Life is an opportunity to seek God, see God and merge with God. Life acquires meaning and value only if it is used for this purpose. Dasyam is the seventh step on the ladder of devotion. With every step the devotee is getting closer and closer to His Lord. That means the devotee’s heart is expanding, he is growing and so is his happiness.

Firstly, one is introduced to the Lord through Shravanam. Then, through Keertanam, Vishnusmaranam, Padsevanam, Archanam and Vandanam one experiences Him more often and gets to know Him better. The Lord becomes more than an acquaintance. When one gets to know a person well, one wants to establish a relationship with that person. In the same way, when the devotee’s heart expands and gets filled with love for the Lord, it only makes him want more to establish a relationship with His Lord.

One can have any kind relationship with the Lord, for the Lord is the basis of all relationships. Some look to Him as mother, some as father, some as master, some as their beloved, and some as friend. Dasyam means to look at Him as the master and consider oneself His servant.

The Ramayana depicts a scene in Lanka, in the court of the demon king Ravana. Hanumanji, who had gone there in search of mother Sita, was caught and brought before Ravana who questioned him thus, “Impertinent monkey, tell me, who are you?” To this Hanumanji replied, “Dasoham Koshalend rasya.” I am the servant of Lord Ram who is the noble son of mother Kaushalya.

Hanumanji was the son of Vayu, the wind God. He was the disciple of Surya, the Sun God. He was the chief minister of Sugreeva, who ruled Kishkinda. But when questioned by Ravana he did not mention any of these by way of introduction. Instead, he very proudly announced himself as a servant of Sri Ram. His devotion to Lord Rama exemplifies Dasyam. Of all the relationships he had in the world, he felt the relationship with the Lord as the dearest to him, hence the declaration.

Dasyam means servitude. It is a form of devotion in which the devotee regards God as the master and considers himself as the servant. Swami says “Devotion begins with dasoham, the attitude that you are the servant of God, and progresses to the stage of soham, where you become one with God.” Devotion is not complete at this stage of dasyam. It is complete only when one understands the Truth or, like Swami says, when one becomes one with God.

Hanumanji achieved that oneness going from Dasyam to Atmanivedenam. But on the physical and mental level he still maintained the Dasyam bhava (feeling).

Once Lord Ram asked Hanumanji: “Hanuman, tell me, how do you regard me and relate to me?” Hanumanji replied, “Lord, at the physical level, I regard you as the master and consider myself as your servant. At the mental level I regard you as the object and myself as your reflection, and spiritually I am you.”

Hanuman was a highly evolved being. That is why at all levels he was able to identify himself correctly and related to Lord Ram accordingly.

Dasyam expresses as seva (service) of the beloved. For it is that which gives maximum happiness to the devotee. But, by itself it is not seva, it is an attitude. It is the willingness in the devotee to serve. The devotee considers himself as an instrument and becomes an able instrument in the hands of his beloved Lord. He considers all situations as coming directly from the Lord. He considers all actions coming from his own body mind as the Lords work, as His grace. For what is it that he can call his own.

The body and mind are given by the Lord. One’s ability, talents and energy to perform all tasks was granted by Him. The time and space to do the work is given by Him. The desire to do the particular job is granted by Him. The knowledge, the know-how of the task, is graciously granted to him. So how can one claim any action? How can one claim to do anything? One is always ready to do the Lord’s bidding, taking cue from all that is happening. As all that is happening is willed by the Lord alone.

There is nothing more divine than allowing Him to work through oneself. Such a person becomes available to the Lord all the time. Swami says “I call upon you to radiate the devotion within you so that its unseen power will envelop all who come into your orbit. To successfully perform your part, always remain centered upon Me.” When He says always, it means 24/7 i.e. 24 hours over 7 days of the week.

Are we always centered on Him? We must constantly check what is distracting us. This constant checking will bring our flaws in front, meaning we will become aware of our failings. We will become aware of that which is taking our mind away from the Lord. Only if we are aware can we do something to check our desires, for it is our desires which stand between us and the Lord.

He further says “You are My instruments for whom My love will pour. Be always aware that the moment you let your ego descend upon you My work ceases. When you have overcome your negative unmindfulness you will again become My source.”

So, it is this negative unmindfulnes that we need to eradicate from our system. And we can do that only if we are watching our minds. Watching the mind is the most beneficial spiritual exercise. It matures the devotee tremendously.

Desires take the form of our personal likes and dislikes. We will allow Him to work through us by reducing our personal likes and dislikes. How does one reduce them? By doing our duties SINCERELY and HAPPILY.

The Lord has placed us wherever we are in life and with certain people. The situations we face are what we need to evolve. Everything is from Him, everything is really Him. The servant (bhakta) never questions. He only follows orders, taking cue from what is happening. He knows that nothing is from him really, it is only through him. He accepts all as the Lord’s prasad happily, all bitter and sweet experiences. The bhakta knows very well that not even a leaf can move without Him willing it. So what ever is happening is happening with His will.

This knowledge, and the experience that things happen through one and not from one, will not be genuine if there are personal likes and dislikes. If one thinks that things are done by oneself, then personal likes and dislikes come in and the result of one’s actions may cause disturbance. There is no way one can escape that. The only way to escape all sorrow is to see clearly that one is not the doer, that without His presence in the body no action is possible. It is wonderful to experience this, but it happens only with His grace. Without His presence in the mind no thought is possible.

We pay lip service to this idea, we do not really believe in it. The proof lies in our sorrow, for Swami says that a devotee is one who is never sorrowful. How many of us are His devotees? Can we even call ourselves His devotees?

Our Upanishadic Rishis are an example of this level of devotion. They wrote masterpieces but never claimed them to be their work. No Upanishad comes with the authors name on the text because they knew it was only through them, not from them. In the quietness of the mind, that knowledge, those thoughts, appeared. They were mere instruments to pass over the thoughts, they were not the originators of the thoughts. Hence they did not claim those noble thoughts or actions as theirs. That is true detachment and devotion.

O Swami, may Thy Grace flow through us to the world around.

JAI SAI RAM