method and have a description of taste of the final dish. But just knowing this will not assuage our hunger. We need to eat the actual dish and relish the taste and food to fulfil our hunger.
Do daily japa of the SitaRam Mantra and meditation. Follow the teachings of the Guru. It does not matter if you are physically near the Guru or live far away. Be mentally close to the Guru by thinking of him. Do your work and follow the practices given to you. This is the best Guru Seva you can do and you will reap the blessings. Whatever is lacking in your life will be granted and you will have contentment. Guru seva is like the Kamadhenu – the Holy Cow which grants all the wishes. Do the Seva of Guru for sake of doing Seva. Do the seva for love of the Guru. This is the highest level of Seva possible.
