The annual celebration of Gita Jayanti is a constant reminder to all of mankind, regardless of creed or race, of the need to intensify one’s efforts at performing actions that will lead to liberation. Such advice was espoused by Shri Krishna throughout the Bhagavad Gita as he urged Arjuna to yield not to inaction but to perform his dharma selflessly . Today, five thousand years later, the necessity for highlighting this aspect of human endeavour is a most urgent one.
It is instructive to note that the very first word in the Bhagavad Gita is ‘Dharma’ and the last is ‘Mama’ and indeed, ‘Mama dharma’ encompasses the entire text. Loosely translated, the expression ‘Mama dharma’ refers to ‘my duty’. However, a more in-depth description of ‘dharma’ is basically the inmost constitution by which an individual lives. As members of society we assume various roles, at different points in time, in different capacities, with varying responsibilities and interactions. In each capacity we perform varying duties. Can we say we fulfil all our responsibilities well?
Reflection upon the following scriptural guidelines, a check-list on dharma, one might say, will help us to gauge the quality of the dharma we perform:
- Dharma should be maintained at all costs.
- Dharma should be performed dispassionately and without the expectation of rewards.
- Performing one’s duty is the highest good one can do.
- Dharma should be performed without attachment, free from malice and done for the Lord’s sake.
- Duty is the foremost of all actions one can perform.
- Dharma performed conscientiously leads to the ultimate goal of self-realization.
It should be borne in mind that the quality of the society we live in is a reflection of man’s collective actions. Needless to say, the societal picture today mirrors a sharp decline in dharma. We see a gross dereliction of duty, a collapse in discipline and an increase in lawlessness in schools, on the roads and at the work-place; lack of empathy towards our fellow-man and a scarcity of actions done selflessly. Dominated by greed and desires for materialism, many have swerved from the path of dharma.
The auspicious occasion of Gita Jayanti brings with it a plea to all mankind to re-visit the life-style to which we subscribe. It is also a time to examine the quality of the lives we live. In order to avoid further violation of dharma and consequential pain, this occasion should prompt us into taking corrective measures to walk the path of dutifulness. Mother Earth and her people are crying out for the experience of beauty in duty. Indeed, dharma protects those who protect dharma.
