Thursday, April 12, 2012

Four D's

Prabhupada reveals the problem in four D's - Disruption (in) Discharge (of) Duty (leads to) Disharmony.
1. The first 'D' is Duty. Srila Prabhupada goes further deeper into this word as 'specific duty assigned to each and every living being'. We all have some specific duty assigned to us either through our superiors (like in office, college), or through progressive duties in life (in family as husband, wife, father, mother etc). We need to stick to what is assigned to us and not focus on what is not assigned to us. In Bhagavad Gita 18.47 Lord Krishna says:
shreyaan sva-dharmo vigunah / para-dharmaat svanushthitaat
svabhaava niyatam karma / kurvan naapnoti kilbisham
"It is better to engage in one's own occupation, even though one may perform it imperfectly, than to accept another's occupation and perform it perfectly. Duties prescribed according to one's nature are never affected by sinful reactions."
2 & 3. The second 'D' is Discharge and the third 'D' is Disruption. When there is a duty, we have to discharge it and on time. We should not keep it safely with us. Duty is safe when it is discharged, not when it left undone. Procrastination is the thief of time. Lord Krishna advises strongly against this bad habit. There should not be any disruption in the discharge of our duty. Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita 3.8:
niyatam kuru karmatvam / karma-jyaayo hi akarmanah
shareera-yatraapi ca te / na prasiddhyed akarmanah
"Perform your prescribed duty, for doing so is better than not working. One cannot even maintain one's physical body without work."
4. The fourth 'D' is Disharmony. When the above 3 D's combine together, it leads to the fourth D which is Disharmony between living beings. This is most commonly seen everywhere. If our boss at work gives us some job to do, and if we do not do it on time properly, then he is going to be displeased with us. Also the other dependent workers's activities also get disturbed. This leads to disharmony. In the temple, if we are given the service to bring ingredients for cooking and we don't do it on time or miss out on some of the items, then the cooking team's service get disrupted. So when we work as a team, it is important that each one of us discharge our specific duty on time. Doing our duty on time is a symptom of obedience and humility.

No Other Way

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