Guest guest Posted December 5, 2000 Report Share Posted December 5, 2000 Namaste, Gita 3:35 - shreyaan sva-dharmaH viguNaH para-dharmaat svanushhThitat.h . svadharme nidhana.n shreyaH paradharmaH bhayaavaH .. "Better one's own duty, though devoid of merit, than the duty of another well-discharged. Better is death in one's own duty; the duty of another is productive of danger." [tr. Allady Mahadeva Shastry. Manu Smriti 6:92 dhR^itiH kshamaa damaH asteya.n shaucha.n indriya-nigrahaH . dhiiH vidyaa satya.n akrodhaH dashaka.n dharma-lakshaNam.h .. Fortitude, forgiveness, self-control, abstention from unrighteously appropriating anything, purity, restraint of organs [of action and senses],wisdom, knowledge, truthfulness, and absence of anger are the ten signs of virtue. Regards, s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 5, 2000 Report Share Posted December 5, 2000 Sunder wrote: >Namaste, > >Gita 3:35 - > >shreyaan sva-dharmaH viguNaH para-dharmaat svanushhThitat.h . >svadharme nidhana.n shreyaH paradharmaH bhayaavaH .. > >"Better one's own duty, though devoid of merit, than the duty of >another well-discharged. Better is death in one's own duty; the duty >of another is productive of danger." > [tr. Allady Mahadeva Shastry. Sunder brought out an important sloka of Geeta which Krishna emphasizes repeatedly in Geeta. In fact a similar sloka again occurs in 18th Ch. of Geeta before Krishan winds up his teaching. What constitutes ones swadharma? - is an important question that has discussed before and worth discussing again since different shades of meaning or implications are attributed to this one aspect. Swadharma - as human being Swadharma - because of born to particular caste or creed swadharma - based on ones ashrama swadharma - based on ones profession swadharma - as one role in the family - father, mother, son, daughter, brother etc And most important is what is ones swadharma where is conflict between the dharma-s in each of the above. I am just raising the questions here for discussion. I will provide my own understanding in time. Hari Om! Sadananda -- K. Sadananda Code 6323 Naval Research Laboratory Washington D.C. 20375 Voice (202)767-2117 Fax:(202)767-2623 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 5, 2000 Report Share Posted December 5, 2000 Harih Aum Sadanandaji: With the ongoing discussions on Gita Satsang, the subject matter of 'Swadharma' becomes even more important. The message of 'The Gita' as explained by Lord Krishna to Arjun in the middle of the battle field, Kurukshetra, deals with the need to integrate our actions with knowledge and Swadharma (sense of duty). The message has become a valuable guide just like a torch in the darkness. BhagavadGita deals with the struggles that every human being goes through understanding one's own mind and thoughts and co-relating them with the external realities. The human mind perceives the world in a distorted fashion because of the obvious emphasis on materialistic pleasures and the urge to satisfy one's own ego. This leads to a considerable misery and dissatisfaction creating a barrier in understanding the true nature of human mind and the true nature of one's action, as they should be. Sadaji's topics of discussion on 'Swadharma' is quite appropriate during "Gita Jayanthy Week" and this is an excellent way to celebrate Gita Jayanthy! I am looking forward to your profound thoughts on this important subject area. warmest regards, Ram Chandran advaitin , "K. Sadananda" <sada@a...> wrote: > > Sunder brought out an important sloka of Geeta which Krishna > emphasizes repeatedly in Geeta. In fact a similar sloka again occurs > in 18th Ch. of Geeta before Krishan winds up his teaching. > > What constitutes ones swadharma? - is an important question that has > discussed before and worth discussing again since different shades of > meaning or implications are attributed to this one aspect. > > Swadharma - as human being > Swadharma - because of born to particular caste or creed > swadharma - based on ones ashrama > swadharma - based on ones profession > swadharma - as one role in the family - father, mother, son, > daughter, brother etc > And most important is what is ones swadharma where is conflict > between the dharma-s in each of the above. > > I am just raising the questions here for discussion. I will provide > my own understanding in time. > > Hari Om! > Sadananda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 5, 2000 Report Share Posted December 5, 2000 Namaste, The following passage may be helpful for discussion too - maitraayaNiiya [maaitrii] upanishhat.h : IV:3 - aya.n vaa va khalu asya pratividhiH bhuutaatmanaH yat veda- vidyaadhigamaH svadharmasya anucharaNam.h . sva-aashrameshhu eva anukramaNa.n svadharmasya vaa etat vrata.n stamba-shaakhe