Seva is the art of giving back to those who are less fortunate; it is a powerful act of performing service without expectations of a favorable result or award. At a young age, learning the importance of seva and what it means to be a sevadar becomes a reminder for children that they must purify their hearts and develop sympathy and love for everyone. Through selfless service and charity, everyone can serve all, be kind to all, and embrace all human beings regardless of race, gender, religion, and socioeconomic status.
To further relate the concept of seva to religion, Sikhi is founded on the following principle: “Nanak Naam Chardi Kala, Tere Bhane Sarbat Da Bhala”—the ending line of the Sikh prayer—which translates to “May God’s name continue to instill positive energy within us and may good come to all.” For Sikhs, this ardas means serving by providing to others and serving by devoting their time to The Creator. The ardas reflects on an important Sikh philosophy established by the Sikh Gurus: always ask for the well-being of everyone in the world and always give back to those who are unfortunate.
The three different types of seva include Tan, Man, Dhan. Tan involves physical work and tasks which include cooking, cleaning, or serving Langar at the Gurdwara. Man involves teaching people how to read and understand the Guru Granth Sahib, educating people about Sikh history, and instructing people how to play the musical instruments used during the Paath: reading and reciting holy texts. Dhan involves sharing material wealth to the Sangat or local charities. All three aspects of seva are equally important to Sikhs because it helps them become more Gurmukh—God-centered—by stepping away from selfishness, ego, and pride. By providing seva—Tan, Man, and Dhan—Sikhs develop the virtues of humility, self-control, and love for all.
The Gurdwara is where Sikhs come together to learn. When you separate the word Gurdwara, it includes the words “guru” and “dwar,” door, which translates to “the door that leads you to the Gurus and their teachings.” Within the Gurdwara, the presence of the Guru Granth Sahib—which contains a collection of shabads, poems, hymns, and writings from various scholars—is considered as the living Guru. The purpose of the Gurdwara is to learn spiritual wisdom, carefully listen and understand the shabad, learn about the Sikh faith, ethics, and customs, and to offer food and shelter to everyone. As Sikhs, we perform seva at the Gurdwara by serving Langar: a shared meal provided to everyone who comes to the Gurdwara. Langar is one of the most important institutions of Sikhi. Guru Nanak Dev Ji founded the idea of Langar to show everyone that caste hierarchies and gender differentiations should be kept aside. When we eat in the Langar Hall, we are sitting together and are having a shared, common meal. This common meal shows that we are all human beings regardless of our gender, faith, and cultural background. Sevadars help with cooking, cleaning, and serving the food to everyone within the hall in a respectful manner. Providing seva at the Gurdwara builds a spiritual connection with Waheguru as we are serving God’s home and God’s creations. Seva is an important part of worship which is why Sikhs fulfill this duty by helping out in the Langar Hall.
For Sikhs, the goal is to go beyond a self-centered way of seeing the world and to realize the importance of the oneness of the world. Rather than looking at people based on their religion or ethnicity, look at every person as a human being who deserves the same privileges as you. We honor The Creator and it's creation by viewing the world as divine and interacting with the world through seva. Seva for Sikhs becomes a way of expressing their love for Waheguru. Waheguru is present in every single person which is why any act of selfless service shows respect for The Creator. The act of giving and providing to those who are underprivileged must come from the heart. Any form of seva you do with love—whether it be helping in the Gurdwara, doing community volunteer work, or helping the elderlies—shows that you are responsible and care for the welfare of others.
In this shabad in Raag Dhanaasaree by Guru Raam Das Ji on Ank 667, Guru Ji says:
ਹਰਿ ਕੇ ਸੰਤ ਸੁਣਹੁ ਜਨ ਭਾਈ ਗੁਰੁ ਸੇਵਿਹੁ ਬੇਗਿ ਬੇਗਾਲੀ ॥
Har Kae Santh Sunahu Jan Bhaaee Gur Saevihu Baeg Baegaalee ||
O Saints of the Lord, O Siblings of Destiny, listen: serve the Guru, quickly now!
