Sharing Sanjivani (Sanjivani - Life Saving Herb)

Chapter 22 What is 'SWADHARMA'?

(22) What is ‘SWADHARMA’?

Lord Krishna now advices Arjun to follow his religion and Dharma as soldier. A soldier must not think about killing of enemies on the battle field as it is his duty to do so. A soldier if afraid of hell and ponder about religion and sin, he could not fight and he could be easily defeated. Every character has to play his role on the stage of the world. Arjun is a prince and he is fighting for the grace of the dynasty and respect of womanhood. He is ordered to fight by king Yudhisthira, his elder brother and mother Kunti and so he should not try to escape from his religion as a Kshytriya and soldier because according to Indian philosophy there was social establishment based on Varna (caste-according to work).A society was divided into four kinds. Those who perform religious rituals and engaged in learning and teaching are Brahmin .If you think yourself Brahmin or teacher you should perform your duty as a teacher. Teaching and learning is Dharma for a teacher. When someone does activities to maintain Economy of the society by doing business and trade are Vaishya. Those who protect and guard the public are Kshytriya and those you save society from dirt and maintain health by cleaning all surrounding are known as Shudra.

Arjun has prayed for his own welfare to Lord Krishna in the seventh verse of the first chapter .Here Lord Krishna shows Arjun his Sharma as he has to fulfill his Karma  on the battlefield by winning fight with his enemies as it is Arjun’s own-religion’- SWADHARMA. A soldier cannot show his back on the battle field .Here Lord Krishna insist Arjun that as a soldier when you want to give up your weapon and turn back to avoid war it is not your Dharma because fighting and sacrificing life for the country is a religion of a soldier so you should not turn back or retreat from the battle field. To escape from the war is not your duty. You have to fight bravely and win the battle is your religion. To know our own religion is a matter of polite consciousness but to follow and accept Dharma in our daily routine is our duty.

What is ‘SWADHARMA’? Lord Krishna explains Arjun that everybody has to do his own Karma. When a person abandons his self-centeredness and ego and abandon desire to get anything as a reward of any kind of work and when any work is done for free welfare of others is known as SWADHARMA. Here Arjun has to perform his duty on the battlefield as war was declares by themselves only. It was not arranged by God. Pandavas when came back from exile after twelve years and ask for their share in the kingdom as their inherited rights Duryodhan was not ready to give anything .Duryodhan declared that he was not ready to give Pandavas  a piece of land  which can be as small as the point of a needle. Then also Pandavas try to solve the clash by arbitration of Lord Krishna but Duryodhan did not accept the proposal of entity. Hence to fight for the inherited property and right is duty of Pandavas. And as a Kshatriya, soldier if Arjun loses his life, the doors of heaven would be open for him as to fight for the country and to die on the battle field is prestigious for a soldier, being martyr he would be authorized to enter the heaven after death.

The war is considered here as a Dharmayuddha. A person who is lucky to perform his duty who dies on duty is considered as a religious person. Happiness can be achieved by a soldier only in doing his duty on the battle field. When a soldier has to fight for the country he is blessed by God because to enjoy the luxuries of life as civilian is not Dharma for soldier. Every livings birds, animals and persons enjoy worldly pleasures but whoever gets the chance to perform his duty is blessed by destiny. And if a person avoid following his duty and tries to run away from duty he would be liable to get punishment by the society. As he would gain defame and would be considered as a sinful person .Moreover a person cannot live happily on the earth if he cannot perform his worldly duties successfully. You are a soldier not a saint. You have to fight and win and you should not talk like saint and sadhu about religion and truth on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. It would be considered ridiculous for you and it would earn defame to your dynasty. People will reveal the story of your fear and cowardliness and it would be shameful for the whole dynasty of Pandavas. This defame is worse than the death for the brave soldiers like you. People follow the King. As they do whatever their ideal people do but you will lose your respect in the eyes of your ancestors and your next generation.

If you really want to avoid war you should decide it before and you have to go to solitude and do meditation and battlefield you are thinking about leaving war so people would consider you as coward and think that you are afraid of being killed in the war. It is not graceful to you or to your family .When your enemy will laugh at you for abandoning the battlefield it would be unbearable to you and they would tease you as coward and doubt about your strength and power. When enemies abused you and call ‘a coward ’it would be intolerable situation for you because a strong and great person when humiliated by weak enemies it creates very insulting position for the great persons and warriors. You could not tolerate it and then you are going to fight with them as it is in your nature on soldier. Then why don’t you decide right now to fight and be brave to face your enemies.

Arjun have doubted about his victory over enemies. So here Lord Krishna explain him to perform his duty as soldier and told him that if you die on the battlefield you will go to heaven as fame as martyr and if you win you will enjoy the rule over earth. So it is the only best thing for you to fight against your enemy because whoever performs his duty can earn fame on the earth while living and fame after death. Lord Krishna here reminded Arjun that you are ordered by mother Kunti to fight for the grace of family and it is your duty again as an obedient son to fight and win. When you fight for the grace of family against unjust rulers you are fighting for the welfare of all people so you should not think about victory or defeat, profit or loss, happiness or unhappiness but you have to perform your duty in the best possible manner as it is only your Dharrma.

Lord Krishna advices Arjun by guiding him for his duty and advantages of doing righteous deeds when Arjun argues that there would be no welfare in fighting. Lord Krishna told him that being a soldier it is his duty to fight when Arjun told that how could he be happy after killing his own people .Lord answered that A person who gets his chance to perform his duty can only find happiness in the world otherwise all living suffers from the cycle of birth ,growth and death. When Arjun feared that he would go to hell because of killing his own brothers. Lord Krishna told him that he would go to heaven if he does on the battlefield while performing his duty on the battle field as a soldier. Arjun told that he would be sinful if he performed war Lord told him that he would be sinful if he turns back to his duty. Arjun argues that by doing war he would be responsible for destroying religion. Lord Krishna told that if he did not fight the unjust rulers will destroy the religion .Arjun thought that it would be fruitful for him to fight and live on ‘Bhiksha’ while Lord Krishna ordered him to fight. When you asked god to decide your welfare you have to accept HIS decision .When UDDHAVAJI wants to live with God Lord Krishna wants him to go to the North Pole. All holy books say us to leave Samsar and become Sadhu for the welfare but only BHAGAVAD GITA says us that we can do our welfare while performing our duties in the world .All holy books say that worldly responsibilities and meditation both cannot be performed at the same religion time. Only BHAGAVAT GITA says us that anybody from any caste, creed, color, can accomplish salvation and truth by following any religion and path of meditation.  Person has to perform his duty and be steady in the happiness and unhappiness. He should not desire anything.

To perform our duty, to perform our role on the stage without expecting anything is the real way to salvation. Is it easy to expect nothing from anybody?

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