15. Rationale Behind Service

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“Why should I give my hard earned money to others? Why should I serve others? I have a family to feed, I earn to sustain my family and I am content with what I have. Then for what purpose should I do charity? Why do scriptures say that service is a must? I don’t see anything meaningful in such exhortations. I think it is only optional. If somebody naturally feels like serving the society, then let them. I do not question their choice. Similarly, I do not feel any great urge to serve others, and that should not be questioned. Charity makes people lazy!”

The great intellectuals of the 21^st century may put forth such arguments supporting their constrictive tendency. Yes, the argument looks logical superficially. And we may say “As you wish” and let them alone. But the fact is that there is a rationale behind service. For the concretized modern minds, this article may provide some logic for their thirsty left brain. And for the people already filled with compassion and service attitude, this article may help to go the next level of detached service and give the crucial link to spirituality.

Astrology is widely accepted by all to be a science, mostly out of the fear of the future. Apart from a small percentage of the population who are extremely and dryly scientific, all accept it at least to a small extent. In marriages, matching the horoscopes is very much prevalent even today in a big portion of the population in India. It is a common notion that when a boy and a girl get married, the ill-effects in the horoscope of one will get neutralized by the good effects of the other. So, the astrologer gives a number for the extent of match between the two horoscopes. If the extent of match is high, then that means it is a good match.

If you look at it carefully it is nothing but statistical averaging of Prarabdha (Fate) of two people. Since two individuals are going to become a strongly attached couple, the fate of one automatically becomes associated with the fate of the other. Further, when a child is born to a couple, the astrologer may say ‘The child will bring good luck to the father’. So, Prarabdha acts on a group of people as a whole when there is a strong attachment among the people in the group. In fact, we do not even need the concept of Astrology for making someone accept this, because this looks like plain common sense.

It is a well known fact in statistics that, when the sample size increases, the standard deviation decreases. If you toss 10 coins, you may get 7 heads and 3 tails. Another time you may get 5-5, another time 8-2 etc. But if you toss 1000 coins several times, every time you are more likely to get closer to 500-500. Because the sample size is more, averaging effects are more and the deviation from the theoretical mean is very little. So, in effect, when the group size increases, fluctuations of the results drastically reduces.

Suppose a person expands his boundaries and begins to think of the whole society as his family, truly from his heart. Instead of attaching himself to a small group, he attaches himself to a much bigger group. Then with the same logic as above, what should happen? Now the sample group size is big and averaging effects are more. And as a result, the fluctuations (Standard Deviation) of the effects shrinks substantially. The person would now be free from both extremes – extreme good and extreme bad. And thus he gets to lead a peaceful life conducive to Spiritual growth. If he was alone (as a single subject) or with a small group (family), because of the tiny sample size, the Prarabdha effects may fluctuate very drastically and go to extremes. He will then be tossed up and down between too good and too bad. This is undesirable for spiritual growth. As we know, Yoga it is to extricate the extremes and be moderate in everything we do (समत्वं योग उच्यते). The middle path of Buddha also emphasizes this fact. Although we can moderate all our personal activities through the practice of Raja Yoga, we cannot guarantee the nullification of the extremes of the unseen ‘Adhi Daivika’ forces. So, Karma Yoga is a trick to shield ourselves from extreme effects (both good and bad) of the unknown future by increasing the sample size! We can only wonder at the genius of our ancestors!

‘Dana’ was the essential aspect of any Vaidika karma without which the karma would not be considered complete. All Yajnas, Samskaras (Upanayana, Marriage etc) and even Shraadha karmas had Dana as an integral part. But today we promptly perform all the rituals but forget this crucial part of ‘Dana’. We perform homas and only feed our own relatives, and when they perform a homa they will feed us back. Give and take policy! The real needy of the society do not receive anything. Not that friends and relatives cannot be called, but that cannot be called as Annadana at all. One may argue that the Purohitas are given Dana. But today the purohitas receive dakshina (fee) and not Dana. By definition, that which is demanded as a fee is not Dana. Even if we consider that as charity, we have to remember that the value of charity does not lie in the amount, it lies in the need of the receiver. A morsel of food given to a hungry is more valuable than the 1000 rupees given to someone already clad in gold ornaments. This way, today's homa has become nothing more than a lunch-party. People have constricted themselves into smaller groups, and as a result, suffer drastic and extreme effects. Even when an astrologer says "Perform a Shanti homa for negating the ill-effects of the Kundali", again only our own relatives are fed. The actual rationale behind the homa, dana and increasing the sample size is forgotten. Vaidika karmas were the means for a householder to expand his boundaries, not further constrict himself into limited groups.

