Jan 25
Dinesh wrote a beautiful article about Seva, i edited it and made it even more beautiful 
‘Love expresses itself as Seva (Selfless Service)’.
‘Its impossible to know what true love is until you have done something selfless for others’.
When I did my first few Art of Living courses, I heard these lines, but never realized what they meant, and how much power they had…
In those early times, one night, I came home utterly exhausted. I saw that my mom and dad were sleeping. A thought wandered lazily in my mind, let me press my parent’s feet. But the overwhelming feeling was to instantaneously hit the bed. But the second I willed my spirit to go ahead and just do it, fresh energy surged through my body, all my fatigue vanished… That too in just a moment – it was like magic! (But then, so is love, a magic that is always sparkling, ever new!) That commitment of ‘I want to do it, come what may’, brought in a wave of liveliness, quite unlike any other I had ever experienced.
Over the years, like me, I have seen many, many people suddenly come alive with smiles and enthusiasm, ready to help and serve… Their tiredness and fatigue just dissolve like an early morning mist which simply evaporates as the sun rises. The immense joy and fulfillment that one gets by doing something for other people, by lending a helping hand is simply unparalleled and doing Seva can be quite an addiction ?
Seva - Lending a Helping Hand
The energy and the inspiration are always there for the taking, you only need to care!
But unfortunately many, many people have a limited and myopic idea of Seva.
For most people, Seva is normally limited to going to a slum or a village and clean the gutters and roads, or giving money to a beggar (and feeling good about it), or giving away old clothes (and making space for new ones), or donating blood or going to an orphanage and spending time with the kids there, or feeding people, or merely wearing a red ribbon at an AIDS charity concert, etc (With a few exceptions, many celebs have mastered doing this kind of politically correct Seva). This kind of Seva typically increases the dependency of the people who are being “helped” on the “helper” and is done out of a feeling of pity and no belongingness at all.
Seva of course, is all this, but it can be much, much more.
First and foremost we realize that every soul on this planet is desperately yearning for peace and fulfillment. This, it can get, only through the Knowledge of the Self, through meditation and through the process of giving love. Making THAT happen would be the ultimate Seva. Because now you are doing your actions out of genuine compassion and care for people. And you are making them self sufficient, not dependent and obligated.
When I did the Art of Living series of Workshops I realized how they empower people to experience profound peace, unconditional love and enthusiasm and sustain those with Knowledge and meditation. This in turn allows people to be good and creatively do good, to achieve success with minimal or no stress and to celebrate and live life to its fullest.
Seva Result? - A Happy Planet! :)
Sa ae va (word Seva split in Sanskrit) means ‘to be like Him’, to be like God or Nature. The divine has created such amazing beauty, such abundant variety, just so that we can be happy. If each one of us can be happy and in turn can spread that happiness, we would be fulfilling the planet’s greatest need.
If we can make a fire in the hearts of people by kindling that spark of inspiration which is already there, to support each other’s highest ideals- Then that would indeed be Seva in it’s full glory and this planet will transform into a paradise, a true Divya Samaj…
This is my dream… what’s yours?
Jai Gurudeva!
love
dinesh (and bawa)
(9 votes, average: 4.89 out of 5)
Jai Gurudeva!!
Dinesh Bhaiya and Bau, you’ve inspired me yet again
Jai Gurudeva
i wanted to share this teachings i had learnt from on of my friend who is a follower of Swami Vivekananda well i dunno how far this is implemented but really liked it especially the GUPTADAAN
TYPES OF CHARITY / DONATION
SATVIKDAAN (NOBLE CHARITY) : Noble charity is considered the most highest form of charity. In this type of charity the donor does not yearn for fame, prestige, status or honour. The donation is selflessly done.
DATAVYAMITI YADDANAM DIYATE ANUDKARINE ||
DESHE KALE CHA PATRE TAT DANAM SATVIKAM BINDU ||
Means-that charity which has been done without seeing the person, time, and place and with a sense of duty is known as Satvik Daan.
RAJASDAAN : That charity, which is done for elimination and repentance of sins, progeny, victory, luxury and happiness, is known as Rajas Daan.
