SOCIAL ORDER IN THE GITA
sadhaka
janmana manyate jaatih karmana manyate krtih
tasmaat svakiya kartavyam paalaniyam prayatnatah
Contact with the modes of nature and actions is responsible for the birth of this soul in good and evil wombs (13/21; 14/16, 18). The attachment to the modes and the evolutes and the past actions decide the nature of a man’s rebirth. The Lord declares in the Gita, “The four social orders I (the Brahmana, the Kshatriya, the Vaisya and the Sudra) were created by Me classifying them according to the mode of nature and actions” (4/13). So the Gita accepts the social order according to their birth.
The term ‘Jati‘ is framed from the root word ‘jani pradurbhave‘. So ‘jati‘ (varna) (social order) is decided by birth rather than by actions. But the social order is protected only by by ‘krti‘ (action) whose root is ‘kr‘.
God has divided the duties of the four social orders (Brahmanas, Kstriyas, Vaisyas, and Sudras) according to their birth. A person has to perform his duty to the social order he belongs to according to the ordinance of the scriptures. It is ‘Sva dharma‘ (one’s own duty) for him while the duty prescribed for the members of other social orders is ‘para dharma‘ (duty of others) because it is forbidden for him. As performance of religious sacrifice for fees and taking charity are ‘sva dharma‘ for a Brahmana (a member of the priest class) while they are ‘para dharma‘ for the members of other three social orders; so does Death while performing one’s own duty lead to blessedness while another’s duty is fraught with fear (3/35) (fear in the form of birth and death). Arjuna is a members of the warrior class. So it is his own duty to wage war. Therefore the Lord very plainly says to Arjuna, “There is nothing more welcome for a man of the warrior class than a righteous war” (2/31); and, “if you don’t wage this righteous war, then shirking your duty and forfeiting your honor, you will incur sin” (2/33).
In the Gita the Lord laying great emphasis on the performance of one’s duty according to one’s social order declares, “A man scrupulously engaged in his own duty, without expecting any reward attains perfection” (3/19; 18/45); and “Man attains perfection by worshipping God through his own natural duty” (18/46). God is worshipped with pure and holy materials. One’s own duty is pure and holy while the duty of another is impure and profane. So worship of God through one’s own duty leads to perfection while His worship through the duty of other leads to ruin. The Lord calls it one’s innate duty because it is inborn and natural. The Lord Himself has decided the innate duties of the four social orders (18/42-44) and by performing them a man does not incur sin (18/47). A member of the warrior class by killing persons in the unsolicited righteous war incurs no sin because it is his innate duty ordained by the scriptures.
A man by performing his prescribed duty protects his social order but by performing the duties of others there ensues an intermixture and confusion in social orders. The Lord for Himself declares, “If I did not perform action, I should prove to be the cause of confusion in the social order and of the destruction (downfall) of people” (3/23-24). Therefore the person who does not perform his duty according to his social order but constantly remains indulged in sensual enjoyments having accumulated wealth and power by unrighteous means, lives in vain (3/16).
Every person should protect his own social order through the performance of his duty. For this there are five important factors:-
(1) Marriage:- Marriage should be arranged in one’s own social order, otherwise because of the intermixture of the menstrual excretion and semen of the female and male members of different social orders, there will ensue an intermixture of castes in the off spring born of them. Such off springs will have no faith in their ancestors. So they will not offer food and water in honor of their manes. Even if they offer it because of the adverse public opinion against them, it will not be received by their manes, and the manes will fall (1/42). The Gita declares that he who having cast aside the ordinances of the scriptures acts according to his own sweet will, attains neither perfection (in the form of purity of the inner sense) nor happiness nor the Supreme Goal (16/23). So let the scriptures be the guide in deciding what ought to be done and what aught not to be done (16/24).
(2) Food:-Food should also be eaten according to the standard of one’s own social order. A member of the labor class can eat onion and garlic but they are forbidden for the member of the priest class. If we dine with the members of other social orders, they will not accept our purity, but their impurity will definitely affect us. So a man should take meals according to his own social order.
(3) Dress:-By blindly following the western fashions we have lost our own dress. Generally people of all social orders have lost their own dress and there is an intermixture in their dresses. So a person should maintain his own dress (traditional outfits).
(4) Language:- There is nothing wrong in learning other languages and scripts. But change in dress, dishes and daily routine etc. according to the people of that language is wrong. We should learn English but we should not become western. Having known other languages also we should use our own language in conversation etc.
(5) Profession:-A man should follow the profession according to his own social order. The Gita has prescribed the duties of the members of four social orders – the priest class, the warrior class, the trading class and the labour-class (18/42-44).
Narayana ! Narayana ! Narayana !
From “Gita Darpan” in English by Swami Ramsukhdasji Maharaj.