Agathiyar brought us to do seva in our guru's ashram and service in the community. In http://theperiodictableofspiritualelements.com/the-book/chapter-fifty-one-service/, seva is defined by the following.
Seva, or selfless service, is another element of yoga. Seva has nothing to do with touching one’s toes and everything to do with opening one’s heart and shedding one’s ego. It is an integration of server and served. It is an exercise of Communion and compassion in order to assist and lift up.
Like any community, there are mundane and unglamorous chores to be done. Seva is the practice where participating students partake in this workload. Indeed, it is viewed as an integral part of their study and personal development. A student may have a grand background of esteemed academic credentials and conventional success. Still, he or she may be assigned to scrub toilets at the ashram. While doing this and similar tasks, students learn to work with no ego and with the joy of altruistic selfless Service to the greater cause. When each is completing their Seva, the community as a whole is kept in working order.
At the local front both Mahin and Malar have taken up upon themselves to do seva at ATM stopping over each evening after work and giving Agathiyar a bath and dressing him up in a myriad of ways.
Seva can also be done outside of an ashram. When we Serve others who suffer in some manner, who might be viewed as most in need, underserved or disenfranchised, we are practicing Seva.
Seva provides double dividends. It is intended to transform the server while assisting the served. It is a tithing of self; it is in this giving that the server receives the gift of Communion, which is the transforming Energy of Divinity.
“It is Seva that accelerates the awakening of a seeker and lights the path to God.”-Gurumayi Chidvilasananda.
Service is also simply helping anyone in need. It is the Generosity of giving time, presence, comfort and aid. It is a tithing of self. Service can be a temporary lending of a skillset without remuneration or recognition. It can also provide the lowest level of skill that we may be capable of giving─ and doing so with Humility and without ego.
When we are truly in Service, we are doing what we are born to do. We are in our flow, experiencing Infinitude and the appropriate level of abundance that supports our mission.We are in our element. It is not work when we serve. It is neither a chore nor a direct exchange of labor for compensation. You may initiate the “Butterfly Effect.” You may plant the seed that plants a seed that plants a seed. You may be the unknown inspiration. You may be the muse that summons a poem that sparks a thousand loves.
It is a Meditation and exchange of Energy, transforming giver and recipient. It is a way of being on-call, standing by, being on the ready for whatever purpose we may serve in helping others.
Coming to do service, I have met some wonderful souls. The most foremost soul that comes to mind in terms of compassion and service is the couple Mr and Mrs Sri Krishna. They have tirelessly carried out service to others, be it taking seekers to read the Nadi, sitting through long hours translating the Nadi for them, bringing them to carry out the remedies, taking on the task of purchasing, preparing and cooking food for the hungry, and helping all those who come knocking at their door.
I have personally seen them work their heart and soul out in service, through both times and bad times, through good and bad weather. When there is a day where there is no feeding program on the agenda, while we would like to take a break and rest at home or go on a short holiday, this couple would sit and figure out whom to feed even on their day of rest. When Capt Ariva invited us aboard a cruise ship to go as far as the Andaman islands, we rejoiced at the thought of having a holiday. This couple immediately jumped at the thought of an opportunity to feed those on the island. That is the extent of compassion for the hungry in them.
Next on my list would be Bala Chandran. He moves from work to family to doing charity at every available moment in his life. He came exhausted one day for a Nadi reading having worked all night long and having to prepare and cook food for the inmates of a home. Agathiyar mentioned that he was aware of how tired he was. But as each session with him always boost our morals, so did he boost Bala.
Similarly, we have many more wonderful souls come forward to sacrifice their time, energy and finances in aiding the unfortunate. To all these wonderful souls, Siddha Heartbeat takes its hats off and salutes them. The following video is dedicated to all these souls.
The site http://theperiodictableofspiritualelements.com/the-book/chapter-fifty-one-service/addresses the most common flaw and the downfall of heads of organisations, movements and societies.
Those in positions of authority are often served by others through the structure in which they have power or through the benefits (financial or otherwise) brought forth by their position. The human ego is subject to excitement and expansion under such conditions. The ego loves power, control and the appearances of “importance.” A person can come to be self-important when his or her ego is activated in this way. They can come to think that their needs and desires matter more than those of others. They can become a “diva” or an autocrat. Because of the inherent dangers of ego expansion, the spiritual element of Service serves special notice to people in positions of authority to maintain Humility and a mindset of assisting and uplifting those that may be “beneath” them in whatever artificial hierarchy they may operate within. In this way, Service mandates a special duty for leaders to not abuse their power.
Good leaders see their positions as an honor and a blessing and are wary of the potential for abuse and self-importance. They constantly ask themselves how they might better serve those around them. They constantly monitor themselves so as to not take advantage of their position of power.
“A leader is best when people barely know that the leader is present. When the work is done, the aim fulfilled, the people will say: we did it ourselves.” -Lao Tzu
As Mahatma Gandhi once said, “A nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members”, ATM's greatness is measured by how it treats the unfortunate in our society.