It is natural to feel enthusiastic about doing service after its importance and necessity for one’s growth in life is realized. Many people feel this enthusiasm at some point but cannot sustain it, and tend to lose their initial passion with time. One reason for this is their failure to develop the necessary faith and enthusiasm for service. Some people go further on the path, but when faced with hardships, they too give up and quit for fear of failure.
There are many other obstacles which hamper progress on the path to service. People can be distracted by false ideas and lose focus, or even become arrogant after a little initial success. Such situations can be avoided if the loksevi is careful and
has a vision for the future. Sometimes he is not able to carry on the discipline necessary for service even after dedicating his life to it. These and other mistakes, whether habitual or circumstantial, tend to push a loksevi off his path.
It is important to remember that to be able to guide others, a good character is required more than proficiency in leadership. In the past, people who decided to carry out the responsibilities of seva would spend some time building their character and developing qualities such as self-control, generosity, and kindness before going into this field. If service is undertaken with true dedication, its true rewards can be experienced more as self-growth than as a contribution to the good of others. Pragya Parijans stepping forward on this path need to remember that they must resolve to work towards developing their characters to a much higher level than that of the masses.
What would this take? The most important step is working diligently to change one’s attitude and perception. It is a well-known fact that greed and attachment are the two biggest hurdles in the path to spirituality. A greedy, materialistic person would never think of doing something for others. He is always looking for personal gain. Even if he did consider serving others, as a show-off he would always be looking for deals to buy more fame with fewer resources.
The second obstacle is attachment. A person with too much attachment to his body and family members becomes excessively
focused on bodily comforts and the happiness of his family, for which he will do anything, right or wrong, to fulfil. This
attachment confines him inside this narrow world and he spends an entire life killing himself to fulfil the needs of his family. It is fine to fulfil one’s family duties, but pampering them to the point where their growth is hindered, making them lazy, greedy, and incompetent in personality is not a wise idea. Attachment forces one to take this path and not care about the real duty towards the family. It is better to motivate one’s family towards higher values and positive thinking than provide them with comforts.
Raising a family should not be difficult for anyone. Keeping in mind this new perspective, it can be seen that there are many who can support themselves and others as well in the family, but who are living as though they are incapable simply because they receive too much care, cater to the ego of a family member, or receive pressure from society. When one breadwinner in the family does all the work when the others can work but do not want to because of laziness, this results in extravagance, as family members do not realize the value of money and hard work. Too much attachment to the family makes one selfish and blind to the future. A man considers himself big hearted handing his money over to his sons, even though they may be earning their own income and may only waste his money in partying. Spending time and money on his children and
grandchildren is all such a person wants to do. In the end when his lifetime earnings are depleted by his grown and capable children, it is too late to realize the mistake.
These are only a few examples. There are many more. One could be having many children and celebrating, getting deeper in
attachment, not realizing the burden of responsibility it brings. Therefore, attachment is foremost among the hurdles on the
spiritual path, and greed does not lag far behind. They resemble Ravan and Ahiravan, two brothers in the Ramayan, equally
powerful. Greed and attachment, despite their own lack of strength, can overpower and make one’s life miserable.
Attachment is foremost among the hurdles on the spiritual path, and greed does not lag far behind. They resemble Ravan and
Ahiravan, two brothers in the Ramayan who were equally powerful. When not controlled, greed and attachment, despite their lack of strength, can overpower a person’s thoughts and emotions and make his life miserable.
Arrogance is another hurdle which can easily attack a worker. It is sinister and elusive, and no one really cares to fight it. But it feeds upon one like a leech, and once it gains control of the personality it causes more damage to a person than greed and attachment.
Arrogance comes from a desire for status. It makes a person expect more importance, position, fame, and respect in society than others. These are the aspirations of arrogance. Many people are drawn into the latest fashion and cosmetic trends; this is one example of how arrogance can overpower a person’s thinking. It is no secret that such things are expensive and time-consuming, and yet people continue in their desire to appear attractive. Another example is the display of wealth. People spend so much on a luxurious house, vehicle, or other commodity in order to project the impression that they are very rich,
even though in reality this may not be true at all. Some people spend extravagantly in front of others simply to create a false impression of their wealth. Then they have to cut down on the basic necessities to compensate for their foolishness. This mistake is obvious to any mature person, but their desire to prove themselves to be better does not let them think clearly.
These are only ordinary people. And yet even idealists, the spiritually awakened, those who have already made a mark in the field of service to others, are not immune to this disease of arrogance. Various religious groups and organizations are involved in this power struggle all the time; each of them attempts to project their own organization as superior to the others. Why do members of groups with the same goals fight for position? Why are they busy trying to prove others are inferior to them? The public can be fooled by their excuses, but the truth is that each member is trying to prove himself superior to the other to satisfy a desire for status. Arrogance is, if not the most important, one of the main reasons behind the disgrace of such organizations. Several exceptions to principles can be argued to explain the problems in such situations, but if analysed rationally, one can find the uncontrolled little mouse of arrogance instigating the unpleasant state of affairs.
People who are detached from family and other ties are not exempt from arrogance either. A loksevi unable to rid himself of arrogance will attempt to become popular in society at any cost, like a beggar who accumulates wealth for his entire life and leaves it hidden in the rags at his death. To earn popularity a loksevi may brag about having supernatural powers or the ability to perform miracles. Such people are a liability to the organizations they work for. They do more harm than good. For this reason, anyone who seeks to excel in the field of service is advised to first rid himself of greed, attachment, and arrogance. In the past, the loksevi had to go door to door begging for their food in order to rid themselves of arrogance. Food could have been easily arranged, but without a comparable penance, how can one expect to remove the arrogance and become a true seer, a true loksevi?
Residents of Gandhiji’s ashram had to complete all sorts of petty tasks, from cleaning rooms to cleaning toilets, and they did this with full dedication. The Pragya Mission also requires residents at the Shantikunj ashram to take part in tasks like these, such as cleaning drains, sweeping streets, and picking up trash. The purpose is the same – to break down their arrogance. In Shantikunj, every resident is advised to donate their personal wealth to the ashram and to live on a nominal payment. If a loksevi lives on money contributed by the public, he does not become a salaried employee. He should consider this money a token of faith from the public and accept it with gratitude. Some people think, why should I earn my living when I am donating my time? Why don’t I earn my living by other means and still help, and be better than those who earn their living by helping? Some people do not donate their time at all for this reason. There is no higher principle at work in this, it is simply their egotism speaking. If someone’s work is worth a thousand dollars and he is taking only a hundred dollars in payment, the nine hundred dollar difference will be considered a hidden donation to the organization. For a true loksevi, it is important to display true modesty.
Another thing to be noted here is to identify and avoid people who are always there to hinder the work of seva. There are many such people, who can corrupt even a noble soul with their low tricks. Every organization must be careful of such people, who are like Ravan’s brother Kalnemi, who was notorious for corrupting people’s minds, inciting Ravan to kidnap Sita and sending Surpanakha to seduce Ram. He even brainwashed Marich, Kumbhakaran, Manthara, and Kaikeyi. He is active even today, attacking anyone who is not mentally strong, in the disguise of a seer, Yogi, or Mahatma. In addition to greed, attachment, and arrogance, Pragya Parijans must be wary of such people.
Source: Guidelines for the Aspiring Loksevi
