Guest guest Posted August 21, 2001 Report Share Posted August 21, 2001 There is a good discussion of this in Swami Tapasyananda's translation of the Bhagavad Gita, published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai. (Unfortunately I do not have a copy of it as I type this mail, but I hope to provide a summary later today/tomorrow.) Regards, Girish > " Vivekananda Centre " <vivekananda >Ramakrishna > " Self Knowledge List " <selfknow-l, " list " ><Ramakrishna > >[ramakrishna] Fw: Need explaination on Gita >Tue, 21 Aug 2001 09:39:14 +0100 > >Following interesting question has been sent to us: >I have often wondered how this verse would >encourages caste system? >Can any member help? >.......jay > > >- > " subashre " <subashre > " Vivekananda Centre " <vivekananda >Tuesday, August 21, 2001 09:08 >Need explaination on Gita > > > > Hi , > > > > I would to understand what does this sentences mean actual . Kindly > > explain it to me. > > > > " Arjuna, one should not abandon one's duty which attaches > > to from his very birth, even though defective. > >All undertakings, indeed,are tainted with some blemish or > >the other, just as fire is clouded by smoke. " 18/48 > > > > > > Thank you very much > > > _______________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 21, 2001 Report Share Posted August 21, 2001 Jay I can hazard a guess as under: One has duties and obligations towards parents, teachers, ones' vocation (e.g a king, a priest, etc), one's family etc. Some of these duties need to be performed at different stages in life. Right from birth one starts educating the self so as to be able to perform the duties to the best of our acquired abilities, at later stages in life. Krishna is telling Arjuna that having born in a royal family and having learnt Dhanurvidya (skills of bow-arrow) and having taken up the vocation of a warrier, now Arjuna has a duty to perform. If Arjuna would have taken sanyasa or become a sage, Krishna would not have told him to take up the Dhanush to fight. Krishna says that Arjun's job is now to kill and he can't now say that I will not. Killing is a blemish no doubt but for a warrier it is his ordained duty. A soldier though born a Brahmin can't say that he will not fight or kill if he has adopted that vocation. 'Attaches to birth' could be interpreted as something that one is naturally inclined ( has aptitude for) to do. This natural inclination comes from Sanchita karma. Given the above I can't understand how this encourages the caste system. Hope this helps Milind Sathye Vivekananda Centre [vivekananda] Tuesday, 21 August 2001 6:39 PM Self Knowledge List; list [ramakrishna] Fw: Need explaination on Gita Following interesting question has been sent to us: I have often wondered how this verse would encourages caste system? Can any member help? ........jay - " subashre " <subashre " Vivekananda Centre " <vivekananda Tuesday, August 21, 2001 09:08 Need explaination on Gita > Hi , > > I would to understand what does this sentences mean actual . Kindly > explain it to me. > " Arjuna, one should not abandon one's duty which attaches > to from his very birth, even though defective. >All undertakings, indeed,are tainted with some blemish or >the other, just as fire is clouded by smoke. " 18/48 > > > Thank you very much Sri Ramakrishnaye Namah Vivekananda Centre London http://www.vivekananda.co.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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