Can our prescribed duties be changed according to our likes or dislikes?
Thank you. Hare Krishna.
Question from Sushant Kulkarni Prabhu. What is the definition of prescribed duties according to the Bhagavad Gita? Can our prescribed duty be changed according to our likings? For example, I may be a student now, but if I dislike my studies, can I pursue a career in cricket and consider that my prescribed duty? Answer. The Bhagavad Gita describes two kinds of prescribed duties.
There is material swadharma and there is spiritual swadharma. Spiritual swadharma is common for all of us. We all have to love and serve Krishna and do devotional service here in chanting Shravanam Kirtanam Vishnu.
That is talked about in 18.65 in the Bhagavad Gita, manmana bhava mad-bhakto. That is the common swadharma for everyone. Now, as far as our material swadharma is concerned, that varies according to person to person.
And the whole purpose of Varanashram system is to enable us to act according to our propensities and find and therefore, in a sense, realize our potential material. So, brahmana develops best when engaged in brahmanical work. And the same applies to people according to other varanas.
So, today the Varanashram system is not functioning, but the principle can be understood. The principle is engaging people according to their nature. So, what will be our swadharma today? That will be for us to observe ourselves, consult our seniors and then make a decision.
So, ideally speaking, the elders should be observing this right from the birth of the child. Astrology can help a little bit in this, but it is the watchful eye of the family elders, the parents, the grandparents and other maybe spiritual mentors who can help in observing the nature of the child and engaging that child accordingly. So, we are left today in a society where we have to, we decide what vocation we want to pursue according to, largely according to social trends or maybe family pressure or some other considerations like that.
A few people, most people do not even come to know what they like and many people, even after they come to know what they like, they don't have the, they often don't have the determination, the courage, the clarity to break free from the socially glamorized career track and choose a track that is more compatible with their nature. So, it is a challenging situation and can we change our prescribed duty according to our likings? More precisely, it would be to say that actually, we, it's not according to our likings, it's according to our propensities. Propensities are much deeper than likings.
Likings come and go. Today I may like one thing, tomorrow I may not like one thing. So, for example, a career in cricket.
Cricket is so glamorized and so popular in India that practically every, almost every other Indian will be dreaming of a career in cricket. So, is cricket the prescribed duty of someone? It's a, can we make that our prescribed duty according to our liking? In this, in Kalliyuga, with the Varanasi distorted, whatever profession, we pursue, we cannot, we can consider that to be our prescribed duty and do that and focus on the Paradharma of pure, of rendering devotional service because the material prescribed duty is often difficult to ascertain and even after we ascertain, to actually be able to, in an individual or familial or social situation where one can do one's prescribed duty is not easy. So, even if a person wants to, say, become an artist, whether that person can do that amidst today's situation may not be very easy to decide.
So, rather than worrying too much about what our prescribed duty is, in terms of scripture, we should focus on doing what we are doing the best in terms of material engagements and focusing on our spiritual engagements. And if over a period of time it becomes clear that this is what I am interested in, then this is what I like, this is what I am good at, and this is what I feel happy doing, then we can choose that and that can become our material vocation. So, now, for most people, the idea of a career in cricket is an infatuation.
So, whether that can be pursued seriously, whether one has the talent and everything that is required for that, that is something which one has to seriously consider. One might be just going in that direction because of the glamour associated with that. Just like there is Bollywood also.
So many young boys and girls, they dream that we will become future heroes and heroines. And similarly, young boys think that we will become Stith and Dulquer in future. So, now, that is quite likely to be an infatuation.
But the general principle is that what we are inclined to do, what we feel, what we are good at doing, what we like doing, as I have told earlier, external competence and inner compatibility when we have, that is the essential meaning of guna, karma, vibhagasha. So, guna refers to that it is according to our moods. That is how we feel internally comfortable doing it.
And karma means external activity. We are able to do it well. So, varnashiv, chatur, varna, mayas, vishnu, guna, karma, vibhagasha.
So, we are externally competent in doing it. So, that compatibility and competence that is there. So, if you observe it in a particular field, we can make that our prescribed duty.
So, we can make that our vocation. And in today's situation, it will serve as our improvised prescribed duty. So, now, some people may say that the Bhagavad Gita has given four varnas.
But within those four varnas also, there are many subdivisions. And there are various professions which fit within those subdivisions. So, as devotees, can we change the situation that we are in presently and choose some other situation materially? In general, a rolling stone gathers no moss.
So, changing situations often seems to be the easy way out. But often, situations, when they are changed, they don't necessarily become better. So, we have to think carefully and analyze.
We shouldn't be just changing situations just on base of temporary likes and dislikes. In general, if we have taken one path, it's better to persevere in that and wait and watch whether our mind is just going through its flickering likes and dislikes or there is a deep-rooted or there is a deep-rooted intrinsic propensity where we like certain where the liking continues over a long period of time. And then, if that happens, then one can choose that as our profession over a period of time, maturely making proper plans for our career, financial arrangements and social situations, taking guidance from seniors.
That can be done. So, the primary focus that Shila Prabhupada offered, Shila Prabhupada wanted Varanashram to come about eventually and that will happen in the future. But till that happens, devotees can choose their professions according to what allows them the maximum time and energy to focus on the paradharma of devotional service and also what is according to their nature and discovering what that nature is will require careful observation and guidance from others, from other trustworthy seniors.
Thank you.