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Being and Seva
by Vijaya Rajiva on 05 Nov 2023 15 Comments

An Interpretation of Sri Satya Sai Baba’s Social Philosophy

 

Sri Satya Sai Baba’s Social Philosophy is premised on the Unity of Being which is expressed in three strands of Hinduism, the Vedic, the Upanishadic and Devotional. The Vedic strand expresses both the one Transcendent Being and the Immanent, the Upanishads express the unity of the Transcendent Brahman and the Immanent Being, Self. The Devotional expresses the Immanent Divine, Bhagvan. Seva, or Service is related to the Immanent Divine.

 

In his lecture on the Gayatri Mantra, Sri Satya Sai points out that Savitur, the Sun, represents the Immanent Divine and the Transcendent Divine, which includes all beings. Hence he arrives at the idea of the Unity of Being:

“The Gayatri is a universal prayer enshrined in the Vedas. It is addressed to the Immanent and Transcendent Divine which has been given the name ‘Savita’ meaning ‘that from which all this is born’ .... (Sri Satya Sai Speaks, Vol 13.34: June 20,1977)

 

“...Divinity is actually latent in all things in the universe. It is this Omnipresence that provides a powerful undercurrent of unity to the otherwise apparent and bewildering diversity”. (Summer Showers in Brindavan 2000/ch 7).

 

“The strife and conflict between human beings started the moment humanity forgot its fundamental unity... It is time that this trend is reversed and that the fundamental unity among humans is re-established... (Satya Sai Speaks, Vol. 42, ch.4:21, February 2009)

 

There are three central concepts in Satya Sai Baba’s social philosophy: Brahman, Bhagavan and Seva. These taken together constitute Being. Brahman is Consciousness, Bhagavan is the personal expression of Being and Seva is service to that Bhagavan and to all living beings. All three concepts are derived from the Vedic, Upanishadic, and devotional traditions of Hinduism.

 

The Vedic tradition describes the plenitude of Being, the Immanent expressions of Being, the Upanishadic tradition extols Being as Consciousness and the devotional tradition of Hinduism celebrates Bhagavan as the appearance of Being in human form. This is, of course, the concept of Avatar.

 

I. The Vedic Corpus:

 

The Rig Veda speaks about the multiplicity of gods and goddesses in the universe, and the Gayatri Måntra about the Sun, composed by Rishi Vishwamitra, represent the Immanent Divine and the Transcendent Divine.

 

II. The Upanishads:

 

The Upanishadic expression is: Prajnanam Brahman (Consciousness is Brahman). It is from the (Aiteraya Upanishad). All Being is consciousness.

 

As is well known, much of the Upanishads focuses on the relation between Atman (Self) and Brahman. The unity of Being is expressed in the Mahavakyas:

Prajnanam Brahman - Consciousness is Brahman

Tat Tvam asi              - You are that

Ayam atma Brahma   - This atma is Brahma

Aham Brahmasmi      - I am Brahma

 

III.  Bhagavan

 

Bhagavan is the name for God as incarnate in devotional Hinduism and is therefore the personal expression of Being. This word Bhagavan is found in all the Puranas. In the Puranas, Being appears as incarnate human form. Bhagavan Sri Krishna is an Incarnation, and in the Srimad Bhagavatham He is so described and worshiped.

 

Hence, any human with divine attributes is often referred to as Bhagavan, even when he /she may not be considered as an incarnation. Sri Satya Sai uses the word Bhagavan (translated as God) in many discourses. Bhagavan is an embodiment of Love, and Seva is service to Bhagavan, and to all beings, since Love is characteristic of all Being, embodied or otherwise.

 

IV. Seva

 

Seva is loving service. This introduces the idea of ‘Love’ into the concept of Being. Being then is Consciousness, Love and all conscious beings who are part of Being. As said above, Satya Sai points out that an Incarnation is an embodiment of Love.

