When Arjuna announces that he would rather beg for a living than destroy his enemies, Lord Krishna scolds him for his weakness. He reminds Arjuna that he is a warrior by nature and warriors are meant to fight. To assume the role of a beggar, however simple and passive it might seem, would go against everything that Arjuna was born and bred to do, which is to fight with evil and maintain justice.
Lord Krishna insists that everyone must follow their svadharma, their duty as determined by their nature, rather than paradharma, which is a duty that is not natural to them. People tend to interpret this passage as restrictive, urging a strict division between socioeconomic levels or castes. And as is usual with any religious texts, people have used such false interpretations over the ages to exploit and control both women and the less fortunate to keep rigid power structures intact.
We were confused by the verse at first, not sure if this was a good thing since it seemed to dictate a strict adherence to one’s path with no chance of expanding it or changing it.
It was only after I shared my confusion with my father, who happens to be a practicing sannyasi, that we found a clear and helpful explanation.
Svadharma is based on our innate nature. To help me understand, my father used his own life as an example. He said that his own nature was extremely rajasic or active. He wanted as a young man to save the world, discover new sources of energy, harness the sun, dig deep into the earth, all in attempts to find solutions to society’s problems. As he began his career as a research scientist and later became a director, he wanted to be top dog, to supervise and manage projects. As he got older and became more spiritual, he channeled that same drive for activity and management into working for the Hindu Temple, starting a health plan for retired Indians, or becoming a meditation center leader.
All the activities he indulged in were true to his rajasic nature. Going against that nature and deciding to be a monk before he was ready would have been foolish and painful, even though he was eager to go to the next stage and often asked his guru for the opportunity. His guru, being wise, kept advising him to wait, and to continue doing what came to him naturally. He knew what my father failed to realize at the time, that while becoming a monk might seem like the fastest and easiest route to liberation, it was not yet his nature to be still and engage in contemplation and prayer.
As my father continued doing his naturally driven duty of being active in the world and helping others in whatever way he could, but still practicing sadhana, reading scripture, following a guru and being devoted to God, he says Kramasannyasa or gradual progress occurred. That is, from saving the world, to serving God in various ways, to finally wanting to become one with God and letting go of all those outside activities, he now wanted only to be quiet, to meditate and do japa. As that finally happened, he no longer had to convince his guru that he was ready. His guru came to him and offered to initiate him into sannyasa.
As I began to finally understand the concept, my father continued, “Now let’s apply the same principle to you. If you were to come to me and say that you were ready to become a monk I would absolutely disagree, and here’s why. You started a Gita class with a small group. You meet every week and have discussions and do the homework. But that wasn’t enough. You also started a blog to spread the word to those who don’t attend. But that wasn’t enough either. You decided to meet everyday. Then you contacted your aunts in India and Dubai to guide them through installing the program so they could join as well. This is your nature. You like to teach and organize and disseminate knowledge. To fight that nature and sit quietly and meditate full time is not going to work for you.”
As it dawned on me just how strong my instinct for teaching is, compelling me to conduct daily classes, during what was supposed to be my sabbatical and a break from my professorial duties, my father continued.
“I am glad you are taking the time for prayer and meditation and scriptural study though. By continuing to do what you enjoy and what comes naturally to you, while you meditate and pray and perform selfless action with compassionate detachment, you will eventually move to the next step. This is what the Gita is urging.”
Nothing like a personal example to make things crystal clear! So, unlike Arjuna who was a warrior by nature, ready and armed to fight injustice, but in a moment of weakness, thinking it would be easier, wanted to throw down his weapons and beg for a living (paradharma), we need to follow the svadharma of going through life, fulfilling our nature, rather than taking the easy way out, only to end up miserable. The only way to change and transform our nature is gradually, through sadhana. Eventually we will find our way.
It turns out then that this passage that has been misinterpreted so often and caused so much confusion is really not about castes and restrictions at all, but a blessing from a generous God to live out our true nature rather than trying to submerge it. The Gita urges us to be true to ourselves, while living with a sense of devotion and gratitude and a spirit of surrender, so that we can eventually rise above our human nature and discover the divinity within.
Ewa-Carin says
Thank you! Very well written and I’m looking forward to follow your posts!?
Jyothi Bathina says
So glad you enjoyed it.
Shubha Kopalle says
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MG says
Thank you Jyothi, I have also been struggling with a part of me that wants to dive into spiritual plans, and feeling torn that I cannot yet do so. I resonated with your article.
