In addition to motivating loksevi to observe the seven essential vows, Pujya Gurudev circulated two articles. One gives instructions on how to stay away from fatal attractions on the path to service, the other on ways to develop an attitude of humility. The articles are presented here.
According to legend, the churning of the ocean produced fourteen jewels. The first two were poison and wine. The poison appeared as an irresistible blue beverage, and the wine also seemed enticing. Both the gods and the demons were desperate for these, and did not listen to Lord Brahma’s warning about their dangers. Lord Shiva held the poison in his throat, but he could not save the demons from the wine. They consumed it, and as a result their minds strayed and ultimately caused their downfall.
People have many feelings about a person entering the field of seva (wholehearted, sincere social service). It is considered an act of bravery. The loksevi receives affection and praise and is treated with great respect. Praise is also a kind of jewel. Any treasure has its usefulness, but it also has a potential for destruction if not used wisely. Wealth, if not used properly, leads to immoral habits. Brainpower, if not channelled properly, makes one deceitful. Power, if not kept in check, results in bullying. Even nectar, if not digested properly, can become poison. Similarly, fame and praise, if not taken correctly, become arrogance, which can severely corrupt the thoughts, actions, and behaviour of a person. It is unfortunate to see so many loksevi succumbing to this disease of arrogance. It makes one wonder why such people chose this path in the first place; they would have done society and themselves a great favour had they decided otherwise.
There are three kinds of malicious attitudes which are the worst enemies of mankind: lust, discontent, and egotism. People who are confined to the worldly acts of eating, sleeping, and having children actually live a life that is no more than an animal’s. But egotism and arrogance are worse. If given free rein, they will become the controlling authority in a person’s life and will resist any interference. In many crimes, it may seem as if the motivation is greed, but it is often arrogance that makes a person engage in criminal activities. Crimes committed at the governing level are also often due to clashes of ego. History tells us that the motivation behind many wars was not to fight injustice, but to satisfy the ego of rulers. Examples of such rulers from ancient times include Kans, Ravan, Hiranyakashyap, Jarasandh, Alexander, Napoleon, and Genghis Khan.
My intention in mentioning this is to warn loksevi of the initial fame and respect that they will receive in society. It is natural to receive adoration from all quarters when one ventures into the field of selfless service. However, if not handled properly, it will turn the loksevi into a person who is like a mad elephant, attacking and destroying not only himself and everyone in his group, but also the organization which gave him the opportunity to earn this respect in the first place. The arrogance in the loksevi’s mind makes him feel superior to everyone and entices him to strike out on his own to advance his personal ambitions.
When we look around, we can see this everywhere in society. Fights between politicians are often caused by this egotism, no matter how much they try to project it as a difference of opinion. Many good organizations become lost because of fighting among their board members. The end of the Kauravs and Pandavs, as well as the entire Yadav dynasty, was caused not by their greed, but their ego. Religious organizations are disintegrating because people running them are more interested in earning fame and respect than in bringing about actual reforms in society. Unpleasant and violent events witnessed during or after a public election are seen as being done more to satisfy the ego and personal ambitions of electoral candidates than to justify any point. The fights between a mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law and the terror of a husband inflicted on his wife are also the results of hunger for ego gratification.
The Pragya Parijan is instructed to follow the seven essential vows to improve his personality, and to make him capable of performing the highest level of selfless service. If he does not follow the vows properly, the he will find himself in a very difficult situation.
The respect that a loksevi receives from society does not actually belong to him as an individual. It is essentially the noble intention which is respected. Showing respect for a loksevi is a tradition which was started to motivate people to perform more selfless service. Unfortunately, the loksevi often makes the mistake of regarding the respect that is shown to him as his own personal success, and he begins to behave like an egotist. He feels bad when people do not give him more attention or respect, and he may even engage in practices to keep his colleagues away from all the recognition. His entire focus shifts from performing service to securing respect and fame.
Such an attitude cannot be concealed for very long and soon becomes visible. The loksevi begins to lose credibility as people develop hateful feelings toward him. This reproach begins with his own colleagues and expands to include others. This is the consequence the loksevi ultimately faces because of his greed for fame and recognition, and in the end he loses whatever respect he had earned in society.
Egotism is costly in every sense. People trying to establish themselves in the fields of wealth, knowledge, career, or even beauty must advertise their skills to gain the attention of others. People greedy for fame must resort to similar practices. They want to remain in the limelight one way or another, and for this they keep seeking opportunities to take credit for something. During functions they want to be as visible as possible; to make their presence certain on the stage whether it is needed or not. They are eager to grab media attention and talk incessantly about their contributions to a fund raising, or their important role in some charitable initiative, or about having their names carved in stone for their donations. While they may not realize it, this only makes them more unpopular in society. There are people who look for opportunities to gain monetary benefits from their fame. How much they succeed is irrelevant, for in the end they become a matter of disgrace and shame for themselves. These people belong to that unfortunate lot who lose most in the field of social service. There may be many politicians who, despite being rejected and outclassed, manage to attain power, but the fact is that people lose respect for them and they always remain unpopular in society.
The longing to satisfy their ego drives loksevi to resort to these fatal ways unknowingly. They must remember that such pursuits are foolish, expensive, and futile. One can draw attention by engaging in provocative acts, but it does not yield anything. People who are greedy for fame are met with taunts and laughs, like clowns or jugglers in a circus. They may attempt to conceal themselves, but in their attempts to gain popularity and fame they reveal their own true faces. An actor may wear the mask of a king or seer in a play in order to elevate himself. This may give him the illusion of feeling superior, but even he knows that it is only an act, and in the end he is who he is. This consumes an immense amount of resources.
A fox who wears a lion’s skin may indeed gather many animals who will see him as a lion, but this does not make him the king of the jungle. On the other hand, he also becomes an object of ridicule to many. A loksevi must be very careful to be aware of this situation from very early on and should try to stay away from it. It is his modest behaviour which earns him more respect, not his advertising campaign. The lust for fame is like man’s shadow, and running after it only causes failure and frustration. However, people who believe in sharing fame and recognition with their colleagues and live the modest life of a volunteer receive a tremendous amount of respect even from unexpected sources. They receive love and cooperation from their colleagues. Thus, it is better and wiser for a loksevi to rid himself of fame, position, ego, and greed. He should incorporate humility into his nature and encourage others, while avoiding personal attention. He should implement the philosophy of simple living and high thinking into his life. By bringing more humility into his attitude, character, and behaviour, he can achieve true greatness.
Source: Guidelines for the Aspiring Loksevi