 

All of the above are expressed in Satya Sai Baba’s many lectures (in Telegu, translated into English, and can be found in the Collected Works of Sri Satya Sai Baba).

*

Like many of the great Hindu saints, Satya Sai uses Love to describe both the Transcendent and the Immanent Brahman. He was fond of saying:

 

“God is Love and you are that.

 

“I have come to light the lamp of love in your hearts, to see that it shines day by day with added lustre.

 

“I have not come on any mission of publicity for any sect or creed or cause; nor have I come to collect followers for any doctrine. I have come to tell you of this Universal unitary faith, this path of Love. Believe that all Hearts are motivated by the One and Only God, that all names in all languages, and all forms man can conceive denote the one and only God. Cultivate the attitude of oneness between people of all creeds, and countries. This is the message of Love I bring.” (from Satya Sai International Organisation).

 

“Love is God, God is Love. Where there is love, there God is certainly evident. Love more and more intensely; transform the Love into service; transform the service into worship... that is the highest sadhana (spiritual practice). There is no living being without that spark of love; even a madman loves something or somebody. You must recognise this love as but a reflection of the Premaswaroopa that is your reality, of the God who is residing in your heart. Without that spring of love that bubbles in your heart, you will not be prompted to love at all.” (from Sri Satya Sai International Organisation).

Seva, the Sanskrit name for service is central to understanding the social philosophy of Sri Satya Sai Baba. The humanitarian and educational projects started by him and continued by devotees, both in India and internationally, included free speciality hospitals, schools, colleges, a university, free drinking water to millions, rural outreach programs, and similar activities throughout the world.

 

Sri Saty Sai Organisation was founded in the 1960s by Satya Sai. Initially it was called ‘Sri Satya Seva Samithi’ and it was established “to enable its members to undertake service activities as a means to spiritual advancement” (SSSCT).

 

The message from Satya Sai, from start to finish, has been that which has been echoed by saints and sages of the Dharmic traditions: Anandam (Joy /Bliss) Love, Peace (these three aspects were mentioned recently in a meeting of spiritual leaders from all religious traditions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Christianity, Islam).

 

This combination of Anandam, Love, Peace was possible because in the Dharmic tradition they are aspects of Being. The individual self, atma, is Conscious and is Loving.

 

Hence, Seva is an integral aspect of Atma.  
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/** The Gayatri is a universal prayer enshrined in the Vedas. It is addressed to the Immanent and Transcendent Divine which has been given the name ‘Savita’ meaning ‘that from which all this is born
**/

I would like to particularly ask, where in vedas, was it mentioned that savitr is universal divine?
senthil
November 06, 2023
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Both sathya sai, and shirdi sai are one of the abrahamic replica of the cult based worship funded by certain forces. They do not represent our original dharma of our ancient bharath, which is based on duty and rights and not based on seva.

The moment you bring in the concept of SEWA to the picture, you end up in propogating the abrahamic ideals, particularly the christian ideals.
senthil
November 06, 2023
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Savita in Sanskrit means that from which all is born. Hence, the Divine Being. In Sanatana, deities are also divine. You should avoid being misled by the use of the phrase 'Divine Being'. And Bhagvan in all Hindu languages, is a word for the same divine being.

Perhaps you should abandon the notion that Sanatana Dharma is influenced by 'western' ideas. That is a preconceived notion in your mind. And many Hindu sects speak of Bhagavan as that which is loving. Nothing new there. Christianity does not have a monopoly on the word 'love.'

It is a vast system that welcomes into its fold all sorts of ethnic beliefs, including atheistic beliefs. One of the last hymns in the Rig Veda asks who created this world ? No one knows.

I urge you to familiarise yourself with the Vedic corpus.
Dr. Vijaya Rajiva
November 06, 2023
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@Vijaya Rajiva,

You did not answer my question. My question is Where in Vedas, was savita mentioned as universal god?