YATTU PRATYUPKARARTHA FALA BUDDISHYA VA PUNAH ||
DEEYATE PARIKLISHTAM TAD DANAM RAJASAM SMRITAM || - GEETA
Means This type of charity, done with pain and with the expectation of returns, is known as Rajas Daan. Which are material in form. Sometimes the donor could have ego and can insult the receiver at times.
TAMAS DAAN : Tamas Daan is of a lower standard than even Rajas Daan.
ADESHE KALE YADDANAM APATREBHYASCHA DIYATE ||
ASATKRUTAMAVGYANAM TAT TAMAS MUDRA HATAM ||
Which means - the charity done for insulting people and given to unworthy people without considering time, place and qualities is known as Tamas Daan.
GUPTDAAN: (CHARITY DONE IN SECRECY)
This holds special significance. Any type of charity done in total secrecy is known as Guptdaan. It is performed as repentance for ones sins without pomp and show and more over it has a sense of duty within it.It is so secretly done than neither the donor knows he is giving nor the receiver knows he is taking. One thing, which is good in Guptdaan, is that the identity of the (donor) person is not disclosed hence the question of ego does not arise and is neither fond of social status and honour. The receiver does not perceive any type of superiority or inferiority complex.
we have many such people who keep participating in the seva prakalpa activity
Wooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwww!! Am blessed to read the post! Dinesh bhaiyya, you’ve got a great elegance, a sense of sweetness and a beautiful way of narration… i’m in awe and wonder.. even bawa’s posts don’t make me ‘feel’ this way! This will definitely brings an unperturbed smile
Hi! Jaigurudev
As usual waiting for the monday morning to read the blog to get something extra ordinay & the deepest share knowledge which will clear some or other doubts hanging in the mind..
Today also got a much deeper knowledge in context of SEVA…..
Whatever u share it has so much intensity & depth in it. Loved it… Just Fantastic..
Desperately waitnig for the next blog if it is possible share more about SEVA…..
Joygurudev….
wow! Blown away!!!! totally
i was actually wondering what real seva was recently! [fact is seva did make better feeling than service
though both until now i thought was same]
You also have helped me realize a great dream
Just As much as we make people happy.. its also important we support them to realize their dream 
wow.. 
Jai Gurudev!
Love
jai gurudev, its really motivating , with lots of knowledge…….
Dear Bawa,
Amazing Bawa, This is just amazing . Seriously loved the post
LUV U NOTH
JGD
SUDHA.P
Jgd Bawa n Dinesh
Thanks a lot!!! I really did not understand what SEVA meant actually. This will really help. I had a lot of confusion. Once again, thanks for everything!!!
With love
Jgd
Sreerag
Owww beautiful post Dinesh and beautifuller post Bau
;)
Thanks for the making us realize this wonderful facet of Seva.
Even abdul kalam has said that dont help people materialistically, just teach the dream to dream big and show them big dreams ..they will help themselves.
Now My take-
I totally agree that people are in search of inner peace.
But they cant search this inner peace with empty stomachs and rain water dripping on their naked bodies..there are innumerable who are even deprived of basic amenities ! They do require materialistic help !
What you say could be the later step in their lives.
But hatsoff for your dream and bau keep digging for dinesh’s articles.The combo is awesome.
it’s a misconception that people on empty stomachs dont appreciate spirituality … we have taught thousands of people in villages and slums, who dont know where their next meal is coming from … they enjoy it every bit as anyone else, and usually our courses give them new hope and many, many of these people have been able to come out of their hand to mouth existence by finally doing something for themselves, because now they have hope and the assurance that Guruji is there with them through their troubled times!
Having said that, there is a lot of work many people are doing to see to it that those stomachs could be filled… then these people would be definitely able to move much much faster!
Jai Gurudeva!
love
bawa
wat u said is in the right way..let me add something …
Once people start meditating , their materialistic needs come down
{own experience:) }…The best way wud start filling the STOMACH,
while simultaneosly filling the inner stuff ,the way AOL courses work.
Pranam:)
Wow!!!!
