Selfless Service
Mahatma Gandhi translated and interpreted the Bhagavad Gita as "The Gospel of Selfless Service."
In it he wrote: “While acting, remember that action leads to bondage unless it is performed in a spirit of sacrifice. Sacrifice means exerting oneself for the benefit of others, in a word, it means service. And where service is rendered for service's sake, there is no room for attachment, likes and dislikes. Perform such a sacrifice; render such service. When Brahma created the universe, He created sacrifice along with it, as it were, and said to humankind, ‘Go forth into the world; serve one another and prosper. Look upon all creatures as God. Serve them as God’...” (Excerpt from "The Gita According to Gandhi"
Gandhi believed that the sphere of our service would eventually enlarge itself to embrace the whole world. It is through our selfless service that we identify with all of life. It is through selfless service that we remove the pain of separation. In realization of the universal Self of us all, we will cause no suffering. When our thoughts, speech and actions reflect this realization, we serve all of life with devotion.
