Pujya Ramsukhdasji Maharaj

[Guest guest]

Essential Duties (swadharma) Determined By Caste At Birth

 

" Janma manyate jaatih, karmanaa manyate krutih;

Tasmaat swakiykartavyam paalaniyam prayanttah. "

 

In nature, in the millions of different forms of births, as many

different bodies that are received, they are all received according

to one's constitutents of nature i.e. qualities (gunas) and actions

(Gita 13:21; Gita 14:16, Gita 14:18). It is only according to one's

qualities (gunas) and actions that man receives his next birth. In

other words, according to the qualities (gunas - sattva is goodness,

rajas is passion and tamas is inertia, ignorance) possessed and the

actions performed in his previous birth, man's next birth is

determined. God has said in the Gita, that it is only according to

man's qualities (gunas) and actions, that I have created the four

positions by birth (Caste - Brahmana, shatriya, vaishya and shudra) -

" Chaturvarnaya mayaa srushtam gunakarmavibhaagash. " (Gita 4:13).

That is, Gita believes in position (caste group) at time of birth.

In other words, man who is born in a particular class, race, the

four castes (varna), who is born of parents of a particular caste,

that itself is believed to be his own caste.

 

The word " caste " comes from " jan praadubhaarve " , that is, it is from

birth that one's caste is determined, not from one's activities.

From actions (karma), type of work is determined, but the full

protection of caste is only from following through with the

activities prescribed for a particular caste.

 

God has said in Gita 18:41, that it is only according to the birth

that actions are compartmentalized. The caste that a man is born in,

and in the scriptures the description of the activities to be

performed in that caste, those actions are the essential duties of

that caste, and those activities that are not prescribed for that

caste, then those activities are considered outside of one's

duties " para-dharma " for that caste. According to the scriptures,

just like doing yagna, taking charity, etc. is the duties

(swadharma) of Brahmanas; but the same activities are not being

prescribed by the scriptures for shatriya, vashya, shudra are

therefore outside of one's duties (para-dharma). If man dies in the

process of doing his duties as prescribed by his swadharma, then too

he attains salvation; but the duties of others, (para-dharma) and

related behavior, is the cause of fear of birth and death cycle

(Gita 3:35). Arjuna was a shatriya (warrior class); his duty

(swadharma) was to fight the war. Therefore for him, God says in

clear words, that for a shatriya there is no other work that will

lead to salvation, like fighting in war (Gita 2:31) and if he did

not fight this righteous war, then he would be giving up his

essential duties (swadharma) and glories and committing a sin (Gita

2:33).