Prashant Agrawal explains how charity relates one to the Divine lord, cleanses the mind from desires and gratification, and purifies the heart and mind by preparing them to progress in the path of self-realisation
Worshipping God through ritualistic practices and traditions is religion and holding on to values, meanings and significances of religious teachings is spirituality. Selfless service has nothing to do with religion; however, it is related to spirituality, in the same way as scent is related to scented candles.
Ever thought of the reason why people indulge in selfless serviceIJ It is simply because of the fact that goodness is a part of human consciousness. Service to anybody without any expectation of returns can be termed as selfless. And, it is one of the highest decencies of human behaviour.
In Vedic texts, the supreme is described as the “Sac-Cit-Annanda” meaning the completely pure, the absolutely conscious and the eternally blissful. When it is said that every living entity is a part and parcel of the complete whole, it means, every living entity is partially pure, partially conscious and partially blissful. This ‘partial’ aspect gains prominence because of material conditioning endowed with lust, greed and what we call the evil. The sprit or the soul being conditioned under the material nature and the cycles of life and death longs to be complete by merging into the supreme consciousness. This longing is the reason of why human beings are indulged in activities that brings happiness and peace.
Indulging oneself into selfless activities and services brings the instant of inner bliss and happiness. The surges of joy one experiences seeing others happy due one’s own actions are divine. The smile of a baby, the look after you feed the hungry and the appreciations of a help rendered to an anonymous stranger etc are the best gifts human have, which nourishes the soul. These feelings have a dramatic impact on our inner consciousness. It is when one experiences the divine sparks.
Austerities and penances are forms of purification of the mind. Performing an act of charity purifies the heart. It is ingrained with unconditional love, humility, sympathy, generosity and mercy. It is the doorway to spirituality that starts with service towards the creation of God, the humanity. This prepares one to progress in the path of self realisation.
On the other hand, worshiping or following the rituals is an introvert way to the supreme. This does not have implications on others, but have a strong influence on the self. Following these rules can be compared to meditation where the mind is trained to focus towards the supreme. Worshipping God is a form of Yoga, the process of adding oneself to the supreme. The activities we perform, the austerities and the offerings we endow do nothing but satiate our mind and train it to be subservient to the lord. The only difference being the extrovert nature of selfless service, which expands limitlessly to others, these are never less than worshipping the lord, when observed from this point of view.
A common debate that atheists bring forth is questioning these offerings made to the lord. It is true that there are devotees, who never hesitate to offer a massive donation in the name of God, will balk on giving away a paltry sum that could save a beggar dying of hunger beside the walls of religious shrines. The best one can do is to be sure about the consequences of his or her donations and alms. It is certain that if the note you donated to the street hobo is spent in liquor, the act is simply futile. Contribute to something that brings a substantive worth to someone’s life. Such acts are never abortive as it adds to the acts of what we call the “Karma”. As you sow so shall you reap.
Another aspect that harmonises selfless service to worshipping God is its holistic nature. The concept of worshipping or spirituality in Vedic context comes from the idea of unconditional love of the Godhead. This is the higher concept of devotion that underlines the relationship between the supreme enjoyer and the enjoyed. It is the relation that exists between God and human beings, we being the enjoyed and He being the supreme enjoyer. Only unconditional love and devotion towards the lord can bring liberation or “Moksha”. If you have satisfied someone’s soul, consider that you have satisfied the lord. And remember, it is only the body that is satisfied through mundane activities, not the soul.
In Samkhya philosophy, Nishkam Yoga, is described as one of the basic forms of Karma Yoga, which is a path to liberation. It is the act of performing something without any expectation in return. It is also a central theme of The Bhagavad Gita, where it is idealised as a way to realise the absolute. In Verse 47, Chapter 2, Krishna speaks to Arjuna: “Karmany evadhikaras te ma phalesu kadacana ma karma-phala-hetur bhur ma te sango ‘stv akarmani” (You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty).
This is the fundamentals of performing selfless service towards humanity that is indistinguishable from worshipping the lord himself. For, although the objectives are contrasting, they are on the common pathway, serving the Absolute.
The writer is President at Narayan Seva Sansthan