Value: Seva - September 2025
Third Week: Seva with vision
Service is about helping those in need. But who should be helped? Assistance should be directed towards those who are helpless and cannot meet their own needs. For someone who is penniless, financial support is essential. For those who have no one to share their thoughts with, a compassionate listener can make a significant difference. For individuals seeking companionship, your time is invaluable. However, it’s important that this service also uplifts you! This way of thinking requires both clarity and vision.
Seva is to become free from Ego
Your seva should serve your own growth. In spiritual terms, seva should help in liberating you from ego—the mindset of 'I' and 'mine.' When you dedicate your time to support those in need, you step out of your comfort zone. You set aside your personal needs and security, making yourself available to accommodate others. You break the boundaries created by your ego!
Only by recognizing yourself as part of the larger creation, compassionately crafted by the Lord for all souls to experience the consequences of their actions, will you see that you are working for Him. His actions will manifest through you. Conversely, if you focus solely on your personal agenda, neglecting the needs of those around you, not only do you defer your karmic responsibilities to the next life, but your existence will lack significance for others as well.
Seva is a path, not a destination
A spiritual journey begins with a clear determination of your destination. Only by understanding how far you are from your ultimate goal can you cultivate the qualities needed to reach it—qualities such as patience, love, faith, dedication, and service. Each of these qualities requires time to develop and mature. Engaging in seva (selfless service) brings all these qualities to the forefront. When you serve the world out of love for God and maintain the faith that He is working through you, while patiently dedicating your seva to Him, you embody these essential qualities. Your growth gets expedited.
When Pujya Gurudev was asked about who would continue his work after his departure, he answered with a smile: 'It is His work. If I disappear, He will find someone else to continue. Why should I worry about it?' This is true selflessness. This maturity would come to us only when we detach from whatever we do, supported by total surrender to God's will
