Question: Is Swadharma mentioned in the Gita same as ‘Authentic self’?
Is Swadharma mentioned in the Gita same as ‘Authentic self’?
SK:
I remember one abhyasi asked Chariji about starting a new venture and a carrier change decision. Chariji's response was a cobbler must to cobblers job.
This is what exactly swadharma means in the context of Gita or in the context of Swa-dharma itself.
In Gita, chapter 3 , verse 35, Krishna says, (Excerpt from Chinmayananda, Swami. Geeta Chapter 3 . )
śhreyān swa-dharmo viguṇaḥ para-dharmāt sv-anuṣhṭhitāt swa-dharme nidhanaṁ śhreyaḥ para-dharmo bhayāvahaḥ
śhreyān—better; swa-dharmaḥ—one’s own duty; viguṇaḥ—devoid of merit;; para-dharmāt—than the duty of another; su-anuṣhṭhitāt—perfectly done; swa-dharme—in one’s personal duties; nidhanam—death; śhreyaḥ—better; para-dharmaḥ—duties prescribed for others; bhaya-āvahaḥ—fraught with fear
Better is one’s own duty, though devoid of merit, than the duty of another well discharged. Better is death in one’s own duty; the duty of another is fraught with fear (is productive of positive danger).
There is a clear distinction between Dharma , swa-dharma, para-dharama.
Dharama is a broad category, to put it succinctly it's a principle which covers all aspects of life.
But when it comes to the definition of swa-dharma, its an individual principle - each individual is born and acquires certain natural abilities according to his/her samskaras(past impressions), vasanas(predetermined channels of thinking created by one’s own earlier ways of thinking). This pattern is intrinsic nature of each individual.
In bhagavad gita "swadharma" is used as meaning of the four castes( Originally depicted in Manu Smriti) in the expression Bha. Ch2 v31 svadharmamapi caveksya where the lord is telling Arjuna to fight, having regard to what his dharma is and also later in the expression Bha Ch3 v35 swa-dharme nidhanaṁ śhreyaḥ para-dharmo bhayāvahaḥ i.e it is better to die performing one's own(caste) duties, following duties enjoined on another caste is dangerous.
Wether the rest of the world subscribes to this caste system or not, but one can observe that duties of all four castes are being performed every where in the world.
Swadharma (one’s own duty) is not the duty which automatically imposed or conferred on an individual because of caste. It has nothing to do with the caste one is born into. It is adjoined due to nature of individual according their own impressions and awareness.
Even the ancient greek philosophers were of the opinion that one has to take "the virtue as the highest ideal of mankind and dealt with the question of the doable and the not doable from that point of view.
Our seers put the adhyatmic pragati (spritual upliftment) as the highest ideal of every individual; that the question of doable and the not-doable is considered on the basis of whether it contributes towards this upliftment or not.
If there is a contradiction in performing any action, if it is doable or not just follow that path in which there is no opposition. Here i would like to point what Daaji says about listening to the heart , heart will give a very subtle indication or almost say nothing if the action chosen is right , it only speaks when the outcome of the action is not going to be congenial. (Note: not quoting verbatim)
Conclusion : Swadharama also means identifying the natural abilities and excel in it. The duties born of our nature can be easily performed with stability of mind; Living this way i am free from impressions and it will allow the mind to aspire the true spiritual progress.
If this means authentic-self then the answer to your questions is YES!