Editorial
I
Our Duties in Life
April 2021
n his Tirukkural, Thiruvalluvar writes, “He alone lives who knows (and discharges) the proper duties (of life). He who knows them not shall be reckoned among the dead.” One personality who knew his duties and fulfilled them in the most exemplary manner was Sri Ramachandra. Therefore, Ramanavami coming, we would do well to reflect on our duties in life.
The Vedanta Kesari
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What is our duty in life? While it is not possible to give an objective definition of duty, yet from the subjective side, as Swami Vivekananda points out, we see that “certain acts have a tendency to exalt and ennoble us, while certain other acts have a tendency to degrade and to brutalise us.” Therefore, “any action that makes us go Godward is a good action, and is our duty; any action that makes us go downward is evil, and is not our duty.”
How does an action become good? Swamiji again tells us, “When you are doing any work, do not think of anything beyond. Do it as worship, as the highest worship, and devote your whole life to it for the time being.”
When our actions are thus divinised they become efficient instruments to tame our senses, overcome the restlessness of our mind, and burn our selfishness and sensuality. Thus by the strength of rightly performed actions we evolve even to the highest realisation of spiritual perfection. While this is duty towards ourselves, we have other duties which stem from our relationships in society. In society we have multiple personal and social identities like son, daughter, brother, sister, husband, wife, friend, neighbour, employer, employee, citizen, and so on. In each of these roles we have duties to fulfill. But given the differences in human nature and varying
external circumstances, it becomes difficult to determine what constitutes good action in these relationships. Again, we wrongly interpret fulfilling morbid attachment to sense pleasure, or greed for wealth and gain as our duty. Truly, sometimes Maya comes in the guise of duty. However, from Sri Rama who performed his duties as son, brother, husband, friend, warrior, king etc., in the most ideal manner, we learn that our family and social duties will lead us Godward if those actions are truthful, non-injurious, unselfish, and unattached. Another important duty we have is towards Sanatana Dharma which preserves the highest universal truths discovered by man. Our work is to experientially realise the great Vedantic truths and share it with the whole world. Swami Vivekananda says, “For a complete civilisation the world is waiting, waiting for the treasures to come out of India, waiting for the marvellous spiritual inheritance of the race…” The challenge is to first recognise these various duties, then understand how to perform them in a dharmic manner, and finally carry them out in the best possible way overcoming all difficulties. In short, our duty is to engage in actions that help to manifest our inner divinity and simultaneously bring about the good of the world. When duties are so performed, it is called dharma.
This dharma was the strength of Sri Rama. When he is about to leave for vanavas, his mother Kausalya blesses him saying, “The duty which you are carrying out with courage and self-discipline, O tiger among the descendants of Raghu, will alone protect you.” May “dharma incarnate” Sri Rama awaken in us the strength to fulfill all our duties in life.