vaa aparaaNi . anena uurdhva-bhaak bhavati anyathaavaan iti eshha svadharmaH abhihitaH yaH vedeshhu na svadharma atikrameNa aashramii bhavati aashrameshhu eva anavasthaH tapasvii vaa iti uchyataH iti etat ayukta.n na atapaskasya aatmaj~naane adhigamaH karma-siddhiH vaa iti . eva.n hi aaha . tapasaa praapyate sattva.n sattvaat sampraapyate manaH . manasaH praapyate hi aatmaa yam aaptvaa na nivartataaH iti .. "This is, indeed, the antidote for the elemental self, acquirement of the knowledge of the Veda and the due performance of one's own duty. Pursuit of the duties of the stage of life to which each one belongs, this is the rule for one's own duty. Others are like the branches of a stem. Through it one goes upwards, otherwise downwards. That is one's regular duty which is set forth in the Vedas. Not by transgressing one's regular duty does one belong to the stage of life. If one says that a man does not belong to any of the stages of life for he is one who practises austerity, it is not proper. However, if one does not practise austerity there is no success in the knowledge of the self or in the perfection of works. For thus has it been said: By austerity goodness is obtained and from goodness understanding is reached and from the understanding is the self obtained and he who obtains the self does not return." [tr. S. Radhakrishnan: The Principal Upanishads, 1974. advaitin , "Ram Chandran" <rchandran@c...> wrote: > Harih Aum Sadanandaji: > > With the ongoing discussions on Gita Satsang, the subject matter of > 'Swadharma' becomes even more important. The message of 'The Gita' as > explained by Lord Krishna to Arjun in the middle of the battle field, > Kurukshetra, deals with the need to integrate our actions with > knowledge and Swadharma (sense of duty). The message has become a > valuable guide just like a torch in the darkness. > > BhagavadGita deals with the struggles that every human being goes > through understanding one's own mind and thoughts and co-relating them > with the external realities. > > The human mind perceives the world in a distorted fashion because of > the obvious emphasis on materialistic pleasures and the urge to > satisfy one's own ego. This leads to a considerable misery and > dissatisfaction creating a barrier in understanding the true nature of > human mind and the true nature of one's action, as they should be. > > Sadaji's topics of discussion on 'Swadharma' is quite appropriate > during "Gita Jayanthy Week" and this is an excellent way to celebrate > Gita Jayanthy! I am looking forward to your profound thoughts on this > important subject area. > > warmest regards, > > Ram Chandran > > advaitin , "K. Sadananda" <sada@a...> wrote: > > > > Sunder brought out an important sloka of Geeta which Krishna > > emphasizes repeatedly in Geeta. In fact a similar sloka again occurs > > in 18th Ch. of Geeta before Krishan winds up his teaching. > > > > What constitutes ones swadharma? - is an important question that has > > discussed before and worth discussing again since different shades > of > > meaning or implications are attributed to this one aspect. > > > > Swadharma - as human being > > Swadharma - because of born to particular caste or creed > > swadharma - based on ones ashrama > > swadharma - based on ones profession > > swadharma - as one role in the family - father, mother, son, > > daughter, brother etc > > And most important is what is ones swadharma where is conflict > > between the dharma-s in each of the above. > > > > I am just raising the questions here for discussion. I will provide > > my own understanding in time. > > > > Hari Om! > > Sadananda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 5, 2000 Report Share Posted December 5, 2000 advaitin , "K. Sadananda" <sada@a...> wrote: > > Swadharma - as human being > Swadharma - because of born to particular caste or creed > swadharma - based on ones ashrama > swadharma - based on ones profession > swadharma - as one role in the family - father, mother, son, > daughter, brother etc > And most important is what is ones swadharma where is conflict > between the dharma-s in each of the above. > > I am just raising the questions here for discussion. I will provide > my own understanding in time. > Traditional view on this subject matter is well elucidated in the text "Hindu Dharma" of kA~nchi mahAperiyavA shrI shrI chandrasekharendra sarasvatI swamigaL. This book is available online at www.kamakoti.org. This book is a translation of the first two volumes of the famous Tamil book series "deivaththin kural" literally meaning the voice of God. This series has 7 volumes and it was edited by a great scholar called Ra. Ganapathi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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