High on Waves

Swami Sivananda

Serve, love and give. You make a living by what you earn, but you make a life by what you give. Always give, give, give.

This is the secret of divine life. One who practises these instructions can live through the hard times and bad days, enlightened by the heavenly ray. Make others truly happy, just as you strive to make yourself happy. Speak a helpful word. Give a cheering smile. Do a kind act. Wipe the tears of one who is in distress. Render smooth a rough spot on another's path. You will feel great joy. Worship the poor, the downtrodden and the oppressed. These are your first gods. Love all.

Love vibrates in the form of service, giving, charity and benevolence. Compassion is active benevolence. It is the positive expression of love. Non-injury is the negative expression of love. Passive goodness alone is not sufficient. Active goodness or positive goodness is essential for one's spiritual advancement. The aspirant should be ever doing good actions.