You are making a vedic centric point of view. But we, the vellalas are agamic centric. This is in stark contrast to the Brahmins who hold on to vedas. In the name of hinduism, you are usurping our distinct identity and thrusting vedas upon us.

I would like to quote the words from the book "Deivathin Kural" (which is in tamil) ..

https://www.kamakoti.org/tamil/5part124.htm

In that, shri chandrasekarananda saraswathi says, that in Bhishma Parva, it is mentioned that veda, sankhyam, yogam, pasupatam, pancharatram are five different religions.

I searched for english version.. i got this link..

http://www.telugubhakti.com/telugupages/monthly/mahabharat/content1206b.htm

<< Quote:

On hearing this, Janamejaya asked Vaisampayana: “O Saint! In this world, there are several disciplines viz., Vedas, Sankhya, Yoga, Pasupata, Pancharatra etc. etc. For studying those disciplines, what kind of devoutness one has to follow. Or are there different dovoutness for each discipline. In fact, who taught these disciplines?” asked Janamejaya.

>>Unquote

So, its clear that vedas are just one of the many religions that existed in ancient bharat. Pasupatam, pancharatra are separate religions from vedas.

But look how you are making these religions as subservient to vedas.

We, the vellalas are related to pasupatam and pancharatra religions, and hence does not worship savita. We worship shiva, who is called as Mahadeva, the god of all gods.

When you make Savita as universal god, its something to be considered as religious invasion, like how christians are doing.

Instead of sticking to the fake Hinduism which is artificially created by placing vedas on top (as Bible), i request you to look at different religions as independant of vedas.
senthil
November 07, 2023
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I have no problem with all the different religions that COEXIST in Bharat. The more the merrier ! My problem is that you are trying to deny the existence of the Veda. No one is asking you to abandon your different. But why try to push the Veda out ?

Re: where Savitur is mentioned in the Rig Veda as a divine being ?

1. Savitur is the same as Savita and is considered to be of divine origin. It occurs in the 3rd book of the Rig Veda, in the Gayatri Mantra, composed by Viswamitra. In fact, Book 3 itself is considered in toto to be the composition of Viswamitra.

The opening lines of the Gayatri Mantra mention Savitr:

OM bhur, bhuvah, svaha, tat Savitr varneyam. . . .

BTW there is a plenitude of gods, goddesses, deities in the Rig Veda. Shiva, Vishnu, Sarasvati, Viswa Devas. They are all considered to be divine beings !

And OM is repeated before every Vedic prayer because it represents the primeval divine being. Some Hindus believe that it represents the Parabrahman.

All mentioned in the first book of the Rig Veda itself !

So relax, the very fact that the various sects and ethnic traditions continue to exist in Bharat is testimony that all is well. Your own belief system is alive and well ! That is what should matter to you, let others who want to believe in a different system, do so.

Why make it an issue ?
Dr. Vijaya Rajiva
November 07, 2023
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@Vijaya Rajiva,

Few Clarifications i want to make.
1. I never denied existence of veda. I am only challenging the artificial construct of Hinduism with Vedas as its bible.

2. I did not deny the divinity of Savita. The question i asked where is it mentioned as universal god as you have claimed.


I am glad that you accepted existence of different religions. But arent these different religions destroyed by the imposition of artificaial construct Hinduism on everyone ?

When every people group of this land had their own set of customs and marriage rituals, on what basis was the Hindu Code of Marriage bill enacted without the consent of any of these ethnic people group?


Questions that wont be answered !!!!!
senthil
November 08, 2023
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Coming to the core topic of concept of Seva mentioned in this article, i want to re-emphasise that it was never a concept of our bharathiya dharma at any point of time. We were highly organised society, where all the needs of the society and people were fulfilled by the functioning of this societal apparatus. People worked based on rights and duties, and not for voluntary seva.

Even in temples, every function would be performed by certain people, as a right and as a duty/commitment. Never as a free seva. Anything free is despised in our bharathiya dharmic society. They considered it as debt.

