Seva and Scriptures
What is the connection between Scriptures and Seva? Is performing selfless action something the Scriptures advocate or is it just a trend we find in modern days? Is Selfless service the secret of life or just an idea to have a fancy Instagram post? Can we find examples of saints, sages and Devotees in performing selfless service in the Scriptures?
Answers to these and other questions we will present in this section for the sake of inspiration, knowledge and to realise that Seva is a natural state of our true Self, as it is the expression of Love and care.
Śreemad Bhagavatam 10.70.28
O Lord, with this corpselike body, always full of fear, we bear the burden of the relative happiness of kings, which is just like a dream. Thus we have rejected the real happiness of the soul, which comes by rendering selfless service to You. Being so very wretched, we simply suffer in this life under the spell of Your illusory energy.
Nature gives us the nutrition for our body and mind, but Seva gives us the nutrition for our Atma, the Soul, and helps detach us from material bondage. In the scriptures we find innumerable verses, texts and stories of selfless action which are an inspiration for humanity. These selfless deeds are a reminder for humanity that Love exists.
In Sanatana Dharma there are complex requirements to give and receive Seva. There are consequences and implications, but what remains clear is that if it is Just Love, all those requirements are met. So whether feeding dogs, or children growing gardens for the use of others, or scrubbing the floors in SPN, or spreading His teachings, what is clear is that if it is not Just Love, it is not enough.