We are All Serving Someone

Lalita Priya sanding

Today Lalita Priya and I served at the Guesthouse by sanding the the doors, and tomorrow we will cover them in a fresh coat of paint. This place has been our home for a while now, so getting the chance to give something back in the form of service is sweet. Plus these doors open up to guest rooms, which will serve many aspiring devotees for years to come- literally provide them with shelter.
     But those who come to Vrindavan are really seeking spiritual shelter, not shelter for the body. I will take a stab at the meaning of shelter (but please don't take this to the bank)-  to be under guidance of Vaisnavas in a setting where we can learn and grow by watching firsthand these living examples perform their bhajana. Jaiva-Dharma says, "The root bhaj is used specifically in the sense of seva, or service, but in a general sense bhajana refers to spiritual practices; especially hearing, chanting, and meditating upon the holy name, form, qualities, and pastimes of Sri Krishna." One thing that becomes apparent is that the Vaisnavas are always absorbed in seva, always serving Sri Krishna and His parts and parcels (us!) with body, mind, and words. So they are performing bhajana in a big way, while I am just doing bhajana in a teeny-tiny way, if even. Maybe just a shadow of bhajana. But maybe one day I, like the door, can get sanded down to a smooth surface and then receive a fresh coat of paint.
     A couple instructions I remember getting while being here are that:(1) opposite genders should be cautious about serving each other because performing service to someone creates a bridge between those two hearts- a materially-based bridge- it may be intentional or unintentional, but it will develop regardless and (2)  there is a difference between material service and spiritual service. We should be cautious about viewing seva for Vaisnavas and Sri Krishna as the same as mundane service [worldly service is upside down because a servant is like a slave but spiritual seva brings joy and fulfillment to the one in service]  (3) it seems (speaking from my experience) only through mercy of the Vaisnavas can we receive seva and also only through their mercy can we perform it successfully.
     In his book, Science of Self-Realization, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains:
"Actually our position is that we are always rendering service to someone, either to our family, country, or society. If we have no one to serve, sometimes we keep a pet cat or dog and render service to it. All these factors prove that we are constitutionally meant to render service, yet in spite of serving to the best of our ability, we are not satisfied. Nor is the person to whom we are rendering that service satisfied. On the material platform, everyone is frustrated. The reason for this is that the service being rendered is not properly directed. For example, if we want to render service to a tree, we must water the root. If we pour water on the leaves, branches, and twigs, there is little benefit. If the Supreme Personality of Godhead is served, all other parts and parcels will be automatically satisfied. Consequently all welfare activities as well as service to society, family, and nation are realized by serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead."