Duty

“No one should relinquish his duty even though it is flawed — all actions are enveloped by flaws as fire is enveloped by smoke.” — Excerpt from the Bhagavad-Gita

Last weekend at a Yoga Teachers Retreat my group was asked to take the above excerpt and present it to our peers the next day.

As with anything determining the meaning behind specific words is key to gaining understanding.

Lets begin with the word “duty”. Does duty mean taking out the trash, doing homework, going to work, taking care of our family? I think in this case, we can take “duty” to mean “Dharma”.

Dharma essentially means the natural law of things. In the context of this quote, I believe it means one’s purpose in life.

The Bhagavad-Gita tells us that we have the right to action, the right to work, the right to duty. But we do not have the right to the fruits of those actions, work, or duty.

We need to give up selfish attachments and do our best without insisting that things turn out the way that we want them to.

Once we can accept this attitude, we are freed. Freed to act, freed to work, freed to do our duty with a clear mind and unburdened heart.

The idea is “surrender”. Once we have surrendered to Dharma, we do not act. We allow actions to flow through us.

And no one relinquishes Dharma, then all is perfect, there will be no flaws.

We are not things of name and form, we are not a world of innumerable separates; we are one. See yourself in everyone, in everything around you. All is but a partial reflection. With this partial reflection illuminating but one small part of a whole.

If you have read the Bhagavad Gita, then you do not understand. But study the Bhagavad Gita, contemplate the truths revealed in the Bhagavad Gita, then all magically snaps into place. Connections of thought and ideas coalesce and we are reminded of that single truth: All is the same, all is one, separateness is an illusion.

As teachers and practitioners we know this, we say as much, we share the message with others. But everyone once in a while we must stop the parroting and internalize the message, reconnect with it, know it for what it is.

Like the Yoga Sutras, I believe the Bhagavad Gita, the Dhammapada, and the Upanishads are meant to be read and re-read. Each time something new resonates within yourself, each time you gain more knowledge, more understanding.

My teacher trainer, Catherine Munro, put it best:

The Sutras are meant for deep contemplation throughout the entirety of your life. The reason for this is that life influences you, changes your perception of things, and at different times in our lives we are open to different things. Therefore if you study the Sutras multiple times throughout your life, your difference perspectives will give you a fuller understanding and bring you closer to enlightenment.

These aren’t her exact words but the essence of the message is there.

So if you haven’t already. I encourage you to stop by your local bookseller and pick up one of these three books. Connect with them. Find your own Dharma to find bliss.


Namaste.