Service Wing

“The uniqueness of the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation consists in the fact that it regards seva (selfless service) as a form of service to the Divinity that is in each being. The bliss that is derived from such service is incomparable. It is a spiritual experience.”
They must render seva (service) to the helpless, the sick, the distressed, the illiterate and the needy. Their seva (selfless service) should not be exhibitionistic; it must seek no reward, not even gratitude or thanks from the recipients. Seva is sadhana (spiritual exercise), not a pastime of the rich and well placed. Each one must realize this truth. – Baba

Bhagawan says “Service is the highest spiritual exercise for God himself takes human form and comes down to serve mankind and lead it to the ideals it has ignored.

The Purpose of human birth itself is to do Seva. It is for serving others till the last breath that this noble life is given to us. You must try to find out the nature of suffering undergone by your brethren and make efforts to remove It and afford relief to the best of your ability and capacity. Then only will God become the resident of your heart. Service (seva) is one of the three wings of the Sai Organisation – the other two being Spiritual and Education Wings. Bhagawan in every message and discourse has conveyed the importance of serving others and expressing the joy and happiness that one derives through the act of serving others. Therefore, the purpose of the wing is to serve selflessly and silently with the feeling of oneness toward every individual, community and humanity and to offer every act to God. There are five qualifications for selfless service – a pure heart, intention of charity, love, selflessness and attitude. There are, 1,50,000 plus sevadal volunteers across the country in addition to 75,000 registered youth. Equivalent to the population of a small nation, the team believes that the biggest changes are brought about in the smallest groups. They go about making a difference, changing people’s attitude, heart and course of their lives for the better through their unswerving dedication and love. Two aspects define the service activities for the state organisations, one is the “Prashanti Seva” rendered by the sevadals at Prashanti Nilayam and the second is the service done by them in their respective states. The array of opportunities for selfless service that the Sri Sathya Sai Organisation makes available to the sevadal is mind-boggling. Regular “Narayana Seva” (feeding the hungry), medical camps, service to the elderly, special service at chance and leprosy wards, antenatal care in slum areas, organising scribes for the visually challenged, maintain order, during festivals, educating street urchin, both pre and post-operative assistance for cataract surgery patients, blood donations camps and organising blood donors, distribution of prosthetics and tickles to physically challenged, skill training to women from weaker sections of society, planning and running skill schools for the rural youth, conducting cattle camps for the rural livestock, providing drinking water and sanitation facilities for small rural hamlets are just some of the noteworthy avenues for Sri Sathya Sai Sevadal.

The jewel in the crown of all these is the Sri Sathya Sai Village integrated programme (SSSVIP). This is a rare opportunity of serving the rural poor through a systematic and integrated approach in the areas of medicare, sociocare, educare, agricare, individual care, employment care and spiritual care. The SSSVIP – Sri Sathya Sai Village integrated programme was formulated after a primary survey was conducted in 113 villages of the East Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh where an extensive list of problems afflicting different aspects of the tribal population was prepared. This problem complex formed the basis for formulating the core areas of activity and proposed objectives under each core are. The areas of activity were formulated with an aim of bringing about holistic transformation of individual lives and community living, by attacking the root cause of the persistent problems. This SSSVIP programme could aptly be termed the “SAI lent revolution” In each state, the service wing identifies the needy communities of the society and conducts activities accordingly. Rendering selfless service or seva is best described in Swami’s words “Seva eppudu kashtapadi cheya vaddu, ishtapadi cheyali”, meaning ‘Never render service as an exertion, but do it with linking’. Seva should be done with a feeling of empathy and not superficial pity. What motivates the sevadals to wake up early on a Sunday morning, travel 50-100 km in the dust, and walk miles under the scorching sun to serve the people living in mountains, villages or slums? It is nothing but the smile on the face of the beneficiaries at the end of the activity that gives them that much-needed energy to come gain the next Sunday. After all it is a place where Love is personified. Bhagawan has not just defined for all of us but has shown us the how. The Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation takes inspiration from His life to do as directed by the Divine Master. The Service wing’s efforts is through ACTION – working at all times to live up to the motto of the SSSSO – “Transforming Self to Transform the World”