ਸਤਗੁਰੁ ਸੇਵਿ ਖਰਚੁ ਹਰਿ ਬਾਧਹੁ ਮਤ ਜਾਣਹੁ ਆਜੁ ਕਿ ਕਾਲ੍ਹ੍ਹੀ ॥੨॥
Sathagur Saev Kharach Har Baadhhahu Math Jaanahu Aaj K Kaalhee ||2||
Let your service to the True Guru be your supplies on the Lord's Path; pack them up, and don't think of today or tomorrow. ||2||
I chose these lines from the Guru Granth Sahib because it teaches us, as Sikhs, that we should always devote our lives to serving The Creator and the creations. We praise the Creator by honoring his creation and serving those around us. Providing seva to others is an expression of love for everyone and Waheguru. Seva allows Sikhs to connect themselves with the master. Serving with love is not just about eliminating the fear of not receiving a favorable result, it is about eliminating the thought of self-ego, greed, and lust. The idea of “oneness” is critical to understand because when providing seva, you are looking at everyone as human beings regardless of their race, gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.
Providing seva also plays a prominent role in promoting goodness and improving the human quality of life; it is the act of giving with no intention to receive. As a sevadar, it is critical that you keep your ego aside because seva is all about selfless service and putting others before you. True happiness is found by serving and making others happy. By performing seva, you are connecting with the people around you and are making them a part of your life. Seva keeps your spiritual head up as you assist others to rise above as well. Giving back to others allows people to move away from anger, greed, and stress. Performing seva is important because it makes the sevadar content, self-confident, and provides him or her with memorable experiences.
There are indeed endless ways of performing seva. All it takes is imagination and commitment. To become a sevadar, devotees should reach out to their Sangat and the local community to help at the Gurdwara or look for organizations they wish to assist. A few examples of seva in your everyday life can include: helping around the house, holding the door for someone, assisting your peers if they do not understand the materials they are learning in school, and helping the elderly. Remember, no act is too small. You can perform seva in any way. Personally, having been born and raised in an immigrant household, my parents instilled the following beliefs: help those in need, show love and respect by serving others, and give back to the local communities, charities, and organizations by becoming a sevadar. To this day, these are the values I continue to respect.
During this pandemic, I have personally taken part in seva by calling Sikh American voters to vote in the 2020 presidential election by providing them with voting information within their state. The inspiration behind calling Sikh Voters was to reach out to my community members—who are registered voters living in the swing states—to encourage them to vote and help change democracy for the better. Calling members of our community helped me feel like I was not only making a difference within our community but was also making connections with the voters because I was interacting with them in the Punjabi dialect. I have also been working with the Sikh Coalition to help get Sikhi into history classes within my school district and have been working alongside the team in efforts to change the school curriculums to make them more inclusive and diverse. The inspiration behind doing this seva for the schools I attended was from the experiences I witnessed throughout my academic years: students in my classes were not well informed about Sikhi; the history textbooks and school curriculum were subjective and provided little to no information about the Sikh faith, and students were not aware of the violence and discrimination Sikhs faced after the tragic 9/11 incident.
It may be difficult to provide seva during the current circumstances with Coronavirus; however, I encourage you to reach out to your Sangat and see if they are providing online volunteering services that you can be a part of. I also encourage you to create your organization or join groups that are helping the millions of people who have been affected by this pandemic.
About the Author
Himani Vaid
Himani Vaid is an 18-year-old student attending university in New Jersey and is studying Computer Science and Mathematics. She has a strong passion for motivating young women to pursue a career in the STEM field. Alongside this, she is the founder of @_punjabigirlsdraw_, an art page aiming to raise awareness about societal issues, promoting the Sikhi faith, and educating today’s society about the beautiful Punjabi culture.
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