Although it has been over a century since the Swami Vivekananda left his body but his ideals continue to live in the beliefs and actions of today’s health volunteers, the modern karmayogis who find inspiration and practical expression in his works. The very essence of Swami Vivekananda’s teachings of selfless service is deeply reflected in their intentions and attitudes as they provide care and support to the sick and downtrodden.
Here are a few ways in which today’s health volunteers live Vivekananda’s teachings:
Karma Yoga: The Path of Selfless Action
Swamiji delivered an endless array of lectures that left a deep imprint on the minds of listeners during his visit to America, and one of them is his articulation of karma yoga, which redefined the meaning of duty towards service and forced everyone to rethink the motives and effects of helping.
He argued that what is termed as helping the world is actually helping oneself, for good acts benefit the giver by making them better and purer. This implies the giver must hold gratitude for the receiver for allowing them to do a good deed and exercise their human motives and duty. He also argued that thinking that one is helping the world is foolish, for the world does not wait for it.
From this, the idea of a Karmayogi, a person who believes in selfless action and knows that the one receiving their good deed is not indebted to them, was born. Followers of Vivekananda consider this a directive principle, acting for the sake of the action and health volunteers embody it by working tirelessly in dangerous situations like the COVID-19 pandemic with no expectation of remuneration or recognition. This modern Nishkama Karma or desireless action is crucial in driving the sustainability of public health in the world, where fatigue, resource crunch and several other nightmares cannot stop health volunteers from performing their duty towards the world.
Daridra Narayana: Service to Jiva is Service to Shiva
The philosophy of Karmayogi inspires one of the most famous teachings of Vivekananda: to serve every living being as if they were God. He said, “He who sees Shiva in the poor, in the weak, and in the diseased, really worships Shiva; and if he sees Shiva only in the image, his worship is but preliminary.”
In his lifetime, Swami Vivekanandaji championed the concept, asserting that spirituality encapsulates compassion. This doctrine also lies at the heart of the work done by health volunteers and shapes their way of life. Treating everyone with respect and care with an unwavering commitment, they extend healthcare service to people irrespective of their caste, ethnicity, gender, religion, or any other identity. To them, the sick person is not just an object of pity, as it positions the self as superior and strips the needy of their dignity.
Seeing Others Through Their Eyes
Swami Vivekananda warned against the human tendency to judge others based on personal standards, i.e., disregarding the culture of others. A huge fallacy that embodies an unacknowledged superiority complex, it makes people justify othering as they hold their practices, cultural norms and values as the ultimate reality or truth. Such a mindset makes people see differences as threatening rather than normal and interesting, taking away the heterogeneity of the human world.
For healthcare volunteers, this is an imperative teaching that allows them to empathise and understand people while also ensuring their practice remains unbiased and non-discriminatory, while inculcating the quality of sensitivity and respect. Approaching everyone as a unique being, they create a safe and inclusive space that fosters trust and improves outcomes.
Achieving Salvation and the World’s Welfare is the Goal of Life
Atmano Mokshartham Jagat Hitaya Cha is a sloka from the Rig Veda that Swami Vivekananda spoke about extensively. It means that one should direct their efforts towards the path of self-realisation and salvation, as well as service to humanity. A doctrine pronounced by his Guru Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, it led him to establish Ramakrishna Mission, which continues its dedication to humanitarian causes even today and inspires several health volunteers of India.
The volunteers strongly believe in the interwoven nature of personal development and collective well-being. When a follower of Swami Vivekananda spreads awareness on personal hygiene or works to prevent community diseases, they practise selfless human service and also evolve into karmayogis who perform the yoga of selfless action driven by compassion, which leads to self-realisation.
Krivanto Visham Aryam: Karmayoga as the Way Forward
For Swami Vivekananda, every particle is linked to the others and thus, serving is a way of finding oneself and achieving what psychologists call self-actualisation. It destroys the ego and pride that are major roadblocks to self-growth and spiritual awakening. Through these ideals, he truly embodies the Rig Vedic teaching Krivanto Visham Aryam that translates to “Let’s make this world a noble place to live in.”
The values espoused by Swami Vivekanandaji have created a world that is driven by mutual respect, where everyone, regardless of their circumstances, is worthy of care and support, enriching human lives and building strong communities in the process. Today’s health volunteers bear these ideas in mind as they dedicate themselves to providing healthcare to all humans, irrespective of their backgrounds, without expecting anything in return. Their contributions to the nation and society truly make the world a better place to live in.
<p>The post The Modern Karmayogis: How Today’s Health Volunteers Live Vivekananda’s Teachings first appeared on Hello Entrepreneurs.</p>