Whereas the concept of Seva requires two major entities - a powerful person/group who had all resources, and powerless masses, at the bottom of the ladder. The very concept is enslaving, demeaning, and by its design, oppressive.

It is the christian, and particularly jesuit concept of charity and service, that is renamed as seva in this country. They had the need to convert people, and for that they want to project themselves as saviors. For that, they would destroy the self-sustainability of the society they target.

The same tactics is used by the Hindutva groups, and other organisations like the satya sai you covered in this article. The Indian state has destroyed all the native systems and the associated rights people had, and left the vast population in to systemic slaves, and these organisations instead of restoring those rights, project themselves as saviors in order to control the society.
senthil
November 08, 2023
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Even with Gods, there is no concept of Seva. People offer something to Gods in return for help / favor. In the same way, Gods in many cases demands certain things in exchange of the favor it bestows. Its a contractual agreement with gods. And this is still now followed across india and by the people of my region, and also by myself. I have offered animal sacrifice to the gods in order to solve certain problems.

And if we offer those sacrifices without any prayers, the divinity will be indebted and would do whatever is good for us in many ways.

In the Ithihasa, we can find so many references where certain things are offered to GOD for want of certain favors. Yaagas and homas are perfect example of that.

But in the name of Hindutva, the abrahamic concept of charity is imposed on the bharathiya society.
senthil
November 08, 2023
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I am assuming that 'duties' involve an obligation, and have these obligations been always honoured ?

As a 'Hindu' I have a tradition which involves the Veda proper, the Upanishads, and Devotional Hinduism which has a variety of Agamas.

It is not clear to me how exactly you describe your own faith, other than that it is an ethnic grouping. Does it have a name?

How many people are in your ethnic grouping ?



Dr. Vijaya Rajiva
November 08, 2023
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@Vijaya Rajiva,

Rights defines the duties. And duties define the obligations. And in order to fulfill those obligations, the person needs the suitable environment, material resources, and assets..

Now how those rights come to a person? It is primarily through the king of a dhesam. For eg, pandya kings created chaturvedi mangalams in and around tirunelveli basin. The brahmins from north who learned all four vedas were invited and settle in his kingdom for performing vedic rituals for the welfare of his kingdom. Those brahmins cannot come just like that without any assurances or gaurantee. That gaurantee is given by the king as a right to them. ie, the self-managed autonomous administrative entity called chaturvedi mangalams with all infrastructure to live a proper vedic life.

These chaturvedi mangalams were existing for thousands of years till 1947.. after 1947, the Indian state dismantled the chaturvedi mangalams, and the right of those brahmins to administer themselves.. This apples to all other form of pre-1947 entities like brahmadeyam, devadeyam, and many other administrative units..

So the rights of brahmins comes as a political and administrative rights given by our kings..

Now, my question is does the constitution of India recognize any of those pre-1947 rights ? NEVER..

if it does not recognize those, on what basis are you all considering this Indian State as OURS?

The Indian state treats this vast land of bharath, just like how the anglo-saxon whites treated the north americas or the hispanics treated the south americas. The presence of pre-existing civilization is completely ignored and denied.

This is the accusation that i place on the Hindutva intellectuals and activists

Worse is that all those intellectuals have utmost contempt on the villages as some medieval and backward and which needs to be destroyed..

Do you have any answer for this? I bet, you would remain silent as you have done in many instances of the past..

Now coming back to rights, the chaturvedi mangalam given to those specific brahmins, include the tax from the subjects, the rights over managing the temples falling within those chaturvedi mangalams, and the right of self-organising the specific group of brahmins, including the power to ex-communicate those who do not conform to the brahminic code of life. So only when the right environment is present, the brahmins can conform to brahminic code, and perform the vedic rituals that is part of their duty and obligations for which this chaturvedi mangalam were provided.

