This mantra essentially means, ‘My dear Lord, I love you; Oh Lord and divine mother- the internal potency of God- please engage me in Your service.’

As we connect to the sound of this prayer, as we listen and receive the mantra, we also access the deeper meaning of this affirmation: ‘I want to serve, and contribute.’ This connects us to our internal compass; without an evolved conscience, our introspection is like a ship without the guidance of a lighthouse.

Since the purpose is to serve, the details of how best one could do it are revealed in time, but only if we add the all-important element of practical service.

5. Serve to Please

Many mistakenly believe that one’s vision and purpose precedes effective action in this world. Interestingly the reverse works just as effectively: you could participate in a series of small acts of service and discover your love and a sense of purpose.

What really drives you? What is it that you love and could die for? It is here we speculate: let me love someone or something and then I shall dedicate myself to that cause. However for a change try the opposite: just serve with a sincere desire to please your object of service and see how love develops.

Small acts of service over a period of time give birth to love in the heart.

Glenn Teton was the only son of a respected Chicago lawyer who was later appointed a judge. In March 1969 while studying in Boston, he met His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami also known fondly as Srila Prabhupada. Inspired by his teachings, Glenn joined his fledgling society then and took vows of dedicated service. He soon moved to Mumbai and helped develop a community and also a temple in a four-acre plot that was then considered an obscure and remote part of the city. Besides the unfriendly neighbors who suspected that foreigners like Glenn were CIA agents, there was a water shortage, cheating, attacks by the land mafia goons, stinking and open sewage and malaria and tropical diseases confronted the group that tried to develop a center there. However Glenn and his team persevered and today the temple they started is one of the landmark tourist spots of Mumbai. Glenn went on to become an initiated, celibate monk and was later awarded sannyasa– the highest position of renounced order. He is since then respectfully called as  Giriraj Swami.To be continued…

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