Some people had asked me, “What is the difference between karma, karma yoga and seva, since they all involve participation – physical, mental and emotional? In every aspect karma is done, karma yoga is done and seva is also done.” So what is the difference between the three?
Let us begin with karma. Karma means engagement, involvement, action. Everyone in this world performs karma from birth to death. We survive because of karma. If there is no karma, this world will not exist, you will not exist, and even God will not exist for even God does karma. All of you are sitting here due to God’s karma. Karma is the basis and foundation of everything in life, in creation, in the manifest and known universe. That is karma at the cosmic level.
When we come to the individual level, we are also subject to karmas as we are continuously performing karmas. Karmas do not have to be conscious all the time; they are autonomous as well. Like breathing is a karma, yet you are not aware that you are breathing. The heart beating is a karma; it is happening autonomously. The body has its own karma, the mind has its own karma, your actions and reactions have their own karma. We are not living in the sea of peace and tranquillity, but in the ocean of karma. Actions-reactions, actions-reactions keep on happening all the time.
There are two types of classification for people in the world. One classification is the power group and the other classification is the spiritual group. In the power group we have the kings, politicians, people at the helm of administration who manage different industries, different departments, different areas. These people identify with position, status and power. I call this group the power group. This power group do both karmas – the destructive and the constructive. They do satkarma and dushkarma.
The other category of people who are spiritually aware, I am not using the word ‘awakened’ but ‘aware’, such people focus on satkarma. They do not belong to the power group of people who are enhancing their own image. They simply engage in doing the right thing for people, the environment, nature and divinity. Whatever our karmas may be, whether sattwic or tamasic, they keep us in duality: I and you. This is the recognition in normal life. I am separate to you; you are separate to me. Duality always exists. Karma without duality is no karma. For there to be a karma, there has to be duality – ‘I am separate and you are separate’.
Even in the vedic tradition, which is supposed to be the most ancient of the traditions in the world, they speak of karma and satkarma. They say that everyone is engaged in karma, yet everyone should make the effort to do the satkarma, the right karma, the good karma. This understanding of karma, to do good, continued during the period of the vedic civilization.
Then came the upanishadic period, the puranic period, the guru period, when people used to go to live in the ashram to learn with the Master, and where they were exposed to a different routine. It was at this time that the concept of seva came in.
Seva, in a sense, also means anticipation of what is to be done. Anticipating what has to be done and to do it before you are told that you should do it. This is an understanding of seva too. The gurukul experience, where students were living with their guru in the gurukul, became the ground where seva was practised, lived and experienced. We also lead two types of lives: one type of life is at home, and at home our life is whimsical. There is no discipline, there is no awareness of what is right and appropriate. Children follow their whim, parents follow their whim, there is no waking up time, there is no sleeping time, there is no eating time. The interactions are random and everything is geared towards sensorial gratification and sensual gratification.
In society we all live a whimsical life; there is no sanyam, restraint, there is no discipline, there is only an engagement with the world. In this engagement with the world, with our desires and expectations, life is totally whimsical. ‘I want to do this, therefore I do it. I do not want to do that; therefore, I do not do it’. It is an individualistic approach to life and to karma. When you come to an ashram, or a gurukul, your whim does not work. There the system or the discipline which is an evolute of the guru’s vision and mission takes prominence.
You have spent ten days here, one month, two months and then you will go back. How much of this system and discipline will you be able to maintain at home? Here you have to wake up because class is at 5.30. At home will you wake up at 5? No. Here you sleep because there is a system: lights have to be off, doors have to be closed, the building has to be secured. At home, you are awake until late watching different things, working with social media, worrying, anxiety, FOMO, Fear Of Missing Out, all these things happen. Once you go back to your home, you will live your whimsical life again. At night when you feel hungry, you will go to the fridge, open it, eat and drink. The whole routine and life is different. There is no anushasan, discipline.
When you come to an ashram and you find yourself in an environment where there is a structure, you adjust and begin to live accordingly. It is a change in your life routine; it is a change in your life pattern. Initially you may find it a bit odd or unusual, but as you get adjusted, you begin to enjoy the life in the ashram. In the ashram, the training which was given to the group of students who would live with their guru was of seva.
