People say that the service of man is the service of God, that Manavaseva is Madhavaseva. That is a true statement. But though the service of humanity is holy, unless it is merged in the bigger ideal, men will not benefit, however huge the service. Mere repetition of the slogan is useless, if service is done without faith in the divinity of man and with an eye on name and fame and the fruits of one's action; whatever actions one undertakes, if one has constantly as a companion the contemplation of the Lord, and if one has faith in the essential divinity of man, then, the statement about Manavaseva and Madhavaseva being the same is justified. Without thoughts of Madhava how can Madhavaseva originate? All such talk is mere show. I won't agree to that. Instead, whatever is done with the Lord in mind, along the path of truth, and according to the aspects of Dharma, has to be considered as the Seva of the Lord and whatever is done for name and fame and for the fruit thereof shall not be referred to as Madhavaseva.

In fact, those who are immersed in the uninterrupted contemplation of the Lord need not do any other task at all. The fruit of their prayer itself can make the world holy. But, all cannot be thus engaged; and so all must endeavour to prepare for that stage by purifying their mind and diminishing their desires. The Sadhus who have achieved this can realise things for themselves. Others cannot grasp the sameness of Manavaseva and Madhavaseva.

But this does not mean that one can sit quiet. Grasping it is dependent on each one's destiny, and past actions and on each one's Sadhana. Until that happens, do Dhyanam and Japam so that the mind will become free from the waves of feeling and full of the divine form; also carry out deeds for the good of others; devote your time to the service of the world, irrespective of the results thereof; thus, you can become blessed. Otherwise, though the body may be inactive the mind will be very busy, committing acts on its own. Such men fall a prey to Karma, in spite of their not doing anything! When a person has his mind fixed on the contemplation of God and the pursuit of Truth, though his body and his senses do acts that are of service to the world, he will not be affected by them; though he does Karma, he will be a non-doer of Karma. The lesson of the Bhagavadgitha is embedded in this. The heart of the person who does not strive to cultivate his mind with holy thoughts is certain to be the paradise of evil and wickedness. This has to be borne in mind by all those who aspire for salvation, who seek one-pointedness, and who hope to rise to greatness. To realise this knowledge of the Atma, caste is not a criterion nor monkhood, nor rituals, nor scholarship gained by study of the Sastras. Brahmanishta is the only criterion. It is this that the Upanishad text too emphasises:

Naasramam kaaranam muktheh, darsanaani nakaaranam.
Thathaiva sarvakarmaani jnaanameva hi kaaranam.

Jnana alone is the cause of liberation; not Asrama or philosophy.