There are two things: dayā and sevā. Sevā means to give service to the superior, and dayā means to give service to the inferior. Both of them are service. Dayā, I mean to say . . . a man is suffering. He is in helpless condition. Just like in hospital, those who are patients, who are diseased, they go to the hospital. There is also sevā. The nurse is serving. The doctor is serving. But that is not sevā. That is called dayā. He is not obliged, but out of his compassion he's giving service to the patient. That is called dayā. And sevā means superior. Just like spiritual master. Sevayā. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). Because the Vedic injunction is that, "You must go to a spiritual master." Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Abhigacchet means "must." There is no alternative. If you're actually interested in transcendental knowledge, tad-vijñānam . . . tad-vijñānam means transcendental knowledge. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. And the human life is meant for tad-vijñānam, to understand.
Those who are patients, who are diseased, they go to the hospital. There is also seva. The nurse is serving. The doctor is serving. But that is not seva. That is called daya
Expressions researched:
"those who are patients, who are diseased, they go to the hospital. There is also sevā. The nurse is serving. The doctor is serving. But that is not sevā. That is called dayā"
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Those who are patients, who are diseased, they go to the hospital. There is also sevā. The nurse is serving. The doctor is serving. But that is not sevā. That is called dayā. He is not obliged, but out of his compassion he's giving service to the patient.