At his palace, Rama lived a luxurious life as a royal prince. There were servants who would bring him water, there were servants who would dress him, there were servants who would put his shoes on. When he came to his guru’s ashram, there was nobody to do anything and the discipline was seva. The students had to wake up before the guru woke up. They had to clean the place before the guru came out of his room. They had to gather fruits and firewood and prepare everything for the guru’s sadhana before he sat down to start. Everything was anticipated – now this will happen, then this will happen, and we have to prepare for it, we have to get it ready, we have to go for it. Everything was organized much before the guru would come out of the room. That is how it was in ancient times.
The people who are here and who remember Paramahamsaji will recall that for any event or program, we were always there much before Swamiji came. Everything was organized; he would walk in, sit down and do his thing. Today, students are waiting in the class. One minute before 5.30 am, the teacher comes rushing in, huffing and puffing, while the students are already there. Huffing and puffing, the teacher will come, sit down and start, ‘Breathe in deeply, chant Om with me three times. Om . . .’ I have seen this with my own eyes in this ashram. There is no concept of seva. Many times I come and sit down ten minutes before and the teachers come rushing in half a minute before the program. I am just giving you an example that one of the meanings of seva is to anticipate and to do everything properly.
In society, in our community, nobody does seva. They all perform their karmas. You can do a good deed, yet that good deed is not seva as you are still in duality. I am doing the good deed. I am blowing up my ego, pumping my head saying, ‘I am doing a good deed.’ I am becoming happier and happier and my ego is getting more and more inflated. In our life, we are all subject to action and reaction without any awareness. If there was awareness, there would be no such word as reactivity. Reaction indicates lack of awareness; there is action and reaction to that.
One simple example; if I call you a dog, you will react instantly and aggressively, and maybe even beat me up. That is the reaction, and you will not be able to analyse what has been said and how you can counter it in a better manner. A spiritually minded person can counter it efficiently and effectively. If I call a spiritually minded person a dog, he will come and shake my hand. Why? He will tell me, ‘I am so happy to meet another dog.’ One dog recognizes another dog, and the whole thing is settled. This shift of mind to do the right thing and not react, is because of awareness. When you get ready to hit the other person aggressively because he has called you a rude name, that is done without awareness. Everybody in this world is performing karma without awareness. The outcome of that karma is suffering.
In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna has given a beautiful sutra. In that sutra he has given the points on which to focus so that karma can be converted into seva. In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna says (5:11), ‘Yoginah karma kurvanti, sangam tyaktva atmashuddaye’ – ‘Yogis perform karmas’, that is the first statement. He has not said civilians perform karmas. He has said yogis perform karmas, indicating that they are people who have gone beyond household attachments, and who are trying to establish themselves in spiritual life and yogic life. Here an indication is given to change the interaction or the involvement of karma, from being the normal social to being social yogically.
Yoginah karma kurvanti, yogis perform karmas and normal people also perform karmas. When yogis perform karmas, what happens? That is given in the second point, sangam tyaktva – they free themselves from attachments. They are not detached, they become non-attached. Things are there, yet they are not attached to them whereas normal people are attached. The infatuation is there, the hypnosis, the desire and attachment is there. In normal people, attachment is there; for yogis there should be no attachment to karma. That is the second rule.
The third is atmashuddhaye, for self-purification, for unburdening the dross of life. Normal people are so entangled in the moha state, the infatuation state, that they do not think of the negative aspects of the karma which are binding them. By being free from the bindings of the karma, you attain inner purification. This statement of Sri Krishna is an important one to focus on, to understand what seva is.
First is to be non-attached, without raga and dwesha, without being influenced by attraction or repulsion, maintain your equipoise, your balance and harmony. Once you get into this state of non-attachment, you also have to become aware of the dharma, the inherent duty and virtue. Then, to attain atmashuddhi, you have to manage the shat ripus, the six conditions: kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada and matsarya, desire, anger, greed, infatuation, pride and envy.
9 November 2024, Ganga Darshan, Munger