Talks on the Gita -Vinoba 223

Chapter 18 CONCLUSION: RENUNCIATION OF THE FRUIT OF ACTIONS LEADS TO THE GRACE OF THE LORD 104. An Insight Into Swadharma 16. Swadharma consists of two parts; one changes while the other does not. I am not today what I was yesterday, nor shall I be tomorrow what I am today. I am changing continually. A child’s swadharma is to seek all-round development. A young man’s swadharma is to use his abundant energy for the service of society. Swadharma of a mature adult man is to give others the benefit of his wisdom. A part of swadharma thus changes, but the other part remains unchanged. To use the language of the scriptures, we may say that a man has varnadharma (duties that follow from being in a particular varna) as well as ashram- dharma (duties that follow from being in a particular ashram); and that varnadharma does not change while ashramdharma changes. Ashramdharma changes. What does this mean? When we successfully pass the stage of brahmacharyashram, we enter the next stage—become a grihasth (the householder)—, then enter vanaprasthashram and finally become a sannyasi. But varnadharma does not change. I can never go beyond my natural limits. Any attempt to do so will be foolish. You cannot overlook your distinctive attributes and personality. The scheme of varnadharma is based on this idea. The concept of varnadharma is quite appealing. Is varnadharma absolutely unchangeable? Is belonging to a varna akin to belonging to a species? Is it that just as a goat will always be a goat, a Brahmin will always be a Brahmin? I concede that it is not so; one should take a balanced view. When varnadharma is used as an ingenuous arrangement for social order, exceptions are inevitable. The Gita has acknowledged this. The key point is that one should understand these two types of dharma and keep away from any other dharma, even if it appears beautiful and alluring.