Page 240 - Bodhayanti Parasparam Vol 6

Bodhayanti Parasparam Vol 6
I do not feel that this is the logic to which Babuji was referring to when he used the word serf. I think the linkage Babuji gave using the example of Bharata who did not allow his heart to be contaminated with anything but the esteem, regard, love and devoted worship of the Master is more apt and this Babuji says is the connecting link between the Master and the serf.
Let us now reflect for a while on why the example of Bharata was used while explaining the concept of serf. There were two other great bhaktas mentioned in the Ramayana viz. Hanuman and Lakshmana. Hanuman was a bhakta who always believed in keeping the Master in his heart and being in his thought always. Hanuman did not believe in expressing his greatness or helping others, even the Lord, unless asked for. Lakshmana was always attentive to the needs of the Master and he was so attentive to his masters needs that he did not eat, drink or sleep for the whole of 14 years that he was with the lord. But in both the above cases their service was limited to service of the lord, there was not much done to serve the manifestation of the lord.
In contrast Bharatas contribution to the service of the Lord was to rule in lieu of him for the time the lord was away attending to the divine duty. Then why did Master use the example of Bharata to explain the concept of a serf? Let us reflect further. Bharata ruled the land on behalf of the Master using his Padukas as a symbol of the Masters superiority serving the people as if the Master was serving without having any regard to his individual glory. His act was entirely selfless and he was instrumental in spreading the glory of the Lord and lived in the consciousness of the Lord. In fact when one reads the Ramayana and looks for references for the rule of Bharata nothing can be gathered. His act was so entirely selfless that the entire rule of 14 years is almost
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