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Chapter 14
THE GUNAS: DEVELOPING THEM AND GOING BEYOND THEM
79. How To Determine One’s Swadharma?
18. The chaturvarnya[1] system appeals to me essentially because there are naturalness and dharma (duties) in it. Nothing can be gained by evading one’s swadharma. My birth gives me my parents. Can I say that I do not like them? Whatever I might feel, they will continue to be my parents. The parent’s calling comes naturally to the children. It is a distinguishing characteristic of chaturvarnya that the people should continue to follow their ancestral callings, provided they are not unethical. This system has now decayed and adherence to it has become difficult. But it would be nice if it could be properly reformed and revived. Nowadays first 25-30 years of life are spent in learning a new vocation and thereafter people try to get a job or start a business. Thus, man is getting educated for the first 25 years of his life without doing anything else and this education has absolutely no connection with life. This period is taken as the time for preparation for the life ahead, which perhaps means that it is not part of life; life is to come later! It is as if one has to get education first and live thereafter. Learning and living have thus been divorced from each other. But anything unrelated to living is akin to death. The average expectation of life in India is 23 years and people spend 25 years in learning a vocation![2] The best and the most precious period in life, which should be used in fulfilling oneself through energetic and enthusiastic service of the people, is thus wasted. But life is not a child’s play. It is indeed tragic that a valuable part of life is wasted in finding a calling. To avoid this, Hinduism has devised the concept of varnadharma. |
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References and Context
- ↑ Please refer footnote in Chapter 1.8. The system pf chaturvarnya has been under fire from different quarters for being iniquitous. Vinoba too held that as it has been distorted because of hierarchical stratification, it has become irrelevant. However, he looked to it as a social arrangement which avoids unnecessary competition and is, therefore, conducive to peace and order in the society. He held that all the varnas or occupations should have equal social and spiritual status and should earn equal remuneration. He also believed that all should have the good qualities irrespective of their varna or occupation. It must also be pointed out that although Vinoba spoke of chaturvarnya in appreciative terms at times, referring to the basic idea underlying that system, he was against the caste system. He believed that it has nothing to do with the chaturvarnya and called it a blot on Hinduism.
- ↑ This was the expectation of life at the time of thes e talks. Now it is well over 50. However, this does not affect the essence of the argument.