Seva as different from help or service - Part 1

Service to mankind as a gesture of compassion is a hallmark of Christianity. The service is provided because this is what according to Christianity is expected of mankind by the father in the heaven. The service and compassion would also bring people closer to heaven and to Christ.  This was also the characteristics of Buddhism.  The notable difference between the two approaches is that Buddhists took up service merely for the sake of compassion and not for any heavenly rewards. However the concept of Seva that was formulated by Vedantic ideology and that was promoted by Swami Vivekananda in particular and few other great men in general, is very different from the concept of service. In ancient India “ishta purti” activities were undertaken as a sacrifice, in general desiring heaven by householders and royal sages. However there are instances where sages performed activities of services for the sake of it, because it was a social norm and best practice, because it was expected of them – like serving and feeding hungry guests as gods even with their own food, feeding and taking care of the poor and helping and taking care of the aged and sick. Such activities often were done not out of mere compassion, but as a social obligation – “yajnarthat karmani”, nonperformance of which degrades the human being. Sri Krishna first unequivocally preached the need for unselfish work, work without desire for the benefit of others – lokasamgraham and declared that the same path would lead to the attainment of the highest spiritual goal. It was done by Janaka and others and whatever best people do, others, less competent ones, follow. Therefore to set examples the leaders of the society should unceasingly work for the betterment of others. Sri Krishna took this to a new height when he said that such selfless activities enable one to realize God because by that means people will be actually worshipping the Supreme Being, who is present in all work and in all beings.

Even Vyasa declares the same in Bhagavatam, through a conversation between sage Kapila and his mother Devahuti which runs like this, “ God Himself is present in all living beings. By ignoring God in living beings and by insincere worship of demigods (for selfish gains), people indulge in false worships.”

Work for the material and spiritual benefits of many were done by saints and divine incarnations, yet people failed to see the true significance or the spirit behind such works for ages. Buddhism’s advent was to uphold that eternal truth, but removing the divinity altogether. Lord Buddha encouraged people to be good for goodness’s sake and not for anything else. After Buddhism had died, another degeneration set in through a misinterpretation of Sankaracharya’s advaita philosophy that the world is an illusion and Brahman is only true. Therefore the opinion of the so called learned was that to work for the world is to get further enmeshed in Maya. Such interpreters completely forgot the fact that Shankara himself had no such inhibition as he himself worked within the fold of Maya for the betterment of the world. Had he harboured any such false notion he himself would not have remained in the world to work continuously for its improvement. He led a most active life for thirty two years before his passing away. Even today’s scholars who try to critically evaluate Sankara’s work most often do not consider this point that had he truly discarded world, why would he work within it?