Without all these supporting systems, how can the vedic rituals be performed or the brahminical code of life be followed?

The destruction of these chaturvedic mangalams, brahmadeyams led to collapse of the communities which lived there, and collapse of their survival means. In short, they were refugees in their own land, unable to protect their lands, their communities, their temples, and were reduced to abject poverty.

It is in this situation, the concept of seva was discreetly introduced, and becomes effective.

I hope you get my point. When the rights are restored to the people, they dont need any seva. They will sustain themselves based on the resources they were provided.

So when want to understand the rights and obligations, you have to look at the pre-1947 native administrative systems, and how it functioned.
senthil
November 09, 2023
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Chaturvedi mangalams is good. I understand that many Hindu intellectuals are complaining that the government exercises control over Hindu temples etc.

I have no comment about the present Indian Constitution.It was drafted in contemporary times, and is considered among the finest in that category.

You seem to be a lone voice in asking for a return to the past.

You mention, that socially there are ethnic groupings. Vellalas is the one you belong to. This grouping seems to be specific to Tamil Nadu. Do you have a name for your grouping and how many are there, roughly.

Hope you can answer this question.

I shall check for a reply. After that I am signing off because I wish to focus on my work on Sri Satya Sai.
Dr. Vijaya Rajiva
November 09, 2023
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@Vijaya Rajiva,

As expected, you dont seem to comprehend the points i have made. I will leave at it..

You are saying Indian constitution as finest. I doubt if at all you have gone through it.. It is the worst constitution, plagiarized from british and american. It is written by B.N.Rau who served his entire life time in the British Civil Service. Further, he got knighthood in 1938 and Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) in 1934. A constitution written by such a british loyal person cannot be called as OUR constitution. It was alien in every aspect.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._N._Rau

Regarding ethnicity, Vellala itself is an ethnic grouping. In all the british census, the vellals were mentioned as a separate dravidian race. M. Srinivasa Iyengar, in his book "Tamil Studies" classifies tamil society in to three groups. "Forest Tribes, Naga Tribes and Velir / Vellala tribes, and calls Vellalas as Pure Dravidians. What we call as Tamil Mandalam is actually the land area ruled by Vellalas.

Vellalas established the 18 tamil shaivite adheenams functioning till today including madurai adheenam. Only a vellala can become a madathipathi in all these 18 mutts. They are called as Thiru Kayilaya Paramparai.

In todays context, the major vellala subsects are kongu vellalas, Choliya Vellalas, Karkarthars, Thuluva Vellalas, Saiva Vellalas (called as pillaimars) and nanjil nadu vellalas. Another sect called Arunattu vellalas are those who were once jains, and colloqually called as Mottai Vellalas.

The population of vellals would be roughly 1.5 crore to 2 crore in tamilnadu, but exact estimate is not known.

Hope this helps.
senthil
November 09, 2023
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Srinivasa Iyengar's classification of Tamil Societies.
senthil
November 09, 2023
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Link for the above book..

https://archive.org/details/tamilstudiesores00srin/page/58/mode/2up?ref=ol&view=theater

And also his mention of three groups of tamil people.
senthil
November 09, 2023
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Thanks. Nadars are, I suppose, not authentic Vellala Dravidian Tamils.
Your next project is cut out for you. Research the origin of Dravidians.

That investigation is still incomplete. Theories range as far as Baluchistan, and the script is not related to any known script.

About the Indian Constitution, it is not a hodge podge from UK and US sources. I am no expert, but the general opinion is that it has been put together after some investigation.

The chaturvedic mangalams of an earlier era are at present only an idllyic dream. Not going to happen. In this era, a liberal democracy, a modern Constitution, are the need of the hour. Bharat cannot afford any experiments. There are too many enemies abroad and even inside the country


As I said, I am signing off now, since I am returning to research the topic of Sri Satya Sai.

Thanks for an interesting exchange.
Dr. Vijaya Rajiva
November 09, 2023
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