Seva or Service

“Seva” is a Sanskrit word meaning “selfless service” or work performed without any thought of reward or repayment. It is very similar to Nishkama Karma or Karma Yoga which is the advice given by Lord Krishna to Arjuna in the Srimad Bhagavad Gita. He tells Arjuna about the great benefits to be got from doing things for others without any hope of personal gain. “Karmanye adhikarastu ma phaleshu kadhachana”, is what He says. “You have a right to do action but you have no right to ask for the fruits of the action.” This may seem to be a strange thing to say but the fact is that there is a law which operates in the whole of the universe which controls the effects or end product of any action. We have no control over it even though we fully believe that everything is in our control.

This is why Lord Krishna insists that we have only the right to do our duty and we have no right to demand our dues!! In any case, the dues are not in our hands but in the hands of a cosmic power which of course is extremely fair. All of us can be certain that we will get our just dues, neither more nor less, even though we may not agree that we get what we deserve. We always think we deserve more than we get! Thus “seva” is the art of blessed action in which the act is a gift to everyone involved. It helps our own spiritual growth and contributes to the welfare of the person or community for whose sake the seva has been done.

Our Puranas extol the axiom, “manava seva, Madhava seva” service of our fellow beings is equal to worship of God. Hence Lord Krishna’s advice while doing any seva or any action, is to do it as an offering to the divinity that is lodged in the person. This is the right attitude by which any seva is to be done. If done with this attitude, there will be no disappointments since our duty is only to serve the divine in the person and not to ask for anything in return. Whatever we get in return should be considered as “prasad” or something holy. “Prasad” means the remains of something which has been offered to God.

Very often we do so much for someone or for the society yet we feel that our efforts have not been given due recognition and that we deserve something better. This feeling of frustration is only caused by the fact that we have great expectations. “Consider yourself to be an instrument in the hands of God”, is another of Lord Krishna’s comments. When we do or give anything to anyone, this fact must be clearly remembered that we have come to the world with empty hands and will leave with empty hands and if at this moment we have something in our hands which we are able to give to someone, it should be given with the attitude that, “I am not the donor. Anything that I give, any service that I might render is only given to me by God. Thus, I have no right to demand or even expect any return from the other party, “NOT EVEN GRATITUDE”. Seva done with this attitude, will bear no disappointments and whatever we get will bring us only happiness.

Hinduism gives another angle to the doing of seva. We should be grateful to God for having given us an opportunity to serve others. Not everyone gets this type of opportunity. When we do something for another, we should be grateful to that person for accepting our service. They are the ones who have done a service to us and not the other way round. Both “dana” – charity and seva should be done with this attitude.

The Taittiriya Upanishad says, "Give. Give with faith. Do not give without faith. Give with sensitivity. Give with a feeling of abundance. Give with right understanding."

The Hindu world view holds that all beings are interconnected as God dwells within all beings. “Vasudeva Kudumbam”, is another great axiom in Hinduism. This means that the whole world belongs to one family and that is the family of God. If we see anyone suffering in our family, it is our duty and our job to help them without any thought of reward. Every person in our family should be given the same consideration that we give to ourselves. To see the suffering of another as something separate from oneself, or as "someone else's problem," is to move away from this great dictum. Nobody is alien to us. We are all inter-connected in some way or other to everything else in this universe. Nothing in this world is really our own. The ego is the veil that keeps us from perceiving the true nature of existence as One.

Therefore, any help you render to others is actually another way of helping ourselves to grow spiritually. Disinterested service of humanity is the greatest “puja” or worship of God. This is the spirit of seva.

Sometimes people are fired with the ambition to change the world and to make a mark on humanity through the charitable deeds that they might perform. But it is well to remember that it is virtually impossible to change the world in one fell swoop. Many avatars and many reformers and saints have come, but none of them have been able to change the whole world. This, however, need not be considered as a failure. It is far better for you to concentrate on the community around you, the town or village in which you live, the relationships you have created, and the lives of those you are able to touch. There is nothing great or small in the eyes of God. The slightest effort on our part to help anyone is seen in its true perspective by God. Even pouring water over a dried plant or giving something to a hungry animal can be considered as a great seva.

God does not ask you to do something which is of great national or international importance. All that is expected of you is to give as much as you can, as long as you can. This type of seva is a gift which serves others without even spending a thought on what we might gain from such a gift. Our only thought is for the receiver of the gift. To serve endlessly and effortlessly is the very essence of seva. Anything done with great effort and the feeling that we are doing something great, cannot be considered as seva. In order to stop us from getting too egoistic about our altruism, Lord Krishna advises us in the Bhagavad Gita to perform action for the sake of action, for the sake of the divine that is lodged in every living creature with no expectation of personal reward or recognition. Seva is to be done without grudging the amount of time or money or effort which we expend on it. Humility is the greatest of all attitudes. However wonderful your actions and however great your gifts to people, they will all be null and void in the eyes of God, if it is done with the attitude that you are indeed a great soul. Seva done with the attitude that you are only an instrument of God will bring untold benefits to all concerned; even though you may not even be aware of it. This is the highest type of seva and will purify both the donor and the receiver.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.