Service And Self Knowledge-How Does Work Become Service?

One tends to commit two errors as far as one's understanding of 'work' is concerned. First, one may think of sticking to work for ever. In the past, the Karma-kandis represented this type. Secondly, one thinks one can straightaway go for self knowledge and attain liberation. Those who hastily join some asrama and take initiation to a renunciate's life, without an adequate inner purification, pay for this error.

The commentaries of Acharya Sankara on the sacred texts deal much with the first error. One must not stay stuck with Pravrtti through any form of subtle attachment. However, meritorious our work may be, it is inherently based on the 'I am the doer' - idea.

Liberation ensues when the Self which is ever free, from all notions' of doership is realised. One cannot consider oneself as a doer and as a non-doer at the same time. Thus, when one has purified oneself through selfless action, one must devote oneself to the discipline of knowledge which belongs to Nivritti dharma. A seeker must understand that the notion - 'I work for the good of the society' too is a subtle expression of ego! When one has gained knowledge, the question of whether one 'must' work or one 'must not' work does not arise. A Jnani serves the world in either way - his silence and his actions both have immense value to the world, we may say.

When we act egoistically, our personal desires and demands, our pride and prejudice necessarily corrupt the work. In Physics, when a conducting wire has a lot of its own resistance, the electrical power being conveyed by it suffers 'losses' all along the wire. What reaches the user end is less than what was sent from the source. In like manner, our ego (resistance) prevents the all-blissful God-Consciousness in us from beaming out in all its splendour! A Jnani may be compared to a 'super-conductor' with zero resistance (no ego) through whom Divinity shines in all glory! Thus Karma-Yoga (leading to Jnana) taken up by a spiritual seeker is like the superconductor research of the Physicists holding out wonderful rewards before us.

Work becomes service when the 'attitude' is of service. It is not the quantity, nor any specific area of work which makes our action merit the description as 'service'. From the context of spirituality and a soul's liberation, any work done with the attitude of gaining personally, satisfying one's own gross or subtle cravings is only plain ego-prompted activity (sakama Karma).This chains one to the world and worldliness by fortifying the ego, strengthening the foundation of ignorance in one.

Work offered to the Lord, seeking no personal ends, purely from a sense of duty or from a recognition that the work brings good to someone in need this becomes 'service'. This serves to thin the ego, purify our inner equipments of mind and intellect and prepare us for receiving right knowledge of the Self. But really the 'service' finds its consummation in the Jnani only who has shed even the thought that he is helping someone.