Be very clear, if you want to really serve society, the first thing you need is intensity in your purpose. I have seen many people doing something in the name of social service, just because they can’t sit with themselves. Be very clear, if you are not able to sit with yourself and do social service like going to some temple, going to some social service organization or doing some such service, you will never be able to experience the truth. Going to the temple or doing some social service should be like overflowing. You feel so full, you feel there is nothing more to be done and think, ‘I have so much of time, let me do some service to society, it is beautiful.’ Then it will lead you to enlightenment. The service itself can lead you to spiritual experience.

You feel overflowing and think, ‘God has given me so much, this whole life is so beautiful,’ and you go to a temple or church to offer your gratitude. Then it will just liberate you and you will become enlightened. If you are going to the temple or for social service just because you don’t feel relaxed within yourself, you can’t sit quietly. There is so much of restlessness within you that you just want to do catharsis in some way. People with this type of attitude, even if they go to temples, will be sitting there and shouting at everybody, ‘Don’t do this. Don’t do that. What are you doing? Don’t you know god wants this?’ They will start representing god! Not even representing, they will even start acting god. This type of persons, even if they do some service will be only putting their ego in front. They will only be torturing others. They will not be serving others.

Be very clear, many times you start doing things just for the sake of service, not feeling. You don’t feel what you are doing. You don’t feel the need of the other person. You need to fill your time and you need to show your project report to somebody, maybe to the higher authorities or to the society. Just for that when you do it, you create a mess and more difficulty for others. I always feel service should be overflowing out of your being. It should never be done for some other purpose. Whenever it is done for some other purpose, be very clear, you will not be intense and you will not be growing in your being. Your love or service will be pure hypocrisy. I can say ‘impure hypocrisy’, not even pure hypocrisy! If you are pure you will be liberated. It is impure hypocrisy

source: Living Enlightenment