The Sanskrit terms sādhu (“holy man”) and sādhvī (“holy woman”) refer to those who have chosen to renounce worldly life in order to focus on their own spiritual practices. The words come from the root sādh, which means “reach one’s goal”, “make straight”, or “gain power over”. The same root is used in the word sādhanā, which means “spiritual practice”. Sadhu literally means one who practises a ″sadhana″ or a path of spiritual discipline.

“Seva” (also Sanskrit) means “selfless service” or work performed without any expectation of reward or repayment. Seva, although not performed for personal material gain, can encourage one’s spiritual growth and at the same time contribute to the improvement of a community.

Sadhu Seva Foundation is a charitable initiative based in Vrindavan, a holy city in Northern India which attracts thousands of pilgrims every year from all over the world. Many of the local residents of this city live very simple lives of devotion to God and are often in need in need of food, clothing, shelter, and support.  Vrindavan is also home to many sadhus (and sadhvis) who enrich the culture and spiritual depth of the community, whilst relying solely on support from well-wishers such as the Sadhu Seva Foundation.

Founded in 2017, The Sadhu Seva Foundation is a small endeavour to serve the residents of Vrindavan.  It is dedicated to His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami (Prabhupada) who founded the International Society for Krsna Consciousness (ISKCON), with the intention to spread love of God and teach Bhakti yoga to those seeking a life of spiritual fulfilment.

On one occasion in Vrindavan, when Prabhupada saw how the children were so hungry that they had to eat the things people threw away and how they were fighting with the dogs to get these scraps of food, tears swelled in his eyes and he said,

“We have to see that nobody goes hungry within a ten-mile radius. The temple is the house of God. God is everyone’s father, Krishna is everyone’s father. So, in the presence of the father, the son doesn’t go hungry. So, we have to make an arrangement that people get fed.”

And so that was the inspiration for regular prasadam [sanctified food] distribution.

–Excerpt (Following Srila Prabhupada. Transcript.)

Raised within the ISKCON community, the founders of the Sadhu Seva Foundation had the opportunity to grow up alongside the residents of Vrindavan for a number of years, now affectionally calling the place ‘home’. Taking Prabhupada’s message to heart, along with the desire to give back to the Vrindavan community who have taken care of them, they established this charitable initiative.