Seva is the highest spiritual sadhana. Japa or Dhyana, proficiency in the Shastras or mastery of Vedic texts cannot help you to reach the goal, as quickly or as safely as Seva.

The tendency to distinguish between the spiritual path, the path of service and the path of knowledge and regard them as separate is wrong. The three are not distinct; they are one. Seva (service) is spiritual knowledge. (SSS Vol.18)

Man always craves for bliss. The first requisite for achieving Brahmananda (Supreme Bliss) is a pure heart. Man s heart, which should be white like milk in its purity, is today filled with bad thoughts and feelings. Spiritual sadhana begins with the purification of the heart and transforming it into an ocean of milk. When the heart is filled with satwic qualities, it becomes like a milky ocean. Only then does it become a worthy dwelling for the Lord (Vishnu) whose abode is described as Kshira sagara (the Ocean of Milk). (SSS Vol.20)

You might have heard people talk of the miracles ; of My making’ this and giving that, of My fulfilling your wants, of My curing your illnesses. Of course I confer on you these boons of health and prosperity; but, only so that you might, with greater enthusiasm and with less interruption, proceed with Spiritual Sadhana. (SSS Vol.20)

The aim of spiritual sadhana is to make man recognise the unity that subsumes creation and enable him to realise the bliss in oneness with the Divine through the means of Karma, Upasana and Jnana (rituals, meditation and spiritual wisdom). (SSS Vol.21)

Man undertakes numerous good acts and devotes his thought, word and deed to various forms of discipline to realise God. But all these efforts are not bearing the desired fruit, because man has not understood what is true spiritual sadhana (discipline). Those who try to follow the nine forms of worship (Shravanam, Kirtanam, etc.) are also failing to attain their objective because they have not grasped the inner meaning of these forms of worship.

What is meant by sadhana? Can japa, dhyana, bhajans and pious actions be called sadhana (spiritual effort)? Real sadhana consists in transforming bad into good, converting sorrow into joy. There can be no happiness without sorrow, no good without the bad. There is a continuous conflict between good and evil, between happiness and sorrow.

Happiness and misery are inseparable twins which are inextricably linked to each other. One is the beginning and the other is the culmination. Beginning and end go together. Only the Divine is free from a beginning, a middle or an end, but in worldly affairs, everything that has a beginning, has an end. Grief is not something which someone thrusts on you from outside. Troubles and difficulties are not imposed on you from outside. Grief and trouble arise in the natural course of things.

The refinement of life calls for continual sadhana (spiritual practice). Without such practice, life gets degraded. (SSS Vol.24)

Today, people are going mad in search of spiritual knowledge. They adopt umpteen number of practices and bodily postures and call it spiritual sadhana. But, none of these can help to attain Atma jnana. What is important is prema (love) which is the undercurrent of all forms of spiritual sadhana. Realising the perishable nature of this deha (body), one has to realise the indweller (dehi), who is none other than the eternal Atma. Spiritual sadhana can also become fruitful by love alone. The mind can never be controlled by bad qualities, bad thoughts and bad company. Human nature can be sanctified only by divine and selfless love. (SSS Vol.37)