I am just experiencing a similar fresh energy since yesterday morning (I have been crazy busy for nearly a week). For me, it looks something like divine energy that came from nowhere. Haha. I’m just loving it!
Jai guru deva!
jai gurudev bawa n dinesh ….
well i had just sent one person for AOL basic course last week ……n the amount of joy i got was unmeasurable .
truly ..SEVA IS EXPRESSION OF LOVE .
this is my dream tooooo.
luv u both ,
jgd .
Cool post, that kindles the fire inside!
Have seen people who help others and make them dependent on them.
B and D knows everything!;-D
JoyGurudev!
JGD Dinesh Bhaiya n Bau,
Thanks for the beautiful article, I wish I could hear Dinesh bhaiya say this aloud
…….. N i truly believe that happiness u can get by doing many things but true satisfaction and joy SEWA is the way….
Thanks,
luv u both
Two thumbs up!
Jai Gurudeva!
Inspiring Article,I would insist Dinesh Bhaiya to write more of such inspiring articles..The Question is.. If I want to give something for Charity, what should it be.. What the other person wants or want I want to give?
Can you Advise?
When you are giving, give out of belongingness, then its always the right thing to have given
Agreed boss
Wow ..its really amazing to hear that …Guruji and you all are great
But where and when such courses held..because the other day when we were forcing our carpenter to do the course he said “Yeh sab bade logon ke liye hai” which made our mouths shut
You get a group of them together and we can send one of our Nav CHetana teachers to do the course with them
yes Bau…….now the same thought n vision i ve also…….n this is my dream n purpose of life….love u both…..
After volunteering for a part I courses, this is the epiphany i had regarding SEVA - Seva is the manifestation of a desire and intention to help without requiring anything in return. It could be as simple as holding a door open for a complete stranger, giving up your seat for someone, giving a huge smile or even blessing someone without the other person knowing you are blessing them. This can be done multiple times a day and is very easy to do. As you start doing this, automatically bigger opportunities arise and your ability to serve increases.
Jai Gurudev,
Murtaza
Wow, nothing else. Bau n Dada, u r just awesome. Dadaz awareness is something that amazes me everytime. Watched dadaz video on the Winter break CD and it was simply brilliant.
Bau, you were as always sheer class
The moment I finished reading “Making THAT happen would be the ultimate Seva”, one flower dropped from Guruji’s photo… this happened within a second’s gap.
3 flowers had been sitting firmly on Guruji’s photo, there was no breeze/wind.. really difficult for the pragmatists to explain!!
Nice article about seva…Very well explained…
Han Bau..being able to do seva incessantly is what I need to learn..there are situations that come in the way..that’s where knowledge has helped..i know now Seva can be done anywhere..anytime.
Lots of love
Bau and Dinesh Da,
This is very inspiring.
After taking the Art of Living/ YES+ classes, many are inspired to serve. And in that, we tend to look at the most beneficial service being to feed the homeless, etc. And I have honestly had the same conflict in my early days. No doubt that is one of the greatest services. But I have asked myself some honest questions…
Am I doing it because of I want to feel good?
What is the sizeable impact I am making by feeding someone once a week?
Is there a better way to serve ? Empower them to make a living and not be hungry?
Is there no suffering in the non-poor? Dont they need help?
I have then come to a realisation, which you meticulously and clearly put, that knowledge and love is a longing of every soul - whether with an empty stomach or in a mansion.
It perhaps takes more love and dispassion to see though the misery and frustrations in the mansions and cars, for true happiness does not lie in them anyway. It is also an inspiration to see that when we share the wealth of knowledge, the wealth of money is easily shared with the less fortunate effortlessly. A beautiful example is the several youth after being inspired by programs like YLTP who have take responsibility for their own villages and slums. More than 30,000 of villages and slums have been transformed. This is in India alone. There is work in Isreal-Palestine, during hurricanes in Lousiana, and many many more.
This would not have happened unless they came to knowledge and something kindled in the their hearts!!! Love brings belongingness. Knowledge gives clarity. Together, we get the strength to serve. Blessed are those who feed. It is a blessing to teach to make a living.
