“One is born out of karma (action), One lives and dies in karma. Karma is verily God, And it is responsible for one’s happiness and sorrow. (Telugu poem).
Karma (action) is verily the life of a human. Whatever actions one undertakes to perform from morning to evening, one should first understand and then perform. This is your primary duty. The nature of the action that you perform determines the type of result you get. When you perform good deeds, you will have good results”. – Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol 41 (2008)

Service Sadhana

Who can participate?

  • Individual
  • Family
  • Center

Duration?

  • Please exercise at least one service deed from the list of suggested options or you can come up with your own options as well. This must be done as per your sadhana offering.

Suitable for?

  • Adults
  • Young Adults
  • SSE Group 1/2/3/4

How long does it take to do?

  • Depends on the type of activity.

Details

Instructions:

Our beloved Bhagawan, through His Divine Discourses, has time and again urged us to redeem our lives by performing good actions. Whatever the type of action we perform, we will get the results according to that. So, if we are to be good, we should cultivate good feelings and perform only good deeds.

Consciously perform at least one good deed a day (Several examples of good deeds are provided below, for you to derive inspiration from). When you wake up in the morning, remind yourself of your commitment of the day, to be good and do good. If you may choose so, set a reminder on your phone as a good way of putting a “material” device to spiritual use. Then in the night, before you sleep, recollect the good deed(s) that you have performed during the day, prayerfully expressing your gratitude to all beings who presented you with those opportunities and to Bhagawan for helping you. Recognize the oneness of all beings and that Bhagawan is the indweller of all. It is important that you perform the good deeds without the slightest trace of ego and the feeling of doership.

Examples of good deeds for you to derive inspiration from:

  1. Say a private prayer for someone in need or send positive vibes to someone through thoughts.
  2. Lend a helping hand to someone struggling to cross a street or climb the stairs or carrying something heavy.
  3. Offer a helping hand to a disadvantaged person.
  4. Help an elderly neighbor with some chores.
  5. Take food to a new neighbor. Offer to cook or clean for the family of someone who has recently given birth, or has an ailing member who needs care.
  6. Cook for/serve food to a random hungry person. When you are out buying food, purchase an extra item to donate to a food pantry or to a homeless person.
  7. Spend some time each day on improving your health by eating healthy, exercising, etc.,
  8. Help your spouse with an activity he/she is usually “in charge of” at home.
  9. Let the car waiting to enter the road get ahead of you in the midst of rush hour traffic.
  10. Write a thank-you note to someone who is least expecting it from you.
  11. Swallow your pride and apologize for something you’ve done – whether big or small.
  12. Lovingly greet or give a smile to a passerby.
  13. Answer the phone in a cheerful voice.
  14. Praise a colleague’s good work. Appreciate sincerely any achievement of theirs.
  15. If one of your friends or coworkers has been suffering with illness, send them your prayers and best wishes. Check on their wellbeing regularly.
  16. Allow the customer with only one or two items who is patiently waiting in line behind you to go ahead of you at the store.
  17. Hold the door for the person entering the grocery store or your office or apartment building behind you.
  18. Give up your bus or train seat to an elderly woman or man, or a pregnant woman.
  19. Tell a family member how much you love him/her.
  20. Phone a friend whom you have not been in touch with off-late and have a chat. Make him/her feel special. Help a friend in need.
  21. Spend time playing and laughing with a child.
  22. Feed animals and birds.
  23. Save electricity by unplugging your devices when not in use. Conserve energy. Turn off the lights if you’re the last person to leave a room.
  24. Switch your light bulbs to the energy-efficient variety.
  25. Recycle whatever paper, bottles and plastic items possible.
  26. Reduce the use of plastic as much as possible. Take a reusable water bottle with you wherever you go. Carry reusable shopping bags in your car to avoid having plastic bags for your grocery purchases.
  27. Pick up trash from the sidewalk.
  28. Be environmentally conscious – use both sides of the paper before throwing it away.
  29. Turn the tap off when you’re shaving, brushing your teeth or scrubbing the dishes – every drop counts.
  30. Plant a tree.
  31. Plant a vegetable garden and donate the vegetables to a food pantry.
  32. Donate your old eyeglasses to an organization that will reuse them.
  33. Donate clothes / winter clothing to the homeless.
  1. Find unneeded items in your house and donate them to a good cause.
  2. Collect stuffed animals or toys from family members, friends, and neighbors and donate them to an organization that helps children.
  3. Donate school supplies to children from underprivileged homes.
  4. Purchase/Collect toiletries and donate them to shelters, rehab centers, or other places that would benefit from them.
  5. Hold a charity day at work. Encourage your colleagues and supervisors to bring in non-perishable items to be donated to a worthy cause.
  6. Think of something you do well and use your talent to benefit others – for example singing or playing music at a children’s hospital or a nursing home.
  7. Offer to read to or play games with someone living in a nursing or retirement home.
  8. Teach an elderly person to use a computer to surf the Internet or write e-mails.
  9. Write that check to the charity, that you have been holding off on.
  10. Businessman: practice fair trade, donate to a good cause, etc.
  11. Professional: Use your knowledge and skills to serve society. Support a colleague who could use a little help.
  12. Volunteer in your community programs.
  13. Add yourself to a bone marrow registry and take part in a bone marrow drive.
  14. Donate blood.
  15. Sign up for CPR course, CERT, etc. Participate and volunteer in Disaster Relief Efforts of Sai Organization.
  16. Actively participate in your center’s service activities.
  17. Sign up as a volunteer for SaiCares initiative in our Region.

Purpose:

The eventual goal of this Sadhana is to help engrave the spirit of selfless good action in our sub-consciousness so that all our actions would eventually be spontaneous acts of goodness that please our beloved Lord. Let us embrace this Sadhana with purpose, with intent, and without delay, making the best use of this opportunity to redeem our lives by constantly engaging ourselves in good deeds.

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