Sewa is our way of life

by Sundar Lakshman

Thirunavukkarasu Nayanmar has said: En kadan pani seithu kidappathe (my duty is to serve the people).Similarly, Vadalur Vallalar, popularly known as Ramalinga Adigal, said: “I become high and dry as and when I see drying plants.” There are many saints who said ‘my heart bleeds at the sight of withering plants’.

Many of our saints lived for sewa and became pioneer in the field of sewa. The principles like Jan Sewa is Janardan Sewa, Nar Sewa is Narayan Sewa and Jeev Sewa is Shiva Sewa, etc run in the veins of Indians. A Shiva devotee washerman, Thirukurippu Thondar, used to wash the clothes of Shiva saints first and then only start the work of washing others' clothes. Through this way only he ultimately became one among 63 Nayanmars of South India.

Kalimalai of Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu,
the Southern tip of Bharat, an old lady serve devotees with purified and boiled potable water. She, at her 80, single handedly collects water and wood to serve thousands and thousands. By seeing this, we can understand that sewa attitude prevails in the mind of even the ordinary people of our land.

Throughout Bharat, Mutts and 

Ashrams undertake many 

sewa activities in the fields of 

education, health and 

spiritual empowerment. 

For example, Ramakrishna Mission of Kolkata, Ramakrishna Thapovanam of Tamil Nadu, Chinmaya Mission, Mata Amritanandamayi Devi of Kerala, Sivananda Tapovanam of Haridwar, Ashram of Bapu Aasaram in Gujarat, Gayatri Parivar in Haridwar, Swami Narayan sect of Gujarat, Arsha Vidya Gurukulam of Aanaikatti, Tamil Nadu, Satya Dharma Salai of Vadalur, Nandhanar Mutt of Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, Shankara Mutt of Kanchi, Tamil Nadu, Sri Sri Ravishankar Guruji’s institutions, Satya Sai Sewa Institutions, so many institutions in the name of Swami Vivekananda, Sewa Samiti centres, many Shiva Mutts, Jain traditions, Sikh Gurudwaras, temple administrations like Tirupati Devosthanam, like Dharmasthala and many centres of our nation are involved in sewa activities.

Even profit making corporate houses like Tata, Birla, Infosys, Wipro, Reliance and many others conduct different kinds of sewa activities. These all express the one great notion that sewa is our national duty.

In Gujarat, Jain and other sewa-oriented people run Panjarapoles to shelter and feed the aged cattle. Seasonally organised “Hindu spiritual and service fair” vehemently advocate that service attitude is everywhere.

Justice (retd) Shri Subhas Desai 

of Mumbai has 

inspired a unique sewa movement, 

'Anam Prem'. It is the organisation, 

which neither has any headquarters, 

organisational set up, president, 

founder, nor any registration, 

but is rendering the 

exemplary services.

Justice (retd) Shri Subhas Desai, who is popularly known as Dadaji, has been igniting the sewa feeling in the minds of the people he came across for the last 20 years and became a catalyst to spread sewa as people’s movement in so many states. The sewa movement inspired by him is ‘Anam Prem’. It is a unique organisation which has neither any headquarters, organisational set up, president, founder, nor any registration. (For details please go through the separate write-up carried in this issue under Maharashtra). Dharma Yatra Mahasangh of North India and Sabarimala Ayyappa Sewa Samajam and Palani Path Yatra groups of South India cater to the needs of lakhs of pilgrims. This indicates that sewa and life go hand in glove. In many villages, the villagers are looking after the needs of mentally challenged people as their own children or family member. We can see people treating parentless children as their own children. Even today, in villages, one can see benches like permanent elevations for passerby to retire, load carrying stones to keep head loads for a while to give rest for load carrying people, water tank for cattle and ‘aug’ stones for cattle to rub and in urban areas ‘Kabootar Khanas’ to feed birds. But in recent days, we see orphanages and old age homes in increasing numbers indicating that sewa mind is decreasing in the minds of our people. We have to live for others and must strive to blossom sewa in the minds of each and every soul and become example for the world. Global Global Foundation for verse Hindu spiritual organisations and exemplifies the Hindu philosophy of Atmano mokshartham jagat hitaya cha, that is one can attain salvation through service.

Around 160 stalls were put up by various spiritual and service organisations in the fair. Puyja Swami Nirmalanandnath Civilisational Harmony (India), which recently organised a Hindu Spiritual and Service Fair 2012, is a unique forum that showcases the service activities of diSwamiji of Adi Chunchunagiri Math, Karnataka, inaugurated the fair. Sri Thavathiru Kumaragurupara Swamigal Siravai Aadheenam, Kaumara Math, also blessed it. Ashrams like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living, Mata Amirtanandamayi Devi’s Ashram, Chinmaya Mission Trust, etc. and traditional Mutts like Vanamalai Mutt, Tirupaanantaal Adheenam, Tiruvadutrai Adheenam, Ramakrishna Mutt, etc. also participated. Large congregation of visitors was seen at the stalls put up by the Tirumala Tirupati Devostanam (TTD), Prajapita Brahmakumaris Ishwariya Vishwavidyalaya, Shri Satya Sai organisations, Melmaruvathur Adiparasakti Peetham, Sri Narayani Peetham, Vellore, Sewa Bharati and Ayya Vaikundar Narpani Sangam, Kanyakumari. More than 2.5 lakh people visited this Hindu Spiritual and Service Fair.