Sevā as a Postcapitalist Model in the Postsecular Age
By Dr. Michal Erlich and Dr. Ricki Levi. Originally published in Religions.
Sevā, as selfless service, is a religious practice—sādhanā—that inherently entails laborious, time-consuming service to others. Sevā is not done only with one’s body. It is a holistic act that, traditionally and in everyday usage, has three forms: service rendered by the body (tan sevā); by wealth and materials (dhan sevā); and by the mind (man sevā).1
The theological foundations of sevā as sādhanā draw from two distinct yet interwoven strands of Hindu thought. One centers on guru- or god-oriented sevā and is mostly based on the Bhakti tradition. Here, the devotee’s sevā to the guru is a means of reciprocating divine gifts—such as knowledge, teaching, blessings, and grace—an expression of love, and a religious praxis of surrendering one’s ego to the divine (Jacobsen 2018). The other kind is mānav-sevā: the sustained offering of service by gurus, saints, renunciates, and devotees to humanity (mānav) in the form of charity and philanthropy (Jacobsen 2018). Mānav-sevā draws on the non-dualistic philosophy of Advaita Vedānta and Neo-Vedanta, which hold that all being and existence is one (Brahman), and thus, providing sevā to others is itself sādhanā (V. R. Patel 2012).
The two approaches are not contradictory and can easily coexist. Both forms of sevā relate closely to the Bhagavad Gītā and its teachings on karma yoga2 —sevā is considered the highest action: an act performed not from ego or attachment to outcomes, but from a motivation of service and devotion (V. R. Patel 2012). While the first kind has ancient roots traceable to the Vedic and Bhakti traditions (Mlecko 1982), the second emerged in the nineteenth century with Hindu reform movements (Beckerlegge 2006).3
The continued relevance and popularity of sevā today can be attributed, in part, to its resonance with modern ideals of self-effort and agency. Even when framed as sādhanā—a spiritual discipline—sevā can align with capitalist narratives of individual empowerment. While earlier expressions of sevā emphasized surrender and service to a deity or guru, in the twentieth century it became associated with improving one’s existential condition and achieving physical and mental well-being (Warrier 2003; Lucia 2015). In contrast, concepts such as karma are often seen as shaped by forces beyond the individual’s control, especially when linked to past lives. In this light, the modern framing of sevā as a tool for self-care marks a distinctly contemporary shift.4
Alongside sevā as a tool for self-care and individual betterment, the following case studies illustrate how its theo-ethical theory and praxis affirms principles of solidarity, economic justice, and values such as compassion and human dignity, offering a subtle yet powerful challenge to dominant capitalist ideals and narratives. The following discussion centers on mānav-sevā as a religious path that fosters both spiritual and worldly flourishing—not only for the individual, but also for their broader surroundings, including local communities and the natural world. These examples demonstrate how economic futures might be reimagined beyond profit, guided instead by shared ethical commitments and collective well-being.
This article was originally published in Religions and is partially reproduced here without the permission of the author, who is not affiliated with this website or its views.
- These three forms of sevā were first formulated in the early sixteenth century by Vallabha Acharya (1479–1531), the founder of Puṣṭimārg, a Vaishnava bhakti school. In this context, the devotee’s sevā is directed to god. It is the only way to express one’s love for god and to unite one’s soul with god. See Shah (1969, p. 178). [↩]
- Karma yoga, is one of the core teachings of the Bhagavad Gītā. It advocates performing one’s duties without attachment to personal gain or the outcomes (fruits) of action. [↩]
- In the political spheres sevā was used by Hindu leaders since Indian independent movement such Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda as a vehicle for moral and national strength, and also by Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar (founder of RSS) and Narendra Modi to as means of Hindu nationalist ideologies. See S. Patel (2010). [↩]
- Sevā in the sense of service to humanity (mānav) has roots in the Swaminarayan movement of the nineteenth century (Williams 1984). But it was at the beginning of the twentieth century that sevā became strongly associated with philanthropy and public service, under the influence of the Ramakrishna Mission (Beckerlegge 2006; Jacobsen 2018). [↩]
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