Within the Vallabhacharya tradition of Pushti Marg, seva is not a peripheral discipline but the very heart of spiritual life. It is understood as loving, intimate service to Krishna, regarded as the highest form of bhakti and the most direct way to participate in divine grace (pushti). Rather than being framed as a burdensome duty or a formal obligation, seva is seen as the natural expression of a soul that has recognized itself as belonging to Krishna. The devotee does not primarily seek liberation as an abstract goal, but the opportunity for ever-deepening service, both here and in the divine realm.

This service is centered on Krishna’s living presence in the deity form, especially as Śrīnāthjī, who is treated as a member of the household. The home itself becomes “Krishna’s house,” and daily routines are reordered around his care and enjoyment. Seva includes waking the Lord, bathing, dressing, cooking and offering food, singing, playing, and finally putting him to rest, mirroring the affectionate attention given to a beloved child, master, or intimate companion. In this way, ordinary domestic life is spiritualized, and family, possessions, and skills are all understood as belonging to Krishna and used for his pleasure.

The tradition also recognizes different dimensions of seva: physical service to the deity, mental remembrance and meditation, and the offering of material resources. All of these are to be suffused with bhava—deep feeling, humility, and loving affection—rather than concern for ritual correctness or external display. Seva is meant to arise as a response to grace, not as a calculated means to earn spiritual reward. The devotee cultivates an inner stance of complete self-surrender, seeing oneself as Krishna’s eternal servant and offering service without expectation of return.

Over time, this continual, affectionate service becomes both the path and the goal. In daily life, seva is practiced through structured patterns such as the ashta-yama seva, the eightfold sequence of services corresponding to Krishna’s daily activities from waking to sleeping. At the same time, it extends beyond set rituals into a constant orientation of heart and mind toward Krishna. Through such seva, the relationship between devotee and Lord grows in intimacy and depth, and the soul is gradually shaped into a life of unbroken, joyful attendance upon Krishna.