Jai Guru Dev
Much Love
Naveen
Absolutely delightful
I heard this in one of the talks, which this gentlemen gave on Seva and he was quoting from Bhagvad Gita, not sure how bonafide below it is, but made sense
There are 4 levels of Seva
1. Lowest: When you give or do something which can be easily done, ie donating Rs100, if you have thousands with you.
2. When you make an effort, ie This lady in Delhi saw the plight of the poors living on the street and being very cold during the winter, so she went and bought hundreds of blankets and drove around and covered them up during the night anonymously
3. When you give knowledge or empower, ie giving a men fish compared to teaching him to fish, the former feeds him for a day (famous quote, but you can take fish out and make it vegetarian), the later feeds him for life, or empowering people by teaching AOL courses
4. Highest form of Seva, When you become the light yourself, ie if your enlightened or self realized then you automatically become the light for others
Wat could ever be said after u have spoken … u speak the hearts.. aur mann aise moh letein ho ki prasann chitt se shaant hojaatein hai ..
love uu
haaa yaa.. with such belongingness filled with love and peace, seva is going onn… is happenning…….
Bawa n Dinesh,
When we do seva , many a times there is this lurking thought about Guruji having said that “tum mera kaam karo main tumhara kaam karunga….stop worrying about yourself and start worrying for the w rold …bring more and more people on the path of knowledge.”
Is it wrong to do seva with this state of mind? And Bawa , many a times seva is an attempt by one’s own self to come out of depression, grip of desires, feverishness etc.
In such a state, what should the attiitude be?
do seva regardless … even out of doership, out of anger … whatever … do it, then soon things will become better and you will be doing it out of love … but dont wait for that
Dear Bawa
I heard that the best seva is to bring more and more people into this world of knowledge, we are doing this , however we want to do other things also, so Like what should be the Idea of spending the time on both.
Jai Gurudeva
our sole aim in life is eternal joy and ultimate freedom.
any action done devoid of attachment towards seeking our ultimate SELF is Seva .. action could be any thing ..
eg: u could be learning about a machine or about a natural phenomenon spending hours and days with no much interest in any thing else …
or u could be bathing and dressing an insane by ur next door
any thing.. any action devoid of attachment and out of sheer joy is seva
i had such a misconception that going to slums,orphanage is seva.its so true making one realise that they are love,peace and joy no matter what their background is seva.the person could be a slum dweller or a rich man.but seva can also be being happy.because anything done happily becomes seva as we don’t expect the fruits na?
going to slums and orphanages etc is ALSO Seva, please dont discount that… but its quite limited
othr thngs fyn,
the happy planet pic is vry cute bau!
love
jai guru dev
minnie
wow
thanks bau to let dinesh da to write smthng
the purpose of my life on this planet is only to serve.
will be doing it in its highest form till my last breadth.
jgd
jai gurudev!!!!!!!!!!!!.. I have been thinking about seva and this question has been on my mind from past 2 days and you can imagine how happy i was to read this post. Superb timing by Guruji.. and the comments??? I love u all, each one of you…
I do have one question though, Bau we do at times feel guilty at not being able to do seva ( as in take part in AOL seva) so what exactly is that? the ego??? and also if everything is a happening is there actually something called service? Who is serving whom anyways?
dont waste time being guilty, use that time to do Seva :0
jai gurudev bau n dinesh bahiya..
n at this right time i get the KNOWLEDGE about seva. 
when i did yes+ one year ago..
i did seva with full heart for many months and felt so much satisfaction n love.
but from a long time am not doing it n was missing that feeling.
yesterday only i committed to start it again n got the chance to, we got permision to the course in our own campus.
Dinesh anna, here is one of my favourite quotes:
“Intelligence(or any other skill/ talent) is not a gift, it is just a privilege to help mankind”
Just wanted to share it…:-)
Amazing post…
Thank U
fantastic:)
..seva is really magically…the smile you see when one leaves the course on the last day…is just out of the way…one feels so delighted and suddenly another feeling something like an encouragement arises within you to see more of these smile…..its BEAUTIFUL….. :))
love you both………<3
JaiGurudeva.
Bhaji tussi great ho Tohfa kabul karo!!
