Serve With Humility

Humility does not mean you think less of yourself; it means you think of yourself less, Bindiya ChhabraMan can live individually, but can survive only collectively.The hallmark philosophy of the Vedic era, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, lays the cornerstone of equality through spirituality and service to humanity. All saints and sages, through their life and commandments, have implored humans to love, care and share. All scriptures emphasise the need to serve fellow beings. Seva, which does not simply translate to ‘service’, is a holistic state where one contributes to the universe ‘selflessly, unconditionally and with humility’, thinking it to be your essential duty, instead of a favour. The state of humility thus is an important element of seva. It is the foundation of humanity. Give And Forget Humility does not mean you think less of yourself; it means you think of yourself less.It does not symbolise weakness; on the contrary, it reveals greatness. This is what evolved souls do.They stand aloft in the world;they sustain and support one and all and selflessly serve to bring comfort to those who are suffering. Our Nirankari Mission Satguru, Baba Hardev Singh, has also taught us to carry out service without any expectation of name, fame or appreciation; without a sense of doer-ship.Our motto is to always give without remembering; receive without forgetting. A true story establishes this maxim beautifully.A farmer was distributing some fruits among the needy.Those receiving the fruits started thanking the farmer as a gesture of gratitude.The farmer replied that it was the tree that bore the fruit and thus the tree should actually be thanked instead of him.He was just the medium. Likewise, all the resources that we share with others are in reality blessings of God, and we are mere trustees of these belongings.Thus, we should thank the Almighty for He has chosen us to be an instrument of His Will and Purpose.At any point in time, we need to carry the attitude of gratitude in our hearts. The strength to do all this comes from spiritual wisdom and the ethos of Oneness.Spirituality elevates us from ego and gives rise to love and compassion. It is said that butter melts at the slightest exposure to heat. But the hearts of luminaries melt when others are exposed to hurt or pain. As it has been said: Sorrow,be it yours or mine/ Defines the pain/ Tears, mine or thine/ Convey the same loss and gain. It is important to remember that charity begins at home.We have grown in our Mission to understand the essence of this moral value and try to implement it among our families and friends. This is how seva has become a part of our behaviour and daily life. This forms the pivotal ethos behind the Sant Nirankari Charitable Foundation (SNCF).We believe in serving all, with no discrimination or prejudice, in our efforts to heal,enrich and empower our fellow beings with the fragrance of humility. Ripple Effect The motive and spirit of each volunteer at SNCF is to surrender our body, mind and wealth for the welfare of humanity, and create a ripple effect that helps and reaches out to people across the world. SNCF has been working to manifest these virtues for the last many years. The efforts of SNCF include hundreds of blood donation camps all across India; health and eye check-up camps; hospitals and mobile dispensaries;schools and colleges providing ethics-based education; vocational programmes to empower youth and women; support and rehabilitation contributions during natural calamities; support for prison inmates; cleanliness and tree plantation drives; social awareness drives to motivate people with virtues like oneness, tolerance, love and harmony, among many others. The SNCF strives to share its resources with compassion while positively impacting millions of lives. Following the noble teachings and the vision set forth by our Satguru,Nirankari Baba Hardev Singh ji, it is our constant endeavour to serve with humility while spreading love,happiness and smiles for miles and miles! ■ Bindiya Chhabra is founder-member, Sant Nirankari Charitable Foundation (SNCF) Humility does not mean you think less of yourself; it means you think of yourself less, BINDIYA CHHABRA reminds us.