Professional Seva!

When some visitors come to my ashram, they marvel at the nature and calmness that they rarely get in their busy city life.  Sometimes they enjoy their discussion with me and some of the bhajans that I sing during our puja.  One day, after the puja and meeting when some among them jumped with enthusiasm about recording my bhajans, producing some CD etc., I, smiling to myself, but not discouraging them, said that I was willing to give my permission for them to do anything with my materials (both written and bhajans).  But I will not jump with any enthusiasm about the hope of my materials getting published.  Not because I am a sannyasi. I keep my calm but knowing their limitations and rush in their Life, I never get excited about any suggestion given by others about publishing my materials.  Of course, though others have helped me to publish two books and a few articles and now one of my shishyas created this blog for me to post all my brain storms, yet most of the time I write to unload my mind and write bhajans for my personal sadhana.

But my moral dilemma is not related with others’ promise about publishing my materials and being unable to keep their promise, but using others to keep ourselves  busy.  I know a person who is very dedicated and committed to his work.  But his level of involvement in maintaining the relationship with others with whom he is involved is not at the level that he has for his work.  So when he is involved in a particular work, he will do his best both in helping and cooperating with others.  But once that particular work is complete, all his personal relationship with them—which also remains as a crucial part according to me, will also disappear.  And due to some reason when he has to move to another area and take up another kind of work, he will almost forget the people with whom he is involved.  Nothing wrong in it, as one cannot always keep good relationships and communication with all with whom he engages in a particular work.  But after a gap, when, due to some  reason when he returns back to the old work, suddenly he will try to contact all those people with whom he was involved in that work in the past.  Again nothing wrong in it, as it will help  both in many ways.  But the moral dilemma for me is: does he want to contact people again as that will serve his purpose and also keep him busy?  If he is seeking his old contact only to serve them, then without keeping some minimum contact and communication, how can he even think of renewing his relationship with them again?

For me the moral question is: without giving importance to human relationship can one think of serving others?  If it is just the question of doing some project or particular task, one does not need  to give importance to human relationships.  But when one wants to serve others, maintenance of  human relationships at a minimum level is important.  Otherwise, all kinds of attempts to renew old contact and friendship will end up serving one’s personal need to remain busy rather than upholding the principle of seva.

Now coming back to my early point of enthusiasm, we should not  give a hope or interest in others’ lives to do certain things for them in which we cannot be totally involved.  Though I never take others’ interest to publish my materials seriously, everyone may not have a similar attitude and understanding about our limitations.  Giving some hope in others’ lives unnecessarily and then later giving all kinds of excuses with genuine reasons will expose more of our lack of commitment in that task and bring more disappointment  and discouragement to the person in whom we raised such a hope.

So the moral dilemma for me is: IS SEVA MEANS SERVING OTHERS OR USING OTHERS TO SERVE ONESELF?

In a profession or Net Working, one can accomplish a given task without giving importance to human relationship (though here too, now HRD plays a crucial role), but in doing seva to others relationship decides the criteria for every service.

I like one statement which I heard in a recent TV discussion in Tamil: DON’T RESPOND WHEN YOU ARE IN ANGER; DON’T TAKE DECISION WHEN YOU ARE IN DEPRESSION AND NEVER GIVE PROMISE WHEN YOU ARE IN HAPPY MOOD.

Db. Gurukulam.

November 6, 2012.