श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुण: परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात् | स्वधर्मे निधनं श्रेय: परधर्मो भयावह: || 35|| |
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Commentary
From the moment of birth and first breath, everyone is constantly longing, craving and desiring for something more that will give permanent happiness. This quality of deep longing to expand physical, intellectual and emotional boundaries of happiness is embedded in our genetic structure. Why is this longing present in humans? Man cannot and will not rest till he finds permanent happiness. This is called liberation. What is this liberation from? It is from the limited boundaries of the body, mind and heart. It is from the sufferings of the body that dies, restless mind that relies only on sensory data, heart that is buffeted by the waves of temporary happiness and sadness. Therefore liberation means achievement of infinite, permanent, blissful and unbounded eternity.
To drive man toward this goal, we have the Ancient Law of Eternity, called Dharma. It includes the supporting principles and directions, encapsulated in scriptures, to guide every phase of life. Dharma is Eternal Truth that exists and sustains all creation irrespective of religions, beliefs, rituals and other philosophies. Every true saint has broken the boundaries to become omnipresent and the embodiment of Dharma.
The saint is not the experience but the experiencer. He can be a butcher, fisherman, hunter, soldier, householder, software engineer or in any other profession. Even a soldier should not hate other country’s people. Thinking of them as part of his own Being, who are going to higher states of evolution, He should perform the relativistic duty of protecting his nation. The soldier then becomes a saint. If everyone had such a realization, wars would not be necessary in the world. When a butcher, who is helping his family business, achieves a state where he is able to see his own body and the body of the animal as lifetronic vibrations, he becomes one with Dharma and does not accrue any karma. Adi Shankaracharya consumed hot melting iron from a blacksmith’s pot to teach a lesson to his doubting students.
A self-realized saint conducts his behavior based on soul (Sva) guidance and not on sense-identified outward projection of Ego (Para). Paradharma does not mean other people’s action, which we cannot do anyway. We can imitate but still it is our own action. ‘Para’ means that which is contrary to our original nature of Eternal Infinity.
Material and spiritual success are both important however, if one has to choose, then Lord Krishna says that it is better to die trying to develop spiritually than to accomplish happiness of the material senses that is always filled with danger of suffering and fear of loss.