Perhaps if we explain with the modern statistical point of view as given above, the modern generation will understand, accept and change for the better. Supporting this, we can see Vivekananda also say in his Karmayoga lectures that service is done primarily for our growth. Because when we get to lead a peaceful life void of all extremes, it automatically elevates us into serenity and pulls us into spiritual enquiry. Only a mind free of turbulence (of good and bad) can go into deeper questions such as "Why Am I here? What is life? etc" and see the answers on its own. Else it will always be busy in the petty good-bad business of the world. So, welfare of others happens only as a corollary in spiritual quest. Finally all is only for the 'Self' - not the constricted ego but the true Self to be realized.

This is not selfishness in the ordinary sense. Because, here we are indifferent and equally relinquishing both extremes – good and bad. Whereas selfishness in the normal sense promotes constricted ego. This ego would not want to lose good, it wants to eliminate only bad. If you tell such people that Karmayoga will abate both extremes - good and bad, then they will not like the idea. They desperately try to increase only good and eliminate only bad, which is but a foolish effort. Black cannot be without white, good cannot be without bad. Eventually they will have to confront both extremes alone and get tossed up and down with them. The only wise thing to do is to forsake the shackles of both extremes by expanding our boundaries into bigger groups and enjoy a serene life to rise high into the spiritual skies.

Also, service boosts up our confidence like no other activity. We feel the positivity surging in us when we know that the needy have been served. It gives us a power that no one can takeaway from us. Our dialogue will change from the usual “I haven’t hurt anybody, why I am facing so much of problems? boo hoo..” to “I have served all like my own family, let anything come, I can face it”!

But today, after the performance of the homas do we feel even bit of positivity? After the homa is over, we chit-chat with our relatives and in fact will be busy cursing the purohitas. I have myself heard this several times - “That fellow does not have to pay any income tax, he earns thousands in a matter of hours”! What a waste of time, money and effort in the name of Homa! All rituals done systematically, finally only to feel negative and miserable! Common sense crucified by the 21^st century youngsters.

So, in effect, "Service is Expansion". As said earlier, service is done primarily for our own growth towards the real Self, service to others is only a side effect. So, Selfishness remains, but key thing is that the definition of ‘Self’ changes. We happily renounce both the extremes (good and bad) and we move from being body-centered towards being the pure awareness of the Self that we always have been and will be.

There is another crucial benefit if this rationale is understood clearly. When a person serves another, it is very hard to get rid of the accompanying sense of ego. No matter how humble we try to act on the outside, a sense of ego "I am a philanthropist" lingers somewhere deep in us. But if the above rationale is logically clear, then the notion "I helped him, I served him" gets uprooted fully. I can no more be conceited that I served someone, because I know that I am only helping myself. Help to others is happening only as a side effect in my spiritual pursuit! And thus, I am no more worried for the needy, I am not attached to service or its success, but I simply serve. I am least bothered if it fails due to unavoidable circumstances.

Thus, the saints said "Strive for Self-Realization, and everything else will take care of itself. Everyone's primary duty is only to try for Self-realization." Service and Spiritual quest are not two different things. If they are seen separately, then both of them lose meaning.  Service without the spiritual basis is inefficient and will only bring about conceit when successful and worry, restlessness and fatigue when unsuccessful. And if spirituality does not have a compassionate heart, then it has certainly gone out of track - either towards body-health-obsession in the name of Yoga, or towards mugging up scriptures in the name of Jnana. Spirituality that constricts is not spirituality at all. Just like fire that does not burn is not fire at all.

The last thing to be noted is that service is not only about food or clothing. Material charity is only a stage, it does not constitute the whole of service. Buddha was a monk and couldn't possibly give anything material to anybody. But yet, he did one of the greatest services that mankind has ever known. He became the embodiment of peace and just by his words or even mere presence, spontaneously made an entire continent rid of wars in his time. That is the power of 'Be and Make' - the famous statement of Swami Vivekananda.