What are our Duties in Life?
abracad, · Categories: externally authored, purpose, spiritualityBy Lt Col R K Langar
Lord Krishna states in Bhagavad Gita that man attains perfection by performing his allotted duties in a spirit of sacrifice which means without bothering for the fruit of actions, without attachment and even without the feeling that I am the doer of actions. When your offer the fruit of your actions to God and also its doer ship then your work becomes worship of God. With actions performed in this manner one attains purity of mind which is a prerequisite for gaining progress in the spiritual path. Man has to perform certain obligatory duties while living in the world which are listed below.
Our first duty
Our first duty is toward our own self. Man in not only a body but primarily an Atma or soul possessing a body. We are primarily Atma and then a body. Atma can move from one place to another without a body but body without Atma is inert. Atma being a fraction of God its inherent nature is SATCHIT ANAND which is absolute Truth, Absolute Knowledge and Absolute BLISS. Generally we neglect the nourishment of Atma and give utmost importance to improve our physical charm. We feel that if our body is attractive our mind and intellect shall also grow. This is not true our constituents of our personality that is physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual are to be nourished separately to attain a whole some personality. For its nourishment Atma needs rest, silence, peace, love, truthfulness, happiness and righteousness. When we acquire these traits, then Atma manifest itself in our conduct. A complete man is not only worldly wise but also spiritually elevated which is only possible when we cater for the need to nourish Atma. Permanent happiness which is un conditional lies inside us in Atma. In life we generally nourish the visible part of our self like the body but ignore the invisible and subtle part of us which are mind, intellect and Atma when we nourish Atma, our mind remains silent and intellect sharp.
Our body consist of body, mind and intellect and hence our duties are to keep each one of them in a nourished state. To keep the body in a fit state body should be given Satvik food, body should be exercised and kept neat and clean. Body is the temple  of God and therefore it is our responsibility to keep the temple  of God free from any type of dirt. Mind should be nourished with love, concentration and cheerfulness. Mind should be kept pure by allowing it to practise spiritual values. Intellect should be nourished by knowledge and wisdom by yoga and by meditation intellect should also be exercised by giving judgements after discriminating between what is right and what is wrong and following the righteous path.
It should be noted that mind is the chief factor governing the body. We should avoid suggesting to the mind of our limitations like sickness, old age and death. If mind is kept healthy the body will be able to handle its stress. Mental hygiene is superior to physical hygiene. A healthy mind also helps us to form good relationship with others.
Our second duty
Our second duty is towards, the maintenance and upkeep of our family. We should never have a possessive attitude towards them but we should act like a trustee without attachment in meeting their day to day requirements. It is our responsibility to teach higher values of life to our children. Children learn more by actions of their parents rather than by words. It is therefore essential that our conduct as parents should be exemplary. If parents actions are righteous. Trustworthy and helpful, children shall adopt these traits with no difficulty. What children learn from their parents remain with them life long. Do not throw your anger on your children for some of their faults. Make them understand what is correct with love and patience. Do not expect from your children. They should be nourished to grow at their own pace.
Our third duty
Our third duty is towards our place of work which is our source of income that enables us to maintain our self and our families. We should regard our place of work as a sacred place and work with integrity, sincerity and honesty. We should never think of amassing wealth by unfair means. Work becomes worship of God. If we offer the fruits of work and its doer ship to God.
Our fourth duty
Our next duty is towards the society we live in and the world in general. We must remember that we are the children of one God and so the world is a family. From spiritual point of view same Atma is in all of us and hence the other person is you yourself and not different. So we should deal with others as nicely as we deal with our self. In the same way as you expect others to deal with you nicely, you should also deal with them in the same manner. God says in Bhagavad Gita that I am the friend of all, so there is no reason why you should not maintain friendly relation with all. Make the world your own as there is no stranger in the world. Friendship is a trustworthy relation which is a tool to cure hatred and promote peace all around. Give as much as you can to the society and world in general- if nothing else give good wishes to all. Serving others is the salt of life. More energy you spend in serving others more divine energy will flow into you. Service should always be provided to poor down trodden, sick and neglected. When you serve others your own problems become smaller. Serve with a feeling of equality and compassion, when a person realizes that the same supreme self dwells in all his attitude towards them will change into love and spirit of service.
While living in the world you should always make it a better place to live by your contribution. You may not be able to change others but you can change yourself to become a better person and inspire others to become good people. The golden rule is to serve all with body, mind and wealth to the extent possible and depending on our capabilities. We all can help others as we all have some talent in us.
All four duties are equally important and we should perform these duties without neglecting any of them for the sake of another. These duties are like four legs of a table which give stability to the table if all are of equal length and size. Any shortcoming in any of the leg will make the table unstable.
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Filed in: externally authored, purpose, spirituality
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