SEVA. The heart of my site. The key that can master the lock to the gate of Love.

To be of Service to others. It is the most sattvic (mode of goodness) mood a human being can be in. Every morning part of my prayer is to “to help anyone i can and not ask anything in return”; because to be of Service today for someone would make my entire day wonderful.

From an early age I always was one to help out and help others. As I got older and my kids were younger, I would volunteer for homeless food services, habitat for humanity, or even ran a charity flag football tournament for disabled veterans and first responders for three years in Indiana.

Long before my Spiritual Path began, I already embraced Service.

Once on my Spiritual Path I have learned of many players and Their views on Service.

Jesus and Krishna

Jesus and Krishna who came together recently during the Path of Christianity both share similar qualities of Seva.

Both have stories of themselves being herders. One a cowherd and the other a shepherd.
Both have loving stories of being humble; either washing the feet of lepers or being the chariot driver to Arjuna.
Both stress the upmost way to connect to Them, and to our Spiritual Path is found through Love.
Both say, the easiest way to connect with Love, is through Service to others.

Maya’s Influence

One of the negative influences on Service can be the Maya Express. When we are on our Spiritual Path, they know that being of Service greatly increases the Light of our Path.

To combat this the weapons of Consumerism and Materialism are deployed.

Not saying “thanks” to you when you held the door for someone can cause anger or distress. Yes, it may be nice, but when did that become the value for opening the door?

If you see someone similar, or the same person, will you think about this moment and change your actions?

Maya starts deploying value to everything we do. So now, “I’m owed at least a thanks. Maybe a little respect for my stature”

Start Simple

• I can’t help; I don’t have the skill sets to help others.
• I can’t afford the time to help others.
• I can’t afford to help others period.

Start with the little things.

There are so many ways we can all be of Service to each other. I have shared some of them throughout the journey already.

• Hold that door open, and don’t even have the intention of expecting any gratitude.
• Show Gratitude to each other, when they aren’t even doing anything for you. Surprise gifts and Services for nothing other than existing are the best.
• Set your Intentions to spend quality time with your child, spouse, pet, or the lonely person in the back of the pews.
• Smile and wave without even knowing if they wave back.

Get in my Belly

But my favorite way and the simplest way for me to be of Seva to another person requires the alchemy of Love.

Cook them a meal.

I don’t mean go to a steak house. I don’t mean taking them to an ice cream parlor. I don’t mean ordering pizza in or Chinese delivery.

I mean take the time.

I can’t stress this enough. It does NOT matter how bad or good you are at cooking.

Turn on spiritually or heart uplifting music.

Cut the vegetables.

SING
Divide the spices.

DANCE
Boil the grains.

FEEL the Love in your heart be added to the ingredients as you cook.

Oh, Remy from Ratatouille shared it perfectly. Soul food.

Pour your heart of Seva out as you cook

Heat the pans.
Cook the food.

Mend the dough.
Mend our hearts.

Offer the food with Love.

There is nothing more rewarding than serving a meal that was cooked with Love to anyone even a stranger or yourself.

Don’t cut short the beautiful, massive, insanely rich impact, sharing that Love of cooking Service with yourself. We neglect showing that care for ourselves. Think about it more often when cooking for yourself.

When we cook wholesome meals, with wholesome sattvic ingredients, and with nothing but pure Love of Service to the meal, it becomes the most rewarding meal ever. It took me a long time to find that. It wasn’t if they liked it or not. The lessons were humbling.

To want of nothing in return.

Nothing in Return?

Want for nothing, because you already gained everything.

The hardest lesson for me to learn for Seva was finding the true value of Service. The first step of this is,

Do not take offense to any actions they take after you have completed your Service.

Whether they like the meal. Whether they consume any of it. Whether they give thanks. Whether they put it in a to-go box or the trash can.

Does not matter. You performed the Service already. You already shared your heart with them.

They know this.

They might even feel bad for not liking it or not eating it. It still doesn’t take away from the fact you shared your Love with them through your cooking Seva.

• Let them pour more and more spices or dip over your “perfectly cooked meal”.
• Let the significant other order the pizza anyways.
• Fix the kids the pb&j afterwards. (don’t forget to put good intentions into that PB&J too, be nice to the pizza delivery guy as well.)

It wasn’t the consuming of the food that mattered at all.

Just Be You

Anything done in the mode of goodness (sattvic) and for others can be a Service.

Write a blog, stand in protest with others, comfort the smallest of us all, lift those who need lifted. Give a shoulder, a hand, a voice. Offer no judgment, only comfort, acceptance, and Love.

I have dedicated the rest of my life to living a life of Service. You can too. I have done Service in so many ways.

Whether a friend knocks on my door for a meal, serving prasadam meals at the temple, when the lady in the parking lot needs help loading groceries with a kid in the rain, or my friend just needs me to listen to them cry because life just fraking sucks right now.

Seva can be done anywhere, any day, any time. Set the dial of your Intentions to Sattvic Service.

Then everything in life becomes our Atma’s Seva.

Just like the shirt from Community United Methodist Church says

Open Heart, Open Mind, Open Door, Open Table.

Yours Forever Grateful.