How Do We Develop The Urgency To Serve

“O Rama, for as long as You shall stand before me, even if it be for one hundred years, I will always remain Your servant. Therefore You should be the one to choose a beautiful and appropriate place for the cottage. After You have selected a spot, please then command me to start building.” (Lakshmana speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 15.7)

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परवानस्मि काकुत्स्थ त्वयि वर्षशतं स्थिते
स्वयं तु रुचिरे देशे क्रियतामिति मां वद

paravānasmi kākutstha tvayi varṣaśataṃ sthite
svayaṃ tu rucire deśe kriyatāmiti māṃ vada

“Listen, I am not of this opinion, but I am presenting it for the purposes of analysis. This opinion says that people who are devoted to their pets are merely coping with the realities of life, which are otherwise harsh. Rather than deal with the problem head on, in a straightforward manner, they escape to this world of animals, where the interactions are easier.

“There is no rejection, you see. The pet, be it a cat or a dog, has an internal clock. They wake up the owner at the exact same time each day. They ask for something. Actually, they insist upon it. They don’t care if the owner is tired, had a rough go at work the previous day, or wants to sleep a few more hours. If the pet could speak, they would be saying, ‘Up and at it!’

“The owner obliges. Without issue. No questions asked. They are tired. They do want to sleep more. But just see the sense of obligation. They understand that they are wanted. The pet needs them. Therefore, even through the difficulty there is this dedication. To service. To love. To companionship. To upholding an end to a bargain that was signed with a kind look and a nod.

“The criticism says that the same dedication should be offered to human beings. But, of course, that’s where things get complicated. Human beings take advantage. Human beings manipulate. They lie. They gaslight. They take and take, and when you should happen to ask something in return, just one time, they look at you as if you are crazy. All that taking was for your benefit, you see. Failed to notice? Shame on you! You don’t get anything in return. How dare you expect any sort of courtesy and decency?

“Set aside the particulars for a moment. I do think the relationship with pets gives valuable insight into the nature of human beings. That nature aligns with the teachings of sanatana-dharma, which reveal that it is the inherent characteristic of the living being to serve. That is the root definition to dharma, beneath the surface of religion, honor, duty, and righteousness. The objective in sanatana-dharma is to take that service characteristic and apply it towards transcendence. The highest transcendence, in fact, revealed and understood to be a person.

“But don’t you see the glaring contradiction? The dog warrants service from the owner because of the dependency. How are you going to apply the same concept to God? He is never a dependent. He is atmarama. He is completely satisfied in the self. Why would I ever feel an urgency to serve Him? I know that He will not lose anything if I miss a day of chanting the holy names, offering prayers, or discussing His glories. Do you see what I am saying? We feel a sense of obligation to help those who actually need help. Why would God ever need our assistance?”

It is a strange obstacle to clear, for sure, but not an entirely unfamiliar one. We see many cases of children devoted to their parents. This is when the children reach adulthood, when they are independent and capable of making choices. Basically, when they no longer need their parents, what do they do? Are they intent on forgetting, on running away, on behaving as if no one was ever there to support them? Or do they feel this enormous sense of gratitude, with this heavy burden of debt that has to be relieved in some way?

The parents might not feel the need to be served. They are well off. They are doing okay in life. Maybe routine things are a little more difficult, in driving, in running errands, in maintaining the home. Some assistance from a more physically capable adult, who happens to be family, wouldn’t hurt. But the parents aren’t insisting on it.

The reality of sanatana-dharma is that the object of worship asks for the connection. He practically insists upon it. He sets forth a tradition of teachers, parampara, such that the inquisitive, the distressed, and those seeking a higher purpose have a way of coming closer. Worship is also known as upasana, which in the literal sense is moving closer to the object of worship.

चतुर्-विधा भजन्ते मां
जनाः सुकृतिनो ऽर्जुन
आर्तो जिज्ञासुर् अर्थार्थी
ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ

catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ
janāḥ sukṛtino ‘rjuna
ārto jijñāsur arthārthī
jñānī ca bharatarṣabha

“O best among the Bharatas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men render devotional service unto Me – the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.16)

The worship is surely for my benefit. It is the best way out of illusion, which is known as maya. Simply knowing that God the person has a different kind of birth and action-set facilitates transcendence. It puts an end to rebirth. Birth is the root cause of our suffering. We should therefore be eager to know this divine side, divyam, to the one who offers instruction to the bow-warrior named Arjuna.

जन्म कर्म च मे दिव्यम्
एवं यो वेत्ति तत्त्वतः
त्यक्त्वा देहं पुनर् जन्म
नैति माम् एति सो ऽर्जुन

janma karma ca me divyam
evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti so ‘rjuna

“One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.9)

The devotee will tell you that they do not mind whether God is more prosperous or not. Let Him have more wealth. Let the goddess of fortune always remain by His side. This is the mood of service of Shri Hanuman, the celebrated Vanara warrior described in sacred texts like the Ramayana. Hanuman puts enormous pressure on himself. Even after amazing accomplishments, he does not rest. He wonders how to make those successes tie in to the greater mission of seeing Sita Devi together again with Shri Rama, who is an avatara of the Almighty. Sita and Rama are actually always together; they can never be apart. But in the physical sense it may appear that they are not together, in their movements in the manifest realm.

न विनश्येत्कथं कार्यं वैक्लब्यं न कथं भवेत्
लङ्घनं च समुद्रस्य कथं नु न वृथा भवेत्

na vinaśyetkathaṃ kāryaṃ vaiklabyaṃ na kathaṃ bhavet
laṅghanaṃ ca samudrasya kathaṃ nu na vṛthā bhavet

“How can I ensure that the purpose of my task does not get destroyed? How shall I avoid mental disparity, and how do I ensure that my crossing of the ocean does not go for naught?” (Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 2.41)

Hanuman works tirelessly to achieve success. He wants nothing in return. Lakshmana offers to serve Rama for one hundred years and more. There is nothing expected in return. Lakshmana is the devoted younger brother, Ramanuja. Rama is the eldest who leads by example, Lakshmanagraja. Sita, Lakshmana, and Hanuman follow because of the qualities in Rama. We can follow for the same reason. We understand that God is our greatest well-wisher. If He is wishing well to me, then perhaps I can return the favor. I can never actually pay Him back, but from this day on I will try my best, in a fire of urgency that cannot be extinguished.

In Closing:

From His own words to tell,
That always wishing me well.

Despite with everything already,
My constant companion steady.

So now with urgency to stand,
With dedicated vow to command.

That at least something in return,
Whether or not His favor to earn.