By performing devotion like chanting, dandavats, puja, and all other activities, we become closer to Maharaj. But only devotion is not sufficient to remove the Vasana (inner materialistic desires).
Sometimes, devotion in itself may cause the rise of inner desires. It might increase the desire for better name among the devotees. You may become proud of your activities and your position.
Then how does the inner desires be removed? Only by serving Maharaj, Saints, Devotees, Satsang, without expecting anything for oneself, and with the only intention of pleasing Maharaj and His Saints, all the inner desires shall be removed from its very roots.
How does it remove the inner desires? When Maharaj or Saints or Devotees gets pleased, with their blessings, the roots of inner desires get removed by itself one by one.
Little blessings of Devotees and Saints gets accumulated and acts upon removing the inner desires.
So, we should selflessly serve the devotees of God. We should serve Satsang. We should serve the organization that acts as a platform of Satsang. How should we serve? Without a single expectation for ourselves.
What should we intend then? We should intend only to please Maharaj. That intention should be truthful to yourself.
As we continue doing self-less devotional services, all the inner desires continue to reduce one by one.
So self-less devotional service (Nishkamseva) is better than the regular devotional activities.
During Maharaj times, there was a devotee named Ratan Kadiya. Maharaj was highly pleased with him and presented his own Paagh. After three generations of Ratanji, there were no children to take the family forward. The last person was selflessly serving Junagadh temple with all his energies. All his inner desires got cleaned off because of his selfless service. As he became old, he went to Balmukunddas Swami and said that he doesn’t have anyone to transfer the properties, so he would like to submit everything he possess to Junagadh temple. Balmukunddas Swami was pleased and said, “There is no need of such activity. You shall get a son in exchange of Maharaj’s Paagh for the mandir that was presented to your great grandfather Ratanji.”
He presented the Paagh with the only intention of pleasing Maharaj and Balmukunddas Swami, and he got a son at that old age.
Only Nishkam Seva with the intention of pleasing Maharaj and His Saints removes all the inner desires from its very roots.
References:
15th June 2017: Port Orange, FL
Swami Ni Vato