Seva: The Soul's Eternal Relationship with God
Bhakti also means seva (service) - to serve God before attaining Him, and to continue serving Him even after attaining Him.
The soul is the eternal servant of God, not temporarily or merely in name -
jīvera svarūpa haya kṛṣṇera nitya dāsa (Gauranga Mahaprabhu)
A servant in this world may resign one day or die. But the soul can never cease to be God's servant because this relationship is 'eternal.'
Every entity has two kinds of characteristics:
- Svarūpa lakshan (Intrinsic characteristics) and
- Taṭastha lakshan (Functional characteristic)
- Svarūpa Lakshan -
The intrinsic nature of the soul is that it is a shakti (power) of God. It is God's parā-shakti (personal power) and has a relationship of simultaneous oneness and difference (bhedābheda sambandh) with Him.
There is oneness in certain respects. For example, God is conscious, and the soul is also conscious. God is eternal, and the soul is also eternal. Yet there are also many differences.
The soul is God's taṭasthā-shakti (intermediate power). That is, the soul is situated between God's parā-shakti (God's personal power) and His māyā-shakti -
ubhaya koṭā vapraviṣṭatvāt। yat taṭasthaṁ tu cidrūpaṁ svasaṁvedyādvinirgatam। rañjitaṁ guṇarāgeṇa sa jīva iti kathyate॥ (Narad Pancharatra)
- Taṭastha lakshan -
The functional characteristic of the soul is that it is the eternal servant of God. After God-realization, you will serve God in His divine abode. Before that, you must serve the Guru, who is another form of God Himself.
tadviddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā -
Surrender to the Guru, serve him, receive true spiritual knowledge, and practice the devotion (sādhana) he teaches. Then, after God-realization, you will serve God in Golok. Even there, you will remain under the Guru's guidance and receive seva through him. For example, if a garland is to be offered to God, the Guru may instruct, "Go pick flowers, make a garland, and now come and offer it to Thakur Ji."
Thus, servitude is the very nature of the soul. This is why every soul is a servant of Ānand (bliss). We are always searching for happiness because God Himself is Ānand.
Although we are currently turned away from God, ignorant, and serving māyā, our real nature is to serve bliss. Some seek bliss through māyā, while others seek bliss through God. But everyone is ultimately a servant of bliss. From an ant to Brahma, every living being seeks happiness.
You must serve the Guru, and this service is performed through three means -
Cetastat pravaṇaṁ sevā। tat siddhyai tanu-vittajā। -
- Serving with the Mind - The most important seva is service with the mind because the mind is always with you wherever you go. So, serve through roopdhyan (loving remembrance of the divine form of God) and by surrendering your mind and intellect.
Surrendering the mind and intellect means doing what pleases your master. Serving according to your own preferences is not seva - it is business. In that case, you are actually serving yourself. For example, you should feed the Guru what he likes, not what you like. Seva means making the master happy.
Generally, ignorant souls serve according to their own wishes because they seek their own happiness. Suppose every disciple decided to massage the Guru's feet simply because they liked it. What would happen? That would not be seva. It would be foolishness - an offence. This is called nāmāparādh.
If you expect your own desires to be fulfilled, you are treating yourself as the master and expecting the Guru to become your servant.
Therefore, always remember -
The goal of seva is to bring happiness to your master.
When Shri Ram instructed, "Bharat, you remain here. Lakshman, come with Me," Bharat did not become unhappy thinking that Shri Ram was taking Lakshman along while leaving him behind.
A true servant finds joy in every decision of the Master -
āśliṣya vā pādaratāṁ pinaṣṭu māmadarśanān marmahatāṁ karotu vā।
Gauranga Mahaprabhu says,
"O Shyamsundar! You may lovingly embrace me, or if it pleases You, You may even cut off my head with Your Sudarshan Chakra. Or You may become indifferent and ask, 'Who are you? Where have you come from?' I am ready for whatever pleases You.
Nothing You do can ever lessen my love for You."
Why?
Because of the following principle:
ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁstathaiva bhajāmyahaṁ -
It is the eternal law of God and the Guru (a genuine saint) that they reciprocate according to the love offered by the soul.
Knowing this, I will simply continue increasing my love. The more I love You, the more love I will receive from You, and the more grace I will receive.
To love the Guru only a little while expecting abundant grace is to deceive him. But God and genuine saints cannot be deceived. They look directly into the heart.
- Serving with Body and Wealth -
Service to the body and wealth comes second because not everyone has the opportunity to serve in these ways. Some live far away. Some are householders. Others may live in England, America, or another city within India. Therefore, physical service is not always possible.
Whenever you have the opportunity to serve the Guru in person, consider it a great fortune and perform that seva according to his wishes.
Similarly, not everyone can serve through wealth. A poor person who wishes to offer a diamond ring simply cannot.
Therefore, the scriptures instruct everyone to serve according to their capacity. If someone possesses a thousand rupees, they may offer one or two hundred. Each should serve according to their means.
However, offer to God and the Guru that to which you are most attached -
yad yadiṣṭatamaṁ loke yaccātipriyamātmana:, tattannivedayenmahyaṁ
People are generally most attached to wealth because it provides all the objects of worldly enjoyment.
Therefore, God says, "Offer Me what you are most attached to." By doing so, the mind becomes free from attachment to worldly objects and gradually becomes attached to Him. Otherwise, the mind will remain entangled in those very attachments.
The essence of seva is to make your desire one with the desire of your master.
tat sukha sukhitvaṁ -
To be happy in his happiness, not in your own. He may choose to grant you a union or a separation. Whatever pleases him should please you.
Therefore, it is the duty of every disciple to serve the Guru with the mind, body, and wealth.
A disciple who serves in this spirit can never fall because he seeks nothing in return. Such a disciple will continue progressing on the spiritual path.
But one who serves expecting something in return commits nāmāparādh and turns away from the path of devotion.
This is the true meaning of seva.
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