Columnists
What Is Seva?
INNI KAUR
The following is an extract from a talk given by the author at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., USA, in its commemoration of Vaisakhi this year.
The theme for today’s commemoration is seva.
So what is seva?
Seva - selfless service; spiritually-grounded service; ego-less service. Yes, it is all this and more …
Seva in Sikh thought is embedded with social and political responsibility, with a strong focus on standing in service of the weak and the defenceless. It flows from the principle, “The Divine Light is in all, and that Light is the same.”
Therefore, there are no strangers, for the One resides in all.
I invite you to a journey with me, back in time. The year is 1704. We are in Punjab. Sikhs are under attack. Skirmishes and battles are the norm of the day.
On one such battlefield, we find Bhai Kanhaiyya serving water to all, including the fallen enemy. His act of compassion angers his colleagues.
And how can you blame them? For the enemy has surrounded the camp and stopped their food supplies. And there is Kanhaiyya sharing their meagre water supplies with the enemy!
They demand he stop; but he continues. Before long, he is hauled in before the Tenth Master. The Guru speaks, “These Sikhs complain that you are serving water to the wounded enemy. What do you have to say for yourself?
“Yes, my Guru,” he replies, “what they say is true. But I see no enemy. I only see the divine radiating in all faces.”
The Guru smiles, approving of his explanation. “Take this balm and apply it on the wounds of all who need it.”
This living example from Sikh history continues to act as a beacon in our lives. Now, more than ever, it needs to be shared, it needs to be remembered.
That is exactly what the Sikhs in Canada have done. They have formed a special Cadet Corps in his name. A historic charter was signed on April 10 this year with the Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps forming the 3300 British Columbia Regiment (Bhai Kanhaiyya). It is the first of its kind in the world bearing his name.
I ask, can my country follow suit?
But this is not simply about forming a Sikh regiment. Rather a regiment that remembers the one Sikh who redefined, inspired by his Guru, what service means even in the most challenging of human circumstances - war. It is learning on how to be compassionate even on the battle-field, to serve the human spirit, even in war.
Bhai Kanhaiyya’s spirit lives on. For it flows from the principle that the Divine is in all. This highest form of seva arises only when one is in constant awareness of the Divine (simran). Seva and simran go hand in hand. They are two sides of the same coin. Both are equally needed for one’s growth.
Our training ground for seva begins at our gurdwaras (places of worship and learning). From childhood, we are taught to cook, clean and serve nourishment to all who come there, regardless of their beliefs or social divisions.
One could say, that this is where we develop true self-esteem … from dignified work.
The largest kitchen in the world serving free food is at Harmandar Sahib (popularly known as the Golden Temple), in Amritsar, Punjab. It feeds tens of thousands every day, and on weekends and high holidays, in excess of 100,000 daily.
What is interesting to note, is that 90% of its kitchen staff is made up of volunteers. And the volunteers are pouring in, for the need of the hour is great.
Today, the people of Nepal need us now, more than ever. The kitchens of Harmandar Sahib are working 24/7 so that 100,000 individually wrapped food packages can be sent daily to Nepal.
Many of the other gurdwaras have followed suit.
This is seva.
We truly believe that when you remove the pain of starvation from people’s lives, you make it possible for them to think about their existence on a civic and a spiritual plane. It is like putting them a little closer in their reach of the divine.
Seva is physical.
Seva is mental.
Seva is material.
With our hands we serve, as we do with our cheque-books. With our minds immersed in the Teachings, we serve all creation - for the Creator is within the creation. And, mind you, never proselytizing, never seeking conversion, for the Divine Light is in all and that Light is the same.
Seva is becoming the voice for the voiceless; the shield for the oppressed.
Seva is fighting for justice; but never for revenge.
Seva is using your pen to raise consciousness.
By no stretch of the imagination is seva easy. For it must be rooted in honesty, humility, without desire for recognition and with the purest of intentions. A deep surrender needs to take place within oneself for seva to truly flow. For only then does seva become a state of mind.
Major Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi of the US Army, in his remarks, asked rhetorically, “What does seva mean to me?”
Seva is an intrinsic part of the faith that I have chosen to follow. Over the years, I’ve come to realize that it is a personal calling. Whether I am sweeping the floor, teaching children, re-writing parables, or picking up the sword, I struggle to serve, but always with the purest of intentions.
Seva is making myself available to all, and doing the thing that needs doing in each moment, whatever that may be.
Do I always succeed?
Sadly, not!
But the one thing that I do know, is that seva for me begins and ends in love. For I truly believe that when:
One is immersed in Love
Words become hymns
Actions become worship
Hands and feet become instruments
No longer does one perform seva -
One becomes seva.
Flowing like a river serving all
Laboring and gathering bread for all.
With Grace
Bliss descends
And one
Radiates Love.
In Sikh thought, the journey is the destination. And the journey becomes beautiful when we become our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.
May 2, 2015
Conversation about this article
1: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), May 03, 2015, 9:46 PM.
Inni ji, what an excellent presentation at the Pentagon. It could hardly be improved. The most important aspect of Sikhism is the total involvement of Tunn, Munn and Dhunn. More importantly, seva only works if done with Naam Simran, otherwise it becomes a subtle ego trip that is difficult to eradicate. One often comes across some self appointed sevadars who think of themselves as indispensable and are vociferous in proclaiming: "Look, I have been running this seva to ensure that it remains alive. For years, day and night I slog and have not taken a cent for my time. I am not letting this seva go to naught!" I remind them that the seva will continue long after they are gone.
2: Ajit Singh Batra (Pennsville, New Jersey, USA), May 04, 2015, 8:41 AM.
There are three aspects of human personality which should be prevalent in a person volunteering for any seva. The love for God, the service itself, and divine wisdom. Divine Wisdom is realization of God which comes when a person is free from the evils of pride, attachment and greed. He/she does not entertain anyone else when they are serving humanity because they find God in all humanity. Their service is based on love for God. These volunteers are 'sevaks' -- God's servants.