by Swami Radhanadaji

There is no other subject more important to human beings than to understand what our real duties are and then, of course, how to execute them to the best of one's ability. From the beginning to the end, in Gitaji, the single most purpose of Shree Krishna's message to Arjuna is to exhort him to perform his immediate duty as a Kshatriya on the battlefield.

When Arjuna finally came out of his delusion, and was convinced that he should fight to perform his duty, Gitaji's message came to an end.

The entire Mahabharata, containing Gitaji as a small part of the epic, teaches mankind what an individual's right duties are during each and every stage of his life -- towards his family, towards society, and also in an endeavor in any other field.

The original Sanskrit word used for duty is Dharma, which means to "uphold the Truth at any cost, even that of one's life." This is also man's inherent nature. So performing one's duty is as easy for a human as it is for a rose to spread its fragrance.

If we perform our duties appropriately, we will need no other instrument to achieve our ultimate goal of "Self-Realization." Duties can be divided into two categories:

• Obligatory duties
• Duties out of love

Obligatory duties:

Any time we borrow or receive something from somebody, it is our obligation to return it in due time, in appropriate condition and amount, and with gratitude. If we borrow money to pay for a car or a house or any other goods from, let's say, a bank, we are obligated to repay the full amount with interest. We are not obliging the lender when we repay. This is a simple definition of obligatory duty; there is a trade of some kind involved. We are expected as human beings to keep our word and perform our obligation cheerfully.

If we dwell a little on the subject, we will find that when we deal with family and relatives (parents, spouse, children, brother, sister and all other relationships, however distant), there is some kind of obligation involved. It is our obligatory duty to look after our mother even at the cost of our life since she brought us into this world in the first place. In doing so, we are only returning what we borrowed, as in the example mentioned above. So it is with all other relationships -- with friends, with neighbors -- when we trade something, whether material, service or something of intrinsic value.

Duties out of love:

Truly speaking, when done out of love, no action can be called a duty. When we help someone out of love, without any expectations and without any obligation towards that person, it is a duty out of love. When neither lust, greed nor desire for name and fame is involved, we may assume that we are doing an act out of love. No one other than a saint is able to do anything out of love, because somewhere, deep in our heart, obligations or expectations are lodged. We feel obligated to "return" a good deed.

The fact that whatever we do is because we are related to someone or are a friend to someone, inevitably puts our actions in the "obligatory duty" category. Lust, anger, greed, jealousy, irritability, complaints, revenge, frustrations, depression, doubts, suicides, etc. are all a reflection of ill performed obligatory duties. Activities performed out of love are free from the above mentioned traits. Even most of the so called "religious leaders" are not free of these vices.

When we help individuals, a society or a nation, without any selfish motive, we can say that the act is performed truly out of love. However, we find that rarely an act is performed without some motive: religious, to hope to convert others to our religion; political, to increase our political influence; or commercial, to make money.

Spiritual teachings and lives of Shree Krishna in Gitaji, Buddha, Mahavir, Jesus Christ, Mirabai and all true saints of all times, places and religions fall into the category of those who do everything out of love. This involves total self sacrifice, without which there can be no "Self Realization." Anytime establishments and institutions of any kind are involved, there is a dilution of the original love par excellence.

We shall now return to what is called "reality" in our dealings. Gitaji classifies all human beings in three basic categories: Tamasika (with animal traits), Rajasika (with devilish traits) and Satvika (with divine traits). An average man is considered Rajasika -- even when he performs his obligatory duties properly without complaints. When one gets involved in drugs, drinking, murder, rape, theft, prostitution, etc., he moves backward towards animal propensities. However, we don't find animals doing these acts out of revenge, maybe out of necessity, if at all. If a man acts out of love, without any delusion, he is divine.

When you work for a company and perform per your job description, more than likely you stay in the same position. However, if you are lazy and careless, you may either be demoted or be fired. Only if you perform with dedication, over and above what is expected of you, are you promoted. Such is the case too with the company run by God, so to say. According to the Spiritual Law, we can perform poorly, up to par or excellently.

Hindu Sages have prepared "job descriptions" for all beings and for different stages of their lives. If we perform our duties accordingly, we are assured of freedom from the slavery and drudgery of life once and for all.