Seva and Karma – The Dual Helix of Causality and the Mandate to Engage
It is
interesting to observe the idea of seva or service in the Indic darsanas.
Whatever be the outlook towards life, the importance to service of others is
given a lot of importance. This definitely arises from the intertwined helical relationship
between karma and seva. A succinct example of the depth of embedding of seva in
the philosophy of karma can be be found in the Srivaishnava sampradaya’s
understanding of the Advaita marga as put out first by reformer saint Sri
Ramanujacharya, who lived in the 12th century AD. As Mohan Sagar had
elaborated in his short piece on Ramanujacharya’s darsana[1] highlights some important
facts:
· Each and every aatma or soul
in a crude translation is in its essential nature, its svarUpam, a simple
receptacle to the Lord's Grace, and a humble instrument to His Good. This
nature of servitude is not only limited to the soul, but is indeed the nature
of matter, as well.
· Consequently, the Lord is
likened to the Soul of the Universe, with all the myriad of souls, the bodies
in which they reside, and the matter that are their material possessions, being
likened to His Body, dependent wholly upon Him and serving as Instruments to
His Good. It only stands to reason then that when we seek to love and serve
God, we must be willing and able to serve what is His, namely His Body, this
Universe.
·
When we go beyond the things
that separate us, when we know that each and every one of us exists solely
because of the Grace of God, and when we know that all living beings are in
their True Nature servants to Sriman Narayana, we can begin to operate from
this mood of serving the world as a means of expressing love and servitude to
Him, nurturing and caring for each other such that we can serve Him better.
The nature
of seva is also defined in its impact, both on the physical level and the
metaphysical. It is well recognized that the conflict of what constitutes seva,
the boundaries within which it gets defined, and its connection to karma are
all limited in how individuals and societies relate within themselves and with
other systems of belief and forms of social setups. Scale is appreciated, but
not at the cost of the bhava or the sense of devotion that drives it. A classic
example can be found in the parable surrounding Sri Rama’s affection for the
chipmunk who brought tiny stones to build the bridge that would help Sri Rama’s
vanara sena (monkey army) across the ocean to Lanka. As a rendition states Rama
telling the vanaras, who made fun of the squirrel[2]:
“Always
remember, however small, every task is equally important. A project can never
be completed by the main people alone. They need the support of all, and
however small, an effort should always be appreciated!”
This seva
bhavana in turn helps to therefore fulfil both at the physical and the
metaphysical requirements of humans, and has driven philanthropic efforts in
India for millenia now.
Seva does
not go unrewarded in the matrix of religion, and does become ever more
important as it is always about karma. The end goal of seva is not to gain
heaven – rather, the end goal of seva is to ensure that your aatma gains mukti
from the cycle of birth and death and become one with the Maker, a factor that
makes the idea of service distinctly different from Abrahamic ideology of
service to mankind, which is driven more by the idea of achieving heaven and
coming closer to God. In this, the instructive guidance comes from the
Dharmashastras, which clearly underline the need for people to be engaged with
society through karma, which also includes seva. This can be seen in the way
shastras talk about seva in improving the karma of humans. That philanthropy is
dictated is a matter of fact reference for such scholars as P V Kane, who in a
detailed note had this to say when criticizing the narrow view of missionary
scholars of the West on the Dharmasastras[3]:
Every
house-holder was called upon by the Hindu Śāstras to offer food according to
his ability to students, ascetics and to all beings including the untouchable
candālas and even dogs and crows. Every brāhmana who could teach had to do so
without demanding any fee beforehand, Maṭhs were established in all parts of
India for expounding religious books, feeding students and the poor. There are
annasatras even now where hundreds are fed every day. No necessity arose
throughout the ages for a Poor Law in India with its attendant evils well
portrayed in Dickens' famous master-piece 'Oliver Twist’. The above were some
of the different aspects of philanthropy and charity which are now dubbed
social service.
Kane, in
fact, goes on to further elaborate on the ancient nature of this sense of
service, tracing it back to the Yajur Veda, which mandates the donation of cows
to the sick people, and then finding evidences to the same in the Mauryan
emperor Asoka’s reign, whereby hospitals were established even for beasts.
In the Buddhist and Jain realms, donations are extremely equally important. Service is again playing a major role in attaining moksha. In his introduction to the Niyamasara of Acharya Kunda Kunda, Uggar Sain had clearly enumerated hows every Jaina house-holder is supposed to perform six daily duties, one of which is Dana or charity, comprising of giving of food, knowledge, medicine, or protection[4]. Similarly, in Buddhist literature, one sees references to the importance of service and charity, as shown in the various Jatakas[5] or stories of the Buddha’s previous birth lives where he identified himself with the one who would engage in generosity, compassion and charity, and building many structures of service.
[3] Kane. P.V.,
HISTORY OF THE DHARMA ŚĀSTRA (ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL RELIGIOUS AND CIVIL LAW),
Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Poona 1941, viewed at https://www.australiancouncilofhinduclergy.com/uploads/5/5/4/9/5549439/history_of_dharma_sastras.pdf
[4] The Sacred
Books Of The Jainas: Niyamsara (The Perfect Law) of Shri KundKund Acharya,
Jagmander Lal Jain Memorial Series, Vol V, 1931 Central Jain Publishing House,
viewed at https://archive.org/details/Niyamsara/mode/2up
[5] Tales of
the Buddha retold by Ken & Visakha Kawasaki 1995, viewed at https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/kawasaki/
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