Value: Seva - September 2025
Fourth Week: Seva at the Altar
Having a personal deity as part of the family has been a long-standing tradition among Hindus. Daily worship of this personal God is considered a duty for every householder, with the entire family participating in the worship process. Monthly and yearly festivities related to the deity are celebrated as family events, where all members, including relatives, neighbors, and friends, joyfully engage in seva (service) to God. This participation includes children and youth.
Performing seva at the family altar by the youth fosters respect for the elders, who have also served the same altar with reverence and devotion in the past.
Seva begins with surrender to the personal God
The Upanishads teach us that all the faculties of our bodies are engaged in serving the presiding deity, who resides within each of us—the Self. Each faculty has its own unique role and responsibilities, and they do not compete with one another. Similarly, we are like the limbs of the Lord, and our actions are a form of service to Him. Therefore, there should be no comparison or competition among us in performing service wherever we do.
To free ourselves from the stress and strain of a competitive world, let us begin each day with surrender to God. Our work is ultimately His work, and both our successes and failures belong to Him. Our morning prayer at His altar is a request to help us give our best in all that we do throughout the day.
An altar in life will alter your life
Spiritual transformation is a gradual process; it does not happen overnight. The bondage created by ignorance has accumulated over many lifetimes, so the release from it will also occur over many lives. However, we can expedite this process by continually remembering God's presence within us.
If we consider Hanumanji as the vital force, the son of the wind, we can understand how He energizes every part of our body to carry out various functions. He embodies the best servant of the Lord by serving everyone as this vital force, without seeking any credit for Himself. He carries the essence of His Lord, Sri Rama, wherever He goes and in everything He does. Similarly, let us carry the essence of God in our hearts while engaging in all our actions as a form of service to Him.
In addition to regularly worshipping your personal deity at home, seek out the nearest temple or shrine where you can extend your service (seva) to the Lord. Spend time quietly serving at the altar. This can include ritual worship (puja), washing the lamps and puja utensils, preparing the altar for worship, maintaining the garden for the flowers, and more. All these activities are for the same Divine presence that resides in all of us.
