Execute your responsibility & do not imitate others!

As Maharaj Yudhisthira was adamant on taking up the reins of the kingdom, Bhima, Nakula, Sahadev all gave arguments of how it is important for a Kshatriya to rule the earth virtuously, rather than to falsely renounce one’s duties

 

Arjun said: Dear brother, a king’s duties are considered to be highly sacred. When a Kshatriya kills an aggressor, it is not at all sinful, because violence is necessary for the upkeep of social order. Being unable to remain silent, Bhima interrupted by saying: You should rejoice now that our wicked enemies have been killed. Rule the kingdom with grandeur. Perform the asvamedha-yagna & give profuse charity to the brahmanas. In this way you’ll be able to give up your lamentation

 

Yudhisthira replied: Even though you may be ignorant of the higher principles of religion, it is still a fact that engagement in self-realization is far superior to acting righteously as a king. The Vedas certainly instruct one how to execute duties properly, according to the social system of varnasrama, but such activities are within the jurisdiction of the three modes of material nature-goodness, passion & ignorance

 

At the same time the Vedas point out that the ultimate goal of the cultivation of knowledge is the liberation from the entanglement of material existence, with its concomitant cycle of repeated birth & death

 

Arjun said: O Brother, even wise king Janaka once was confused about his actual duty. He decided to leave his kingdom and become a mendicant. But his wife chastised him & said why you are taking risk of becoming a false renouncer-one who remains attached to the objects of the senses after supposedly having rejected them? It is far superior to work piously in household life than become a pretender

 

Arjun said: By learning from his mistake, you can give up your intention of discarding your duties as a God conscious king

 

Yudhisthira said: In shastra two paths are expounded-the path of action (Pravrtti-marga) & the path of renunciation (Nivrtti-marga). The path of renunciation is clearly superior, because it leads one to liberation, whereas the path of action, leading to the heavenly planets, still keeps one within the boundary of the cycle of repeated birth & death

 

Sage Devasthana then said: Arjun is emphasizing Dharma, Artha, Kama, whereas you are emphasizing moksha, but we should understand how all four divisions of activity are important, and how they should be traversed, one after another. You should not prematurely renounce your kingdom, but instead rule the earth piously & perform sacrifices

 

Srila Vyasdeva said: Arjun is speaking truthfully. A righteous household life is proper for you now, and not a life of a renunciant. All other creatures depend upon the householder existence. As you are a Kshatriya, it would be better for you to fulfil your duties as a responsible king, rather than imitate the behaviour of a brahmana

 

This same advice was given by Sri Krsna to Arjun in Gita: It is better to engage in one’s own occupation, even though one may perform it imperfectly, than to accept another’s occupation and perform it imperfectly. Duties prescribed according to one’s nature are never affected by sinful reactions

 

A sincere sweeper on the street is far better than the charlatan mediator who meditates only for the sake of making a living

 

śreyān sva-dharmo viguṇaḥ para-dharmāt sv-anuṣṭhitāt
sva-dharme nidhanaṁ śreyaḥ para-dharmo bhayāvahaḥ

 

It is far better to discharge one’s prescribed duties, even though faultily, than another’s duties perfectly. Destruction in the course of performing one’s own duty is better than engaging in another’s duties, for to follow another’s path is dangerous

 

Thoughts? #gameoflife