Jyothi Bathina says
I’m glad you enjoyed it. It’s a struggle so many of us are going through but it certainly helps to know the two aren’t diametrically opposed and that we can still make progress with the right mindset.
Michele Sanger says
Well written!
Jyothi Bathina says
Thank you, Michele!
Bibi says
A great blog. Wonderful to be able to connect the teachings of Gita to our daily lives and not struggle with the mind. Great stuff. Please add me.
Jyothi Bathina says
Thank you. So glad you enjoyed it.
Diana says
Thank you. This post speaks to me so directly and clearly.
I often contemplate what is my svadharma, to have it clear. I care very much for helping the disatvantaged, suffering animals in cities and in the wild. And ultimately our planet. All these seem to me as a very broad calling and I often weigh it against my spiritual path, my kriya yoga sadhana, that sometimes suffers because the ideas and thoughts swirling in my mind.
I am reading 3 different publications of the Bhagavad Gita with its commentaries. Doing that helps me synthesize and see where I fit. It seems to me that it can be interpreted at different levels of personal evolution, whether emotional, social, or spiritual. Your post tells me to continue my calling selflessly and compationaly detached. while continuing my sadhana. I will eventually transform my nature.??
Jyothi Bathina says
Diana,
So glad this post resonated with you. I agree, it’s wonderful that the Gita has so many different levels of interpretation and guidance based on our individual readiness.
Srimani says
I read your mother’s book on this factor and it gave me hope. Thank you for your last comment…It is God who is teaching, God that is being taught and God who is learning. How apt…I pray to God to instill this in me in ALL my doings and help shed this completely.
Karen Hartline says
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Donna says
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Artemis says
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Srimani says
Thank you for this, it is timely for my contemplation today on household duties/responsibilities versus following the spiritual path. I was so glad to read this post on the dilemma faced in our daily life in the pursuit of what we really want to achieve. Thank you!! The instinct was beautifully expressed and our duty towards fulfilling this as a householder and as a professional. I’m also instinctively a teacher and that happens to be the profession I chose deliberately too. However, when the urge to ‘teach’ overcomes my compassion for others, I find it very difficult to battle especially between what is the right thing to be teaching and staying calm (of course, what makes this worse is that I know it is my ego that is affecting my behavior that I know what is the ‘right’ thing to do! While it does get better with practice, sometimes it takes a U-turn sadly) Swami Prajnananda eased some of these concerns while addressing how we need to compassionate while teaching as well (meaning, not losing our temper or having our ego interfere) and how spiritual pursuits can occur while being a householder if you can get yourself to view God in everyone and everything you do. This has been effective but I’m truly struggling to achieve this everyday in everything that I do. I certainly could use any tips from experiences you have on how you manage to be a teacher while holding compassion for all at all times. Please share sometime. Also, it is so hard to balance the household commitments and duties while pursuing the spiritual path. Makes me wonder if it is sometimes easier to become a sanyasi to not have these factors interfere in the daily practice.
Jyothi Bathina says
Srimani,
Ah, the ego! Biggest obstacle to progress, for sure. 🙂 I struggle with it constantly. As for becoming a sannyasi, with both my parents having taken sannyas, I have it on good authority that it’s just as hard ;). Planning programs, giving lectures, conducting ceremonies, living in the public eye, being kind to all, no easy task. At least we only have to deal with our small circle. We will just have to practice seeing God in everyone we encounter, as Baba says. Our little egos and little minds and bodies are merely instruments. It is God who is teaching, God that is being taught, and God who is learning.
Anne Dromey says
I loved this post. It is so clear and relevant. Thank you.
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Srimathi says
True. Nowadays sadly the svadharma and varnasrama are misinterpreted. I can relate to what you are saying as I too have a gita group. But I just read three books , Ramakrishna Paramahansa’s, Paramahamsa Yoganandha ji’s and Gurudev’s Gita to interpret each and every sloka of Gita in the light of Kriya yoga. We also had a kriya satsang about the Trigunas while a yogacharya was interpreting the 14th chapter of Gita. He was saying that our natural progression is through the three gunas and then finally try to go beyond that. Thanks for the writeup.
Jyothi Bathina says
Srimathi,
That’s wonderful. So happy to hear you are also studying the Gita from various interpretations and in the light of kriya. We loved Yoganandaji’s version which also has the rich metaphorical depth that Baba offers in his version. So true about the gunas. Thank you for sharing!
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