Jgd!!!
Addicted with Seva…. Was the Aho!!! moment for me….
In art of living seva ultimately boils down to coercing more and more people to join AOL. Gurys like u can inspire AOLites to do real seva… not expective anything for return .. even press publicity for AOL’s sake. Jai Guru Deva
You know press is the last thing that people from Art of Living do Seva for. Coercing more and more people to do the course is so that they get a choice in life exactly the way we did, the way i did… i myself was bulldozed into doing the course, but i will remain eternally grateful to the person who “coerced” me to do the course… anyone with an iota of intelligence would
Jai Gurudeva!
love
bawa
Wow! …Could feel every word…So Beautifully written..JGD
Jai Gurudev Bau N Dinesh Da,
This post is simply amazing…
It really helped us learning something about what actual SEVA is..
Many thanks
Keep posting such good articles…
i think Dinesh should immediately leave to Bhutan . There , the former king of the nation -Jigme Singye Wangchuck, coined and promoted Gross Happiness Index in place of GDP!!
if you dont mind, i would prefer he stays here … thank you
i read the post yday midnight. It did some miracle in the morning. I have been quite bored with the self-sustaining activities- brushing the teeth every 20-24 hours,taking the meals ,academics etc:)The article provoked me to take a review of myself… I am quite enthusiastic in taking care of our sick kittens to helping those who are in genuine needs etc..But when it comes to ‘those personals’ ,i have to use different principles like-be in the present moment etc–to keep myself on track.
So what is that punch which makes this huge differnce from boredom to blissfulness?
Selflessness na //
So the breakfast happened without that ‘I am eating’ feeling…and I dont know how to elaborate the new feelings thriving here…:):):)
krishna nee begane baarO …
Jai Gurudev Bawa and Dinesh,
Wonderful knowledge about Seva!
Feeling so much inspired with this kind of knowledge and your experiences.
Thanks
Lots of love & regards
This is amazing…i had read a story which said something similar….Don’t give fish, but teach someone to fish…or rather farm!! :-)….Jaigurudev!
JGD Bau and Dinesh Bhaiya,
The other day was going through the old posts and read ur article on Appeasement v/s Empowerment and it really helped me. A few months back we had a new domestic help in our home. He was a young boy but could not read or write at all. I insisted my parents to send him to school but they said it would not be possible and the boy was also very reluctant.
Yesterday during sehaj I had a thought, that I should do what I can and decided to teach him myself. I called him, and told him that I am will be teaching him from today onwards.
Today was my second day of teaching. And believe me Bau the smile on his face and willingness today was amazing. I myself felt so satisfied and joyful.
Please give me ur blessings (any any suggestions) that I am able to do this.
JGD
My Dream is same as yours… only I need to nurture the skills in me … Jai Guru Dev!
One of the most favorite post…
Seva becomes one’s nature, comes out naturally or effortlessly as expression of love. Actually there is nothing like Seva … it is just love
Jai Guru Dev & lots of love.
Super Blog Bau! Inspired me to intensify my seva activities! Thanks a ton!!
JGD
yes Dinesh da, amazing post, you explained it wonderfully and I experienced the same after my YES!+. I too belive that only through this knowledge can a person be empowered .
it would be a great seva if you stop encroaching land in bangalore in the name of seva and develop prime real estate for urban yuppies.
thought i should respond to this, then thought again
good one bawa
I am going to use that.
I think if you pay taxes honestly that is also seva na..
Thats a duty… not Seva
thnx bau n dinesh da!!
was in the “waiting state” to do seva…to do it out of only love…and not out of ego, or to gain merit or joy…trying to purify my intentions…now i know better…
wow wow wooooow .
Lots of Love
jgd
Jgd Bau
An extremely inspiring post ……………………..thanks a lot………….both of you rock……
Love
Meghana
A PRAYER ANSWERED…… THANK YOU
Awesome !!!!
Was just waiting for this !!!
This is the very reason of me being into this quest for searching “self” because my prayers were answered even before i had asked for them..
Luv u Bawa and Dinesh bhaiyya..
Want to come back to aashram(heaven on earth)!!!
In love and service…