Dr Satish K Kapoor

Service is love in action. Love is a matter of profound tender feelings, and of refined sensibilities and attitudes. In its transcendental sense, service is the pathway to God, as every virtuous deed is like worshipping divinity in the form of living beings, or like making an oblation in the cosmic yajna.
When service is done for some material gain, in this or the next world, it is rajasic ; when it is rendered to boost the ego it becomes tamasic. But in sattvic,or pure form of service, the doer is detached from his virtuous act.

The Vedic literature suggests the welfare of mankind through love, goodwill and mutual help. The Rigveda (V.51.15),containing the earliest sacred hymns known to mankind, makes this prayer: ‘May we always serve humanity without demanding the price of our service. May we ever be benevolent, kind, self-sacrificing, detached and adjusting. May we surrender all and serve humanity like the sun and the moon.’ It goes on to extol ( X.117.1-8) the value of compassion, and admonishes the affluent to help the poor, the emaciated, monks, friends-in-need or other members of society.

‘Collect by hundreds of hands and distribute by thousands ,says the Atharvaveda (III. 24.5), which further admonishes (VIII. 1.7), not to neglect living beings (jivebhyopramadah). Shiksha -valli of Taittiriya Upanissad (I. 11.3) says that charity should be ‘given with faith, should not be given without faith, should be given in plenty, should be given with modesty, should be given with fear, should be given with sympathy.’
The Samaveda (hymn 55-56) requires human beings to cultivate the ideal of yajna – spirit of sacrifice – in their daily life. The Yajurveda (XIII. 54) exhorts: ‘Heal up the wounds of thy fellow pilgrims, and infuse the spirit of perfect harmony in their hearts.’

To serve all is thus a moral obligation, and a religious act. It is the path of the good (shreya) as against the path of the pleasant (preya), as alluded to in Katha Upanishad (I. 2). He who looks upon fellow beings as he would look upon himself (atmavat sarvabhuteshu),is alone fit to have divine knowledge.

Service to mankind is considered holy, and inflicting harm on others, called sin. Bhartrihari says in Nitishataka (verse 73) that human body is adorned, not by anointing sandalwood-paste but by helping others. While serving humanity, one should not discriminate between foe and friend, and transcend social barriers.
The ideal of service finds an eloquent exposition in the Bhagavadgītā where the concept of lokasamgraha, denoting the well-being and solidarity of the world, becomes the praxis of moral and religious life of people. He alone can attain to the beatitude of the Lord, who rejoices in the good of all beings (sarva bhuta hite ratah), says the scripture. (V. 25)

The sacrifices mentioned in the Bhagavadgita (XVIII. 5) are yajna-sacrifice, dana-charity, and tapa-religious austerities. Among the fourteen kinds of yajnas enumerated in the scripture, dravya yajna (IV. 28) performed by giving material substances to the needy, is significant, as it relates to five obligatory sacrifices performed daily -panchamahayajna – to fire-god , holy persons, celestial beings, departed souls, and to subhuman existence.

The Bhagavadgita (IX. 27) extols charity if it is offered in the name and on behalf of the Almighty. The individual is expected to first dedicate the fruits of his action (karma-phala-arpana) to the Lord, then the action itself (karma-tarpana), and finally renounce even moksha (karma-phala-tyaga). After having realized that each work contributing to the welfare of mankind is god’s work, he performs it as an act of worship.
Service is rooted in dharma which etymologically means that which sustains or binds society. Whatever leads to the welfare of mankind is dharma, and whatever adds to its miseries is adharma. Goswami Tulsidasa describes parahita – the act of doing good to others – as the greatest of all dharma-s. From dharma ensues truth and righteousness, the principles which uphold creation.

Compassion towards all creatures is the first of the eight virtues of the soul, as mentioned by the sage Gautama in his Dharmasutra (VIII. 20-22), others being, forbearance, freedom from envy, purity, avoidance of undue exertion, right conduct, freedom from avarice, and absence of greed. The quality of sharing- wand chhakna in Sikhism- is ordained for all the four ashramas-stages of human life in Apastambha Dharmasutra. (I. 8,23, 4-6) As per rules of good conduct, the head of a family is required to offer food to his guests, old and sick people, females under his protection, and others, before he takes meal. He may starve himself, his wife, or his son, but not his servant. He is also asked not to eat anything without having cut off a portion there-from as bali – offering to worms, insects, birds and animals, who, as per Skanda Purana (III. 2.64), depend on the charities of a householder.

Is service the exclusive domain of the affluent? Perhaps no. Even a smile, a kind gesture, a compliment, an inspiring word, or just the will to help as per one’s resources, can be commendable acts of service. Offering water to thirsty wayfarers, providing room to the sick and old or to women in crowded public vehicles , showing path to lost ones, or cheering up the depressed – these and other acts have a higher spiritual value than publicized works of charity. Swami Vivekananda said, one should do good to others because that is the only condition of life – ‘thereby you expand beyond your little self; you live and grow.’

Dr Satish K Kapoor, a former British Council Scholar, is a noted educationist,historian,spiritualist and religion-writer. He has been Associate Subject editor of the Encyclopedia of Hinduism and is the author of 7 books. His latest book is Hinduism: The Faith Eternal(Advaita Ashrama,Kolkata)
Infinityami50@gmail.com