Seva (Sanskrit: string) is: in Sikhism, volunteer work; selfless service; work offered to God, performed without attachment and with the attitude that one is not the doer. In Siddha Yoga ashrams, Guruseva is a spiritual practice, and students seek to perform all of their tasks in this spirit of selfless offering. Seva is a cornerstone of the Sikh religion. in Sant Mat the same idea has been given a contemporary meaning of serving the Living Master. See Selfless Service. in Indian cuisine, a snack

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seva

service.

(See also: seva, Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Seva - service, attendance on, reverence, devotion to.

(See also: Seva, Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Man is made up of a sensory system - therefore, he indulges in sensory pleasures; that's his destiny, say some. However true this might be, man must attempt to rise above them if he is to discover the Divine hidden within.

Aware of the difficulties in controlling the senses, ancient philosophers evolved practical methods of daan or almsgiving, vrat or fast, tapas or austerities and dhyan or meditation. Daanam means the will to share one's wealth with others. But why should we give away anything? Because, it helps to purify the Self. Sharing wealth requires purification of mind, atmashuddhi, and control of senses, damashca

(See also: Charity, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

One Friday afternoon, on his way to offer the weekly namaz at a mosque, a friend found an accident victim lying unattended on the road. As he hesitated over what to do a few more passers-by joined him.

Reasoning to himself that the injured person will now be taken care of, he hurriedly continued to walk towards the mosque. But that day, no matter how hard he prayed, peace eluded him.

Something was missing. He agonised over whether he could remain indifferent to a fellow human being's suffering while making fervent attempts to serve God through prayer?

(See also: Charity, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Hinduism and Karma

In simple terms, the law of karma suggests that a person's mental and physical actions determine the progress of his life on earth. What ever actions he undertakes, both his good and bad actions, impact his life in several ways and bring twists and turns in the course of his life. His bad actions lead him to suffering and unhappiness, while his good actions lead him to happiness and spiritual success.

Read more here: » Hinduism and Karma: The logic behind the concept of Karma

The Prophet of Peace Revealed Islam

Mohammed, the prophet and messenger of God who revealed Islam to the world was a descendant of Prophet Ismail. In 610, Mohammed declared that he was Allah's apostle and said: "There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet." The Prophet said that righteousness alone was the criterion to distinguish one person from another. The Prophet enjoined upon Muslims to treat the poor kindly and to help them with alms, zakat, and in other ways. He said, "He is not a perfect Muslim who eats his fill and lets his neighbour go hungry." He asked, "Do you love your Creator? Then love your fellow beings first."

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Oneness: For the Good of the World

The Bhagavad Gita lays utmost emphasis on the good of the world or lokasamgraha. Work done for lokasamgraha not only prevents destruction of the world; it also contributes towards social efficiency.

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Animal Rights: God of All Things

All creatures, big and small, are beautiful creations of God. Very often, however, we tend to either ignore the "small" or exploit them for selfish reasons. This is where religion and spirituality can help - to restore to us a holistic perspective so that all of God's creations are given due respect.

Religious thought and spirituality serve a larger purpose only when they find positive expression in action. Theory without implementation is of no use. I fear that the concepts of religion and spirituality are being hijacked by humans for their own selfish purposes, leaving out all the other, equally if not more valid forms of life.

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The ideals and motto of the Divine Life Society - "Serve, love, give, purify, meditate and realise" - are reflected in the life and work of Swami Chidananda Saraswati. His spiritual journey began on a Buddha Purnima day in 1943 inspired by his mentor Swami Sivananda.

Chidananda's fervour to serve found the perfect outlet in the welfare work he undertook at Rishikesh. He believes that service alone can purify and prepare the soul for deep contemplation.

(See also: Swami Chidananda, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

What is a human being’s dharma?

Every entity and idea has its own distinct characteristic which differentiates it from another. Water has the property of making things wet. As long as it has this property, people will call it water. Similarly, as long as fire has the property of burning things, it will be called fire. When it loses this property, it will no longer be called fire.

Human beings also have a dharma, which marks them as human. The corporeal body is not the limit of our consciousness.

(See also: Bhagavata Dharma, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Relationship karma operates in all our relationships and starts in each life with childhood family interactions. Relationships are where we learn fundamental lessons in life through contact with karmic connections and soulmates. Karmic connections or soul groups are people we feel instantly familiar with. We have a sense of connection stemming from a previous life or lives either in a positive or negative setting.

Read more here: » Karma: For the Love of Karma

 Often when we suffer from a physical condition either minor or severe, it is a link in a chain of sequences that began centuries ago. Some illnesses and afflictions are Karmic. Knowing the cosmic relevance if it is karmic can lead to an understanding of the disease or illness on various levels. To consciously know this alone can have a transforming effect upon our lives today. Just understanding our situation can enable us to come to terms with it, which in turn can enable us to achieve vital equilibrium at higher levels of being and integration as well.

Read more here: » Karma: Karma in the Flesh

  It is wise to bear in mind that in daily life, most of our knowledge is not arrived at through analysis. It is thought by many that the intuitive faculties of the human mind can draw on much more information than we can access analytically, and certainly there are a lot of remarkable anecdotes about the power of dreams and intuition in problem-solving. Thus, it seems worthwhile to take a look at the intuitive appeal of karma.

Read more here: » Science and Karma: Intuitive Rightness - Science and Karma

Karma Yoga Lesson III

What is Karma; Self querying necessary; Analysis of Karma; Its five factors in the utmost analysis, c. f. Gita; Modern Relativity says, Everyone is a lord of himself; The five factors all in oneself; The teaching as confounded by medieval Hindus; Difficulties of language; Behaviorism; Destiny; Karmic ledger has no proportion; The Ego is not the "I" nor an unity but a multiplicity James' definition; Just what we say that man is a diversity; How to cure vain regrets; Mantra for the Act in this praxis.

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Karma Yoga Lesson IV

Karma is Thought, actually, says the Gita; Mind and Manas; Thought a constant function in the universe; The greater being of man; Power of Thought; Facing Thought; The cloud; Formation of Thoughts; Letting thoughts pass on; The use of Aumn in calming.

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Karma Yoga Lesson V

Further study of thought; Contacting thought; Enjoying every thought; Especially painful thought; Keeping a notebook, for study, after meditation; Meaning of suffering; The fire trial; Mantra for this lesson (Maatra-asparsa-astu) contact, suffer, everything.

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Karma Yoga Lesson VI

Detachment; Accept the universe of thought without being affected by it; Avoid cosmogony; You Call change your environment; True vairagya or detachment; Change your point of view; The tangle of thought; The use of the "Neti," "Neti" mantra.

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Karma Yoga Lesson VlI

Janaka and Shuka; Living as kings do; Helping humanity and geocentricity; Teaching the law, guarding oneself; Every act to be a sacrament.

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Karma Yoga Lesson VIII

The danger in Vedic ritual; Thought is beyond time; It is a sacrifice of the Mind of God; Thought the builder; The universe, of thought, of the dead that are living; Brief description of death and after; The need of interchange of intercourse with the plane of the dead.

Read more here: » Karma Yoga: Karma Yoga - Lesson VIII (of XI )