By Ruth (Rama) Brooke, SVA Board Member 

How great is the Guru’s capacity for Being in Service?  Gurudevi ascribes everything she does — every breath, every word, every action — to serving her Guru, Baba Muktananda.  She says, “It all comes from my Baba.”  She understands the generous gift Baba has given her — her Self.  She resides at Baba’s feet, serving him always.  She serves him by giving unceasingly to you and me.

I see Gurudevi modeling an abundant capacity for Being in Service, the theme of our Ashram’s fall fundraising campaign.  She sparks it within all of us students as she teaches the benefits of seva (selfless service) and dakshina (financial support).  She explains that through both, we stand to receive exponentially more than we give.   

So I ask you to join me in contributing to our Being in Service Fundraising Campaign today.  In giving, you share the light of your own divinity.  You shine it into a world that forgets its own essence too easily.  Your gift to the Ashram supports Gurudevi’s service.  Donations sustain the Ashram infrastructure and operations necessary to spread her profound teachings widely. 

How great is your capacity for Being in Service?  Our capacities are ever expanding.  We are bolstered by a lineage of Great Beings who have served throughout time.  We receive the ageless gift of Shaktipat.  It kindles our awareness, opening us to our capacities.  We’re divinely inspired to turn inward and steep in the essence of Beingness.  Gratitude naturally begins to well within.  We become motivated to share and to serve.  This natural cycle of giving and receiving is exemplified within our Svaroopa^® community.   

Consider what Gurudevi has done for you.  Through your financial support, what she might do for others in the world?  For me, this inspires the next question.  How can I be of service, giving from a state of expanded awareness and beingness?  Over the years, I’ve been amazed at the capacities that have arisen within me.  The deeper I am based in Self, the more easily they arise and flow.  First, I was surprised to realize my capacity to teach yoga and then meditation.  Then came Guru Seva, serving on the Ashram Board and supporting various Ashram functions and programs.  I’ve developed skills I never knew I had. 

Gurudevi describes the impetus for the cycle of giving and receiving this way: 

^{The gratitude and generosity that bubble up from the deep well of your own essence are gifts from your yoga practices.  This has a tremendous effect on your body and your mind.  By giving of yourself, you get filled up.  It doesn’t come from being thanked.  It simply feels good to give.} 

Gurudevi then adds that “true generosity opens your heart and quiets your mind.”  So I ask again: will you open your heart and quiet your mind with a donation to our Being in Service Fundraising Campaign today? 

Follow our Master Teacher’s example for Being in Service.  Contributing financially, you help sustain Ashram operations that support Gurudevi’s service to you and other seekers worldwide.  Choose the form of service, below, that most resonates with you:  

In Service to Your Body – support the Ashram’s yoga programs 

In Service to Your Mind – support the Ashram’s meditation programs 

In Service to the World – support the Ashram’s teachings by our swamis. 

Donate today on our website or on Facebook.  You can call us at (610) 644-7555.  Or you can send your check to Svaroopa Vidya Ashram, 116 E. Lancaster Ave., Downingtown, PA 19335. Thank You!