5. Your technique of managing the organisation is based on common sense approach to self-betterment to which the masses can relate easily. How did you arrive at this methodology? Did you experiment in the beginning?

Though I achieved self-realization in 1984, for four-and-a-half years after that, I was just on pilgrimage. I did not commence any spiritual work.

There is no record of the happenings in the life of Jesus between his childhood and around 30 years. Recently I viewed ‘Bible’, a documentary film on Jesus Christ. The film-makers have projected the life of Jesus Christ in a different angle. The movie is a dialogue between John, the Baptist, and Jesus, on the incidents in the life of Jesus from his early years. Joseph and Mary take Jesus to the Church, and Jesus remains there for three days. They return searching for him. Mary of Magdalene is depicted as being in love with Jesus. After Joseph’s death, Jesus' mother Mary reveals to Jesus the secret of his birth and shows him the pearls and gems brought by the seers of the East. Jesus tells Mary of Magdalene, ‘I have come for some other work. I have no place for love in my life’. He is shown as a human character wearing a pair of trousers, shirt. When Jesus gets baptized, a form is shown leaving his body and then he wanders about in the desert, Satan tries to tempt him. The incidents have been visualized superbly. What is known of Jesus is, he wandered for a major part of his life and emerged suddenly at 30. They have portrayed him as typical human being till the demise of his father.

From 1984, when I had the experience of spiritual realization, till around 1988, I visited every one of the spiritual leaders, observed their working pattern, their infrastructure, and designed my system of working. I did not start off anything suddenly. I observed many spiritual leaders, and arrived at my own system that would prove to be good and constructive.

Secondly, moulding people is like teaching in schools. Each teacher has his own pattern of teaching. Some will conduct lectures, and pupils will doze half-way. It is an old method of teaching. We must not talk much. We must make the children observe. They should develop their own pattern of thinking. That is the latest: getting children involved in the learning process. If Siva Shankar Baba gives discourses like any other Mahaan, they will go waste. People are not interested in listening to discourses.

I decided to get people involved in this system of work. So I chose two phrases based on ‘humanitarian consideration’ and ‘human resource management’. Wanting to serve is ‘humanitarian consideration’.  Focusing one’s abilities to transform society and oneself is part of human welfare activity through the management of human resources. I wanted to formulate a management philosophy that was a combination of humanitarian consideration and human resource management. Siva Shankar (Baba addresses himself with his poorvashram name) had led a life of comforts that he discarded in his love for the Divine. And God has graced him with all comforts even now. If money were the primary consideration, then there would be no difference between others and us. People may lose their trust. I eliminated the need for money as a resource.

Individuals must be motivated to nurture their talents and also make use of their talents to serve others. That is exactly what I did. So the doctors who visit Samratchana on a regular basis offer their services to the medical cell, and those who are constrained by time send us the sample medicines they get.  This is how our medical service started.

I have never asked anyone to do service. Individuals got and get motivated into service by the example I set. Every volunteer here has chosen the service he or she is doing now. As long as he or she realizes that he or she is serving God and is committed to that service, I do not disturb him or her. If someone breaches his commitment to God’s service, he no longer holds that service. That is how it has always been. I am very particular that there must be no blemish in our service to God. My approach is to offer opinions on someone’s work and not about anyone’s personality. I do not harbour any personal hatred or anger. If your service does not meet my expectations, I may differ with you. No one is close to me or far from me. As long as there is no problem with the service, I do not disturb anyone. It was not my choice. It was yours. You have chosen to perform. You can excel only at what you are interested in. If a task is not to your liking, your concentration will waver. You cannot force anyone to do anything against his will. I do not compel anyone; I offer advice when required. Attaining the Lotus Feet of the Lord is ‘Upaayam’; rendering service by virtue of having realized this fact is ‘Upeyam’. Which is why I quote a marriage episode as example. There is no use sitting idle near the bride and the groom. Someone has to take care of the reception; someone must attend on people at the dining hall, yet another needs to take charge of the store-room. Then the hosts will be grateful to you forever. We are fast approaching a Srinivasa Kalyanam, Meenakshi Kalyanam, Valli Kalyanam. There is no use clanging bells for the Lord in prayers. Start doing some service, God likes those who serve His mission. Ramanuja was taught the Ashtakshara mantra as the means to salvation and warned that if he uttered it to anyone else, he would be consigned to hell. Despite that warning, Ramanuja climbed atop the Thirukoshtiyur temple tower (South India) and taught the mantra to the general public. God loves such people who, regardless of the risks involved, are in constant service to His children. That is why Ramanuja’s disciples had such immense love for him.

This is another way for serving God. Either rendering service to everyone or getting involved in God’s service. This is penance by itself. Serve God’s mission with your thoughts focused on God always. Volunteers here serve of their own volition. They contribute their manual or intellectual services, so there is no cost component involved. I did not have to ask for donations to pay for the medical services. I have been able to inspire doctors into voluntarily contributing their medical services or supplies. Such an easy method. And we have been able to attend on many sick people without charging them any fee. I motivated every individual this way. I created an organizational philosophy that would appeal to them. Everything is stabilized now. It is only in this organization that so many people render service so willingly. There are times I am tough with you, so that you achieve perfection. Very recently, I was asked, ‘What is the difference between you and other spiritualists?’, to which I replied, ‘No one else has been able to motivate people to do free voluntary service’. We have our own brand of dignity now, because we have never sought anything from anyone. We need not stoop in front of anyone; we can always hold ourselves high for this one reason. We have saved on the money, by being able to inspire people to serve free of cost. This is my first contribution. I do not have any use for your money. Share your knowledge resource with those who come here. This is my philosophy.

Secondly, there are two ways of managing an organization: pull-pull technique and push-push technique. Suppose you want to thread a needle. However much you push the thread into the needle’s eye, it will travel a small distance only. If you pull it from your side, you can take it all the way to America. The push-push technique does not work; the pull-pull technique works. My management is pull-pull. I decided to lead by example, rather than preach. So in all types of service, I take the lead. This is my second contribution.

When individuals saw me setting the chair or mike for someone, they came rushing to serve, in the thought, ‘If Baba can, why not me?’. For instance, we have someone to attend to sorting out the e-mails and letters before these come to me for reply. Earlier, I used to do this work myself. When Samratchana functioned at Mannady (Chennai), I used to sit up late night after Sathsang, to complete all the correspondence work, before taking rest. Sometimes, it would take till 5:00 AM. And I just cannot sleep till the work is done. So every service we have here I started it, and someone took over from me. I am the first volunteer of this organization. This is my third contribution.

(....Continues next week ....)

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