​What does one get by doing sva-dharma without doing bhakti?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

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What does one gain by doing one’s swadharma if one is not practicing bhakti? Yeah, one gets elevation. The extent of the elevation depends on one’s consciousness, one’s, basically one’s consciousness primarily. So, if a Kshatriya acts as a Kshatriya, according to traditional varna ashram, the Kshatriya will rise one varna higher.
Kshatriya will become a Brahmana or it is that Kshatriyas will become, go to heavens. So there is elevation. Dharmic living brings elevation from one’s present position to one’s higher position.
And the extent of the higher position may vary depending on time, place, circumstance and depending on one’s individual consciousness also. But there is, bhakti is like the path of rapid elevation and karmakand is like the path of gradual elevation. So, karmakand also elevates.
And that’s why, that is also important. But, it’s a very gradual elevation. And not doing one’s swadharma often causes degradation.
Because one is not doing one’s expected responsibilities, one is also acting contrary to one’s nature and it causes a lot of misery and it brings degradation. That’s why, for material elevation and for material harmony, acting according to one’s nature is important. Thank you.
Thank you. Hare Krishna.